An array of internal challenges looms over Iraq’s future as the country votes in its first general election since the 2011 U.S. withdrawal, explains expert Ned Parker.

The Obama administration should encourage moderate Sunni rebels to find common cause with the Assad regime in eliminating the threat from radical jihadists, says CFR’s Leslie H. Gelb.

The treatment of terrorism suspect Abu Anas al-Libi, who seems destined for trial in U.S. federal court, fits the Obama administration’s new protocol for such captures, says expert Stephen Vladeck.

The Gaza conflict has been brewing for a while, and although Egypt and others are working to deescalate it, there are no guarantees, says CFR’s Steven Cook.

Egypt’s newly sworn in President Mohamed Morsi will have to tackle everything from setting a rocky economy back on course to combining reform efforts with placating a powerful military, says expert D…