Iraqi Kurds have enjoyed virtual autonomy for more than two decades, but formal independence might finally be in reach due to changing realities facing Iraq and Turkey, writes CFR’s Steven A. Cook.

The Arab world’s stirring for political change in 2011 failed dramatically, but support for building democratic institutions still represents one of the region’s best hopes for reform.

At its Warsaw summit, NATO should try to find better solutions to the problem of burden-sharing and a more sustainable strategy for managing tensions with Russia, writes CFR’s Stephen Sestanovich.

Five years after a devastating meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the debate on nuclear safety remains heated in Japan, writes CFR’s Sheila A. Smith.