Video Brief: Arab Revolutions
Videos

Video Brief: Arab Revolutions

December 8, 2011 4:33 pm (EST)

Video Brief: Arab Revolutions
Explainer Video

The winner of the 2012 U.S. presidential election will likely confront a greatly changed Middle East political landscape due to ongoing civil upheaval, says Steven A. Cook, CFR’s senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies. "We have seen critical allies like Hosni Mubarak fall from power, and other allies under political pressure," Cook says. The next U.S. president, he says, will have to grapple with the fact that the regional political order "that made it relatively easier and relatively less expensive for the United States to pursue its interests in the Middle East has been turned over." This video is part of a special Council on Foreign Relations series that explores the top foreign policy issues debated in the run-up to the 2012 elections.

Top Stories on CFR

Mexico

Organized crime’s hold on local governments fuels record election violence; Europe’s cocaine pipeline shifting to the Southern Cone.

Defense and Security

John Barrientos, a captain in the U.S. Navy and a visiting military fellow at CFR, and Kristen Thompson, a colonel in the U.S. Air Force and a visiting military fellow at CFR, sit down with James M. Lindsay to provide an inside view on how the U.S. military is adapting to the challenges it faces.

Myanmar

The Myanmar army is experiencing a rapid rise in defections and military losses, posing questions about the continued viability of the junta’s grip on power.