Brian Katulis writes about why President Obama's meeting with the leader of Turkey to discuss the conflict in Syria could mean progress on the response to it.
The attempts to conjure a political scandal out of the Benghazi tragedy prevent an honest debate about how to advance stability in Libya and the risks America should be asking its diplomats to take.
The United States should insist on an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council to investigate the reports of the Assad regime’s likely chemical-weapons use and further solidify and accelerate NATO planning on issues regarding Syria.
Issue Brief
U.S. leadership remains crucial to achieving a lasting and peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Security coordination between the two countries continues behind the scenes, but new security threats and political challenges loom ahead—which is why the United States needs to remain engaged on all fronts.
Issue Brief
To advance its interests and values in Egypt, the United States should more clearly support inclusive democratic political reform and prepare for possible policy shifts ahead.
Additional support for the Syrian opposition and regional coordination are urgently needed.
As a series of crises threaten to undermine Egypt’s stability, the United States must continue to support it with a full range of policy tools.
Three news stories since President Obama’s re-election have offered hints of the foreign policy challenges he will face in his second term — the ongoing budget debate, Middle East turmoil diverting attention from a presidential trip to Asia and continued questions about a terrorist attack that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other [...]
Immediately halting the violence is an imperative, but a ceasefire will endure only if Hamas refrains from targeting Israeli civilians.
Overall, the Obama administration has developed effective responses to the political transitions that began in 2011 in the Middle East. But the United States faces many challenges navigating the threats and opportunities presented by continued changes in the years ahead.
The recent pushback against American financing of democracy groups from leaders in Russia, Egypt and elsewhere should prompt Americans to craft new strategies, rather than leading to a retreat. Investments in civil organizations can pay off substantially. A study examining 67 different political transitions over three decades found that nonviolent civic forces from inside countries [...]
The deadly attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi requires our nation to stay on the offensive in the fight against extremists and remain engaged as a leader supporting change and reform in the Middle East.
Issue Brief
Jed Ober and Brian Katulis examine why the United States needs to better coordinate its Afghan policy from a diplomatic and political standpoint.
Brian Katulis explains that the United States is stepping up efforts to end the Syrian conflict while weighing the benefits and risks of different options.