Arab World

All About the Benjamins

Why Bashar al-Assad won't go.

BY BRUCE BUENO DE MESQUITA, ALASTAIR SMITH | DECEMBER 12, 2012

Assad's War on the Red Crescent

Aid workers are caught in the crossfire of Syria's bloody revolt.

BY DAVID KENNER | DECEMBER 12, 2012

The Fierce Urgency of Now

The case for short-term thinking.

BY DAVID ROTHKOPF | DECEMBER 11, 2012

Rally 'Round the Jihadist

The Obama administration slapped a terrorist designation on Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra -- but only managed to spark an anti-U.S. backlash among anti-Assad groups.

BY AARON Y. ZELIN | DECEMBER 11, 2012

Yemen's Rocky Roadmap

Yemenis hope that a planned National Dialogue will save the revolution. But what abut the guys with the guns? 

BY ADAM BARON | DECEMBER 10, 2012

Don't Let the Syrian Rebels Win

An outright victory by Assad’s enemies would be a disaster.

BY GLENN E. ROBINSON | DECEMBER 10, 2012

A Yemen Built for Two?

In their quest to unify the country after the Arab Spring, Yemen's new leaders are confronting a major obstacle: calls for secession.

BY LUKE SOMERS | DECEMBER 7, 2012

How to Build an Army in Your Basement

From homemade rockets to car bombs, take a look at the weapons that Syria’s rebels are using to defeat Bashar al-Assad.

BY ELIOT HIGGINS | DECEMBER 4, 2012

Is There an Egyptian Nation?

The current protests aren't about the President Mohamed Morsi's power grab -- this fight is over something far more basic.

BY SHADI HAMID | DECEMBER 4, 2012

There's a New Caliph in Town

The Muslim Brotherhood sees a conspiracy to oust it from power around every corner, and it’s prepared to strike preemptively against its enemies -- both real and imagined.

BY EVAN HILL | NOVEMBER 30, 2012

The Ties That Bind

Economic talks this week represent a new chapter in the U.S.-Pakistan relationship.

BY THOMAS R. NIDES, ABDUL HAFEEZ SHAIKH | NOVEMBER 29, 2012

Can You Save Diplomacy From Itself?

Carne Ross's quixotic crusade to help emerging nations get their seat at the table.

BY CRISTINA ODONE | NOVEMBER 26, 2012

The FP Survey: The Wisdom of the Smart Crowd

FP's Global Thinkers weigh in on the year gone by and what's on the horizon for 2013.

DECEMBER 2012

Overdone Turkey

The hype about Ankara as a regional leader is way overblown.

BY STEVEN A. COOK | NOVEMBER 21, 2012

Turkey's Weakest Export

Turkey says it wants to be a model for democracy in the Middle East. But so far its actions lag behind its achievements.

BY GAMZE COŞKUN | NOVEMBER 21, 2012

Still Think Middle East Peace Doesn't Matter?

Gaza's radiating instability proves once again that Palestine is at the center of the region's problems.

BY STEVEN A. COOK | NOVEMBER 19, 2012

The Making of a Cultural Icon

How Malala became an international hero.

DECEMBER 2012

A Pillar of Problems

Eight questions about the Israel-Gaza conflict we still don't have a good handle on.

BY JONATHAN SCHANZER | NOVEMBER 16, 2012

Throwing Rice

Barack Obama was right to defend Susan Rice from the GOP attacks. She's got the chops to be secretary of state.

BY SEAN KAY | NOVEMBER 16, 2012

How Not to Wage War on the Internet

BY MICHAEL KOPLOW | NOVEMBER 16, 2012

Zombie Versus Frankenstein

Now the beleaguered Syrian opposition has two umbrella groups vying for funds and recognition. Is that really going to help?

BY MALIK AL-ABDEH | NOVEMBER 15, 2012

The Peace Process Isn't Dead

The brewing war in Gaza shows why the United States must make a renewed effort to bring Israelis and Palestinians together.

BY DANIEL KURTZER | NOVEMBER 15, 2012

The World Is Not Enough

Why does the planet's No. 1 spy never go to the really dangerous places?

BY FRANK JACOBS | NOVEMBER 15, 2012

Relationship Advice

Don't believe the loose talk of Barack Obama exacting vengeance on Benjamin Netanyahu -- the two leaders need each other too much to let old grudges get in the way.

BY DAVID MAKOVSKY | NOVEMBER 8, 2012

Rights and Responsibility

The candidates may disagree on some human rights issues, but the next president will face challenges that transcend partisan lines.

BY KENNETH ROTH | NOVEMBER 5, 2012

Scenes From a Forgotten War

What happened the last time America got bogged down in North Africa.

NOVEMBER 2, 2012

Lessons From a Forgotten War

How America’s first foray into the modern Arab world can help solve its current entanglements.

BY ROBERT SATLOFF | NOVEMBER 2, 2012

What We Found in Benghazi

The following are photographs taken by Jenan Moussa of Dubai's Al-Aan TV and freelance journalist Harald Doornbos at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, for their article, "'Troubling' Surveillance Before Benghazi Attack."

NOVEMBER 1, 2012

Winter Is Coming

Tens of thousands of Syrian refugees are living in dire conditions, and the aid the world is providing is nowhere near enough.

BY DAVID KENNER | NOVEMBER 1, 2012

One Storm Away

10 major world cities that could end up underwater.

BY ALICIA P.Q. WITTMEYER | OCTOBER 31, 2012