Middle East

After Abbas

The Palestinian president will either be toppled from his throne, or die on it. And that may be Hamas's chance to pounce.

BY JONATHAN SCHANZER | DECEMBER 13, 2012

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

The Land of Topless Minarets and Headless Little Girls

A requiem for Syria.

BY AMAL HANANO | DECEMBER 11, 2012

The Extricator in Chief

Enough with the fantasies. Barack Obama's not going to reshape the world order in his second term.

BY AARON DAVID MILLER | DECEMBER 11, 2012

Keeping the Flame Alive

This Hanukkah, Israel doesn't have to worry about running out of oil.

BY FRANK JACOBS | DECEMBER 10, 2012

Missile Creep

Was giving Patriots to Turkey a step toward war in Syria?

BY AARON STEIN, SHASHANK JOSHI | 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

Why Assad Won’t Use His Chemical Weapons

And why you should still be worried.

BY CHARLES P. BLAIR | DECEMBER 6, 2012

The Rise of Al Qaeda in Syria

The White House wants to marginalize radicals within the anti-Assad insurgency -- but does it have any leverage left with the rebels?

BY AARON Y. ZELIN | DECEMBER 6, 2012

Final Countdown

Did the United States just set a March deadline for war with Iran?

BY MICAH ZENKO | DECEMBER 4, 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

The Migrant Money Machine

The developed world could make a big difference to the global economy simply by helping migrants to do what comes naturally: send money home.

BY PETER PASSELL | DECEMBER 4, 2012

The Case Against Benjamin Netanyahu

Ehud Olmert may decide not to run against Benjamin Netanyahu this time around. But either way, he’s betting that crossing an American president will have political consequences in Israel.

BY BLAKE HOUNSHELL | DECEMBER 3, 2012

The Unfortunate Rise of Retrenchment Chic

Why President Barack Obama's second-term national security team can't shy away from getting involved in the world's difficult conflicts.

BY JAMES JEFFREY | DECEMBER 3, 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

How Israel Lost Europe

How Benjamin Netanyahu lost friends and Mahmoud Abbas influenced people.

BY JONATHAN SCHANZER, BENJAMIN WEINTHAL | NOVEMBER 30, 2012

Bibi Can't Lose

It's Benjamin Netanyahu's Israel. All of his rivals just live in it.

BY NATAN B. SACHS | NOVEMBER 30, 2012

State of Confusion

Why Mahmoud Abbas’s U.N. statehood bid is great for Israel -- and the United States.

BY EPHRAIM SNEH | NOVEMBER 28, 2012

The World in 2013

Ten predictions for a year of brewing conflict.

BY JESSICA T. MATHEWS | NOVEMBER 28, 2012

Launch Your Own Gaza War

Help us field-test 'A Reign of Missiles.'

BY MICHAEL PECK | NOVEMBER 27, 2012

Twice As Rice

Who said it: Condoleezza or Susan?

NOVEMBER 27, 2012

The Peace Process Tooth Fairy

How Morsy, Hamas, and Bibi stole the peace process.

BY AARON DAVID MILLER | NOVEMBER 27, 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

Life Inside the Iron Dome

Why President Obama shouldn't accept Israel's policy of defensiveness and despair.

BY JAMES TRAUB | NOVEMBER 23, 2012

Overdone Turkey

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

BY STEVEN A. COOK | NOVEMBER 21, 2012