Studying Hamas's proposed hudna, or truce, should be an occasion for cool calculation and strategic thinking within Israel, rather than a way of continuing to avoid it.
As protests against Moscow spread throughout Russia, regional governors loyal to the Kremlin, but lacking proven leadership skills, may be unable to meet the challenge posed by angry citizens.
Egypt has two principal interests related to Gaza: avoiding taking on responsibility for the 1.5 million Palestinians living there, and transferring control of Gaza back to the Palestinian Authority.
The Obama administration needs a new approach to the Caspian region that provides opportunities for local leaders to engage with the United States in economic and political development.
Alexey Malashenko and Johannes Regenbrecht gave a comparative assessment of the European and Russian strategies in Central Asia.
The recent crisis in Gaza, upcoming Israeli elections, and Iraq’s provincial elections are reshaping the political landscape in the Middle East and providing new opportunities for Europe and the United States to play a constructive role.
The Israeli war on Gaza simultaneously restored Hamas’s damaged legitimacy as the leader of the Palestinian resistance and pulled the rug out from under President Mahmud Abbas.
The Obama administration will not find easily identifiable lessons and opportunities from the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, but a set of myths that may provoke early mistakes and vain hopes that are offered by some as easy ways out of current difficulties.
Setting aside all personal grievances, it is time that the Palestinians, once and for all, pick a path, be it peaceful negotiations or armed resistance.
Though Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton laid out some basic policy positions in her confirmation hearings – the Obama administration will engage directly with Iran and will close Guantanamo, for example – the details of how the administration will pursue these objectives remain unclear.