Articles
Middle East policy radically revised in Bush-Obama years
Both George W. Bush and Barack Obama saw the problems with US policy toward the Middle East. Both tried to change it. Neither has succeeded in building a clear new policy.
Military element to Annan's Syria plan looks inevitable
Annan's peace plan in Syria requires military teeth to work
Political changes in Beirut hit a wall of sectarian reality
Lebanon won't vote for parliament until next year, but tensions in Syria, regional volatility and domestic factors are already pushing contenders to consider their options.
Shadow of another war hangs over southern Lebanon border
Most residents of southern Lebanon have little interest in a new war, but Hizbollah and the Israelis may have other ideas.
Sectarian fears and regional loyalties pull Syria to pieces
As Syria moves closer to the brink, different elements of the population are considering their options and looking across borders.
Lebanon's politics shaped by a strategic enmity for Assad
Lebanese party leader Samir Geagea steers a tricky course amid the region's shifting political currents.
Iraq torn over Syria as it assumes Arab League leadership
As Baghdad tries to reassert itself by hosting the Arab League, Iraq's internal tensions reflect the forces that are pulling apart the Arab world.
Annan's muddled diplomacy is a fig leaf for Syrian regime
Kofi Annan, the United Nations-Arab League envoy to Syria, is not discussing the departure of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad from office. What, then, is Mr Annan's mandate?
Hariri tribunal limps along, tainted by dubious motives
One reason why the tribunal on Rafiq Hariri's murder has had so little success was laid bare last weekend in an interview with Daniel Bellemare.
Afghanistan dashes invaders' dreams despite themselves
Afghanistan is a place which takes a great deal of effort to dominate as the US and the Soviet Union before it found out to their cost.
The Bosnia lesson: intensifying war in Syria almost certain
Only offensives forced Bosnia's Serbs to make concessions. Syria need not duplicate that pattern to the letter, but someone needs to catch Mr Al Assad's attention and compel him to reconsider.
Nobody believes Israel as its nuclear monopoly weakens
The arguments against an Israeli operation against Iran speak to an underlying malaise in how the world views Israel.
The US and Russia, rivals of old, at odds in the Arab world
There is rich irony in the way the United States and Russia are choosing to respond to crisis in the Arab world, seen best in Syria. It remains to be seen which approach will work.
A legal labyrinth of war one British author helps navigate
Since the September 11 attacks, America has wrestled with its values to find the right balance between its commitment to due process and the need to protect its citizens.
Arab states show their mettle by calling for regime change
Arab states have made it clear that they believe Bashar Al Assad has to go. But will Russia continue to protect the Syrian leader at the Security Council?
