As the candidates ratchet up their criticism of President Ahmadinejad ahead of Friday's election, Karim Sadjadpour explains the political dynamics within Iran that will help determine the outcome.
Writing from Beirut, Paul Salem describes the victory of the pro-western March 14 coalition over Hizbullah's coalition as "a quiet victory for moderation and pragmatism over extremism and confrontation."
President Obama reaffirmed his belief in a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict in his highly anticipated address to the Muslim world. Nathan Brown warns that efforts to move the peace process forward will fail if the United States continues to marginalize or ignore Hamas.
Making the surprise announcement that Indonesia would ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) immediately after the United States, Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said at Carnegie: "We share [President Obama’s] vision of a world in which nuclear weapons have been eradicated."
The Chinese Communist Party retains complete control over China's political and economic apparatus two decades after the Tiananmen incident in large part because of the sweeping reforms instituted in response to the Tiananmen turmoil. Former national security adviser Brent Scowcroft, Ted Koppel, and a panel of experts led by Ambassador J. Stapleton Roy discussed how the ensuing years have transformed China's political trajectory and how the party must answer today's challenges.
Most Middle East leaders reacted positively to President Obama's address to the Muslim world last week. Amr Hamzawy explains that Obama must follow his words with concrete actions if he hopes to demonstrate a change in U.S. policy in the region: "Obama has bought himself an appreciable amount of good will, but his ability to match words with actions will very shortly be tested in Palestine [and] Iran."
North Korea’s recent nuclear and missile tests have renewed concerns over regional instability. Douglas Paal explains that China must take its international commitments seriously by sanctioning the North for its behavior.
Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah recently carried out a major leadership reshuffle in key ministries and institutions. Christopher Boucek cautions that these changes are not the onset of a nascent reform effort, but rather "indicate a further consolidation of state authority and an evolution of central control."
President Obama's speeches in the Middle East and Europe last week offered a clearer picture of his foreign policy outlook. Robert Kagan observes that Obama is proving to be a supreme idealist of the Woodrow Wilson variety, believing that the display of evident goodwill and desire for peace will be enough to sway other nations.
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