Council on Foreign Relations

With hopes high that strategic nuclear arms talks are wrapping up, Russia's position on new UN sanctions on Iran will likely figure prominently in U.S. Secretary of State Clinton's trip to Moscow this week, says CFR's Stephen Sestanovich.

If North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il visits China as reportedly scheduled, he will be urged to return to Six Party Talks. But the U.S. and North Korea are at a standoff, says CFR Korea expert Scott Snyder, with North Korea demanding a peace treaty and the United States insisting on denuclearization.

The idea of nuclear disarmament is gaining traction internationally, but countries supporting it must counter the nuclear proliferation risk created by Iran and North Korea, and make sure disarmament treaties include strong verification mechanisms, says former Secretary of State George P. Shultz.

An Israeli announcement of more housing construction in East Jerusalem became the focus of Vice President Biden's Middle East trip, but CFR's Jacob Walles thinks the "proximity talks" starting next week are a practical, low-risk way to restart negotiations.

Iraq's security forces performed especially well during parliamentary elections but a big test looms in the months ahead as votes are counted and Iraqi factions try to form a government, says CFR's Brett McGurk.

NATO members preparing for a new "strategic concept" to be issued at the November summit will have to both hash out serious differences about how NATO forces should be deployed and determine how best to gain Russia's cooperation, says William Drozdiak.

The coalition led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is likely to lead in the March 7 parliamentary elections, as Iraqis look for stability and security after years of conflict, says Nir Rosen, an analyst of Iraq's political scene.

The recent IAEA report finding strong evidence of Iran's efforts to develop a nuclear warhead suggests the U.S. should start working on strategies that include sanctions and building stronger alliances in the region, says nuclear expert David Albright.

Iran's crackdown on opposition groups has put the spotlight on a grim human rights record that is costing the government its legitimacy among its people, who will continue to find ways to protest, says Rudi Bakhtiar, a spokeperson on Iranian human rights.

The U.S.-led offensive against the Taliban stronghold of Marja is an important part of the "hold-and-build" strategy to extend Afghan government control into restive provinces, says CFR expert Max Boot.

CFR Iran expert Ray Takeyh argues that a stronger U.S. stand in favor of political reform in Iran can work in tandem with efforts to limit Iran's nuclear program.

As Iran marks the thirty-first anniversary of the Khomeini revolution, it faces a grim political standoff between the regime and its opponents, says analyst Farideh Farhi.

Despite fears to the contrary, the apparent presidential victory of Viktor Yanukovych in some ways bolsters the democratic gains of Ukraine's Orange Revolution, says Steven Pifer.

President Obama's decision to skip an upcoming summit in Spain set off a European reaction that highlighted areas of conflicting interests between the EU and the U.S., says CFR Europe expert Charles Kupchan.

Two key issues in Afghanistan are whether President Hamid Karzai will implement reforms and whether the American public is willing to invest the time it will take for a successful counterinsurgency, says CFR defense expert Stephen Biddle.

Domestic economic problems will dominate President Obama's State of the Union address. In foreign policy, Iran will dominate administration concerns, says CFR President Richard Haass, who advocates supporting Iran's political opposition.

New strains in the Israeli-Turkish relationship stem from Turkey's concerns over conditions in Gaza and sloppy diplomacy on both sides, says CFR's Steven A. Cook.

Haiti's earthquake created a need for a tremendous short-term relief effort but also long-term reconstruction that could take decades and cost billions, says former Peace Corps director Mark L. Schneider.

As the United States plans to spur Mideast peace efforts, CFR expert Elliott Abrams says progress in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will come through development and building a legal system in the West Bank, not negotiations when the conditions aren't ripe.

"Engagement doesn't preclude criticism," says Iranian historian Ali M. Ansari, so the West should be more forthright in speaking out against Iran's human rights record.