U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell has what many people would consider a thankless task: taking on a panoply of complex antagonisms that are steeped in history and agitated by religious tensions, ambitions to acquire weapons of mass destruction, disputed land, war, competition for resources, statelessness, ethnic rivalries, terrorism and ideological jockeying for influence.
Yet, it [...]

As President Obama takes America’s helm, I recall a poignant, recent cover of The Economist that featured him, striding with determination, underneath a simple headline: “It’s time.”
Indeed, it is. And, with this nation confronting one of the most chaotic and dangerous periods in history, it is also time for critics, naysayers, pessimists and other purveyors [...]

In 2009, my America – the one that I grew up with, knew and loved so well – is not as visible around the world. Born from a storied revolution that launched an ongoing pursuit of freedom, democracy and equality, my America offered hope and inspiration everywhere.
Now, though, the United States faces unacceptably diminished credibility [...]

In dealing with Iran, I have favored caution, along with a strategy that does not hesitate to criticize but also to engage in a proactive fashion. To me, such an approach offers far more potential than the preferred method of the Bush administration, which has combined criticism with alienation. I look to the incoming Obama [...]