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 [...]

WASHINGTON — Huddled around tables in a private Georgetown garden, we waited for the main event, the reason that we had given up our evening: the promise of a bipartisan discussion on the major foreign-policy issues facing the United States.
Mere weeks before, I had written a column expressing the need for such an approach in [...]

Aside from the obvious benefit of dethroning former dictator Saddam Hussein, the U.S.-led intervention in Iraq – which is rapidly approaching its fifth anniversary – has prompted more questions than answers for most Americans.
In one part of Iraq, though, the Kurdistan region, the way forward has never been clearer, as I learned last week during [...]

The campaign for the U.S. presidency finally has veered in a more interesting direction. On a daily basis since Super Tuesday, dozens of people have contacted me to express similar thoughts. Especially on the Democratic side, the contest has turned into a real competition.
To generate even more appeal, the candidates in both parities – and [...]

Terrorists reached new lows of ugly behavior in Baghdad last week by remotely detonating the explosives-laden bodies of two mentally challenged women. Now, it is bad enough when terrorists knowingly sacrifice themselves to cause murder and mayhem. But when they manipulate others into doing their evil bidding – in this case, as unwitting suicide bombers [...]

To confront Iran, two serious approaches compete for attention. The favorite of the Bush administration — the criticize-and-alienate strategy — has demonstrated limited utility. The other — the criticize-and-engage strategy — has yet to be fully tested but offers greater potential for resolving tensions.
Disappointingly, President Bush has wasted no opportunity to lash out at [...]

Will President George W. Bush’s eleventh-hour visit to the Middle East this week deliver more than photo opportunities?
One might be tempted to say no, based on the low expectations that emanate from virtually all directions. With the right effort, though – that is, demonstrating some humility, advancing a future vision for the region and downplaying [...]

Shortly before this week’s U.S.-guided, Israeli-Palestinian summit meeting in Annapolis, Maryland, I spent a day with someone who understands the complexities of Middle East peacemaking better than most: Jehan Sadat, the widow of former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.
Our conversations took me back to a more optimistic period, that of the Camp David Accords, when the [...]

Will Turkey invade Iraq?
I hope not, although that question incessantly hovers over a deteriorating situation along the border between the two countries. In recent days, clashes involving Turkish troops and a Kurdish extremist group known as the PKK have killed dozens of Turks and militants. Several Turkish soldiers have wound up as hostages.
As bad as [...]

Is global terrorism about to worsen?
Many people appear to believe so, in part because of terrorism financier Osama bin Laden’s grab for publicity of late with menacing, back-to-back videotapes.
Unfortunately, their fears are well-founded. The moment is indeed ripe for a potential expansion of terrorist murder and mayhem.