May Mean Changes for Hezbollah What does the spillover of sectarian violence from Syria to Lebanon mean for Hezbollah? And will it lead to broader instability? Paul Salem, director of Carnegie Endowment Middle East Center’s office in Beirut, believes violence in Sunni and Alawite neighborhoods of Tripoli will continue but is unlikely to spread elsewhere. […]

U.S. Looks to Maintain Security Cooperation Reflections on the death of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi are as mixed as his legacy. The former rebel leader helped end the communist “Red Terror” of Mengistu Haile Mariam, but dealt harshly with his own political opponents. He played leading roles in stabilizing Somalia and Sudan, but could […]

U.S. Warns Against “Divide-and-Conquer” approach China is lashing out at accusations that it’s blocking the Association of Southeast Asian Nations from settling rival territorial claims in the South China Sea. According to Beijing, ASEAN’s failure to agree on a code of conduct over the maritime dispute was caused by Western “meddling” designed to “smear China’s […]

Foreign Minister Natalegawa Out Front in Regional Mediation Indonesia is distinguishing itself as a voice of moderation and mediation in the troubled waters of the South China Sea. Even as the rival territorial claims over the sea was splitting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Cambodia last month, Indonesia refused to quit acting as […]