Reality Check

Brussels can’t really bring disobedient states to heel. Berlin can.

It’s been a busy year in these troubled waters.

Tehran is on the verge of a major test, and every move it makes abroad could jeopardize its security at home.

A solution to the crisis would require major concessions from all parties involved in talks.

Underlying forces are pushing the two sides into a self-perpetuating cycle of zero-sum competition.

Three seemingly unconnected developments offer a peek into the region’s future.

Rumors of palace coups are more believable when you take stock of the country’s position.

Unlike the revolution in Ukraine, in Armenia even the interim government will lean toward Russia.

As a nuclear power in some respects, North Korea must start behaving as utterly rational, leaving the craziness behind.

The U.S. will in the future see it as a region increasingly difficult to ignore.

Multilateralism has a role to play in making America great again.

As China grows more dependent on imports, its behavior will come to resemble Japan’s.