The provision of more sophisticated arms to Syria's rebels, in which Saudi Arabia is now deeply involved, will produce a more violent stalemate.
The election of a reformist president in Iran realigns the geopolitical stars, and brings the possibility of diplomatic progress on Syria.
The balance of forces in Syria's conflict in favour of Damascus is creating a dangerous regional dynamic. This puts wise diplomacy at a premium.
The imminence of severe climate disruption makes the work of those planning for the event more vital than ever.
The Arab awakening has eroded Israel's sense of regional security. Now Syria's civil war presents Israel with both urgent risks and impossible choices.
An understanding of the link between the shocking murder of a young soldier on a London street and "remote-control" attacks by western states is essential.
Abuja's response to Boko Haram's insurgency is flawed and self-defeating. Without a change of policy, Nigeria will move ever closer to becoming a centre of transational jihadist struggle.
The United States, Israel and other military powers continue to seek the perfect weapon - from "unmanned aerial vehicles" to "directed energy". They forget how the story ends.
The dispersal of the al-Qaida idea across many national territories takes some pressure off the "far enemy", the United States. But developments in Nigeria could represent a new danger for Washington and its allies.
The crisis in Mali highlights the distinctive character and trajectory of Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb. A group forged in reactivity and ambiguity, marked by fluid leadership and unarticulated doctrine, finds itself at a crossroads, says Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou.
All states involved in the Korean crisis are influenced by their historical experience, but the recent past weighs most heavily on Pyongyang.
There are intense efforts to portray western policy in Afghanistan in a benign light. But evidence from the country itself, and the experiences of Iraq and Libya, suggest that hard questions should be asked about what is really happening.
