The Nobel Peace Prize is the world’s most prestigious award, as Jay Nordlinger argues in this erudite and insightful history. He has written not only the go-to reference book for the prize and its laureates but also an important philosophical reflection on the nature of “peace” in modern times.

The value of the Egyptian alliance is less than meets the eye.

As audacious as Obama's hope might be, Syria cannot be flipped.

A pragmatic assessment of the situation in Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East underlines the daunting obstacles in the way of a democratic transformation.

The conflict in Gaza is the policy of Hamas, and hoping for positive diplomatic intervention from Hamas's allies in Iran and Syria is futile.

The veryaspects of Benazir Bhutto that made her appealing to Western observers were what made her unpalatable to many Pakistanis.

Americans are not eager for more active U.S. involvement in the region, especially when circumstances are difficult at home.

Egypt is entering a period of flux, and a changing of the guard is bound to happen on Obama's watch.