What Westerners think of as goodwill, Middle Easterners often interpret as weakness.

On Monday, President Obama will sit down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. With a showdown looming over Iran, their summit will not only be the most important meeting for either leader but it may also be the most consequential meeting for the entire Middle East since Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s 1993 handshake with PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat.

The turmoil in Egypt most likely will not increase oil prices, but if it does, there are still arguments to be made to why it is worth it.

Colin Dueck's thorough analysis of the foreign-policy views of Republican political leaders since World War II offers careful, detailed policy analysis of the history.

Some see the newly minted revolution in Tunisia and the unfolding one in Egypt (and possibly Yemen, Jordan and elsewhere) as hopeful news, and others as worrisome.

The new dawn in Egypt will require active engagement by the administration to bolster pro-democratic secular forces over more radical Islamist elements.

The Obama administration is not the first to fail to articulate a post-Cold War strategy for the United States, but the farther this can is kicked down the road the more difficult the challenge becomes. Our ability to secure the Middle East gives us enormous leverage over potential rivals like China, and is equally critical to our Asian allies like Japan and South Korea.

Many analysts see the shadow of Iran's Islamic revolution in the Egyptian chaos. One parallel is certain: Should Mubarak flee, it will be the end of the beginning rather than the beginning of the end.