Lawrence J. Haas

Yes, it is unfortunate that Israeli leaders may hear Hamas' Khaled Meshal's words and somehow conclude Hamas is an "enemy" that "intends to continue to use military force."

A country can’t maximize its socio-economic performance when half of its people can’t participate fully in its socio-economic life.

The recent launch of talks between Iranian and Argentine officials over how to improve relations between their countries is troubling enough from a moral standpoint, but the strategic implications are even worse.

Neither President Barack Obama, nor Gov. Mitt Romney is addressing the need for a new, visionary framework that serves U.S. interests in the region.

The troubling travails of Rimsha Masih, a Christian teenager who lives near Islamabad and is facing blasphemy charges for allegedly burning pages of the Koran to cook, reflects the growing intolerance toward religious minorities that amounts to what one expert calls a “gradual genocide” in Pakistan.

Our leaders do this from time to time -- convince themselves they can change the ways of an authoritarian ruler and, through a mix of logic, sweet talk, and carrots, convince him to do what we’d like.

For the moment, let’s set aside the friction in U.S.-Israeli relations over Iran’s nuclear program, which serves neither Washington nor Jerusalem.

He and Ina have a story that's both charming and important. It speaks to the power of love, to the human instinct to survive in the midst of horror, to the role of fate in determining who lives and who dies.

Freedom and democracy don’t come easily to a land that’s known precious little of it over time.

Events in Libya and Egypt highlight the potential benefits of United States human rights promotion -- both for the U.S. and for people across the world -- as well as the downsides of America's failure to pursue that task.

All is not lost, however, for peace between Israelis and Arabs need not come just from the top down -- not just when leaders across this turbulent region cast aside their weapons and sign treaties.

?Life,? the philosopher Soren Kierkegaard said, ?must be lived forward, but can only be understood backwards.?

The question is whether, in light of growing human rights problems from China and Russia to the Middle East and North Africa, the United States is doing enough to factor human rights into its foreign policy.