Almost every time the Iranians hint at closing the Straits, the price of oil shoots up. That price increase bolsters the impact of the sanctions against them.

Though the government denies targeting journalists, more than 90 Turkish journalists have spent most of the last year behind bars.

Last year Palestinian Authority president Abbas signed a new law changing the status of honor killers. On paper, men who murder in the name of honor are to be treated like all other murderers. In practice, the new law has never been in effect.

A scholarly analysis of recent Olympic Games finds that the costs of mega sporting events may outweigh the benefits for host countries.

Why doesn't anyone call out Mitt Romney for warmongering?

The intimate and immediate nature of social media presents new challenges for Olympic organizers and government officials anxious to protect the image of the Games and lucrative contracts with sponsors.

A newly reborn version of Candid Camera reveals the profound levels of anti-Semitism in Egypt.

Why many of the standard policy tools for solving conflicts -- foreign aid, counterinsurgency, counterterrorism -- actually extend a war's duration.

How the British helped revive the modern Olympic Games.

Soccer, the most popular game in the world, is also the most corrupt game in the world. Investigations into match fixing are ongoing in more than 25 countries.

Surprised by dire reports of security lapses at Olympic venues and trouble at Heathrow airport? Don't be. Chaos is an Olympic tradition. The whole experience was so famously uncomfortable that a master once threatened a disobedient slave with a visit to the Olympic Games as punishment.

Christians in the Middle East have long lived in fear. To mollify the tensions with Muslims they try to live under the radar. But sometimes, they cannot.

Animal sanctuaries come in all shapes and sizes, from small family-owned farms to huge thousand-acre reserve properties -- and endless sizes in between.

A new Egyptian TV network will be staffed by women and women only. And every woman will be wearing a niqab a full facial covering on air.

U.S. drone strikes are carried out in secret in at least six countries, with no judicial or Congressional oversight of the targets chosen by administration officials. Why has there been so little organized resistance to drone warfare?

Author Bill Bryson's misguided campaign against wind power.

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi must be strong but not, like the police or military, intimidating. His power comes from the power of the people -- not the police of the military. And he must challenge the religious leadership.

How long can the Eurocrats in Brussels keep the dinnerware in motion?

In order to advance and successfully govern Egypt, Mohammed Morsi must draw on people with experience and reach out to his rhetorical enemies.

Russia and China operate in order to maximize their own best interests. And sometimes the best interests of Russia and China are to deliberately spite Western objectives. And that is why they have joined with Iran and Syria and planned these war games.