Broken Contracts in the Middle East

Tehran has a number of tools it can deploy to blunt a popular challenge to the government in Baghdad, but showing its hand too openly could backfire.

Major Lebanese patrons like Iran and its top rivals could be forced to update their positions if the country's escalating unrest succeeds in forcing real political change.

Saad al-Hariri's departure could mark the start of a widescale change as protesters demand an end to the system that Lebanese factions rely on for power and patronage.

The Iraqi government's tried-and-true solutions to unrest -- promising jobs and handing out money -- are losing their power to persuade as the economy's weaknesses endure.

Addressing the country's economic problems may not be enough for a population weary of the corruption endemic in the governing system.

Politically, Lebanon can't afford to impose austerity; economically, though, it cannot afford not to.

Decades of deferred action on needed reforms have left the Islamic republic susceptible to financial crisis – and U.S. sanctions are bearing down.

Over the past couple of years, Israel has started growing closer to countries in the Persian Gulf region that once rejected it. But a government interested in abandoning the two-state solution and annexing parts of the West Bank will find its newfound relationships tested.