The role of monitoring Iran's nuclear program and verifying its adherence to the agreement falls on the International Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA, and our Intelligence Community. Neither option inspires much confidence considering we failed to detect Iran's covert activity before and we failed to detect nuclear activity in Syria and North Korea in the past. History has shown us that our intelligence assessments are not always perfect. Just last year, the Defense Department put out its own assessment that we do, in fact, lack the capability to detect covert nuclear sites in Iran and...

Egypt is in a struggle with terrorism and Islamic jihadist groups, like ISIS and Al Qaeda. It is essential that the United States maintain alliances like the one we have with Egypt, not only as a partner in providing logistical support in the region but also as a participant in our shared fight against the radical Islamic ideology. Egypt's strong relationship with Israel, particularly with regard to their antiterrorism cooperation in the Sinai, is also of strategic benefit to the United States. The United States has significant human rights concerns with Egypt, including inexcusable...

The numbers are truly staggering. By most estimates, there have been at least a quarter million Syrians killed and possibly as much as nearly a half million. Nearly 5 million Syrians have fled to neighboring countries like Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan. There are nearly 7 million internally displaced Syrians and more than 13.5 million people are in need of assistance, with about 5.5 million people in besieged and hard-to-reach areas. In addition to the $5 billion already provided, Secretary Kerry announced $439 million in additional humanitarian assistance, and the President's budget request...

The political, economic, and security challenges that Egypt is facing right now are numerous and interdependent. It is extremely difficult for President Sisi to make necessary structural reforms to Egypt's economy without potentially undermining the fragile political support he is leaning on to bring much-needed stability to the country. If these economic reforms are not made soon, we may see a return of the unrest that we saw on Egyptian streets. And it is in this context that Egypt is facing growing security threats from an expanding ISIS and its Sinai Province affiliate, from...

Since 2011, Tunisians have made tremendous strides in overcoming decades of crippling authoritarian rule. Multiple free and fair elections, a modern constitution that enshrines women's rights, a rapidly opening space for freedom of the press, and a rare commitment by Tunisia's major political parties to negotiate and find mutually acceptable middle ground so that the democratic transition can continue. These are all remarkable achievements worthy of praise and admiration by Tunisians and outsiders alike. But for many Tunisians, the transition is not happening nearly as fast as we would have...

Iran, Syria, Lebanon, and Israel, along with the proxy war between Saudi Arabia and the Arab states and Iran, represent some of the top priorities for U.S. national security interests in the Middle East. And one of the common denominators here, one thing at the center of all of this, is the U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), Hezbollah. This Shi'ite Islamist group is an Iran proxy group that is known to be one of the world's most dangerous and capable terror organizations, trained, equipped and funded by Iran's Quds Force. Hezbollah has been responsible for some of the...

In recent years, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has turned into one of America's most important allies. The King of Jordan had proven to be a reliable partner and someone who is committed to protecting our shared security interest. With all of the violence, all of the turmoil in the region and the accompanying instability and insecurity, the U.S. has made a substantial commitment to strengthening its bilateral relations with the Kingdom. That commitment was reflected in a renewal of our memorandum of understanding, MOU, with Jordan. The MOU recognizes the importance of Jordan in the fight on...