A conversation between Carnegie’s David Rothkopf and Thomas L. Friedman about why they believe optimism is the only logical conclusion an intellectually rigorous assessment of history can produce.

Today’s Middle East is grappling with failed states, civil wars, brazen autocracies, and terror groups such as ISIS. Is this the region’s new normal, and is there a viable U.S. strategy to reverse these trends?

While many in the West continue to view China as a pillar of authoritarianism, its internal social and political dynamics are shifting rapidly.

Three years after the Arab world was rocked by the uprisings that brought down longstanding autocratic regimes in Tunisia and Egypt, the region remains embroiled in a transformational struggle for the future.