January 28, 2011 View this newsletter as a web page on CFR's website. In this Issue: The Arab World's 'Unprecedented' Protests Obama's Call For American Revival Hezbollah's Rise in Lebanon The Arab World's 'Unprecedented' Protests The focus on homegrown problems in Egypt and other countries' protests is something new, and it pushes the Obama administration back in the direction of the Bush era "freedom agenda," says CFR's Robert Danin. Read more Blog: "Protests Rock Egypt" by Steven Cook, blogging from Cairo ("From the Potomac to the Euphrates") Article: "Obama's Risky Path in Egypt" by Leslie Gelb (Daily Beast) Op-ed: "Crossing the Threshold" by Steven Cook (New York Times) Analysis Brief: Egypt's widening discontent Contingency Planning Memorandum: "Political Instability in Egypt" by Steven Cook Blog: "Lessons of January" by Elliott Abrams ("Pressure Points") Foreign Affairs: "Egypt's Hero?" by Steven Cook CFR experts on Egypt Obama's Call For American Revival President Obama's State of the Union address focused on spurring economic growth and innovation but fell short on deficit reduction, argues CFR's Sebastian Mallaby. The stress on domestic over foreign policy made sense, but national security challenges loom, says CFR's James Lindsay. Read more Issue Guide: State of the Union 2011 Op-ed: "Indebted America Risks an Age of Austerity" by Roger Altman and Richard Haass (Financial Times) Blog: "A New Twist on Obama's Clean Energy Goal" by Michael Levi ("Michael Levi") Op-ed: "Less 'Engagement,' More Democracy" by Elliott Abrams (New York Times) Analysis Brief: Obama's investment vs. deficit dilemma CFR experts on U.S. Strategy and Politics Hezbollah's Rise in Lebanon A Hezbollah-backed nominee for prime minister won a vote on January 25 to form Lebanon's government. CFR's Mohamad Bazzi discusses implications of the vote, which sent Lebanese opponents of Hezbollah into the streets in protest. Listen Op-ed: "Hezbollah Outmanuevers Everyone Else" by Mohamad Bazzi (GlobalPost) Article: "America Pressures Israel Plenty" by Leslie Gelb (Foreign Policy) Analysis Brief: Lebanon approaches tipping point Op-ed: "UN Tribunal Is Not the Source of Lebanon's Political Woes" by Mohamad Bazzi (The National) Contingency Planning Memorandum: "A Third Lebanon War" by Daniel Kurtzer Interview: "Bracing for Indictments in Lebanon" with Michael Young, Opinion Editor, Daily Star Book: The Sixth Crisis - Iran, Israel, America and the Rumors of War by Dana Allin and Steven Simon CFR experts on Lebanon   China's Human Rights Puzzle Despite urging from President Obama and rising discontent at home, Chinese president Hu Jintao is only nodding to human rights, says CFR's Jerome Cohen in this interview. However, if China's domestic pressure becomes strong enough, perhaps Hu's successor will change course.     After New START, Old Tensions Russia's parliament ratified the New START treaty, but Russian domestic issues like terrorism, as well as U.S. and Russian presidential elections in 2012, make it unlikely that any further accords will be negotiated for a while, says CFR's Micah Zenko in this interview. Read Zenko's Council Special Report on deeper reductions in U.S. and Russian nuclear weapons.     On the CFR Blogs THE WATER'S EDGE Lindsay wraps up the week's U.S. foreign policy news in today's "Friday File." ASIA UNBOUND Scott Snyder writes that the Hu-Obama summit gave hope for U.S.-China cooperation in addressing North Korea. PRESSURE POINTS Elliott Abrams offers two lessons from the events of January in the Middle East. AFRICA IN TRANSITION John Campbell shares a guest post from Payton Knopf on the rising violence in Darfur. FROM THE POTOMAC TO THE EUPHRATES Steven Cook, in Cairo this week, gives a view from the ground. ENERGY, SECURITY AND CLIMATE Michael Levi revises his calculations on Obama's clean energy goals from the State of the Union. Read and weigh in on CFR's expert blogs.     EXPLORE CFR's WEBSITE:     Regions      Issues      Experts     Publications     About CFR Find CFR on Twitter and Facebook. Privacy Policy The Council on Foreign Relations does not share email addresses with third parties. Council on Foreign Relations 58 East 68th Street New York, NY 10065 Tel. +1 212.434.9400 Fax: +1 212.434.9800