On Sunday, the American Embassy in Cairo offered to shelter American citizens barred from leaving the country after the Egyptian government instituted a travel ban on 17 American citizens working for NGOs within the country. Sam LaHood, son of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, is among the Americans stuck in Cairo. The American Embassy's need to shelter American citizens in a once-friendly nation symbolizes a serious rift in U.S.–Egypt relations.

On Monday Arab League representatives met with the United Nations Security Council to discuss a plan of action for Syria. More than 5,000 Syrians have been killed by government forces since protests against President Bashar Al-Assad began last March. Secretary of state Hillary Clinton delivered a strong message of support to the Syrian resistance the same day: "The longer the Assad regime continues its attacks on the Syrian people and stands in the way of a peaceful transition, the greater the concern that instability will escalate and spill over throughout the region."

The escalating tension between Israel and Iran over the latter's nuclear program has been at the center of many foreign policy debates and diplomatic talks over the past decade. Proponents of an Israeli strike say it's needed for to preserve Israel's national security while detractors say such an attack would precipitate World War III. 

A number of political analysts have noted that President Obama has been far more successful in the foreign policy arena than domestically. But the President who managed to find Osama Bin Laden still faces a tough re-election battle this year. David Sanger, Chief Washington correspondent for our partner The New York Times, and contributor to WQXR's The Washington Report gives his thoughts on the foreign policy points made during last night's state of the union address.

Former journalist and human rights activist Sherry Rehman has been named as Pakistan's new ambassador to the United States. Rehman will replace Husain Haqqani, who resigned amid accusations he was involved in an effort to engage the U.S. to curb the Army's powers in Pakistan. Haqqani allegedly sent an anonymous memo sent to Admiral Mike Mullen after the raid that killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistani in May. The memo requested Washington’s help in diminishing the power of the Pakistani army. In recent days, a Pakistani-American businessman has said he was instructed to write the memo by Haqqani. 

The GOP presidential candidates discussed foreign policy and national security during yet another debate on Tuesday night. The candidates attempted to subtle distinctions between each other in policies on Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Patriot Act, Iran, and Israel. Newt Gingrich, the current front runner, made waves when he suggested the party should not adopt an immigration policy that "destroys families that have been here a quarter-century."

The Republican candidates will debate again tonight on foreign policy. But this time around, Newt Gingrich is leading in the polls. It's a major comeback for Gingrich who started out ahead and took a heavy hit early on. He's now doing one percentage point better than former front-runner Mitt Romney. But is this just a passing trend? Or is he now a serious contender? 

When Anne-Marie Slaughter joined the Obama administration as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's director of policy planning she became the first woman to hold the position. In February, Slaughter left the job as protests were beginning in Libya. Since leaving office, she's been very vocal about her concerns regarding the U.S. approach to Libya through blogging for The Atlantic, appearing on many news outlets, and maintaining an active presence on Twitter. 

Over three decades have passed since Henry Kissinger served as Secretary of State for the Richard Nixon, and then Gerald Ford, and his advice is still sought and respected by politicians and world leaders. In the third installment of our interview with him, he shares his thoughts on the Arab spring, Israel and Palestine, and how President Obama is handling all of this.

While Washington continues tp debate the debt ceiling, the United States is expected to reach the limit on its debt today. This means the government will no longer be able to borrow money. Charlie Herman, business and economics editor for The Takeaway and WNYC Radio, says it's just a mystery what will happen, because we're not seeing any deals on the table yet. There are questions about the future of the International Monetary Fund after its managing director, Dominique Strauss-Kahn was arrested in New York for allegedly sexually assaulting a Manhattan hotel maid.

The U.S. has been at war in Afghanistan for almost ten years, with one of the main objectives to hunt down Osama bin Laden. With bin Laden now dead — killed by American Navy Seals, and buried at sea — does U.S. foreign policy on the global war on terrorism have to change? Retired Air Force Colonel, Sam Gardiner believes President Obama will have to find a good argument to stay at war in Afghanistan.

Since January 25, when a wave of popular protests began to sweep across the Middle East region, the U.S. has been put into several very precarious policy positions. The most obvious question is: should the U.S. stand on the side of revolution and support the protesters seeking new Democratic leadership; or, should we continue to support the incumbent, sometimes brutal, autocratic regimes that have been our long-time allies in the region? The answers aren't always clear. 

President Barack Obama is a different leader than candidate Barack Obama. What remains difficult to discern is just how different both men are on matters of U.S. foreign policy. Critics to both the left and the right of the president have voiced frustration at the administration's obstinate refusal to state a foreign policy doctrine. Ryan Lizza, Washington correspondent for The New Yorker describes how recent events in the Middle East may be creating an Obama doctrine on its own.

George Packer, staff writer for The New Yorker, knew Richard Holbrooke not only through his reporting but through many conversations with the diplomatic titan. Packer was supposed to have dinner with Holbrooke this Friday, and joins us now to remember not only Holbrook's impressive career, but his personality and his humor.    

Richard Holbrooke, special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan described by President Obama as a "giant" in the world of foreign policy, has died. 

The Obama administration announced yesterday that the president will appoint a U.S. Ambassador to Syria. The U.S. has not had an official presence in Damascus since the Bush administration yanked its ambassador in 2005 after the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The move appears to show how much Obama wants Syria’s cooperation on a host of issues from Iran to Iraq to a Mideast peace deal. The Takeaway talks to Andrew Tabler, a Syria expert with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Iran again tops this week's agenda and our guides Marcus Mabry, international business editor for the New York Times and Jonathan Marcus, diplomatic correspondent for the BBC, will take a look at the protests surrounding the disputed presidential election. Also on the agenda this week: the latest news from Capitol Hill; the Supreme Court is expected to rule on the Voting Rights Act, and the trial of singer Chris Brown for the alleged assault against pop star Rhianna starts this week. We've got all the news you'll need to keep your eyes on in the week ahead.

If you haven't seen the video of Neda, the young woman killed in Iran, here it is. CAUTION: It has very graphic content:

It's a week full of foreign news: disarray continuing in Iran following the country's hotly contested presidential election; the world reacts to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Mideast peace plan; and U.S. Middle East Envoy George Mitchell is in Syria. On the domestic front, President Obama and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner are expected to lay out regulation reforms. The Takeaway is joined by Marcus Mabry, International Business Editor for The New York Times, and Jonathan Marcus, Diplomatic Correspondent for the BBC.

The Takeaway talks to Marcus Mabry, International Business Editor for The New York Times, and BBC Arab Affairs Analyst Magdi Abdel Hadi about what's in the headlines for the week ahead. Topics include President Obama and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner hitting the road, GM contining the long, slow walk to bankruptcy, and predictions that unemployment numbers may hit nine percent for the first time in a quarter of a century.

North Korea continues to raise the stakes in its game of nuclear poker, conducting a second nuclear test in as many days on Tuesday. Meanwhile, a South Korean newspaper has reported that U.S. spy satellites have detected signs that North Korea has started up its nuclear plant again. The international community has condemned Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions. But the only country with real clout over North Korea is China: the nation is North Korea’s neighbor and main trading partner. To find out China's take on the North Korea situation, The Takeaway talks to John Pomfret, author of Chinese Lessons: Five Classmates and the Story of the New China. He writes the blog Pomfret’s China on the Newsweek/Washington Post website.