Political protests first erupted in Syria 14 months ago. Since then, the volatile battle between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's supporters and the opposition has devolved into a civil war. Late last month, government-affiliated forces killed more than 100 civilians in the Syrian town of Houla, a tragedy that U.N. Special Envoy Kofi Annan called a "tipping point."

In Foreign Policy, National Security Studies Fellow Randa Slim offers a unique suggestion for addressing the situation in Syria: ask Iran what to do. Director of the Middle East Task Force Leila Hilal analyzes the situation on the ground, and predicts what the future could hold for the country in a Q&A with us. And Senior Fellow Peter Beinart tackles the subject of U.S. humanitarian intervention in The Daily Beast.

Arizona State Univeristy President Michael Crow talks about how the role of universities in scientific research has evolved and what they need to do now to embrace new funding models and address changing needs in the U.S. 

He also spoke at a recent Future Tense event, "How to Save America’s Knowledge Enterprise: From Tight Budgets, Primitive Myths, and the Shadow of Albert Einstein."