Just three years ago, it appeared that dictatorships in the Middle East might become relics of the political past, replaced by democracy. Now, strongmen in Syria, Egypt and elsewhere have found ways to use the electoral process to maintain power or attain it. We look at America's options. Also, President Obama unveils strict new rules on carbon emissions, and mixed reactions to recovery of an America POW in return for five Taliban detainees at Guantánamo Bay.
Banner image: Egyptian Minister of Defense General Abdul Fatah Khalil al-Sisi bids farewell to US Secretary of State John Kerry after a meeting in Cairo, Egypt on November 3, 2013. Photo courtesy of the US Department of State