Council on Foreign Relations

Using Barack Obama’s recent trip to Europe and the Middle East as a backdrop, Walter Rusell Mead highlights the many paradoxes associated with US foreign policy.

James Goldgeier and Derek Chollet remind America’s European friends that they should not be lulled into thinking that the exit of President Bush will mean that all of the tough problems will be solved and the hard work will be over. In fact, the work is just getting started.

Congressional delegations can be illuminating despite the obvious limitations imposed by time and security concerns, writes Daniel Senor, giving Barack Obama a list of people he ought to meet on his upcoming trip to Iraq.

The events of the past eight years have brought the Middle East to a precipice, write Richard Clarke, Steve Simon, and Ray Takeyh. To deal with this situation, America will need a president of intellectual independence, strategic flexibility and considerable political imagination.

Today's global architecture should reflect contemporary power realities that have developed since the fall of the Berlin Wall, writes Stewart Patrick. Instead, the world must make do with creaky bodies like the G8, United Nations, IMF and NATO, whose agendas, capabilities and governance structures reflect a world that no longer exists.

“Conservatism is breaking apart,” say Derek Chollet and James Goldgeier, describing the rift that is forming between isolationists and nationalists in the Republican Party.

“On the surface, defining patriotism is simple. It is love and devotion to country. The questions are why we love it and how we express our devotion. That's where the arguments begin,” says Peter Beinart

Americans are much less afraid of military threats today than they were in 2004 and that has fundamentally changed the politics of foreign policy, argues Peter Beinart. Because of this, Barack Obama and the Democrats should not worry about being called “soft” if they advance policies that defend civil liberties, reduce troop presence in Iraq and engage Iran in unconditional negotiations.

Michael Gerson finds that Barack Obama’s willingness to embrace a faith-based initiative is a good example of moderation without cynicism.

Senator John McCain may describe himself as a “realistic idealist,” but this formulation does little to paper over the very real schism among Republicans about the future direction of U.S. foreign policy, write James Goldgeier and Derek Chollet.

Colombia’s role in the War on Drugs and its potential as a free trade partner makes it a lucrative part of John McCain’s foreign policy, writes Julia Sweig.   

Peter Beinart writes that "Wilson envisioned them joining in a single global alliance: not against one another but against war itself."

Michael Gerson writes that Barack Obama is properly understood as a man of the religious left, in the tradition of Martin Luther King Jr. However, while he has made progress gaining support in the religious community, his stance on abortion continues to keep him from gaining widespread evangelical support.

When it comes to bucking party trends Barack Obama’s track record falls well short of John McCain’s, says Michael Gerson, calling into question Obama’s stance as a centrist candidate.  

Michael Gerson describes the miraculous political comeback of John McCain’s campaign, which, a year ago this summer, was nothing more than a “bankrupt political joke.”

Peter Beinart warns Barack Obama that taking a guided tour of Iraq will allow the tour guide—usually an American officer or diplomat—to decide what the senator gets to see and potentially distort his perception of the war.

Whether Americans like it or not, Hamas represents a significant part of the Palestinian population. So why shouldn’t the United States engage them, asks Mohamad Bazzi.