Council on Foreign Relations

President Barack Obama says he will seek vigorous climate-change policy. Efforts to curb greenhouse gases pose considerable economic pitfalls, as well as opportunities.

Retired Adm. Dennis C. Blair, President Obama's director of national intelligence, is a former commander of the U.S. Pacific Command with long military experience.

James L. Jones, a retired Marine commandant, brings extensive military and diplomatic experience to his new post as national security adviser for President Barack Obama.

President Barack Obama's attorney general, Eric H. Holder Jr., has criticized some of the Bush administration's counter-terrorism moves, calling for the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention center and bans on torture.

Robert M. Gates, a Cold War veteran selected to remain as defense secretary, has won bipartisan praise for his pragmatism and handling of the Pentagon amid two wars.

Janet Napolitano, experienced in federal law enforcement and immigration issues, has been selected for secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a senator and former First Lady, has offered a tough pragmatism on national security matters and called for reviving U.S. credibility in the world.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner brings experience in global financial crisis management for the Fed, expertise on Asia, and perspective from work with the International Monetary Fund.

President-elect Barack Obama made many promises on defense spending and strategy during his two-year run for the White House. But analysts say economic constraints and political pressure could make implementation difficult.

The handoff of foreign policy responsibility from one U.S. presidential administration to another has proven risky in many cases. The next transition occurs at a time of extraordinary global challenges.

Sen. Hillary Clinton's foreign policy team included veteran Clinton administration officials seeking to revive U.S. leadership through a balance of soft and hard power.

Through the U.S. presidential nominating process, voters have offered a muddled view on foreign policy issues but they continue to generate heat on the campaign trail.

Sen. Barack Obama's foreign policy team includes former State Department veterans and newcomers from academia who seek to reinvigorate U.S. diplomacy.

Sen. John McCain's Republican presidential campaign has a group of foreign policy advisers reflecting both realist and neoconservative views of the world.

Party caucuses, which date to the 1800s, have declined in importance but they could be decisive in choosing the 2008 Democratic presidential candidate.

Close Republican and Democratic presidential nominating contests are focusing attention on the role of delegates, who ultimately will be choosing their party’s nominees.

Democrats in the 110th Congress failed to alter Bush administration policy on Iraq, but made an impact on trade and energy legislation.

The looming expiration of U.S. fast-track trade promotion authority could trip up momentum toward trade liberalization, but experts say it won’t necessarily be a step backwards.

Experts point to a number of postwar models, from Bosnia to Vietnam to South Korea, for Iraq to follow once U.S. forces leave.

Public disapproval of the Iraq war is starting to create fissures among Republicans and posing challenges for Democrats seeking to balance national security and political gains .