Council on Foreign Relations

Middle Eastern and South Asia expert Juan Cole lays out the challenges facing President-elect Barack Obama in dealing with Pakistan, stressing it would be wrong to assume "the Pakistani government is a single, undifferentiated thing, and that all parts of the government would be willing to 'stamp out' terrorists."

Bill Richardson, President-elect Barack Obama's nominee for commerce secretary, lays out a new policy agenda for the U.S. relationship with Latin America in this essay. Richardson says the Bush administration "all but ignored" Latin America. He calls on the incoming administration to engage all Latin American countries diplomatically, among other policy recommendations.

The Hoover Institution's David Brady, Douglas Rivers and Laurel Harbridge describe a shift in the U.S. electorate toward the Democratic Party.

TIME examines Obama-Biden transition team's possible selection of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) as secretary of state.

The Washington Post looks at the consequences of the financial crisis for U.S. national security.

Journalist Bruce Stokes looks at foreign policy challenges facing President-elect Barack Obama, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and an American public that has "turned sharply against international engagement on a range of issues that American voters once supported and on which foreign publics expect action."

CQ Politics reports on the pressure on the Democratic members of Congress to effectively implement the sweeping change they promised the electorate, including solving the economic crisis and ending the war in Iraq.

Demographer Joseph Chamie examines one of the foremost foreign policy challenges facing the next U.S. president-- the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Chamie offers four possible scenarios for demographic trends in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Pakistani journalist Imtiaz Ali says the Taliban has gained from the lack of schools and jobs in Pakistan's tribal region. He urges the United States to "be more discerning in where its money goes and how it's spent" in the region.

CQPolitics presents interactive maps of the United States based on polling figures for the 2008 presidential election.

Der Spiegel interviews neo-conservative scholar Robert Kagan, a foreign policy adviser to the McCain campaign. Kagan discusses the Bush legacy and the foreign policy challenges facing the next administration.

The Pew Center on the States offers a comprehensive look at the rules, technology, registration figures and issues to watch in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Politico's interactive map of the U.S. swing states in the 2008 presidential election.

The New York Times looks at the political influence and activism of young American war veterans.

The National Journal looks at the Senate seats up for grabs in the November 2008 elections.

The National Journal assesses the November 2008 House elections, looking particularly at the seats likely to switch party control.

In an interview with the Weekly Standard, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) discusses the economy and breaks with the Bush administration on U.S. policy toward North Korea.

The National Conference of State Legislatures offers background information on citizen initiatives promoting renewable energy appearing on ballots in three states in the November 2008 election.

Both Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) have pledged to by create millions of "green jobs" for Americans. Politico asks whether either of the candidates' plans can really jumpstart the U.S. economy and ease the energy crisis.

Everett Ehrlich, former Undersecretary of Commerce, and investment banker Felix Rohatyn discuss the need for a National Infrastructure Bank to fund the revitalization of U.S. infrastructure.