Stewart Patrick contends that assumptions about the threats posed by failing states--or "weak links"--are based on anecdotal arguments and challenges the conventional wisdom through systematic empirical analysis.

Kara C. McDonald and Stewart M. Patrick offer recommendations for U.S. leadership in United Nations Security Council reform and expansion.

This year's daunting UN challenges for President Obama: navigating the Palestinian statehood thicket and convincing Americans that UN diplomacy matters, writes CFR's Stewart Patrick.

The G8 summit affirmed the group's importance as a U.S. partner as it seeks a common front on the "Arab Spring" uprisings, and in forging collective action on human rights and security matters, says CFR's Stewart Patrick.

The upcoming G8 and G20 conferences mark a shift to a "multipolar age," particularly if the G20 is able to agree on a continuing path to a stable global recovery, says CFR's Stewart Patrick.

The Christmas bomb attempt on a Detroit-bound plane has raised new concerns about "ungoverned spaces." But CFR's Stewart Patrick argues that the term fails to address the real security concerns presented by nations like Yemen.

China has benefited enormously from Western-dominated global structures, writes CFR's Stewart Patrick, and Washington now expects it to contribute more significantly to world order.

Surveys during the past decade show consistent support among Americans for the UN's role in the world order but also worry about its dysfunctions. CFR's Stewart Patrick says President Barack Obama should echo these sentiments in his UN address.

President Obama's first appearance before the UN General Assembly is an opportunity to reassert U.S. leadership at the world body on issues from nonproliferation to peacekeeping, writes CFR's Stewart Patrick.

CFR's Stewart Patrick and Kaysie Brown argue that the United States must take a hard line with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir if it hopes to end the crisis in Darfur.

While some G-20 leaders want to map out a "New Deal for the Twenty-First Century," CFR's Stewart Patrick says they risk spawning a twenty-first century version of the Great Depression if they don't agree on coordinated short-term steps to stimulate economic activity and to ensure both credit and trade flow freely.

Four global experts assess Dr. Jim Yong Kim's appointment as World Bank president and whether the institution needs governance reform.

President Obama's first National Security Strategy departs from Bush administration doctrine by redefining the war against terror groups and embracing multilateralism, and may expect too much from global partners, say CFR experts in an analytical roundup.

President Barack Obama's first State of the Union address focused heavily, as expected, on domestic economic recovery and reasserting U.S. competitiveness. Six CFR experts noted different aspects of the challenges facing Obama.

President Obama's speech to the UK parliament was a proper reminder of the importance of the transatlantic alliance to global governance amid the ongoing upheaval in the Middle East, writes CFR's Stewart Patrick.

President Obama has staked a proper middle course on military intervention in Libya, boosted enormously by burden sharing with coalition allies, says CFR's Stewart Patrick.

The G20 summit in Seoul showed growing member disagreement on issues from exchange rate policies to global imbalances and increasingly less confidence in U.S. global economic leadership, says CFR's Stewart Patrick.

The Obama administration should follow its endorsement of India's bid for UN Security Council membership by initiating a plan for Council expansion based on clear criteria for permanent membership, writes CFR's Stewart Patrick.

Secretary of State Clinton's new call for vigorous U.S. leadership of global institutions to face modern challenges runs up against the rise of unpredictable emerging powers and Washington's shrinking stature, says CFR's Stewart Patrick.

The designation of the Group of 20 as the world's leading forum for economic coordination is proper, writes CFR's Stewart Patrick, but Washington should still make use of the G8 for political and security matters.

An interactive multimedia feature that maps out and evaluates multilateral efforts to address some of the most difficult international issues.

The UN General Assembly will likely address two "lightning rod" issues: ending the bloodshed in Syria and curbing Iran's nuclear development, says CFR's Stewart Patrick.