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.

Despite its booming economy, Mexico continues to struggle with alarmingly high levels of violence linked to drugs and organized crime. This video primer examines the crisis and explores policy options for Mexico and the United States.

A preview of world events in the coming week from CFR.org: India takes over the UN Security Council's presidency; the UN Security Council debates women, peace and security; and parliamentary elections take place in Ukraine.

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.

A preview of world events in the coming week from CFR.org: the U.S. vows to hunt down the perpetrators of the Benghazi attack; the UN General Assembly opens; pressure mounts on Iran; and the UN Human Rights Council meets in Geneva.

A preview of world events in the coming week from CFR.org: Democrats convene in Charlotte, North Carolina; a new Syria mediator gets to work; and the UN World Urban Forum takes place in Naples.

Stewart M. Patrick and Emma Welch assess the debate over an international conventional arms trade treaty and find that U.S. domestic objections are unfounded.

A preview of world events in the coming week from CFR.org: World powers convene in Geneva for a crisis meeting on Syria; Mexico holds presidential elections; and the U.S. House and Senate go into recess.

A preview of world events in the coming week from CFR.org: The UN Security Council debates the mission in Syria; the deadline approaches for the U.S. Congress to pass a stalled highway bill; and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime launches the 2012 World Drug Report.

As world leaders prepare for the Group of Twenty nations summit June 18-20 in Los Cabos, Mexico, CFR's Stewart M. Patrick talks with Enrique Berruga of the Mexican Council on Foreign Relations about the upcoming meeting and the G20's future.

With drug legalization increasingly debated by world leaders, CFR's Stewart Patrick and Phil Williams of the University of Pittsburgh discuss the explosion of transnational crime in a globalized world.

The upcoming NATO summit will include talks on the endgame in Afghanistan, a new smart defense doctrine, and bolstering global partnerships, all of it colored by fundamental questions about the role and mission of the alliance, says CFR's Stewart Patrick.

After emerging from the 2008 financial crisis relatively unscathed, Brazil's inevitable entrance into the club of major global powers is increasingly accepted. CFR's Stewart M. Patrick and Carlos Simonsen Leal of the Brazilian Getulio Vargas Foundation discuss Brazil's perspective on global finance and international security.

As U.S. and European leaders prepare for the NATO summit in May, CFR's Stewart M. Patrick and Chatham House Director Robin Niblett discuss why the alliance will remain important for Europe and the United States after NATO withdraws from Afghanistan.

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

In the wake of the debate over electing a non-American president of the World Bank, CFR's Stewart Patrick and Thierry de Montbrial of the French Institute for International Relations discuss the challenges of reforming global institutions to include emerging powers.

The winner of the 2012 presidential election will continue to rely on the UN as a foreign policy tool to serve U.S. interests, but navigating the U.S.-UN relationship will be one of the president's biggest foreign policy challenges, says CFR's Stewart M. Patrick.

A second tier of middle-income powers is emerging beyond the BRICS alliance of Brazil, India, China, Russia and South Africa. CFR's Stewart M. Patrick discusses how these countries complicate traditional conceptions of East vs. West and developed vs. developing nations.

The UN Human Rights Council is emerging as an increasingly relevant player in the Syrian crisis. CFR's Stewart M. Patrick highlights five things to know about the revived global human rights forum.

As Mexico prepares to welcome the first meeting of G20 foreign ministers this weekend, CFR's Stewart M. Patrick highlights five things to know about the world's steering body for global financial cooperation.

The Russian and Chinese veto of a UN Security Council resolution calling for an end to violence in Syria calls into question the viability of the Responsibility to Protect doctrine and poses a dilemma for the Obama administration, says CFR's Stewart Patrick.