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.

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.

Stewart M. Patrick examines the relevance of the G20 framework in a web of existing multilateral institutions and groupings.

A major strategic challenge for the United States in the coming decades will be integrating emerging powers into international institutions.

Stewart M. Patrick argues that the current crisis in the European Union presents an opportunity to overhaul the EU's institutions.

The eurozone fiscal crisis has led many EU members to discount the benefits of European integration, but the bloc is likely to muddle along and focus on inward relations while bonds with Washington weaken, says CFR's Stewart Patrick.

The UN's sixty-fifth General Assembly opens this week amid rumblings about the UN's relevance. But CFR's Stewart Patrick says that while there are many international venues for multilateral cooperation, UN efforts on the part of refugees, development, and other issues remain essential.

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.

Stewart M. Patrick says Brazil's recent involvement in tensions between Iran and the United States underscored Brazil's determination to play on the global stage, but it may also have harmed Brazil's chances for a UN Security Council seat.

Stewart M. Patrick says the G20 must transform itself from a temporary crisis committee into an enduring global steering group.

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.

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.

Stewart M. Patrick discusses the future of global engagement by the United States.

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.

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.

In this chapter of the edited volume Cooperating for Peace and Security, Stewart Patrick discusses the United States and multilateral cooperation after 9/11.

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.

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.

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.

Stewart Patrick declares that "tremendous forces are eroding the institutional foundations of world politics," citing the rising powers in Asia, transnational issues like climate change and other factors as reasons for this tectonic shift.