This Policy Innovation Memorandum from the International Institutions and Global Governance program calls for the creation of a Global Trust for Rule of Law, a multilateral partnership bridging the public, private, and nonprofit sectors that would have a purpose of building developing nations' capacity to implement rule of law; unleashing the potential of marginalized groups worldwide; and promoting not only human dignity but, crucially, global economic growth.

In this Markets and Democracy Brief, CFR's Mark Lagon argues for a more consistent approach to human rights promotion than the United States has often pursued in the past.

Mark Lagon argues that President Obama's approach to foreign affairs suggests that
 while the president may be for “soft power,” he is not so sure about America's moral authority to project it.

"Principled compromise, prioritizing China, compassion, democracy-support, addressing detainee and drone policy as blemishes on our brand, and re-balancing soft and hard power tools ought to be touchstones of a post-2012 GOP foreign policy," says Mark P. Lagon.

In this Markets and Democracy Brief, CFR's Mark Lagon argues for a more consistent approach to human rights promotion than the United States has often pursued in the past.

Mark Lagon argues that President Obama's approach to foreign affairs suggests that
 while the president may be for “soft power,” he is not so sure about America's moral authority to project it.

Amb. Zalmay Khalilzad, former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, and the United Nations, discusses democracy promotion in the Middle East following the Arab Spring with Mark Lagon, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Human Rights at the Council on Foreign Relations.

In this Markets and Democracy Brief, Mark Lagon examines the uneven history of promoting democracy in U.S. foreign policy and offers lessons for how the United States can best advance democracy today.

Events in Egypt highlight the need for the U.S. government to drop double standards on governance and human rights issues when dealing with friendly dictatorships, writes CFR's Mark Lagon.

Empty chairs at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony for China's Liu Xiaobo and a top UN diplomat demonstrate China's power and influence, along with its vulnerability on human rights issues, says CFR's Mark Lagon.