A global naval coalition has failed to halt Somali-based piracy. More effective would be a broader approach to maritime policing that integrates African authorities, writes CFR's Michael L. Baker.

Leslie H. Gelb says that while Israeli commandos mishandled the situation on the aid flotilla, Israel was right to storm a ship bound for Gaza.

Shannon O'Neil discusses how Mexico and the United States are heading toward a new collaboration in tackling drug violence.

Despite the political environment surrounding Senate Democrats' new immigration reform outline, it provides a serious basis for moving forward on a crucial issue, says CFR's Edward Alden.

Listen to Edward Alden discuss Arizona's controversial new immigration law and its implications for comprehensive immigration reform.

As Mexico continues to struggle with the effects of illegal activity within and along its border region, evidenced by dramatic growth in drug-related violence, join U.S. Representative Kay Granger for a congressional perspective on the status of U.S. security assistance to Mexico and policy options moving forward.

Listen to Representative Kay Granger (R-TX) give a congressional perspective on the status of U.S. security assistance to Mexico as it struggles with the effects of illegal activity within and along its border region.

Thanks to the country's favorable location on the map, China's influence is expanding on land and at sea, from Central Asia to the South China Sea and from the Russian Far East to the Indian Ocean.

Iceland's volcanic disruption poses long-term problems for European airlines, says European economist Jacob Kirkegaard, and it could also depress the EU's overall GDP this quarter because of curtailed business travel.

Failures to stop the recent U.S. airliner bomb plot and the destruction of a CIA base in Afghanistan illustrate inherent problems in intelligence gathering, and al-Qaeda's impenetrability, says CFR's Richard K. Betts.

President Obama has called for tweaks to the way terror suspects are monitored, but some observers wonder whether the changes will be sufficient to prevent a repeat of the Christmas Day terror plot.

CFR's Edward Alden says U.S. response to recent air-security failures should be to improve existing measures that identify genuine threats instead of imposing "knee-jerk initiatives that look tough" but may be less effective.

Repercussions of the failed Christmas Day bombing continue, with policy debate focused on Yemen as a new al-Qaeda front and possible delays shuttering Guantanamo Bay.

Elliott Abrams argues for moving the function of visa processing from the State Department to the Department of Homeland Security.

To defeat piracy in centuries past, governments pursued a more active defense at sea and a political solution on land. The current piracy epidemic off the coast of East Africa requires many of the same tactics.

Listen to the CFR-sponsored Independent Task Force on U.S. Immigration Policy Co-Chairs discuss the report, which concludes that the failure to reform immigration laws and procedures threatens to harm America’s economy, jeopardize its diplomacy, and weaken its national security.

Watch the CFR-sponsored Independent Task Force on U.S. Immigration Policy Co-Chairs discuss the report, which concludes that the failure to reform immigration laws and procedures threatens to harm America's economy, jeopardize its diplomacy, and weaken its national security.

CFR's Bronwyn Bruton says the United States will not be able to end piracy in Somalia by using force and should take a modest approach that avoids grand schemes to reconstruct the government.