The odds are high that humans will warm Earth’s climate to worrisome levels during the coming century. Policy makers in the United States, which historically has produced more CO₂ emissions than any other nation while doing relatively little to tame the flow, can in particular learn much about creating viable carbon-cutting markets by studying Europe’s recent experience. In this Scientific American article, David Victor and Danny Cullenward offer several concrete suggestions on how the U.S. should go about constructing an effective national climate policy.

Aside from Iraq, Congress will be the scene of likely sparring over initiatives on domestic surveillance, Guantanamo detainees, energy security, and trade.

Since the Democrats regained control of Congress, the Hill has been alive with the sound of hearings. Congress' earlier slumber and recent awakening should come as no surprise: for the last six decades, the partisan composition of Congress has defined the politics of war. Now facing a Democratic majority, President George W. Bush will find it far more difficult to stay in Iraq.

This special report from the United States Institute of Peace says that Iraq’s neighbors are playing a major role—both positive and negative—in the country’s worsening crisis, and reviews the interests and influence of the countries surrounding Iraq and the impact on U.S. bilateral relations.

U.S. and Iraqi lawmakers prepare to recess with little sign of compromise on critical Iraq policy issues.

The collapse of global trade talks prompted some analysts to pronounce the WTO’s Doha round dead. Counterintuitively, some free-trade hawks say this might not be such a bad thing.

The current Iraq funding debate pits Democrats against Republicans but the fault lines are starting to spread within the parties as well.

Public disapproval of the Iraq war is starting to create fissures among Republicans and posing challenges for Democrats seeking to balance national security and political gains .

American politicians finally agree on the need for benchmarks to judge progress in Iraq, but disagree sharply over linking those milestones to future funding or a timetable for withdrawal.

Elizabeth Drew writes in the New York Review of Books on how the Iraq war is roiling Washington and arguing that Congress is "struggling to catch up" with the public's negative opinion.

Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) calls on the Bush administration to accept Iraq war funding legislation that conditions U.S. engagement on Iraqi government moves toward political reconciliation.

Listen to Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) discuss his suggestions for a new direction for U.S. foreign policy, particularly one that reintroduces American values to the world.

A recent trip to Syria by the Speaker of the House has set off a debate over the role of legislators in conducting foreign policy.

Democrats are considering how far to take their standoff with President Bush on Iraq war funding now that he's vetoed a bill that would require a drawdown to begin early next year.

CFR Senior Fellow for Global Health Laurie Garrett testifies on the issues facing of maternal and child health, family planning, and reproductive health.

A wave of bombs in Baghdad overshadows the current standoff over war funding. Despite meeting with congressional Democrats, President Bush has threatened to veto any bill on troop limits.