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

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 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.