Dana H. Allin and Steven Simon argue that while the "tea party" agenda in the midterm election focused largely on domestic issues, Republican gains in Congress fueled by the movement will have profound foreign policy consequences.

Peter Orszag writes that if the new Congress is truly concerned about rising health care costs, they should work to deploy the health care act's cost-containment measures fully rather than try to repeal them.

Max Boot argues that lawmakers should look to history before rushing to cut defense spending.

David S. Abraham says the U.S. Congress contributed to the Gulf oil spill by undermining offshore safety and encouraging risky drilling.

Micah Zenko and Rebecca R. Friedman argue, "Cutting funding for U.S. diplomatic efforts is shortsighted."

"People’s expectations for health care are deeply irrational," making this issue such a difficult one to resolve, writes Walter Russel Mead.

Michael Levi comments what the EPA's recent classification of greenhouse gases as a pollutant means for the Copenhagen Conference.

As part of a larger publication, assessing the effectiveness of the economic stimulus, Michael Levi and Adam Segal write that the Department of Energy is pursuing a "prudent and sound" strategy for investing their share. The more pressing concern, according to Levi and Segal, is that Congress may forgo funding the department in favor of more "politically attractive" options.

Charles A. Kupchan writes about three lessons that President Obama can learn from President Wilson.

Michael J. Gerson argues, "the Obama administration and the Democratic Congress have delivered a series of blows to the pride and morale of the Central Intelligence Agency."

Stephen Sestanovich discusses the Jackson-Vanik amendment and its role in defining American policy toward the Soviet Union.

Michael J. Gerson remembers Congressman Jack Kemp.

Stephen Sestanovich argues that the president's ability to overhaul the U.S. foreign policy agenda depends heavily on how the administration deals with Congress.

Jagdish Bhagwati argues that the Employee Free Choice Act is a free trade compatible approach to dealing with the stagnation in workers' real wages.

Leslie H. Gelb argues that President Obama's team has yet to identify the benchmarks that are central to the president's Afghanistan strategy, and knowing what President Obama chooses not to do in the region is just as critical as knowing the policies he does plan to carry out.

Leslie H. Gelb expresses concern that the White House may be focusing too narrowly on its own strategy for Afghanistan, and Congress will have to take responsibility to explore a larger set of options.

Unlike the world's leaders at the last G20 meeting, President Obama has not turned his rhetoric loose against protectionism. In this Forbes.com article, Jagdish Bhagwati writes that Prime Minister Gordon Brown must ask the president to passionately defend trade and openness.

In this Wall Street Journal op-ed, Matthew Slaughter argues that a bailout for America's Big Three automobile companies could come with substantial costs, including decreased foreign direct investment into the U.S. and diminished access to foreign markets.

The passage of the President’s Plan for AIDS Relief has highlighted the ability of Congressmen such as Joe Biden and Tim Coburn to work towards bipartisan progress in a branch of government that is otherwise overwhelmed by cynicism and bitterness, writes Michael Gerson.

When it comes to bucking party trends Barack Obama’s track record falls well short of John McCain’s, says Michael Gerson, calling into question Obama’s stance as a centrist candidate.