In this New York Times Op-Ed, Paul Krugman argues that it is a misdiagnosis to say that America's economic problem is a lack of competitiveness

This National Public Radio article argues that the President's State of the Union Address will focus on job creation, while also extending an olive branch to the business community.

The Washington Post recently asked business leaders, policy experts and others to name an issue that President Obama should include in his Jan. 25 State of the Union address.

Mark Trumbull of the Christian Science Monitor believes that the speed of government spending cuts are likely to be major point of departure between Obama, who gives the State of the Union address on Tuesday, and congressional Republicans.

The New York Time's Michael Shear reports a number of policy suggestions from a variety of interest groups for President Obama's upcoming State of the Union Address.

In the Washington Post, Fareed Zakaria criticises the latest tax compromise for lacking a balanced, long-term solution to skyrocketing deficits, deriding the current trend towards 'mañana economics', and compares it to China's investment in sustainable growth.

Wilson Quarterly's Douglas J. Besharov and Douglas M. Call describe the critical situation of national deficits in the wake of the financial crisis and provide a "menu" of options to Congress for addressing the projected U.S. debt of $123 trillion in 2050.

Bryan Walsh examines the reasons behind Congress' failure to pass a cap and trade bill in this TIME blog post.

In a New York Times op-ed, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, former director of the Congressional Budget Office from 2003 to 2005, argues that information claiming the health care bill will save $138 billion dollars is skewed by accounting gimmickry and budgetary games, and laying out his own math, contends the reforms will instead raise deficits by $562 billion.

Robert Carroll of the Tax Foundation outlines the importance of tax deferral and low corporate tax rates for U.S. companies operating abroad to maintain competitiveness, as the provision of tax deferral is targeted for repeal by critics in Congress.

Senators John Kerry and Lindsey Graham outline the steps needed to achieve passage of climate change legislation in Congress.

Eduardo Gomez writes that as President Obama pushes to pass healthcare reform in the United States, "he would do well to examine the praiseworthy successes -- and the worrying failures -- of a decades-old universal system in the region's second-largest democracy."

CQ Politics reports on the pressure on the Democratic members of Congress to effectively implement the sweeping change they promised the electorate, including solving the economic crisis and ending the war 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.

A Brookings Institution policy brief outlines new congressional initiatives to combat global warming.  The policy brief proposes that Congress legislate product-by-product and factory-by-factory disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions to create immediate incentives for companies to cut those emissions. Labeling products and disclosing factory emissions would provide market benefits now by exposing inefficiencies and informing the choices of stakeholders. 

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.

George Washington University Professor Henry R. Nau offers an explanation for foreign policy disputes among U.S. politicians.

The Congressional Research Service examines U.S. realtions with China in this report.

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) has issued a new report on United Nations reform (PDF).

Congressional Research Service report that provides information about the current perspectives and policies of Iraq’s neighbors; analyzes potential regional responses to continued insurgency, wider sectarian or ethnic violence, and long-term stabilization; discusses shared concerns and U.S. long-term regional interests; and reviews U.S. policy options for responding to various contingencies.