President Obama's new strategy for winning the war in Afghanistan has drawn praise from U.S. forces and international allies. But Afghan Defense Minister Gen. Adbul Rahim Wardak tells CFR.org that Washington's renewed commitment falls short of previous U.S. commitments.

A defense budget expert at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments says the Pentagon's recent spending request should be seen not as a sign of shifting military strategy, but rather a rebalancing of defense priorities.

Michael Gerson argues that Secretary Gates's defense budget focuses resources and attention precisely where they are most necesary.

Max Boot discusses Defense Secretary Robert Gates's proposed defense agenda.

As the Obama administration finalizes its first defense budget, analysts say near-term growth will be followed by lean spending amid the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

Watch Senator Jim Webb speak about his work in the Senate and his views on U.S. national security strategy.

Listen to Senator Jim Webb speak about his work in the Senate and his views on U.S. national security strategy.

Michael Moran argues that "the economic stimulus plan will flood the domestic economy, but may leave the defense sector facing tough choices."

President-elect Barack Obama made many promises on defense spending and strategy during his two-year run for the White House. But analysts say economic constraints and political pressure could make implementation difficult.

Iraq's finance minister asserts his country does not have a surplus of funds and expresses concern about the potential impact of the global financial crisis, and falling oil prices, on Iraq.

Eastern Europe’s defense spending has slowed in recent years, a trend that leaves it vulnerable to Russian aggression, writes Max Boot. While countries like the U.S. can help if needed, countries like Georgia and Hungary must bolster their own security and deter any Russian aggression by spending more of their GDP on defense and increasing the standing numbers of their militaries.

This piece provides statistics on global military expenditures for selected countries in 2007 and 2006.

Since 2001, Europe finds itself increasingly involved in international military operations. In light of this upsurge in military preparations and deployments, the Center for Strategic & International Studies created this report to track trends in European defense spending. Ultimately, if government spending is an indicator of the priority given to policy areas, understanding trends in defense spending can shed light on whether Europe is indeed serious about improving its military capabilities.

The unrest that is currently plaguing Tibet is only beign exacerbated by recent uprising and events that show how much influence the Chinese governement has over the domestic and international perception of the conflict in Tibet.

Problems, prosepects and U.S. Policy that invovles Tibet has slowly been coming into the national spot light, while many beleive that the death of the Dalai Lama will cause the Tibetan's movement to disintegrate.