Michael A. Levi argues that the likely benefits of allowing U.S. natural gas exports outweigh the costs of explicitly constraining them, provided that appropriate environmental protections are in place.
Meghan O'Sullivan says that discoveries of large, underwater gas fields in the eastern Mediterranean could bring economic and political benefits as well as regional clout to Israel at a time when Israel's regional standing is more uncertain than it has been for decades.
Emerging economies taking advantage of mineral and petroleum wealth often face corruption and conflict rather than benefit from sustainable development. This resource curse can be obviated, CFR Fellow Terra Lawson-Remer argues, if capital-exporting countries, banks, and corporations insist on transparency.
The Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing was adopted on November 22, 2009 at the FAO meeting.
Peter Orszag looks at a dispute over water supplies in the southeastern United States to underscore the need for water policy reforms and greater infrastructure investment.
Michael Spence writes that myopic U.S. energy policies highlight the need for persistence, longer-term thinking, and bipartisanship in U.S. policymaking.
Nearly 90 percent of the world's economy is fueled every year by digging up and burning about four cubic miles of the rotted remains of primeval swamp goo
China's search for food and land in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa, reflects the country's pressing scarcity of water. China's approach has set off alarm bells in the region and the United States should work actively to address China's water security needs, argues Elizabeth Economy before the House U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.
Authors: Captain Bradley S. Russell, USN and Max Boot Wall Street Journal
Captain Bradley S. Russell, USN and Max Boot argue that Iran must realize that by initiating direct hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz, it risks American retaliation against their covert nuclear-weapons program.
Captain Melissa Bert, USCG, argues that as Cuba moves ahead with plans for a mobile offshore drilling unit, the United States must incorporate Cuba in emergency response coordination and joint operations, work through sanctions hurdles, and properly fund a response to a potential disaster.
Michael A. Levi argues that celebrations by environmental activists over delayed approval of the Keystone XL pipeline are shortsighted, as the tactics and arguments that have won the day are ultimately as likely to retard clean energy development as they are to thwart dirty fuels.
Author: Captain Melissa Bert, USCG International Herald Tribune
Captain Melissa Bert, USCG, argues that the United States will lose out economically and environmentally if it does not take advantage of resources in the Alaskan Arctic.
The Council on Foreign Relations' David Rockefeller Studies Program—CFR's "think tank"—is home to more than seventy full-time, adjunct, and visiting scholars and practitioners (called "fellows"). Their expertise covers the world's major regions as well as the critical issues shaping today's global agenda. Download the printable CFR Experts Guide.
Special operations play a critical role in how the United States confronts irregular threats, but to have long-term strategic impact, the author argues, numerous shortfalls must be addressed.
The author analyzes the potentially serious consequences, both at home and abroad, of a lightly overseen drone program and makes recommendations for improving its governance.
Two experts argue that despite myriad development strategies, only one can succeed in alleviating poverty in India: the overall growth of the country's economy. More