Russell Baker's New York Review of Books article evaluates four books about Franklin Delano Roosevelt, drawing parallels between the leadership of the Depression Era and today.
Michael Gerson writes that, "like Lincoln or Martin Luther King Jr., Obama positioned himself as a conservative revolutionary" in his inaugural speech.
In this Vancouver Sun op-ed, Edward Alden says that while gridlock has been the norm in Washington, there are precedents for outbursts of creative and energetic government. Still, Americans' expectations for Obama face long odds.
Listen to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff reflect on government actions during crises and lessons learned from his time in the Bush administration.
Peter Beinart writes, "Obama's opening act looks a lot more like Bush's than like Bill Clinton's, even though Clintonites populate his administration."
European affairs analyst William Drozdiak says Barack Obama's administration will lead Washington to demand from Europe more troops for Afghanistan, a coordinated economic stimulus package, and help resettling Guantanamo detainees.
As President George W. Bush enters his final month in office, Leslie H. Gelb, a former high-ranking national security official who served ten years as CFR's president, assesses the Bush administration's legacy. It "drained and lessened American power in the world," he says, and as a result U.S. credibility in the world "was sorely damaged."
Listen to experts discuss the recommendations of the new report Restoring the Balance: A Middle East Strategy for the Next President, advocating a new approach in the region, focusing on the Arab-Israeli peace process and Iran's nuclear program.
Watch experts discuss the recommendations of the new report Restoring the Balance: A Middle East Strategy for the Next President, advocating a new approach in the region, focusing on the Arab-Israeli peace process and Iran's nuclear program.
The launch of the joint Council on Foreign Relations and Saban Center book Restoring the Balance: A Middle East Strategy for the Next President, a series of policy recommendations for the next U.S. president pertaining to U.S. strategy in the Middle East.
Listen to E.J. Dionne Jr. and Michael J. Gerson discuss priorities for U.S. foreign policy in the Obama administration, as part of CFR's Religion and Foreign Policy Conference Call Series.
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