The diplomatic strength and economic power of the United States depend upon a functioning global order and a system of international trade based on uncontested access to the global commons—the world's shared land, sea , air, and space—for all. Command of the global commons is what makes the United States a super power.
Authors: Captain Melissa Bert, USCG and Captain Bradley S. Russell, USN Top of the World Telegraph
Captain Melissa Bert, USCG, and Captain Bradley Russell,USN, argue that while the United States is a nation reliant on sea power, it is not being the leader it can be on the Law of the Sea Convention.
Rail infrastructure is a critical component of a transportation network capable of helping the United States compete in global markets. Efforts to expand and modernize U.S. rail, particularly to include high-speed trains, are under debate as lawmakers weigh costs and benefits.
Captain Melissa Bert, USCG, argues that cruise ship disasters should not be happening in the 21st century, and the the U.S. Coast Guard can help ensure they don't.
Will Oremus discusses the failure of the U.S. high-speed rail system to materialize, despite Obama's commitment in 2010 to spend $8 billion in fiscal stimulus on transportation infrastructure.
Rob Quartel, chairman and CEO of NTELX, discusses the need for investment in U.S. infrastructure with CFR's James M. Lindsay. "We really have to focus on alternative means for paying for infrastructure," argues Quartel.
Iceland's volcanic disruption poses long-term problems for European airlines, says European economist Jacob Kirkegaard, and it could also depress the EU's overall GDP this quarter because of curtailed business travel.
The Obama administration has initiated sweeping reviews of homeland security policies set up after 9/11. But any plans for far-reaching changes to the apparatus that oversees domestic security could face congressional pushback.
Bruce Riedel, a longtime CIA specialist in South Asia, says India’s decision to put a nuclear pact with Washington in “cold storage” is only a “hiccup on the road towards a stronger U.S.-India partnership.”
Labor disputes threaten to undermine a decades-long effort to make the Deutsche Bahn, Europe’s largest railroad, more efficient and less dependent on the state.
Carl Prine, an investigative reporter for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, says his recent report on rail security discovered glaring vulnerabilities that potentially endanger thousands of lives on a daily basis.
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review investigative reporter Carl Prine performs an audit of freight rail security and finds large stores of hazardous chemicals left completely unguarded in the heart of major cities.
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
