Analyzing the relevance of the electoral college in the 2012 presidential election, Julia E. Sweig says, "Although slavery has since been abolished and we have universal suffrage, this unfair electoral college system painfully, and somewhat quaintly, lives on."

CFR's James M. Lindsay leads a conversation on what the U.S. president needs to know about foreign policy, how past presidents have navigated their portfolios, and the challenges facing the Obama administration in its second term.

In the Middle East, there is a perception that President Obama and the United States cannot be relied upon. But Obama's reelection is now an opportunity for the president to show his leadership and reliability in the region, says Ed Husain.

In the coming months after his reelection, President Obama faces a number of Middle East crises, the most pressing of which are Iran and Syria, says Elliott Abrams.

President Obama gave this victory speech on November 7, 2012 in Chicago, after winning the presidential election.

For Senate Democrats, 2012 will be a chance to push through an ambitious agenda.

As the edge of the fiscal cliff approaches, Peter Orszag lays out the paths available to the Obama administration in negotiating with Congress over the expiring Bush tax cuts and entitlement reform.

This is the first presidential election since 1928 that features candidates with no military experience. Matthew Stevenson explores the effect this has on foreign policy.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney gave this concession speech on November 7, 2012.

The biggest challenges in the Middle East facing our next president

The waning of the historic U.S. troop presence in Europe is a sign of declining American military projection, and potentially bodes ill for the future.

The explosion of Silicon Valley and social media in the last decade has large implications for U.S. foreign policy going forward.

Policymakers must act swiftly post-election to approve a viable fiscal plan or trigger market volatility and severe damage to the U.S. economy, writes CFR's Robert Kahn.

In this world of grave uncertainty and looming threats, it is unlikely that the United States will ever have a peacetime president again, says Micah Zenko.

Foreign Policy asked "fourteen top analysts to peer beyond November 6th's headlines and examine the longer-term issues confronting the United States," from the Middle East to national security to free trade.

This Issue Guide provides resources highlighting the foreign policy and national security implications of the U.S. presidential campaign and the challenges facing the next administration.

Editor's Note: Click here for CFR Issue Trackers on candidate positions and other 2012 campaign resources, which examine the foreign policy and national security dimensions of the presidential race.

Renewable energy will be an important issue for Michigan voters, as they weigh an amendment that would make changes to the state's renewable energy production.

The 2012 presidential election will herald significant foreign policy and national security changes, regardless of which candidate wins.

Jimmy Carter is at it again, says Elliott Abrams on the former president's latest vilification of Israel in a recent Al Ahram interview.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney published this op-ed on "My Vision for America" on CNN.com on November 2, 2012. President Barack Obama published his vision here.