The glum economic picture in Europe and the United States has led to a debate on whether or not fiscal spending can stave off recession.

Eurozone debt concerns have led to soaring lending rates, which in turn helped roil markets concerned about the EU's ability to overcome its crisis.

The nearly $1 trillion EU bailout plan appears to have achieved immediate aims of restoring confidence in markets, but concerns persist about deeper reforms needed to tackle the region's sovereign debt crisis.

Congressional wrangling over financial reform and the SEC's fraud case against Goldman Sachs could impact SEC powers and encourage stronger derivatives regulation.

Pakistan's constitutional reforms will strengthen democracy but fail to improve the civil-military balance or check the military's influence on defense and foreign policy.

The so-called BRIC summit of emerging-market powerhouses raises new questions on whether Brazil, Russia, India, and China can overcome internal differences and pursue common goals.

Tough new measures by the Greek government to curb debt levels are likely to be welcomed by a nervous European Union, but debate persists on whether the EU will, or should, offer Greece financial assistance.

President Obama has called for tweaks to the way terror suspects are monitored, but some observers wonder whether the changes will be sufficient to prevent a repeat of the Christmas Day terror plot.

Repercussions of the failed Christmas Day bombing continue, with policy debate focused on Yemen as a new al-Qaeda front and possible delays shuttering Guantanamo Bay.

President Obama's decision to transfer Guantanamo inmates to an Illinois prison could speed closure of the facility, but the move has raised both security and civil liberties concerns.

U.S. President Barack Obama's new Afghan strategy is expected to include an influx of more than thirty thousand troops and an exit plan. He faces the challenge of selling this approach to war-weary publics.

The decision by the main Afghan presidential challenger to drop out of the runoff contest raises new doubts about incumbent Hamid Karzai's viability as partner in the U.S. effort to counter Taliban forces in increasingly shaky Afghanistan.

As President Barack Obama ponders his next move in Afghanistan, civilian and military strategists are pushing different approaches on the way forward in a war soon to become America's longest.

Talks in Geneva over Iran's nuclear program ended with Tehran vowing to cooperate with UN inspectors. However, analysts remain divided on how lasting the gains will be.

Amid fresh signs U.S. military leaders are expected to request more troops for the Afghan war, debate continues to mount over Afghanistan's importance to U.S. security.

The Obama administration has agreed to talks with Iran. Analysts are divided on whether dialogue will move the needle on nuclear negotiations, or strengthen calls for tougher action.

Some analysts say the U.S.-China disagreement over tire imports could provoke a damaging trade dispute at a time when the two giant economies are needed to lead global economic growth.

The top commander in Afghanistan has called for a new strategy, and possibly more troops. But some analysts wonder whether the nearly eight-year-old war is still worth fighting.

The U.S. attorney general's decision to conduct a preliminary review of past CIA interrogations awakens spirited debate over the scope of the intelligence community's counterterrorism practices.

Regardless of the victor in this week's Afghan presidential elections, some analysts say Western forces must remain committed to the counterinsurgency effort to strengthen the state against a growing Taliban threat.