As the United States looks ahead, it faces two central challenges in foreign policy: enlarging the zone of prosperity and democracy in the West while balancing the rise of China and allaying the fears of the United States' Asian allies.

Confidence in the dollar and the euro continues to falter, threatening the international monetary system.

China seems to want the yuan to dethrone the dollar as the global reserve currency. But don't expect China's currency to take over anytime soon.

John Lewis Gaddis' magisterial authorized biography of George Kennan tells the story of a brilliant diplomat who helped define postwar U.S. foreign policy. Yet the public triumph was matched with private frustration, and the prickly Kennan never won the influence he craved.

In his new book, the acclaimed psychologist Steven Pinker argues that despite the horrors of the twentieth century, global violence is actually on the decline over the long term.

Three new books look at poverty from the bottom up, painting a vivid portrait of the lives poor people live.

A pair of recent articles in this magazine highlighted two sides of Israel's current dilemma: the country does need to end the occupation, but Israelis also remain deeply skeptical of Palestinian intentions, and with good reason. Only one thing will break the paralysis of the Israeli center: if the Palestinians accept Israel's basic legitimacy.

China's rise is overstated, and its financial problems are massive, argues Derek Scissors. Arvind Subramanian disagrees, claiming that Beijing already calls theshots in the global economy.

Evan A. Feigenbaum argues that China will not simply bail out Pakistan with loans, investment, and aid, as those watching the deterioration of U.S.-Pakistani relations seem to expect. Rather, China will pursue profits, security, and geopolitical advantage regardless of Islamabad's preferences.

Mohamad Bazzi says that unfortunately for him and for Libya, Muammar al-Qaddafi betrayed his own revolution, just as the other Arab strongmen of his generation had. His death marks the end of the rule of these old-style nationalist leaders.

Peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians have failed miserably.

The greatest danger to Israel comes not from without—in the form of Palestinian intransigence—but from within.

Despite the fall of the Qaddafi regime in Libya, humanitarian intervention still has plenty of critics.

Most pundits argue the eurozone has only two options: break up or create a fiscal union to match its monetary one.

The world cannot let the March disaster at Japan's Fukushima power plant scare it into forgoing the benefits of nuclear energy—a cheap, reliable, and safe source of electricity

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has been gripped by a devastating population crisis almost unprecedented during peacetime.

As Indonesia hosts a number of high-level summits this year, it looks set to take its place among the world's economic superstars.

In their single-minded pursuit of economic growth, China's leaders have long overlooked public health—which, by some measures, is now worse than under Mao.

President Viktor Yanukovych has led Ukraine, no stranger to crisis, into yet another round of turmoil.

China is hardly the first great power to make authoritarian development look attractive. As Jonathan Steinberg's new biography of Bismarck shows, Wilhelmine Germany did it with ease.