In his upcoming term President Barack Obama will have to adopt a softer stance on many issues in the Middle East to avoid conflict that could have large domestic implications.

In the aftermath of the 2012 U.S. elections, Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei comments on and compares the political systems in the U.S. and China.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Stephen M. Walt looks at the foreign policy issues that will face the next president.

During the worst economic slowdown since the Great Depression, it is important to look at new strategies for stabilization and recovery.

Robert Zoellick argues that for the United States to return to its former position of power, it is vital that the connection between economics and security be taken seriously.

Over the last two years, Camp Lemmonier has been transformed into a Predator drone base for fighting terrorism by the U.S. military.

The concept of pricing ecosystem services and allowing them to be bought and sold has gained wide acceptance among conservationists in recent years. But does this approach merely obscure nature's true value and put the natural world at even greater risk?

White House counterterrorism adviser John O. Brennan is compiling a "playbook" that will lay out the administration's procedures for the targeted killings that have come to define its fight against al-Qaeda and its affiliates.

Education must become a central focus to ensure a stable and prosperous U.S. in the future, write Margaret Spellings and Joel Klein. Klein lead the CFR-sponsored Independent Task Force on U.S. Education Reform and National Security.

What do we really know about China's new leader?

The "fiscal cliff" facing the country recieved no mention during the four debates between presidential and vice presidential contenders for the 2012 election.

The post-war U.S. approach to strategy is rapidly becoming insolvent and unsustainable. If Washington continues to cling to its existing role on the premise that the international order depends upon it, the result will be increasing resistance, economic ruin, and strategic failure with consequences harming U.S. credibility, diplomacy, and military operations.