Max Boot says the U.S. intelligence community already suffers from a propensity to put quantity over quality.

Julia E. Sweig assesses the recent shift in Mexico's narrative under the newly inaugurated president, Enrique Peña Nieto, and the implications of this shift for Brazil.

Peter Orszag writes that reaching a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff will require Republicans and Democrats to be more flexible about the positions they have staked out over tax and entitlement reforms.

Sebastian Mallaby argues that microeconomic struggles are tarnishing the macroeconomic success of the BRICs.

Peter Orszag writes that vague, simplistic strategies to limit tax deductions will lose their appeal as the legislative process exposes their flaws.

Sebastian Mallaby argues that President Obama will be unable to stabilize the U.S. debt over the long term without addressing the problem of ballooning health and pension costs.

Michael A. Levi says natural gas is a good and inexpensive alternative to coal and oil, but it's still a fossil fuel. Keeping in mind that gas is far from a permanent climate solution, delegates meeting in Doha for the UN climate change negotiations "should strengthen their efforts, individually and collectively, to promote innovation and development of cost-effective zero-carbon energy options."

With money playing an ever more important role in politics, institutions of higher education need to lead the charge for greater accountability in corporate political spending, says Terra Lawson-Remer.

Steven A. Cook says, "This is a critical moment in Egypt's transition; Morsi and his colleagues would do well to recognize that, rescind the decrees, and commit themselves to the democratic process. At this point, it is the only way for the Brothers to burnish their revolutionary credentials."

Shannon K. O'Neil says, "[American] perceptions reflect the Mexican reality that dominates headlines: soaring crime rates and gruesome murders in a war against drug traffickers. But this window into Mexico overlooks an economic transformation and deepening ties with the United States that reflect a dramatically different country."

Sebastian Mallaby argues that Spain is unlikely to get control of its debt dynamics without more aggressive action from European leaders.

Thanks to the rift between Turkey and Israel, Ankara's days as a power broker in the Arab-Israeli conflict are over, says Steven A. Cook.

In the wake of the Petraeus scandal, Julia E. Sweig says her heroine of the moment is Carrie Mathison, heroine of the TV show Homeland who works in a profession where mainly men write the rules of the game.

Israel must accept that negotiating with Hamas is the only way forward, says Ed Husain.

Charles A. Kupchan argues that David Cameron's changes to Britain's relationship with the European Union run the risk of a British exit from the union and a weakening of Britain's role as a bridge between the United States and Europe.

Joshua Kurlantzick examines how the Obama administration relies on the Pentagon to serve as diplomatic interlocutor in Southeast Asia and argues against U.S. military cooperation with the region's most oppressive countries.

University endowments ought to be invested in corporations that promote their institutions' mission, argues Terra Lawson-Remer. But for that happen, the Securities and Exchange Commission will first have to require public corporations to disclose their campaign spending activities.

Michael Spence explains what China's leadership can learn from Singapore about formulating a growth strategy that is inclusive, stable, and sustainable.

Steven A. Cook says Gaza's radiating instability proves once again that Palestine is at the center of the region's problems.

As the United States and other Western countries continue to suspend sanctions against Myanmar, multinationals are lining up for the chance to invest in the one-time pariah. In this article for Bloomberg Businessweek, Joshua Kurlantzick argues that this gold rush is "wildly premature."