Peter Orszag proposes a placeholder deal to get around Congressional gridlock over the expiring Bush tax cuts by establishing a temporary tax refund that would last until either a permanent deal was reached or the unemployment rate dropped.

Benn Steil's column in Dow Jones' Financial News, co-authored with Dinah Walker, analyzes Mitt Romney's budget math. Without questioning the candidate's assumptions on growth or available sources of revenue, they estimate a roughly $1 trillion annual budget gap.

Adam Segal says the showdown between China and the United States over telecommunications is about more than just security.

Julia E. Sweig discusses race and class in America in the run-up to the presidential election.

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon says that Monday's debate displayed a rare moment of unity between Obama and Romney, who seem to have decided that, in this most domestic-focused of elections, dwelling on foreign policy would only lose voters' interest.

Blake Clayton says Iraq is in a unique position to help take the edge off a global oil market under serious strain, but time will tell whether the country will achieve its lofty goals—or if they will remain a mirage.

Isobel Coleman writes that despite persistent challenges to security and unity, Libya has weathered the year since Qaddafi's death better than many expected.

Max Boot says Obama repeated Bush's mistake, and the power vacuum in Libya has now been filled by jihadists.

Presidential candidates should not only be asked how they will deal with foreign policy challenges but also what they would do ensure the United States is positioned to meet them, says Richard N. Haass.

Peter Orszag explains why recent slowdowns in health-care costs will likely persist once the economy recovers and how those savings will help Americans offset falling take-home pay.

Micah Zenko says that while it's admirable for senior defense leadership to adopt a forward-looking approach, the U.S. military cannot predict where future conflicts will emerge and where they will be deployed to fight.

Jagdish Bhagwati and Rajeev Kohli refute claims that the arrival of multi-brand, multinational retailers in India will hurt small businesses and farmers.

Pir Zubair Shah says the attack on Malala, the Pakistani girl gunned down by the Taliban, proves the Taliban's resilience and shows the uphill task of fighting them without a firm plan in place.

Michael Spence shares his bullish outlook on emerging markets and their ability to rebound from a global growth slowdown.

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon says, in Thursday night's debate, Vice President Biden worked to portray Paul Ryan as the candidate most in favor of continuing the unpopular fight in Afghanistan, a war that President Obama advanced and that the public no longer backs.

Freida Pinto and Isobel Coleman say that efforts like International Day of the Girl have helped girls make significant progress in recent years, but more resources, leadership and long-term commitments are still needed to close persistent gender gaps and improve the rights and well-being of millions of girls around the world.

While Christian communities in the Arab Middle East are decimated or endangered, the Christian community in Israel grows. Yet the mainline Protestant denominations in the United States continue to assault Israel and demand cuts in American aid to that country while ignoring the plight of their Christian brethren, says Elliott Abrams.

Ray Takeyh argues that if Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wants to ensure the Islamic republic's revolutionary precepts survive him, China is a model to avoid.

Peter Orszag and Jonathan Orszag argue that, though conspiracy theories regarding the Bureau of Labor Statistics are misguided, BLS methods for compiling macroeconomic statistics do need updating to harness the power of "big data."

In this column, Julia E. Sweig argues that President Obama's foreign policy positions will make it difficult for Mitt Romney to define his agenda against Obama's in the run up to the election.