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.

Micah Zenko says, in the aftermath of the attacks in Benghazi, President Obama faces tremendous pressure to "do something" in response, but force won't stop another attack.

Fifty years later, the effects of the Cuban Missile Crisis linger still because of the persistent effects of one lie—that JFK won the day without compromising, writes Leslie H. Gelb in Foreign Policy.

Ignore the commentariat: Susan Rice isn't to blame for the complicated intelligence process following the Benghazi attack, writes Leslie H. Gelb in Newsweek.

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon says Mitt Romney's major foreign policy speech on Monday reflects a vision for America's role in the world that is both far more forward-leaning than the current administration has exercised and far less energetic than Bush's.

Frank G. Klotz says the United States needs to rebuild its icebreaking capability in Antarctica, otherwise protecting U.S. interests—in both polar regions—will become even more challenging.

Richard A. Falkenrath and Paul Rosenzweig argue that encryption-based technology is a better way to secure governmental data than mandates that keep information within geographical boundaries.

Ed Husain considers how Muslim populations in the Middle East are grappling with progressive and literalist interpretations of Islam's role in government.

Reza Aslan says the question isn't whether Islam promotes democracy, but rather do Muslims promote democracy, remarking that there are some who do and some who don't, as is the case with followers of every religious tradition on earth."

In a new article for Foreign Policy, Blake Clayton argues that it's Western politicians, not Arabian sheikhs or OPEC officials, who are roiling the oil markets today.

Meghan L. O'Sullivan says doing more to help the budding democracies in the Arab world isn't just in the interest of Arabs, who are deserving of a better future, but also of the United States, which needs better partners in this part of the world.

This campaign season, President Obama and Mitt Romney have remained focused on domestic issues in the "face of a gasping economy and long-term joblessness," argues Gayle Tzemach Lemmon. However, given pressing concerns raised by Afghanistan and the Middle East, among other foreign policy issues, the candidates will soon have to address international affairs issues.

Micah Zenko says even though telling the United States that it should be more scared of Iran has failed so far, Israeli officials will continue to sound the alarm about a nuclear-armed Tehran, with the ultimate objective of changing America's threat perception.

Elizabeth C. Economy says the world waits for stability in China's transition, but recent events in China like the two-week absence of Xi Jinping and Bo Xilai's expulsion from the CCP underscore the deep uncertainty that defines China's political system.

Colonel Brian M. Killough, USAF, says the Liaoning, China's first aircraft carrier, is a measured step in the long trek toward a globally-capable navy that an emerging superpower needs. While a solid indicator of intent, it's not a threat—yet.