Robert McCauley asks whether Chinese officials can guide the renminbi to internationalization while preserving their influence over credit growth and allocation.

Takatoshi Ito charts the renminbi’s progress toward becoming an international currency and discusses what steps China should take to complete the process.

Alan Taylor explores what benefits the global monetary system could expect from an internationalized renminbi.

While American leaders explain the foundations of the U.S.-Israeli relationship by citing shared democratic values and a commitment to the Jewish nation-state, they often fail to mention that Israel makes many contributions to U.S. national interests.

Russia remains one of the handful of countries that can deeply affect American national interests on a wide range of issues: nuclear weapons and proliferation, arms control, energy security, fighting terrorism, trade and investment, and democratic values.

Han Sung-joo, former South Korean foreign minister and former ambassador of the ROK to the United States, writes on emerging challenges to U.S.-ROK relations as Lee Myung-bak visits the United States this week.

Foreign Service officer Payton L. Knopf argues that the State Department must develop a framework for engaging with nonstate armed groups. He calls on the department to make bureaucratic and operational reforms to execute this increasingly important mission.

As Africa's strategic importance grows, the African Union is poised to be a U.S. partner on the continent. The AU, however, must take concrete steps to develop its conflict-management capabilities—an area in which the United States can play a critical role.

Investment in maternal health in Afghanistan provides a cost-effective way to promote strategic U.S. foreign policy objectives. As part of a responsible drawdown, the United States should continue its commitments to improving maternal health programs.

CFR scholars provide policy options for preventing a major crisis in the territories immediately adjacent to China: North Korea, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Central Asia.

Business, policy, and thought leaders offer recommendations on enhancing the U.S.-India strategic relationship.

A broad-sweeping look at international efforts to combat terrorism. This is part of the Global Governance Monitor, an interactive feature tracking multilateral approaches to several global challenges.

As tobacco reemerges as a contentious issue in trade policy, CFR Senior Fellow Thomas Bollyky argues that the Obama administration can better balance U.S. mandates on tobacco trade policy with its interests in promoting global health and U.S. standing abroad.

The nuclear nonproliferation regime has had difficulty dealing with noncompliance and preventing the illicit use of dual-use materials. A strengthened Proliferation Security Initiative can help prevent proliferation and mobilize international action.

Emma Belcher recommends the establishment of a nuclear security fund. Contributions from the private sector could build nuclear security capacity worldwide.

CFR Senior Fellow Paul B. Stares offers crisis preparedness solutions to help the Obama administration reduce its chances of being blindsided by future uprisings, as it was by the Arab Spring.

CFR Senior Fellow Daniel Markey argues that the United States should move quickly to convert the post–bin Laden crisis in U.S.-Pakistan relations into an opportunity for significant and positive reform of Pakistan's security and intelligence services.

Investment in voluntary international family planning is one of the most cost-effective ways to strengthen critical U.S. foreign policy objectives, including improving global health, promoting economic development, stabilizing fragile states, and encouraging environmental sustainability.

Family planning and reproductive health programs improve public health and foster stability and economic growth. Dr. Koki Agarwal, director of the MCHIP Program at Jhpiego, argues that such investments are necessary for the success of U.S. foreign policy goals in countries with high population growth.

Current global population growth rates and consumption patterns are not environmentally sustainable. Integrated population and environment approaches would allow governments to effectively address these at both a macro and micro level.