Unlike its Arctic neighbors, the United States is failing to take full advantage of the tremendous economic potential of the Arctic region. Captain Melissa Bert argues for U.S. ratification of the Law of the Sea Convention; international polar shipping standards; and an aircraft, icebreaker, and shore-based infrastructure acquisition program funded by Arctic oil and gas lease proceeds.

David Marchick calls for new U.S. government efforts to increase the small share of Chinese direct investment in the United States, including combating perceived prejudices, removing policy impediments, and encouraging U.S. businesses to partner with their Chinese counterparts.

U.S. and EU moves to sanction Iran's oil exports have prompted worries about a disruption of global oil markets. A new CFR energy brief by expert Robert McNally outlines scenarios where rising tensions could affect the price of oil and potential policy responses.

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

Edward Alden and Liam Schwartz recommend a visa screening system that will benefit U.S. security and the economy by focusing scrutiny on high-risk travelers and speeding approval for low-risk ones.

CNA senior research analyst Ken Gause discusses power politics and the leadership transition in North Korea.

Development specialist Sohn Hyuk-sang analyzes the Busan-High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, arguing a new future for poverty reduction.

As countries around the world increasingly rely on space, orbital space debris poses a rapidly growing threat to civil, military, and commercial satellites. Micah Zenko argues for an international code to define interstate behavior and promote sustainable conduct in outer space.

In this Policy Innovation Memorandum, Joshua Kurlantzick argues that the United States should play a much larger role in shaping Myanmar's reforms by launching a new strategy of engagement, including a sizable aid package, upgraded diplomatic relations, and, if reforms continue, an end to American sanctions.

Why do people leave a group that they have been a member of? What do they do to leave their group? What role, if any, do the use of social media and the Internet play in this process? These questions and more are addressed in this paper, which is a follow-on to the Summit Against Violent Extremism (SAVE) held by Google Ideas and CFR in Dublin in June 2011.

As the leaders of eighteen countries gather in Bali, Indonesia, this week for the East Asia Summit, Korea University professor Lee Shin-wha argues that there is a deep disconnect between East Asian summitry and Northeast Asian security needs that is likely to remain.

This report tracks the foreign investment portfolios of the BRIC governments— Brazil, Russia, India, and China—by looking at reserves holdings and holdings of U.S. assets.

Despite U.S. Congressional ratification of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS), KORUS ratification by the South Korean National Assembly has proven to be more difficult than anticipated. While Korean public opinion towards KORUS remains supportive, the task of securing ratification for KORUS has been made more difficult by the Seoul mayoral bi-election win of independent progressive Park Won-soon in a vote seen as a rejection of the Lee Myung-bak administration's failure to deliver on growth policies and as evidence of an underlying shift in Korean public attitudes toward distribution over growth.

As South Korea marks the third anniversary of its green growth policy, the country has gained international diplomatic benefits from efforts to promote the policy while domestic implementation of green growth policies has been mixed.

Peter Garber delves into China's offshore currency market to understand what drives its growth and what it means for further liberalization of the renminbi.

Jeffrey Frankel looks to history as a guide in determining the renminbi’s prospects for becoming an international currency.

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.

This coauthored report from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy makes the case that Israel is a strategic asset for the United States.