European Union Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs Olli Rehn says French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde "would make a very good managing director of the IMF for the whole world, not only for Europe." "The European Union and its member states see that Christine Lagarde, the finance minister of France, has very strong professional qualifications and has earned the respect of her peers as the chairperson of the G20," Rehn said.

Escalating fighting in Sudan's disputed border region of Abyei "has the potential, the threat, of growing into something much larger that could in fact endanger the peace agreements between the North and the South," says John Campbell, Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Campbell argues that a possible solution may be for both sides to remove their troops from Abyei, and increase UN presence in the area.

Isobel Coleman, Director of the Council on Foreign Relations' Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initiative, discusses new initiatives announced by President Obama in support of the democratic transitions in Egypt and Tunisia, including trade, investment, debt forgiveness, and loan guarantees.

Sir Michael Barber, head of the Global Education Practice at McKinsey & Company argues that the key to improving educational systems is setting clear, internationally benchmarked standards, and attracting and training good teachers and school leaders.

Anne-Marie Slaughter, Former Director of Policy Planning at the U.S. State Department discusses the actions taken by international actors in Libya, and why the same measures cannot be taken in Syria. Slaughter called the situation in Syria "heartbreaking" and said "it looks like in many ways it looks like this government might get away with the same kind of brutality that we saw 20 years ago." However, she argued that while the U.S. is doing everything in its power diplomatically, it is not in a position to use force in Syria.

Adam Segal, author of "Advantage: How American Innovation Can Overcome the Asian Challenge," discusses the policy changes needed to achieve the Chinese ambition to move from a model of "made in China" to one of "innovated in China."

Fuad Siniora, former prime minister of Lebanon, discusses the implications of Osama bin Laden's death for the Middle East, the Hamas-Fatah agreement, and the U.S. role in supporting the Arab Spring with Mohamad Bazzi, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Ed Husain, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, says that Osama bin Laden is more valuable to al-Qaeda dead than alive. Comparing bin Laden's death to that of Sayyid Qutb, Husain argues bin Laden could now become an even more powerful icon.

Robert Danin, Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, says the deal between the secularist Fatah and radical Islamist Hamas factions will effectively put Obama administration efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks on hold.

Stephen Biddle, Senior Fellow for Defense Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, discusses the implications of Osama bin Laden's death for the United States' role in Afghanistan.

Jim Owens, Caterpillar Chairman and CEO Emeritus, discusses the importance of competitiveness and free trade issues for the long term economic health of the United States and for the country's leadership role in the world. Owens spoke to Council on Foreign Relations Vice President Camille Massey during CFR's 2011 Corporate Conference.

Daniel Markey, Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, explores the implications of Osama bin Laden's death for U.S. tense relations with Pakistan, the country in which the al-Qaeda leader was hiding.

James M. Lindsay, Senior Vice President and Director of Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, discusses how the news that U.S. Special Forces have killed Osama bin Laden will influence U.S. foreign policy, President Barack Obama's public opinion, and the war in Afghanistan.

Steven Cook, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, expects that bin Laden's death will not have a significant impact on al-Qaeda or organizations like it. Extremist activity targeting countries in the Middle East and the United States is likely to continue, says Cook.

Elliott Abrams, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, says that bin Laden's death helps the drive for democracy in the Middle East and weakens the influence of al-Qaeda in the Arab world.

Having just returned from Cuba's Communist Party Congress, Council on Foreign Relations' Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies, Julia Sweig, shares her analysis of the political and economic reforms introduced by Raul Castro.

Roger Altman, Founder and Chairman of Evercore Partners and former Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Treasury, discusses the prospects for solving the U.S. debt and deficit with John Bussey, Washington Bureau Chief of The Wall Street Journal. Altman and Bussey spoke on the sidelines of CFR's 2011 Corporate Conference.

Jean Ping, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, discusses the organization's role in Libya and the impact of the Arab Spring on the continent, with Jendayi Frazer, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Africa Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi discusses the impact of the Arab Spring on the democratic movement in Iran with Isobel Coleman, Director of the Council on Foreign Relations' Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initiative.

Following reports of substantial rigging in Nigeria's April 16 presidential elections, John Campbell, Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, says the issue is not whether Jonathan would have won the elections "anyway," but rather the sentiment among Northerners that the PDP yet again stole the elections.