Americas

Foreign Affairs Article

America's Energy Opportunity

Author: Michael Levi

The U.S. energy revolution is not confined to a single fuel or technology: oil and gas production, renewable energy, and fuel-efficient automobile technologies all show great promise. To best position the country for the future, U.S. leaders should capitalize on all these opportunities rather than pick a favorite; the answer lies in 'most of the above.'

See more in United States, Energy

Foreign Affairs Article

Why American Education Fails

Author: Jal Mehta

Since the end of the industrial age, Americans have worried about improving their education system. But the country has never been able to make much progress. Other nations do it better, and the United States must learn from their examples if it hopes to catch up.

See more in United States, Education

Foreign Affairs Article

Bolívar's Botched Bequest

Author: Ilan Stavans

The Venezuelan revolutionary Simon Bolívar has a remarkably elastic legacy. Ever since his death in 1830, Latin American politicians across the political spectrum have claimed to be his rightful heir. What Bolívar left behind, it turns out, was less a coherent set of ideas than an abstract vision of Latin American unity -- a vision that remains impossible today.

See more in South America, Nation Building

Must Read

CRS: U.S.-EU Cooperation Against Terrorism

U.S.-EU cooperation against terrorism has led to a new dynamic in U.S.-EU relations by fostering dialogue on law enforcement and homeland security issues previously reserved for bilateral discussions. Nevertheless, some challenges persist in fostering closer U.S.-EU cooperation in these fields. Among the most prominent are data privacy and data protection concerns.

See more in United States, EU, Counterterrorism

Ask CFR Experts

Will "sequestration" lead to a more isolationist U.S. foreign policy?

Asked by Andreas Maldener, from Trier University

After more than a decade of war and several years of a deep financial crisis, many Americans are asking whether the country should focus more of its attention—and more of its resources—at home. That said, the impulse to lead is still strong in both political parties and most polls show that Americans still feel both a moral and strategic imperative to remain fully engaged in the world.

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See more in United States, Economics, U.S. Strategy and Politics, Congress, Congress and Foreign Policy

Audio

The Future of U.S. Special Operations Forces

Presider: Stephen Biddle

Linda Robinson discusses her recently released Council Special Report, The Future of U.S. Special Operations Forces, which calls for conceptual, institutional, and operational changes to reorient U.S. special operations forces to ensure that they are employed to best effect.

See more in United States, Defense/Homeland Security, Cybersecurity, Defense Strategy, Defense Technology, Homeland Security, Intelligence, National Security and Defense, Preparedness, Wars and Warfare

Must Read

Project Syndicate: Populism Without the People

Author: Jan-Werner Mueller

Calls for more popular participation are not essential to populism; rather, they are a symptom of perceived exclusion (which might well be a reality, especially in Latin America). But cries for political inclusion are different from demands for direct democracy. Where direct democracy is very much a part of normal politics – in Switzerland, for example – populist parties have been doing better, not worse, than elsewhere.

See more in Venezuela, Democracy and Human Rights