For many senior Pakistani spies, the man sitting in the jail cell represented solid proof of their suspicions that the C.I.A. had sent a vast secret army to Pakistan, men who sowed chaos and violence as part of the covert American war in the country. For the C.I.A., the eventual disclosure of [Raymond] Davis's role with the agency shed an unflattering light on a post–Sept. 11 reality: that the C.I.A. had farmed out some of its most sensitive jobs to outside contractors — many of them with neither the experience nor the temperament to work in the war zones of the Islamic world.

The recent announcement of a BRICS development bank raised many questions. Isobel Coleman writes about the potential structure and purpose of the BRICS development bank and its implications for international development and the global economy.

After former secretary of state Hillary Clinton's speech on April 5, Gayle Tzemach Lemmon observes, "the Clinton megaphone no longer requires a Washington translator."

Kevin Rudd, former prime minister and foreign minister of Australia, discusses the refocusing of U.S. interests in Asia, particularly looking at the future of U.S.-Chinese relations.

Some argue that the best way to restrain North Korea is to strengthen sanctions, principally by putting more pressure on China to reduce its trade with North Korea. Others advocate a diplomatic approach and argue that engagement, not escalation, would be more effective. What all parties need to remember is that actions speak louder than words.

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Boao Forum is an annual conference that brings together government, business, and academic leaders to discuss economic and social issues in Asia. Chinese President Xi Jinping gave the keynote speech, titled Working Together Toward a Better Future for Asia and the World, on April 7, 2013.

Laurie Garrett outlines inconsistencies in the Chinese government's reports about the ongoing H7N9 outbreak.

"While it was not the first country where the United States used drones, [Pakistan] became the laboratory for the targeted killing operations that have come to define a new American way of fighting, blurring the line between soldiers and spies and short-circuiting the normal mechanisms by which the United States as a nation goes to war."

Kevin Rudd, former prime minister and foreign minister of Australia, discusses the refocusing of U.S. interests in Asia, particularly looking at the future of U.S.-China relations.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has focused his second term in office to implementing an audacious set of economic policies designed to spur the country out of its decades-long deflation and sluggish growth, explains this Backgrounder.

Yanzhong Huang responds to a China File conversation on the recent bird flu outbreak in China.

China has diverse interests in Afghanistan, including extracting resources and promoting regional stability. But China's future policy toward Afghanistan will largely depend on whether there is a valid election and credible government in Kabul after the planned U.S. drawdown in 2014.

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Jagdish Bhagwati and Amrita Narlikar write that the only way to ensure safe working environments is to make them "legislated and pursued with zeal."

Daniel Markey leads a conversation on sectarian violence in Pakistan, as part of CFR's Religion and Foreign Policy Conference Call series.

Former U.S. ambassador to Pakistan Ryan Crocker and CFR Senior Fellow Daniel Markey discuss the upcoming elections in Pakistan and the future of U.S.-Pakistan relations.

Max Boot writes about Afghanistan's upcoming presidential election.

Despite Pyongyang's aggressive public posturing in recent days, the greatest threat from North Korea will likely be a surprise guerilla-style provocation, says CFR Korea expert Scott Snyder.

Laurie Garrett explores the possibility of a new pandemic in China.

Joshua Kurlantzick discusses democracy's decline and his new book, Democracy in Retreat: The Revolt of the Middle Class and the Worldwide Decline of Representative Government in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.

Joshua Kurlantzick adapts part of his new book, Democracy in Retreat:The Revolt of the Middle Class and the Worldwide Decline of Representative Government for the Wall Street Journal.