The Chicago summit attempted to map a new NATO agenda, but instability in Afghanistan and the European fiscal crisis still cloud the alliance's path, says CFR's Charles Kupchan.
NATO has been the foundation of transatlantic security for more than sixty years, but despite its longevity, critics question whether the alliance can stay relevant in the face of emerging threats, limited funding, and debates over its mission.
Two recent books reveal the ugly underbelly of India's success story. A vast gulf has opened up between the rich and the poor, corruption suffuses every aspect of life, and the country's political leaders lack the vision needed to turn this would-be world power into an actual one.
The United States has tried cracking down on Pakistan before. It did not work then, and it will not work now, writes Alexander Evans. The difference, counters Stephen Krasner, is that this time the United States has real leverage.
With the U.S.-India relationship in solid shape, India will be watching the U.S. presidential race for how the outcome will affect policies on China, Pakistan, and other issues crucial to Delhi.
Leading Pakistani journalist and bestselling author Ahmed Rashid analyzes the current state of Afghanistan and Pakistan, prospects for U.S. government negotiation with the Taliban, and the potential ramifications of U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Transforming Afghanistan's opium farming from heroin to morphine production would thwart the Taliban and stabilize the economy, writes Vartan Gregorian, president of Carnegie Corporation of New York.
The April 2012 update of the U.S. Department of Defense's "Report on Progress toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan" covers the period from October 1, 2011 to March 31, 2012.
President Obama's speech in Afghanistan lacked a strong rationale for continuing a substantial U.S. commitment beyond 2014, says CFR President Richard N. Haass.
President Obama and President Karzai signed the "Enduring Strategic Partnership Agreement between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the United States of America" on May 1, 2012.
Osama bin Laden's killing helped spawn a crisis in Pakistan and left tough al-Qaeda-affiliated movements in the Mideast and Africa, says CFR's Linda Robinson.
Blake Hounshell writes that despite Romney's denunciations of Obama's Afghanistan strategy, he would pursue the same course of action. The U.S.-Afghanistan policy will not change with the election.
Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney finds himself in a policy conundrum on Afghanistan issues: His views are at times identical to Obama's, and at other times contradictory, write the editors of Bloomberg View.
The new U.S.-Afghan strategic partnership agreement is a step forward as the Western troop drawdown clock ticks down, but Washington must provide more specific pledges for Afghanistan's security, says CFR's Max Boot.
The Southasian Regional Convention (SAARC) Convention on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances was signed on November 23, 1990 and entered into force on November 15, 1993.
The Council on Foreign Relations' David Rockefeller Studies Program—CFR's "think tank"—is home to more than seventy full-time, adjunct, and visiting scholars and practitioners (called "fellows"). Their expertise covers the world's major regions as well as the critical issues shaping today's global agenda. Download the printable CFR Experts Guide.
The author assesses the causes and consequences of the violence faced by several Central American countries and examines the national, regional, and international efforts intended to curb its worst effects.