Following the first round of France's presidential election, CFR's Charles A. Kupchan discusses NicolasSarkozy's chances and the potential impact of a Francois Hollande win on transatlantic ties and the eurozone crisis.
France's next president faces tough choices on EU integration, immigration, NATO's mission in Afghanistan, and economic reforms, says CFR's Charles Kupchan.
A surge in pirate attacks off the Somali coast in recent years has prompted the deployment of an international coalition of navies. But experts say that military force alone cannot address the underlying issue of failed Somali governance.
President Obama and Prime Minister Cameron gave this press conference on the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom on March 14, 2012.
CFR's James M. Lindsay remembers Adolf Hitler's announcement in 1935 that he would reintroduce conscription in Germany, and discusses instances when a country should be confronted rather than accommodated.
Afghanistan, Syria, and Iran top the agenda during British Prime Minister David Cameron's visit to Washington this week. CFR's Charles Kupchan notes an alignment of views on those issues but growing concern over London's aloofness from Europe.
Anti-Germany protests in Athens have highlighted the country's complicated role as de facto leader of Europe while raising concerns about the continent's ability to advance difficult solutions to the sovereign debt crisis.
Talk among major economies is intensifying over a "financial firewall" to contain the eurozone crisis. But CFR's Steven Dunaway says the emphasis should be on pressing debt-saddled states to make reforms that will improve their growth prospects.
Armand-Jean du Plessis, better known to history as Cardinal Richelieu (1585–1642), spent most of his career contending for and then exercising control over a deeply divided, indebted, and dysfunctional superpower.
Political and business leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos are focused on the ongoing eurozone sovereign debt crisis, with some cautioning that Germany is not doing enough to resolve the crisis and facilitate growth.
Intelligent observers of Europe in the 1930s thought its future belonged to communism or fascism and would have ridiculed the notion that decades later the entire continent would be democratic.
Italy's budget may matter more than ineffectual Franco-German summitry, but the new agreement between France and Germany on reforming EU rules remains a reckless distraction, says CFR's Sebastian Mallaby.
Elliott Abrams discusses the recent attacks on the British Embassy in Iran and says the United States and its allies must to use this opportunity get behind President Sarkozy's proposal to sanction Iran's central bank and stop its oil exports.
Michael Spence says Italy can be saved only if both it and the European Union commit boldly and unconditionally to aggressive action on stabilization and reform.
New Prime Minister Mario Monti faces the daunting task of reining in Italy's high public debt. Analysts say he will have to tackle fiscal irresponsibility to rebuild market confidence and prevent the eurozone's third largest economy from defaulting.
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 analyzes the potentially serious consequences, both at home and abroad, of a lightly overseen drone program and makes recommendations for improving its governance.