The president’s annual address set the stage for more political wrangling over U.S. fiscal policy at a time when decisiveness is crucial for the economy, writes CFR’s Robert Kahn.

The time is ripe for President Obama to press for Senate passage of the Law of the Sea Convention and expand U.S. influence on oceans governance, write Scott Borgerson and Thomas Pickering.

Policymakers must act swiftly post-election to approve a viable fiscal plan or trigger market volatility and severe damage to the U.S. economy, writes CFR’s Robert Kahn.