The U.S. debt ceiling and deficit debate has led to challenges on foreign aid spending, but while aid could be leaner and more effective, CFR’s Stewart Patrick argues Congress should look to consolid…

Julia E. Sweig, CFR’s director of Latin American studies, says ties between Washington and Havana may change, but the United States has been downplaying expectations of a breakthrough.  

Russia’s accession to the WTO can boost U.S. exports to the country, but the U.S. Congress will have to graduate Russia from Cold War-era trade legislation, says CFR’s Stephen Sestanovich.

Former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says a combination of tough enforcement measures and a new system for regulating flows of Mexican labor are essential for reforming the U.S. immigr…

Celia W. Dugger, a former co-bureau chief for The New York Times in South Asia, says that Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s surprise move to ease tensions with Pakistan— like India, a nucl…