The surprise resignation of Pope Benedict XVI has given rise to speculations that the next pontiff to lead the Catholic Church will hail from the developing world, says expert James P. McCartin.

The opening of U.S. diplomatic ties with Cuba will bring real change to the island and raise Washington’s stature in the region, says CFR’s Julia Sweig.

Julia Sweig, the Council on Foreign Relations’ deputy director of Latin America Studies, says that strikes and demonstrations against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez could continue for months …

Walter Russell Mead, CFR’s senior fellow for U.S. foreign policy, says that when British Prime Minister Tony Blair meets with President Bush on Thursday, the timing of allied troop withdrawals will p…