The U.S. patent system has generated growing debate over whether it helps foster innovation or stifles it through unnecessary protections, as this Backgrounder explains.

This publication is now archived. How much authority can Iraq’s interim government exercise?President Bush said May 24 that the interim Iraqi government taking over for U.S-led occupying authorities …

In a region seen as turning leftward, forging alliances would seem a natural course of events. But Bolivian President Evo Morales’ decision to nationalize the oil and gas industry is exposing tension…

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe was hailed for his plan to demobilize the country’s paramilitaries, but observers warn the groups are reforming under a different guise.

The UN conference on climate change that begins December 7 in Copenhagen is supposed to produce new targets for emissions reductions, but experts say major countries are at odds on the ultimate goal …