August 19, 2019
Military OperationsThe U.S. Navy’s dominance of the world’s oceans has made it an indispensable foreign policy tool as well as a guarantor of global trade, but a mix of challenges is raising difficult questions about i…
January 10, 2008
Terrorism and CounterterrorismColombian 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.
October 5, 2018
EthiopiaEthiopia’s new leader, Abiy Ahmed, is seeking aggressive reforms to put an end to discord and build on the country’s progress in recent decades, but a towering set of challenges threatens his agenda.
February 14, 2018
ItalyItaly’s elections will shape the country’s response to economic stagnation, migration woes, and European integration, with repercussions across the continent.
April 28, 2017
Syrian Civil WarSyria’s civil war is being fought on multiple fronts by an array of combatants whose alliances, capabilities, and in some cases motives have been in flux.
September 22, 2016
United StatesModern vice presidents can trace much of their political influence to the broad reforms that Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale made to the second-highest elected office in the late 1970s.
August 1, 2014
Palestinian TerritoriesHamas is the main Palestinian armed resistance group, but the Islamist movement has struggled with governance since assuming control of Gaza.
September 11, 2013
SyriaAn end to Syria’s conflict seems unlikely in the near term, as a number of obstacles on and off the battlefield have stymied international diplomatic efforts, explains this Backgrounder.
May 23, 2013
DronesTargeted killings, especially those conducted by drone strikes, have become a central component of U.S. counterterrorism operations around the globe.