Overview Even among failed states—those countries unable to exercise authority over their territory and provide the most basic services to their people—Somalia stands apart. A country of some nine…

Overview Pakistan constitutes one of the most important and difficult challenges facing U.S. foreign policy. What is at stake is considerable by any measure. Pakistan is the world's second-most-po…

Overview The UN Security Council remains an important source of legitimacy for international action. Yet despite dramatic changes in the international system over the past forty-five years, the co…

Overview Twenty years ago, the United States was the world’s largest creditor nation, unsurpassed in its ownership of assets outside of its borders, even after deducting what foreigners owned insi…

Overview The contentious July 2006 Mexican presidential election has placed Mexico squarely back on the U.S. foreign policy agenda. Following months of unrest in which supporters of Manuel Lópe…