Traders work on the main trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange on July 29, 2011. U.S. stocks dropped for a fifth straight day after weak economic data and another setback on a debt deal. (Mike…

Ten people who passed away this year who shaped world affairs for better or worse.

After last week’s excellent reporting in Newsweek and the New York Times, many pundits and policymakers are newly aware of America’s policy of targeted killings and the existence of “kill lists.” Thi…

Coauthored with Patrick McCormick, research associate in the International Institutions and Global Governance program. Twenty years ago yesterday two surface-to-air missiles ripped into a plane carr…

This blog post is part of a series entitled Is Japan in Decline?, in which leading experts analyze Japan’s economy, politics, and society and give their assessment of Japan’s future. I am often aske…

Last Friday, the online version of the Egyptian daily, Al Ahram, reported that Egypt is slowing down its payments for commodities, especially food.   Apparently, because the country’s foreign currenc…