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.

Trade accounts for an increasing portion of the U.S. economy, and the Obama administration has embraced a ramped up export strategy. But debate persists over the merits of a vigorous free trade agend…

An undervalued Chinese yuan remains a contributing factor to the U.S.-China trade imbalance, but experts warn that labeling China a "currency manipulator" will not rein in mounting U.S. deficits.

President Barack Obama’s attorney general, Eric H. Holder Jr., has criticized some of the Bush administration’s counter-terrorism moves, calling for the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention center…

The creation of a new U.S. military command for Africa signals the continent’s growing strategic importance and its many development challenges.

Backgrounder: Experts say more should be done to reduce risk on both passenger and freight rail.

Ukrainians go to the polls to show whether they endorse the pace of reforms since the 2004 Orange Revolution or seek to return to warmer ties with Russia. The party of former presidential candidate V…

Trade relations between the United States and China have provided enormous benefits to both countries. But a growing U.S. trade deficit, China’s regulation of its currency, and concerns over intellec…