This publication is now archived. Why is torture in the news? A confluence of events has put torture and the treatment of detainees at center stage: the recent revelation of a network of so-cal…

Buoyed by high oil prices, Russia finds itself embroiled in a number of disputes with foreign firms looking to tap its underdeveloped oil fields and with its neighbors that grew used to subsidized ga…

U.S.-Vatican relations remain uneven following Joseph Ratzinger’s accession as Pope Benedict XVI, particularly as the Obama administration pursues a more liberal social agenda.

U.S. and Western military officials are calling on Iran to help stabilize Afghanistan, but historic tensions and allegations of arming militants raise doubts about Tehran’s intent.