November 25, 2019
AmericasThe Organization of American States is an important forum for regional diplomacy and has become more assertive in promoting the rule of law, human rights, and fair elections as some states face domes…
May 28, 2015
InfrastructureThe U.S. air travel system is the most heavily used in the world, but it needs a much higher rate of investment to modernize and improve efficiency.
August 28, 2014
AmericasTens of thousands of unaccompanied minors, mostly from Central America, are arriving in the United States illegally, adding severe stress to an immigration system already in need of a major overhaul…
February 11, 2015
EurozoneThe eurozone, once seen as a crowning achievement in the decades-long path toward European integration, continues to struggle with the effects of its sovereign debt crises and their implications for …
June 4, 2012
United StatesIn the face of persistently high unemployment, policymakers and workers look to innovation and entrepreneurship to create new jobs. This Backgrounder discusses how entrepreneurs create and finance th…
January 21, 2009
United StatesThe Bush administration’s approach to the detention and prosecution of prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has been deemed unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court. But the battle continues.
November 17, 2008
SpainA profile of ETA, a terrorist separatist group operating in the Basque regions of Spain and France.
September 26, 2006
Rule of LawPrimeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), a Brazilian prison gang, staged a series of attacks in May that paralyzed the city of Sao Paulo. Subsequent waves of violence have raised concerns about the organiz…
May 12, 2006
BoliviaIn a region seen as turning leftward, forging alliances would seem a natural course of events. But Bolivian President Evo Morales’ decision to nationalize the oil and gas industry is exposing tension…
November 22, 2005
VenezuelaThis publication is now archived. PART 1: Origins of Chavez’s RuleThis section will look at the biography of Hugo Chavez and assess the factors that brought him into Venezuelan politics and led to th…