This publication is now archived. What is military outsourcing?The process of contracting out to private companies tasks that used to be performed by members of the uniformed military. The assignment…

This publication is now archived. What is the plan for the June 30 transfer of sovereignty to Iraq?It’s a work-in-progress. The date won’t change, U.S. and U.N. officials say, but much else remains u…

Controversies over too-big-to-fail financial institutions continue to mount. The Basel Accords represent the latest effort to ease risk and restore confidence, as this Backgrounder explains.

The election of pope to lead the world’s one billion Catholics stirs debate over the spiritual authority of the pontiff and the church’s role in the world.

It is unclear if classifying the conflict in Iraq as a civil war will have serious ramifications for U.S. military strategy there or, for that matter, U.S. domestic politics.