U.S. foreign policy is largely directed by presidents, but Congress does have considerable influence, as this CFR Backgrounder explains.

The U.S. military’s methodology for measuring violence in Iraq draws criticism from some quarters. The Pentagon concedes some kinds of violence don’t get included, but insists its consistent applic…

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…

A firestorm of criticism followed the recent proposal by the Iraqi government to grant amnesty to insurgents. But experts say conflicts like the one raging in Iraq rarely end in clear-cut military vi…