October 1, 2018
TradePresident Trump has reached a deal with Canada and Mexico to restructure the North American Free Trade Agreement, hoping a new trilateral accord will reinvigorate the U.S. manufacturing sector.
March 2, 2017
United StatesThe separation of powers has spawned a great deal of debate over the roles of the president and Congress in foreign affairs, as well as over the limits on their respective authorities, explains this …
September 22, 2016
United StatesModern vice presidents can trace much of their political influence to the broad reforms that Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale made to the second-highest elected office in the late 1970s.
July 28, 2014
IranThe Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, an exiled Iranian resistance group, continues to stir controversy despite its removal from a U.S. terrorism list.
March 13, 2014
Nonproliferation, Arms Control, and DisarmamentSarin, one of the world’s most lethal chemical weapons, has long been stockpiled but is rarely used by states or terrorists. Allegations of attacks on civilians in Syria, if substantiated, would repr…
September 30, 2013
Nuclear WeaponsChina’s recent push to renew the Six Party Talks, stalled since 2008, has raised hopes for progress on the peninsula despite worries that Pyongyang may have restarted its old nuclear reactor.
January 24, 2013
United StatesU.S. foreign policy is largely directed by presidents, but Congress does have considerable influence, as this CFR Backgrounder explains.
November 7, 2011
United StatesLawmakers are considering sharp cuts to defense spending as part of mandated deficit-reduction efforts. This Backgrounder discusses the effects of such major cuts and implications for U.S. military s…
April 20, 2011
PakistanPakistan is bracing for more turbulence in the wake of Osama bin Laden’s killing. This Backgrounder looks at how state support for Islamist militants has led to growing religious intolerance in socie…
May 23, 2011
United StatesForeign governments, non-state actors, and criminal networks are targeting the digital networks of the United States with increasing frequency and sophistication. U.S. cybersecurity has made progress…