Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (known as the "BRICS") are forming multilateral bodies intended to reduce Western influence over the global financial system, explains CFR’s Stewart Pat…

Ukraine’s intensifying crisis has the Obama administration hinting at tougher sanctions against Russia, which could threaten Moscow’s ability to trade and invest, says CFR’s Robert Kahn.

The Egyptian government’s ban of the Muslim Brotherhood and its classification as a terrorist organization is unlikely to uproot the organization, says CFR’s Steven A. Cook.

A short U.S. government shutdown will likely have a limited effect on the economy but will be followed by a protracted debate over increasing the debt limit, which may result in the government’s defa…