Germany’s Bundesbank remains an influential actor in eurozone policymaking, and its recent disagreements with the ECB raise concerns about managing the zone’s debt crisis. This Backgrounder explains.

Amid sluggish growth and high unemployment, the economy has emerged as the central issue of the 2012 presidential campaign, as the candidates debate the role of government in jumpstarting the economy…

An undervalued Chinese yuan remains a contributing factor to the U.S.-China trade imbalance, but experts warn that labeling China a "currency manipulator" will not rein in mounting U.S. deficits.

Experts say Islamic law, or sharia, holds wide appeal for Muslim populations in many countries and is beginning to spread via democratic means, but it is also being used as a tool of Islamic militanc…