World Trade Organization
Today, member countries number 125 (nearly the whole world except China, some former communist countries, and a number of small nations) and WTO rules apply to over 90 percent of international trade.
Defense Conversion
What happened to the peace dividend that was widely expected to accrue from reduced defense spending after the end of the cold war?
Burundi and the Crisis in Central Africa
The international community, which failed to act when the crisis began, now faces a major challenge in Burundi and, more widely, in Central Africa.
Defense Budget and Modernization Plans
The end of the cold war sparked contentious debate about what constitutes the most effective and least expensive security policy.
Trade and Labor
A fundamental challenge facing policymakers and activists is how to set and enforce rules to protect workers from repression, exploitation, and danger.
U.S. Oil Policy in the Middle East
Securing the flow of affordable oil is a cornerstone of U.S. Middle East policy.
Haiti
Two sometimes divergent, sometimes convergent streams of U.S. policy have played an influential role in defining the economic and political system of Haiti.
Japan: Trade and Security Interdependence
Close trade and security ties bind the U.S. and Japan in a web of interdependence.
Nigeria
In June 1993 Nigerias military, led by General Ibrahim Babangida, annulled election results, thereby blocking the inauguration of the countrys first civilian president in a decade.
Indonesia
As the country in the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC) that leads the effort to seek rapid tariffs reductions, Indonesia is the darling of U.S. export industries.
Asia/Pacific Peace and Security Issues
The Asia/Pacific region is the geopolitical center of the struggle for world power.
Peacekeeping and the United Nations
The Clinton administration came into office espousing support for UN peacekeeping. Characterizing his policy as assertive multilateralism, President Clinton appeared enthusiastic about the creation of a small UN quick-deployment force and seemed unwilling to commit U.S. forces to UN operations.
U.S.-UN Relations
UN operations are crucial in saving and improving lives throughout the world, especially in the development, social, health, and education arenas.
U.S. and the Former Yugoslavia: Improving on Dayton
When war erupted in the former Yugoslavia in 1991, the U.S. kept its distance.
Islamists and U.S. Policy
Islamism is viewed as a force that undermines the Middle East peace process, threatens the flow of oil, and leads to the establishment of Iranian-style regimes in the region.