Council on Foreign Relations

Abandoning counterinsurgency doctrine after Afghanistan would doom the U.S. military to irrelevance and impotence, writes Christopher Sims and Fernando Luján. Not so, says Bing West; like it or not, the United States will be much less ambitious in future wars.

The year 2011 was packed with unforeseen challenges for U.S. foreign policy. This guide lists a range of CFR materials on the year's most consequential developments and their implications, and expert forecasts on political and economic trends in 2012.

Looking ahead to the Iowa caucuses and upcoming primaries in January, CFR's James Lindsay says Republican candidates are taking aim at President Obama's foreign policies, yet it's unclear what they would do differently.

Jagdish Bhagwati argues that while the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is being sold in the United States as evidence of American leadership on trade, the exact opposite is true.

Richard N. Haass argues that as China's future becomes increasingly uncertain, it remains very much in the world's interest that China be integrated into global arrangements.

Louise Lucas describes the culture of open innovation and its benefits.

As the last U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq this month, an emerging political battle among the country's top leaders has raised concerns over its stability. It underscores the difficult road ahead for the fragile democracy and potential for greater violence, says CFR's Ned Parker.

Diminishing state funding for higher education is threatening important institutions of learning and social mobility, writes Daniel de Vise.