Steve Coll, Robert Grenier, and Daniel Markey look at changes in U.S.-Pakistan relations over the past year and make recommendations for moving forward.

Colonel Chad T. Manske, USAF, says Western economies and capabilities are more inextricably linked than ever and warns against a policy shift away from U.S. security and interests in Europe.

Max Boot reviews Eliot Cohen's Conquered into Liberty: Two Centuries of Battles Along the Great Warpath that Made the American Way of War.

Leslie H. Gelb says the Obama administration's announcement of a quick end to U.S. combat in Afghanistan is a surprise decision of strategic skill and political courage.

The U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy released the National Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy in January 2012. The press release states,

"The Strategy outlines new actions that seek to reduce the two-way flow of illicit drugs between the United States and Canada by increasing coordination among Federal, state, local, and tribal enforcement authorities, enhancing intelligence-sharing among counterdrug agencies, and strengthening our Nation's ongoing counterdrug partnerships and initiatives with the Government of Canada and Canadian law enforcement agencies."

James R. Clapper, U.S. Director of National Intelligence, gave these remarks to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on January 31, 2012 regarding the annual "Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community". The testimony covers terrorism threats, cyber attacks, counterintelligence, proliferation, mass atrocities, regional and country-by-country threats, and other state and non state intelligence threats such as health threats, water security and transnational crime.

Colonel Chad T. Manske, USAF, explains why now is not the time to retreat from Europe.

The U.S. Defense Strategic Guidance (DSG) reflects the reality that offshore balancing has jumped from the cloistered walls of academe to the real world of Washington policymaking, says Christopher Layne.

The White House released its National Strategy for Global Supply Chain Security on January 25, 2012.

This brief by Anthony H. Cordesman analyzes the pattern of cuts in recent, ongoing, and possible future defense and national security spending that affects the U.S. and its ability to project power and aid its friends and allies.

Edward Alden and Liam Schwartz explain how a safe and simple visa process can help the U.S. tourism industry.

Max Boot reviews All In: The Education of General David Petraeus by Paula Broadwell and Vernon Loeb.

Edward Alden and Liam Schwartz recommend a visa screening system that will benefit U.S. security and the economy by focusing scrutiny on high-risk travelers and speeding approval for low-risk ones.

St. Thomas Aquinas wrote his theological treatise, Summa Theologica, from 1265 to 1274. This section deals with which actions, in war, are lawful and unlawful.

Captain Melissa Bert, USCG, says the U.S. Coast Guard can help ensure that disasters like the Costa Concordia accident do not happen again.

Captain Melissa Bert, USCG, argues that cruise ship disasters should not be happening in the 21st century, and the the U.S. Coast Guard can help ensure they don't.

The Department of State's Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance published its "29th edition of the State Department's World Military Expenditures and Arms Transfers (WMEAT) report, covering the years 1995-2005". It includes "six years of data (2000-2005) not included in any previously published edition."

Colonel Gregory K. James, USA; Colonel Larry Holcomb, USMC; and Colonel Chad T. Manske, USAF argue that the success of Operation ODYSSEY DAWN, despite its complexity, validates joint planning processes, joint education foundations, joint training opportunities, and joint exercises.

Captain Melissa Bert, USCG, says the Costa Concordia disaster provides an opportunity for a thorough reexamination of international safety regulations for passenger vessels.

Frank G. Klotz argues that the United States has important national interests in Antarctica, and these interests must be fully understood and carefully considered, especially as the federal government looks for ways to reduce the deficit.

Edward Alden says that as the United States has for the past two decades pursued securing the nation's borders against illegal immigration, the more serious threat to U.S. national security is that ill-conceived or poorly implemented border controls will do lasting damage to the U.S. economy.

Leslie H. Gelb discusses the need to examine the rationale for, and potential consequences of, going to war with Iran.

Peter Orszag questions whether the U.S. military budget cuts outlined by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will be fully implemented.

The Pentagon's strategic review sets the stage for a new era of restraint in U.S. military spending and a focus on priorities in Asia. CFR's Richard K. Betts and Max Boot discuss the challenges facing the U.S. military and the implications for U.S. defense policy.

Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellows Richard Betts and Max Boot join Staff Writer Jonathan Masters in a discussion of the Department of Defense's recent strategic review, military spending, and U.S. defense strategy.

Max Boot argues that the current plan to downsize the U.S. military is a repeat of past mistakes.

Max Boot argues that cuts to defense spending have the potential to devastate the U.S. armed forces, and if left unchecked, will do more damage to their fighting capacity than the Taliban, al-Qaeda, or any other external foe could inflict.

This collection of essays by Richard K. Betts, a leading international politics scholar, investigates the use of American force since the end of the Cold War, suggesting guidelines for making it more selective and successful. Betts argues that American force should be used less frequently but more decisively.

The Pentagon's new strategic review signals a shift toward the Asia-Pacific region and calls for a leaner fighting force at a time when the United States must exercise fiscal restraint.

Iran's threat to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz is intended to signal its deterrent capacity to the United States and bolster leadership at home amid biting economic sanctions, says expert Michael Elleman.