A clever commander like McChrystal and the capable troops he leads will no doubt figure out how to make the most of what they have got. But a half-surge would seem to cut their prospects of winning by more than half.

Strobe Talbott's new book reviewsa history of international relations, foreign policy in the Clinton administration, and the failures of American foreign policy under George W. Bush.

Although welfare reform reduced welfare dependency, a great deal of dependency is now diffused and hidden within larger social welfare programs.

The current financial crisis is an entirely political phenomenon, caused by bad regulation and overcome only by the reestablishment of an institutional system based on responsibility and on the assumption of reasonable risk.

After President Bush"s plan to fight global warming, the administration"s prime advocate of the new policy started handing out prizes to corporations she termed "Climate Leaders."

While the 1960s differentiated staffing movement fueled a new era of teacher quality consciousness, it failed to ignite the transformative reforms its leaders hoped for. If this innovative design is to take hold in 21st century schools, as we propose, then we should take a good long look in the rearview mirror before setting a new course.

The Doha talks cannot conclude without attention from the highest level of political leadership. Should this not be forthcoming, we may be in for an extended period of institutional decay.

If the WTO collapses as a negotiating forum, nations may move towards a crass calculus that assesses verdicts only on the basis of the threats that back them. This would be a deeply regrettable move away from a rules-based global trading regime.