In recent years, the U.S. military has grown increasingly dependent on private contractors. From servicing equipment to training indigenous forces to providing security, contractors are now deeply woven into the fabric of American warfare. In Iraq, there are now more private contractors than non-U.S. foreign forces.

How did contractors become...

Obama's military budget presages retreat.

There is a longstanding tradition of legislative intervention to address the consequences of economic change. How might the economic outlook shape the congressional agenda?

The Federal Trade Commission's do-not-call registry, the most popular consumer protection initiative in American history, is in jeopardy.

Is the United States on the verge of pushing the major Latin American countries into a new arms race?

Is the United States on the verge of pushing the major Latin American countries into a new arms race?

Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chávez is cementing strategic relations with China; the United States can no longer afford to practice wishful thinking but must recognize the threat growing in Venezuela.

With the goods newson Japan's economycomes one problem: the interest rate on Japan's government bonds--of which there is ample supply--is rising rapidly.