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European countries have consistently been significant contributors of international official development assistance (ODA); in 2010, the EU and its member states spent €53.8 on ODA, nearly 60 percent of global development aid.

The US has now been at war in Afghanistan for more than a decade, and is committed to stay through 2014 – with a possible advisory, aid, and funding presence that may extend to 2025. There still, however, are no convincing unclassified ways to measure progress in the war, or the trends in the fighting and level of violence.

One should not be surprised when Nauru, a nation of less than 10,000, is offered $50 million from Russia. Nor should the opening of diplomatic missions from Georgia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates in the South Pacific be remarkable when considering what is at stake.

One should not be surprised when Nauru, a nation of less than 10,000, is offered $50 million from Russia. Nor should the opening of diplomatic missions from Georgia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates in the South Pacific be remarkable when considering what is at stake. An economist might say that a market has emerged for purchasing votes at the United Nations.

Vice President Joe Biden will host Vice President Xi Jinping of China on February 14–17. Xi, who is 58 years old, is the heir apparent to China’s top leader Hu Jintao. He will become secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) this fall at the 18th Party Congress and will become China’s president in March 2013.

Q1: What does the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s approval of the Combined Construction and Operating License for the Vogtle nuclear power plant in Burke County, Georgia, mean?

Q1: How has President Bashar al-Assad of Syria been able to remain in power in the wake of mounting unrest?

A1: A number of local and regional factors have and are likely to continue to enable Assad to hang on to power, at least in the short to medium term.

On January 26, the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future delivered its final report to the U.S. secretary of energy. The commission was formed at the request of President Barack Obama two years ago after he announced that his administration would no longer pursue the Yucca Mountain, Nevada, nuclear waste site. Led by former U.S. representative Lee Hamilton and former U.S.