In deciding whether to impose preconditions before negotiating with an enemy, governments should make sure two criteria are satisfied: that the opponent is capable of meeting the demands and that its doing so will not weaken its future leverage

Most initiatives to slow global warming involve reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Little attention has been given to reducing emissions of the light-absorbing particles known as "black carbon" or the gases that form ozone--even though doing so would be easier and cheaper and have a more immediate effect

The notion of political Islam may be a more complicated bargain than many realize, and Muslims who seek to shape the world according to their religious values often confront an obdurate reality