Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki set off an international media firestorm when he appeared to endorse Barack Obama’s timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops. What was Maliki up to, and is he really strong enough to stand on his own? To find out, FP caught up with McClatchy reporter Nancy Youssef in Baghdad.

Why the Ivory Tower and the Pentagon don’t mix.

Some say a leader is only as good as his advisors. Here’s a look at a few would-be sages who should have never been listened to, much less given a job.

Iraqi summers have been a time of dread lately. But in this Baghdad amusement park, at least, summer is becoming fun again.

When William Poole warned in 2003 that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac lacked the capital to weather a financial storm, his advice went unheeded. Five years later, the outspoken former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis is far too polite to say “I told you so,” but he does have a message for the Fed: Wait too long to tackle inflation, and you’ll face an even worse recession in the years to come.

Afghanistan’s president is no George Washington, it’s true. But with Afghanistan growing more chaotic by the day, now is no time to throw Hamid Karzai under the bus.

Unperturbed by the global economic downturn? Looking to invest in a second home? Here are four global hotspots where you can still find a bargain on the villa of your dreams.

Facing an increasingly vitriolic debate over the role of Islam in society and watching its European dreams slip away, this vital crossroads between East and West is in the midst of a full-blown political crisis.

Calling for dialogue one day and firing off missiles the next, Iran has baffled many observers with its seemingly erratic behavior of late. Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, explains how the Islamic Republic responds to pressure, why Mahmoud Ahmadinejad laughs in the face of danger, and what Tehran’s hard-liners think of Barack Obama.

It’s time to bring the Group of Eight back to its elitist roots.

If Barack Obama wins the U.S. presidential election in November at the age of 47, he will become one of the youngest Americans to assume the presidency. But Barack would still be older than these guys.

The United States is not the only nation that cherishes the anniversary of its birth, nor is watching fireworks the only way to spend the national holiday. From Seoul to Tegucigalpa, countries around the world celebrate their independence with unique and vibrant style.

Planning for a major geopolitical event like the Group of Eight’s annual meeting is a huge, complex undertaking. It helps to have a guide—known as a sherpa—to help bring you to the summit in top shape. Lael Brainard, the Clinton administration’s sherpa in 2000, explains what the G-8 is really like behind the scenes, which leaders to watch this year, and what to expect in Hokkaido.

Why the Department of Defense needs a lesson in risk management.

The Soviet Union isn’t the only defunct nation to live on online. Former nations East Timor and Yugoslavia can still be found on the Web, too. And North Korea may have the smallest domain of all. Check out what you’ll find there—and on some of the Internet’s other most far-flung destinations.

There are tens of thousands of international NGOs today, but not all are created equal. A small handful, while working in some of the most dangerous and impoverished places on earth, wield enormous influence—setting aid agendas, shaping policy, and changing the way the world does development.

In the current issue of Foreign Policy, Geneive Abdo argues that the leading organizations heading up an interfaith dialogue between Muslims, Christians, and Jews are terribly misguided. Now, she answers FP’s questions about the efforts that have so far characterized the attempts to bridge East and West.

Have questions for Yasheng Huang, author of “The Next Asian Miracle”? Send them to letters@ForeignPolicy.com by July 25, and we’ll post his answers here at ForeignPolicy.com/extras/huang on July 30.

The Nazi Games: The most controversial Olympiad in history, the 1936 Summer Games were held in Elstal, a small village west of Berlin.

A few of what were once considered imminent environmental catastrophes now seem like memories from a bygone era. Whether the problem is solved, the public loses interest, or there was never really much to fear, environmental causes can sometimes simply fade away.