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July 19, 2007

United States
Is the United States Ready to Approve the Law of the Sea Treaty?

The White House is pressing for Senate ratification of the Law of the Sea treaty. Some worry it will endanger national security and harm U.S. industry.

Backgrounder by Maggie Goodlander

March 19, 2024

Palestinian Territories
Who Governs the Palestinians?

Power in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, the so-called Palestinian territories, has been divided among three entities: a governing body called the Palestinian Authority, the militant group Hamas, a…

Palestinians wave their national flag as they rally beneath images of President Mahmoud Abbas and his predecessor, Yasser Arafat
Backgrounder by Kali Robinson

February 3, 2005

Iraq
IRAQ: International Law and POWs

This publication is now archived. What does international law say about prisoners of war?The most important rule, enshrined in Common Article 3 of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, is that prisoners of wa…

Backgrounder by Sharon Otterman

April 17, 2024

Iran
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards

Conceived as the principal defenders of the 1979 revolution, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has evolved into an institution with vast political, economic, and military power.

Members of the Revolutionary Guards attend a parliamentary session in Tehran.
Backgrounder by CFR.org Editors

April 18, 2024

Palestinian Territories
What Is Hamas?

The Palestinian militant group struggled to govern the Gaza Strip before launching a surprise attack on Israel in 2023. Now facing Israel’s military campaign to destroy it, Hamas’s future is in doubt…

Gun-toting Hamas militants ride a vehicle amid a massive crowd of the group's supporters
Backgrounder by Kali Robinson

March 19, 2024

Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s Freedoms: What China Promised and How It’s Cracking Down

Beijing has tightened its grip on Hong Kong in recent years, dimming hopes that the financial center will ever become a full democracy.

Hong Kong police force a man's arms behind his back, as an officer stands close to the camera, in Hong Kong.
Backgrounder by Lindsay Maizland and Clara Fong

November 11, 2005

Terrorism and Counterterrorism
Torture, the United States, and Laws of War

This publication is now archived. Why is torture in the news? A confluence of events has put torture and the treatment of detainees at center stage: the recent revelation of a network of so-cal…

Backgrounder by Lionel Beehner