The bottom line is that there are reasons for hope, but there are also reasons for pessimism.

There is no question that one of our biggest foreign policy challenges is getting the relationship between the United States and China, and the rebalance to the Asia-Pacific, right.

Will China become a trade partner committed to the enforcement of international law, or will we see 19th-century mercantilist behavior and the flouting of international norms?

We must also continue to build support for the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

I was honored to cosponsor with Senator Boxer the International Violence Against Women Act that provides critically needed tools.

We have got to make sure that our house is one that is clean.

Haiti has been recognized by USAID as a country that is implementing gender-based violence (GBV) programming across all sectors.

The images of Afghans, especially women, lining up to vote were inspiring and a testament to the broad commitment to the democratic process.

I am concerned that we are not doing what will be necessary in order to achieve the long-term benefits.

There is significant concern.

I have real concerns about the viability of the Afghan economy, which has already begun to contract with the drawdown of international forces.

I did not vote for the war in Iraq because I think that was a colossal mistake, probably one of the most consequential decisions that was ever made in the recent history of the United States.