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As President George W. Bush prepares to deliver his sixth State of the Union address, his approval ratings have begun to rebound from the career lows he witnessed in 2005. Some analysts have attributed this climb to the recent elections in Iraq and an improved economic outlook. Issues of foreign and fiscal policy are sure to be central to the president’s address before Congress.

Following the December parliamentary elections, is stable democracy for Iraq in the offing? Is democracy on the move in the Middle East? Is the U.S. military up to the challenge of transformation? Will the United States meet the new challenges presented by China head on? What about relations between the Americas? And what ever happened to al Qaeda? 

What will drive the economic policy agenda for the coming year? With more families confronting the alternative minimum tax (AMT), what, if any, tax changes are on the horizon? With health spending skyrocketing, will this be the year for action on entitlement spending? On the global front, how will the U.S. trade picture shape up in 2006?

These and other questions will be the subject of two panel discussions featuring AEI foreign and economic policy scholars.