More than 145 members of the U.S. foreign policy community are issuing an open letter to the Obama Administration today. The letter, organized by the Connect U.S. Fund, calls for "...a renewed commitment to international cooperation."

"This includes a willingness to practice at home the standards we encourage others to follow overseas, to recognize and respond to the concerns of our friends, allies and other major stakeholders on global issues that are critical to our common long term well-being, and to strengthen the capacity of international institutions to address key global challenges."

The letter calls for specific action in four different areas:

• Repair U.S. credibility and influence on international human rights and humanitarian law
• Establish U.S. leadership on international efforts to address climate change
• Reduce the threat of nuclear war and weapons proliferation

Read the full letter. Read the list of signatories.

Today, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee opens confirmation hearings for Senator Hillary Clinton, President-elect Barack Obama's nominee for secretary of state. The hearings are not expected to generate many fireworks or even tough questions. But there is plenty of advice out there about what the confirmation questions should be.

The New York Times has a list of 25 questions generated by 10 different experts. Foreign Policy magazine suggests 47 questions posed by eight experts.

So, what would you ask Senator Clinton?

From the Council on Foreign Relations to Congress and from the Brookings Institution to the United Nations, there are a number of institutions important to the creation and implementation of U.S. foreign policy.

• American Enterprise Institute
• Brookings Institution
• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
• Center for American Progress
• Citizens Groups
• Congress
• Council on Foreign Relations
• Defense Department
• Executive Branch
• Heritage Foundation
• NATO
• RAND Corporation
• State and Local Governments
• State Department
• Think Tanks and NGOs
• United Nations
• United Nations Security Council

From Madeleine Albright to Zalmay Khalilzad, all kinds of interesting people inside the United States and out have an impact on U.S. foreign policy. The list includes ambassadors, secretaries of state, special envoys, senators, and other top brass and big wigs.

Here are my profiles of Albright, Khalilzad, James Baker, Ban Ki Moon, Henry Kissinger, David Petraeus, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, and many more.