Electroweak Physics and the International Linear Collider*

One major achievement of Twentieth Century physics was the development of a precise theory of the electroweak interaction. Soon the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will begin operations at CERN and confront the limits of this theory. The first indications of the physical basis for electroweak unification are anticipated. Recently the Global Design Effort released its Reference Design Report for the International Linear Collider (ILC), and is preparing the effort toward the ILC Engineering Design. The ILC is a critical facility for advancing Terascale physics discovery.