U.S.-South Africa Diplomatic Crisis Provides an Opportunity for a New Beginning March 22, 2025
U.S.-South Africa relations sank to a new low last week after the South African ambassador to Washington, Ebrahim Rasool, accused the Trump administration of “supremacy” on four occasions during an online lecture on U.S. foreign policy to a South Afr...
Western Leaders Should Think Twice Before Removing Foreign Dictators March 22, 2025
Libya. Iraq. Syria. All were countries that suffered under the decades-long reign of brutal dictators. All have been swept up into anarchic spells of violence and terror after the West moved to overthrow those dictators. With last weekend’s news of t...
The Quid Pro Quo for Peace in Ukraine March 22, 2025
President Trump promises a rapprochement with Russia to end the war in Ukraine. Before we dismiss this as a pipedream, we should understand the options that Trump has in dealing with President Putin. What will be the quid pro quo for peace in Ukraine...
Why Trump’s Global Transformation Might Just Succeed March 22, 2025
Since returning to office in January 2025, Donald Trump has aggressively pursued a radical reshaping of US foreign policy. ...
America Should Talk to Hamas About Hostages March 21, 2025
Axios recently reported that Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer “lashed out” at U.S. hostage envoy Adam Boehler in a “tense” phone call for negotiating with terror group Hamas for the return of a kidnapped U.S. citizen.In February, the U....
Reclaiming Our Sovereignty: 'AID' and the American People March 20, 2025
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy started the U.S. Agency for International Development with a strategic vision to expand American partnership and repel Soviet influence. He understood then what President Donald Trump and Secretary Marco Rubio do no...
Progressive Internationalism Against American Interests March 20, 2025
Calls for a progressive-oriented U.S. foreign policy have been gradually growing since at least the end of the Obama administration. One such argument recently made in Foreign Affairs by Megan Stewart, Jonathan Petkun, and Mara Revkin epitomizes the ...
China's Georgian Gamble March 20, 2025
As Georgia pivots away from the West and slides into dictatorship, China emerges as its key strategic partner. While Washington and Brussels struggle to find transatlantic unity and craft a unified approach to Russia and Ukraine, Beijing methodically...
Trump’s Legacy: Ending Ukraine War & Countering China March 20, 2025
Trump seeks to end the Ukraine war through diplomacy and curb China’s influence, prioritizing U.S. strength, cultural sovereignty, and strategic leadership over conflicts and foreign control. ...
Trump Must Consider a Stronger Lithuanian Partnership March 20, 2025
As a first-generation American of Lithuanian descent, I have a strong connection to this Baltic country. My parents fled Lithuania in 1985, then under Soviet control, and arrived in America in 1986 for a shot at the American dream.Like millions of fa...
An EU Economic Security Network Essential March 19, 2025
The success of the EU’s response to challenges posed by Russia, China and Trump 2.0 will hinge on the bloc’s ability to establish itself as a global geoeconomics power—leveraging its economic strength to pursue foreign policy goals. ...
How to Match Ends and Means in the Middle East March 19, 2025
For years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States enjoyed superpower status in a unipolar world. Its economy roared, and its military power went unmatched. When it came to pursuing its goals, Washington had to contend with few obsta...
The Fragile Axis of Upheaval March 18, 2025
Even regional wars have geopolitical consequences, and when it comes to Russia’s war on Ukraine, the most important of these has been the formation of a loose entente among China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia. Some U.S. national security experts hav...
Liberal Dreams & Geopolitical Realities in Brussels March 18, 2025
Since Donald Trump’s return to the White House for a second term, the world of international relations has been upended by dramatic shifts in US foreign policy. Trump’s on-again-off-again threats of tariffs on allies and adversaries aside, the most s...
Is Turkey Playing Both Sides of Sudan’s Civil War? March 17, 2025
Ankara’s involvement in Sudan indicates its foreign policy is bereft of any values and willing to ignore sanctions intended to deter continued bloodshed. ...
Congress Should Pass the Antisemitism Awareness Act March 17, 2025
Much ink has already been spilled on the antisemitism crisis plaguing the United States. As the new Trump administration seeks to crack down on antisemitism on university campuses, Congress should finally pass legislation which treats the subject wit...
Russian Influence Operations in Georgia March 15, 2025
Russia’s influence operations in Georgia represent one of the Black Sea region’s most comprehensive hybrid warfare campaigns. The Kremlin has employed military intervention and territorial occupation, economic embargos, energy leverages, political co...
Do Human Rights Have a Future? March 15, 2025
Ambivalence never polls well. Focus groups rarely select the irresolute choice. Leaders who change their minds, discarding policies in favor of new ones, are frequently slammed for being opportunistic, or worse, flip-flopping chameleons. Certainty is...
How Mexico’s President Won Trump’s Praise March 14, 2025
A scientist and leftist with limited foreign policy experience, Claudia Sheinbaum seems to have connected with President Trump with her calm demeanor and toughness on the border. ...
Learning the Right Lessons From Iraq and Afghanistan March 13, 2025
Our Middle East failures do not represent the true legacy of American foreign policy. ...
China Can Live With Trump’s Tariffs March 12, 2025
By turning his back on US allies and global institutions, Trump will help Xi Jinping advance his plan for a China-centric world...
America’s and Ukraine’s Interests Don’t Align March 11, 2025
President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s blowup in the Oval Office was the end of what should have been an obvious chain of events. The press has reported for the past two months on what increasingly dire relations between ...
Turkey’s Return to Africa March 11, 2025
Turkey is not the largest power interested in Africa. Its economic engagement, arms sales, and foreign aid are dwarfed by one or more of the major powers....
The Foreign Policy Throughline of Trump’s First Month? China March 10, 2025
The Trump administration’s outreach to its Russian counterparts to settle the Ukraine war represents its latest attempt to refocus American foreign policy on China. Inheriting a world order defined by Sino-Russian rapprochement, Iranian regional aggr...
The Transatlantic Alliance’s Uncertain Future March 10, 2025
In December, when the German government led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost the confidence of the Bundestag, it sparked a general election. It also provoked the fear of a deepening international crisis on top of the domestic one. ...
Dealmaker, Peacemaker, President March 09, 2025
“What the f— are we doing here?” asked President Trump in the summer of 2017.Nearly a year into his first term, Trump’s national security adviser had just proposed sending an additional 3,000 to 5,000 troops to Afghanistan, prompting his boss’s frust...
Only Credible Deterrence Can Assure Lasting Peace February 28, 2025
One of the major themes of the 2024 Trump presidential campaign was his focus on ending the global conflicts that had characterized the Biden administration. ...
The Future of the U.S. in Europe February 27, 2025
US President Donald Trump is a radically transparent person but still manages to surprise. After promising for years that he would put pressure on Ukraine to agree with Russia to halt fighting, Trump has recently followed through. He directed his adm...
Is Taiwan Fever Breaking in Lithuania? February 26, 2025
One of Taiwan’s most significant foreign policy achievements since the COVID-19 pandemic was the expansion of its unofficial diplomatic cooperation with Lithuania. Both countries opened unofficial representative offices in each other’s capitals—in 20...
The Renegade Order February 26, 2025
Donald Trump has already transformed the American political order. Not since Ronald Reagan has a president so dominated the national landscape or shifted its ideological terrain. In his second term, Trump could reshape global order in ways no less pr...
Trump’s New Map February 26, 2025
In a prophetic speech delivered in Brussels in June 2011, then-U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates warned Washington’s European allies that if they did not start paying substantially more for their own security, NATO might one day be a thing of th...
Trump Should Dump His “Rare Earth” Offer With Ukraine February 24, 2025
One of the key campaign pledges President Donald Trump made during the 2024 election was to end the years-long war in Ukraine. The then-candidate stated that it was in the American interest to negotiate a deal to finish the war. Trump was also criti...
The Superpower Has Left the Building February 19, 2025
National security’s Burning Man took place this weekend, as foreign policy types from around the world gathered once again in Bavaria. The Munich Security Conference years ago burst the confines of the Bayerischer Hof hotel, where a medium-sized grou...
The New Globalism February 19, 2025
When Donald Trump looks at the globe, what does he see? We know that in the president’s eyes, other nations may be abject “shithole countries,” shiny real-estate opportunities, or potential candidates for the 51st state....
Lessons From the Global War on Terror February 19, 2025
The concept of “iatrogenic influence” highlights how information operations can unintentionally produce harmful outcomes, counteracting the influence objectives the operations sought to achieve. ...
Europe and the Death of Pax Americana February 18, 2025
If you are still reeling from the shock and awe created by Donald Trump’s foreign policy since taking office, ‘You ain’t seen nothing yet,’ as Ronald Reagan once put it. ...
‘Rules Based International Order’ Is Dead February 17, 2025
For a moment last week, it appeared that European Union officials finally had realised that the 20th century was never coming back. ...
U.S.-India Must Become Closer With Trump and Modi February 15, 2025
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Washington, D.C., his meeting with President Donald Trump holds the potential to reshape global geopolitics. This is not just another diplomatic visit—it is a historic moment to secure India’s rightful place...
Bangladesh Demands Attention for Modi & Trump February 15, 2025
Bangladesh’s recent descent into lawlessness poses a foreign policy challenge for President Trump, especially because his predecessor supported last August’s regime change there. ...
Trump Can and Should Save Ukraine February 14, 2025
Trump has been making headway on his campaign promises. From pardoning Jan. 6 rioters, to pulling out of the Paris climate agreement, to threatening tariffs on America’s largest trading partner (and toying with Canada’s sovereignty while he’s at it),...
Europe’s Moment for Decisive Action on Ukraine February 13, 2025
While US President Donald Trump’s early foreign policy moves have been focused elsewhere in the world—from the Middle East to the Americas—Russia’s war in Ukraine is fast moving to the top of the agenda....
No Priorities, No Vision, No Peace in Trump's Plan February 12, 2025
The proposal for a US takeover of Gaza would disrupt almost every foreign policy objective the new US administration has in the Middle East. ...
Marco Rubio’s America-First Foreign Policy February 12, 2025
Throughout his career, Marco Rubio has been a harsh critic of left-wing governments in Latin America, and has supported US-backed regime change attempts against some of them. But as Donald Trump’s newly appointed secretary of state, he has shown some...
Trump Should Learn From Helsinki, Not Yalta February 10, 2025
Donald Trump’s presidency is raising fundamental questions about US foreign policy. Will America revive its old tradition of territorial expansion? Will it ignite a protectionist inferno that burns the global trading system to the ground? Yet the gre...
The U.S. Cannot Ignore China's Desire for a Naval Base in South Africa February 08, 2025
The Trump administration’s Monroe Doctrine inspired pursuit of a sphere of hegemonic influence in the Western hemisphere faces the vulnerability that it has left the entry point to the South Atlantic, the literal backdoor to that sphere, unguarded. ...
Unrest and Geopolitics Could End Serbia’s Government February 06, 2025
Mass protests are destabilising Aleksandar Vucic’s rule and his “à la carte” foreign policy positioning. As Serbia’s president faces his toughest challenge yet, the EU should seize the moment to support democratic change and regional stability...
The Five Factions in Trump's Foreign Policy Circle February 05, 2025
President Donald Trump has come out firing, with a fusillade of policy actions and executive orders meant to reshape America’s approach to the world. In doing so, Trump has also made clear that this is his administration: No “axis of adults” will thw...
‘Queen Ursula’ Tightens Grip on EU Foreign Policy February 05, 2025
EU member state representatives, diplomats, and MEPs are increasingly worried about Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s tightening grip on the bloc’s foreign policy. They once again voiced their disapproval after von der Leyen presented her g...
India–Indonesia & Challenges of the Global South February 04, 2025
New Delhi and Jakarta share many development challenges and foreign policy objectives. But despite last week’s summit, there remain several challenges to realizing the full potential of the bilateral relationship. ...
Safer, Stronger and More Prosperous February 04, 2025
In his first official message to the Department of State’s (DoS) workforce, Secretary of State Marco Rubio made it clear that all the employees will focus on three questions when assessing U.S. foreign policy decisions - How does the action proposed ...
Trump’s Foreign Policy: What To Expect From MAGA 2.0 February 03, 2025
Trump is putting an end to America’s endless bankrolling of other countries, demanding instead that those countries step up and start pulling their own weight. ...
Remaking the World Order: No Small Feat January 31, 2025
The United States needs to redefine its role in world affairs, what does that mean and what will it take? ...
An Americas First Foreign Policy January 31, 2025
U.S. diplomats have neglected the Western Hemisphere for too long....
It's Time for a Trump Doctrine in Foreign Policy January 30, 2025
President Donald Trump returned to the White House on a promise to reform America's foreign policy, transitioning away from the idea of "spreading democracy" and refocusing on the country's national interest. ...
The Deep and Dangerous Roots of Trump’s Foreign Policy January 29, 2025
In Donald Trump’s second inaugural address, his familiar zero-sum worldview was on full display: “We will be the envy of every nation,” he declared, “and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer.” ...
Trump’s ‘Big Stick’ Foreign Policy Could Backfire January 29, 2025
Donald Trump is displaying a fondness for old-style, unapologetic U.S. imperialism with respect to policy in the Western Hemisphere. Even before entering the Oval Office for his second term, he set off alarm bells among neighboring countries. As pres...
Trump and the New Age of Nationalism January 28, 2025
As it did in 2016, Donald Trump’s presidency has prompted commentators in and outside of Washington to reflect on the direction of U.S. foreign policy....
This Is America First. The World Had Better Take Notice January 28, 2025
With Donald Trump back in the White House, leaders across the world are sitting up. They will have to get used to something very new: an America unembarrassed about putting its own national interests first, and specifically in making the security of ...
The Fight To Define ‘America First’ Foreign Policy January 28, 2025
Will proponents of U.S. retreat guide Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon?...
The Georgian Opposition in 2025 January 27, 2025
For millions of Georgians, January 2025 has started much like how 2024 ended. For several months, the Georgian opposition and Georgian citizens have protested the outcome of the stolen 2024 parliamentary elections. They demanded a new election take p...
Germany’s Trump Problem January 27, 2025
The country’s perennial yearning for reassurance is still dominating discourse — but this time around, it’s likely to be in vain. ...
Forgotten Wars: The Haitian Crisis January 25, 2025
Over the past decade, following the devastating passage of Hurricane Matthew in 2016, Haiti has been experiencing an unprecedented socio-political and economic crisis. This crisis is characterized by widespread political instability and the substanti...
The Logic of Chaos in Trump’s Second-Term Foreign Policy January 24, 2025
Donald Trump’s recent calls to annex Greenland, take control of the Panama Canal, and even absorb Canada into the United States to expand America’s sphere of influence may sound like bluster, but they reflect a deliberate strategy rooted in uncertain...
Five Problems on Marco Rubio’s Desk January 24, 2025
As Marco Rubio takes the helm at the State Department, he is facing a growing list of challenges. ...
A New Chapter for Ukraine January 23, 2025
With the overwhelming election of President Donald Trump to a second term, America welcomes an opportunity to reorient its foreign policy in a manner that prioritizes the security of the American homeland. The collapse in border sovereignty plus horr...
It’s Trump’s World Now To Win or Lose January 23, 2025
President Trump is taking the country down a very different geopolitical path. The yet-to-be-determined future of the Land of Oz lies ahead, especially in Ukraine, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific. ...
Donald Trump and the Axis of Upheaval January 22, 2025
Donald Trump is the US president again. While his domestic agenda is fairly clear – he talked relentlessly about immigration and tariffs as a candidate – his foreign policy is seemingly wide open. ...
Trump’s 'America First' Is Not Realism January 22, 2025
Some observers have approvingly claimed that the second Trump administration heralds a realist revival in American foreign policy. Writing in Foreign Affairs, Robert O’Brien, who served as national security adviser in the first Trump administration, ...
‘Maximum Pressure’ Won’t Work Against Iran January 22, 2025
Donald Trump begins his second stint in the White House with big plans and a world that looks quite different from the one he dealt with during his first term. He will inherit a cornucopia of foreign policy problems and international crises left over...
Stefanik Will Deliver on Trump’s America First Agenda at the UN January 21, 2025
For four years, we have seen the consequences of weak leadership in the White House: a world rife with conflict, a foreign policy that has emboldened adversaries like Communist China and Iran and abandoned allies like Israel further degrading America...
Trump’s Foreign Policy Is All About China January 21, 2025
Too often, mainstream-media accounts of US president Donald Trump’s approach to foreign policy descend into cod psychology. ...
Can Trump Reach Real Peace in Ukraine and Gaza? January 21, 2025
Ending the wars in Ukraine and Gaza are at the top of President Donald Trump’s foreign policy agenda, and many expect the new administration to change American policy in both. ...
Donald Trump’s Biggest Foreign Policy Challenge: Russia January 20, 2025
Until President-elect Donald Trump created an unexpected spectacle in the news media by suggesting that Washington coerce Denmark to sell Greenland to the United States and compel Panama to return control of the canal to Washington, most speculation ...
American Strategy’s Strange Continuity January 20, 2025
Today, U.S. President Donald Trump will sweep back into power promising a new American approach to the world....
Time Is Running Out for Iran-U.S. Diplomacy December 30, 2024
Tensions between Iran and the United States are likely to be one of the first major foreign policy challenges for the incoming Trump administration. Tehran’s recent moves have brought Iran closer to developing a nuclear weapon than any point in the c...
Neo-Imperialism Is Making a Comeback December 30, 2024
What is a “pole“? I believe in the ongoing debate about uni- and multipolarity we have to establish what the characteristics of a pole are, independently of their number....
The Untold Story of Carter’s Fateful Foreign Policy December 30, 2024
The former President Jimmy Carter passed away on Sunday at the age of 100. Carter was elected by a convincing margin over the Republican incumbent Gerald Ford in 1976 and served one term. His wife of 77 years, Rosalynn, passed away in November 2023. ...
Turkey’s Resurgence Has Left the West Flat-Footed December 30, 2024
Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria earlier this month, there was a brief period of excitement in Western foreign policy circles. Now, as new battle lines are drawn and Turkey reasserts its influence in the region, such hopes are ...
America’s Post-Cold War Mistakes December 27, 2024
Once in a great while, a diplomatic memorandum—the outline of a proposed change in policy sent from a foreign service officer to his political masters back in Washington—has momentous impact. The most famous of these is George Kennan’s “Long Telegram...
Donald Trump’s Threat to Foreign Policy Restraint December 27, 2024
Proponents of a limited U.S. foreign policy should understand that any short-term gains under a second Trump administration are not worth the costs of long-term reputational damage. ...
A New Panama Canal Treaty for the American People December 27, 2024
Trump has inherited the most complex foreign policy landscape a commander in chief has ever faced ...
Elbridge Colby: The Brain Behind Trump’s Foreign Policy December 23, 2024
As President-elect Donald Trump continues to nominate candidates to serve in his next administration, one name could indicate the direction of America’s foreign policy during his second presidency. Elbridge Colby, who wrote the National Defense Strat...
Turkey’s Overreach in Syria: ‘Playing With Fire’ December 21, 2024
In a recent Foreign Policy article, Steven Cook and I highlighted how Turkey may be overplaying its hand in Syria. With events evolving rapidly, it seems that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan now aims to dominate Syria’s political future, sidel...
Steps Toward Competitive Coexistence With Russia December 21, 2024
With the possible exception of China, no issue will figure larger on the foreign-policy agenda of the incoming Trump administration than Russia. ...
Forgotten Wars: The Rising Tension in the Philippines December 21, 2024
The Philippines, strategically located at the heart of Southeast Asia, occupies a critical geopolitical position. The current politico-military crisis primarily revolves around the South China Sea, a contested area rich in natural resources and home ...
CDU-Led Germany & Foreign Policy December 20, 2024
Germany’s likely next chancellor shares his party’s pro-EU and Atlanticist instincts, but also the country’s wider reluctance to play an exceptional international role...
The Crumbling Pillars of the Islamic Republic December 20, 2024
For over four and a half decades, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s foreign policy has revolved around two central objectives: the elimination of Israel and opposition to the United States. These twin pillars have shaped its military doctrine and strate...
Trump Should Seek To Avoid War With Iran December 20, 2024
With only a month until Donald Trump’s inauguration as president, the Middle East is more chaotic than it has been in years. In early December, Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow, as his regime in Syria collapsed. The western media has become focused on ...
Expand the Abraham Accords to Central Asia December 19, 2024
One of President-elect Donald Trump's greatest foreign policy achievements was the 2020 signing of the Abraham Accords, in which four Arab states agreed to normalize ties with Israel. ...
Trump Confronts a Rising China December 18, 2024
Gaza, Haiti, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Russia, Syria, Ukraine, and Venezuela: President-elect Donald Trump will face no shortage of foreign-policy challenges when he assumes office in January. ...
Knauf: Questions About a Possible Global Transaction December 18, 2024
Knauf, a German construction giant with a robust presence in the U.S., is reportedly negotiating the sale of its Russian business with Gazprombank—a state-owned Russian bank sanctioned by the U.S. and E.U. for financing Russia's war against Ukraine. ...
The Impact of Russia Sanctions on Central Asia December 16, 2024
Since Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine and invited the largest international sanctions regime against Russia since the Second World War, Central Asia and the Caucasus have been forced into an uncomfortable position at the fr...
Democrats Need a Foreign Policy That Can Work December 13, 2024
How to Harness Populist Energy and Build a Better International Order ...
Central Asia: Blind Spot Trump Can’t Afford To Ignore December 13, 2024
From energy resources to economic growth, the region holds key assets for US foreign policy, trade, and security interests ...
Trump Signals Foreign Policy Will Run Through Him December 13, 2024
As Biden huddles with G7, his successor is poised to pull away from allies ...
Assad’s Fall Is a Major Blow to Russia December 12, 2024
Russia’s 2015 military intervention in Syria was a bold assertion of its great power ambitions, rescuing Bashar al-Assad's regime and projecting influence in the Middle East. However, recent rebel advances and Assad’s sudden deposal threaten to isola...
Leveraging Competitive Strategies to Pivot North Korea in the Contest with China December 11, 2024
It is time for the US to shift from its long-standing position demanding North Korean denuclearization and embrace diplomacy underpinned by the framework of competitive strategies pioneered by Andrew Marshall, the founder and long-time leader of the ...
Latin America Is About To Become a Priority for U.S. December 10, 2024
While traveling throughout Latin America in recent years, visitors heard the same refrain: Washington isn’t paying enough attention to the region. ...
Washington Needs a New Approach to NATO December 09, 2024
We are emerging from four years of foreign policy under the Biden administration that has witnessed the failure of deterrence in key theaters across the globe and left the United States and its allies exposed to a heightened risk of war. In Asia, th...
Activism & Isolationism: Trump's Middle East Policy November 19, 2024
Although the United States has long sought to reduce its involvement in the Middle East, the looming threat of regional war, opportunities arising from the Abraham Accords and Iran’s weakened influence, and growing US-China competition will likely pu...
Biden’s Foreign Policy Legacy: A Troubled Interregnum November 19, 2024
As the limits of U.S. power became more obvious, the Biden administration sought to perpetuate a fading primacy. ...
Western Leaders Must Abandon Cultural Imperialism in Middle East Policy November 18, 2024
Having neutralized key leaders of Iran’s proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah, Israel appears to be preparing its long-anticipated retaliation against the Islamic Republic itself. Although currently limiting attacks to military assets, many are still demandi...
Why the U.S. Should Rethink Its Arms Transfer to Israel November 16, 2024
Following retaliatory strikes on Iran, Israel has entered a new phase of escalation, marking a direct confrontation with Teheran. The intensifying situation not only risks further destabilizing the region, but also forces the U.S. to become increasi...
Gabbard Is a Dream Come True for Foreign Policy Realists November 15, 2024
It has been absolutely fascinating to see whom CNN is trotting out to oppose the president-elect’s new appointments, especially the (now) former Rep. Matt Gaetz to the Department of Justice or the former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to be the director of natio...
Trump’s Foreign Policy Must Look Beyond Old Cold War November 14, 2024
Russia’s relevance is a figment of America’s imagination while the real challenge of the century is and will be China ...
Is Donald Trump a Foreign Policy Dove? If Only November 13, 2024
Trump is surrounding himself with hawks so you can be assured that his will be a very hawkish administration...
South Korea Joins the Great Power Game November 12, 2024
South Korea can no longer let soft power take precedence in its foreign policy. Instead, it must work to deny North Korea any strategic gains internationally. ...
How Asia Is Bracing for Trump’s Second Term November 11, 2024
Donald Trump’s comeback is now certain, after he decisively won re-election to the White House, but there is growing uncertainty over how his second-term administration will deal with the Asia-Pacific—a region of increasing strategic relevance and ho...
Donald Trump’s Foreign Policy Changes With the Wind November 11, 2024
What will U.S. foreign policy look like during Donald Trump's second term? After the former president and current president-elect vanquished Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday with a resounding victory, this is all anybody around the world is wo...
What Does Donald Trump’s Win Mean for U.S. Foreign Policy? November 07, 2024
It is time to discuss what a foreign policy under President-elect Donald Trump would mean. First, there are two blazing wars to settle that have no easy answers. Next is the Taiwan question and what to do with China overall. Then we have border secur...
Britain’s Hunt for a Trump Whisperer November 07, 2024
The U.K.’s center-left government reckons it’s made friends with Donald Trump. Now it just has to keep things that way. ...
How Trump Will Change the World November 06, 2024
Agrey rhino—a predictable and long-foreseen disruption that is still shocking when it occurs—has crashed into American foreign policy: Donald Trump has won a second term as president of the United States....
Detecting Russia and China’s Info Ops Against NATO November 06, 2024
As geopolitical conflicts are increasingly shaped by misleading and deceptive information, Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) has become an indispensable tool in understanding adversarial information operations and being able to compete in the informat...
Biden’s Foreign Policy Legacy Will Be in Economic Warfare November 06, 2024
Joe Biden’s foreign policy will be remembered for many things: the humiliating exit from Afghanistan, the stalwart response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the struggle to contain the fallout from Oct. 7 in the Middle East. But Biden has cast his lo...
The Next U.S. President Will Find a Europe Much Changed From Four Years Ago November 05, 2024
If Donald Trump wins the election on Tuesday, he will encounter a Europe far different from the one he knew during his first term both in terms of personnel and policy.A second Trump term could very well be a baptism by fire for new NATO Secretary Ge...
U.S. Election Brings on Fretting Season in Japan November 05, 2024
Worriers should recall that Trump in his 1st term had the best foreign policy team since Reagan’s 1st administration ...
Trump’s Foreign Policy Scared Russia and China November 05, 2024
The U.S. is now divided into two factions that spiritually are at war with the Constitution....
U.S. Blindspot: Somaliland and South Yemen November 05, 2024
Confederations Dissolve. Washington Errs When It Ignores Reality: Both Somaliland and South Yemen say they want independence. In both cases, their independence would benefit U.S. national security yet, in both cases, the State Department rejects reco...
Save Yourselves. Vote for Donald Trump November 04, 2024
Voters across the pond are quickly realizing what a massive mistake they made by electing Sir Keir Starmer’s far-left, Labour government in the United Kingdom. America, you cannot afford to follow suit.It’s only been three months since the left-wing ...
What’s at Stake for U.S. Foreign Policy in the 2024 Elections November 04, 2024
On November 5, U.S. voters will choose new leadership, with ramifications for China, immigration, the Middle East, and many other national security issues. CFR experts weigh in. ...
"Foreign Affairs" Lends a Hand to the Harris Campaign November 04, 2024
An “America First” foreign policy does not go over well at the Council of Foreign Relations, the publisher of the journal Foreign Affairs whose website features a brief essay adapted from a speech delivered in Kyiv, Ukraine, by Defense Secretary Lloy...
J.D. Vance: A War With Iran Is Not in the U.S. Interest November 02, 2024
The vice-presidential candidate’s comments are the latest evidence of the gravity of the GOP foreign policy realignment. ...
Algeria: From Anti-Colonial Beacon to Modern Success November 01, 2024
On November 1, 1954, Algeria ignited a revolution that became a defining moment in the global fight against colonialism. The revolution, spearheaded by the National Liberation Front (FLN), was not only a struggle for national independence from French...
The Case for Geopolitical Optimism October 31, 2024
There is no question that the world is spinning out of control, hurtling towards the catastrophe of major power war – which would likely see nuclear exchanges. Of course, the future is not pre-determined. ...
What Will Trump II Do for Foreign Policy? October 31, 2024
What will foreign policy be like under Trump II? ...
The Least Bad Option for Lebanon October 31, 2024
The Middle East is where clever foreign policy initiatives go to die....
It’s Trump Disruption vs Harris Engagement October 31, 2024
US presidential candidates would take very different diplomatic approaches but they share many of the same geopolitical concerns ...
How America Can Succeed in a Multialigned World October 30, 2024
In July 2009, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave her first major foreign policy address at the Council on Foreign Relations....
The Danger of Unfatal Wounds October 28, 2024
I’ve encountered some version of this missive throughout the course of my career. ...
Why the Kamala Harris Doctrine Must be Defeated October 26, 2024
With no true foreign policy experience, no record, and no solid instincts, she will defer to the failed twenty-first-century liberal internationalists that have run the show under Biden and Obama. ...
BRICS Summit Is Not a Threat to NATO October 21, 2024
This week’s Brics summit in Kazan, Russia, will attract significant attention, but whether it yields any meaningful results is uncertain. The summit will host leaders from 24 countries, along with delegations from a total of 32 nations, marking it as...
Kamala Harris Has One Weakness She Can’t Easily Fix October 18, 2024
The strategic and moral incoherence of Kamala Harris’s foreign policy is a weakness for her campaign. It would be a tragedy for our country, in the event she ever became president. However, her handling of the Iran question in the Fox interview shows...
Why U.S. Foreign Policy Today Is a Form of ‘Isolationism’ October 16, 2024
Those throwing around the epithet are the ones driving us to be more alone in the world ...
The Collapse of the Khamenei Doctrine October 15, 2024
A year of conflict in the Middle East has destroyed the foreign-policy approach of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. His strategy was always implausible, but its collapse has led Iran to the brink of its first international war since 198...
The Global South Fears the Biden-Harris Administration’s Policy Agenda October 14, 2024
What is President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’s foreign policy plan? That’s a question that few have answers to, but for hundreds of millions of people in the developing world the stakes could not be higher.East Africa faith leaders are ra...
Cooler Heads Must Prevail Between U.S. & Iran October 11, 2024
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz recently declared, “Israel is trapping Iran and America.”If that is true, perhaps the U.S. and Iran should cooperate to extricate themselves from that trap.In the wake of the most recent exchange of fire between Israel a...
The U.S. Should Promote Taiwan as the Authentic China October 11, 2024
Following a week-long visit to Taiwan, I have reassessed my perspective on U.S. foreign policy toward Taiwan. My initial belief was that the U.S. should prioritize strengthening Taiwan’s defensive capabilities, primarily by transforming it into a “po...
Grand Strategy Must Begin With Homeland Defense October 10, 2024
Foreign policy experts have been debating which of America’s geostrategic interests in Asia, Europe, or the Middle East should take precedence. But recent polling tells us that the American people have a totally different top priority. They want our ...
Britain’s Foreign Policy Is Increasingly Feeble October 10, 2024
For those of us who grew up during the Cold War, it’s heartbreaking to watch the western countries fail to defend the interests of liberal democracy. ...
The U.S. Must Confront the Multi-Front War Against the West October 09, 2024
October 7th is the first anniversary of the unprovoked attack and murder of Israeli citizens by Hamas in Gaza. A year later, kidnapped innocents remained as hostages to Iran's goal of making Israel uninhabitable by Jews, causing the Jewish people to...
Japan: America's Indispensable Ally in the 21st Century October 09, 2024
As global power shifts from Europe to the Indo-Pacific, the US-Japan alliance is emerging as a central pillar of American strategy, similar to the US-UK partnership that defined the 20th century. Tokyo’s strategic position in countering China’s regio...
Taiwan Needs To Start Taking Its Defense Seriously October 08, 2024
It is no secret that China would like to get out of the first island chain into which it has been hemmed in for decades, or arguably even longer. They have long claimed much of the South China Sea, which includes territory claimed by multiple other s...
Defining the Next Chapter for the South Caucasus October 07, 2024
The article examines the significant geopolitical ramifications of the upcoming 2024 elections in the Republic of Georgia and the United States, in relation to the South Caucasus. The authors emphasize the region’s importance as a strategic crossroad...
U.S. Lost the Sahel but Russia Is No Savior October 05, 2024
In lieu of strategic military partnerships with the West, Sahelian regimes from Burkina Faso to Niger have pivoted to Moscow. ...
The Nuclear Option to Chinese Influence in Latin America October 04, 2024
Central to President Reagan's foreign policy was a steadfast commitment to confronting America's greatest ideological rival, the Soviet Union, on the global stage. While parts of the Reagan Doctrine remain contentious, like military aid to Nicaraguan...
‘Grand Strategy’ Misses the Point October 04, 2024
The fixation on grand strategy neglects the fact that foreign policy is the product of politics. ...
Why Israel Is Worried About Iran’s Nuclear Ambitions October 03, 2024
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, learned the limits of his foreign policy strategy this week: Even well-armed and well-trained surrogate forces can prove unreliable if a determined modern army disables them. ...
Overcoming the Fear of Escalation September 26, 2024
The Biden administration’s fear of escalation with both Russia and Iran has overlooked the manifest weaknesses of both adversaries. ...
GoodFellows: Pagers, Zelensky, and Boomers September 26, 2024
Hot-wiring pagers and walkie-talkies to take out Hezbollah operatives: Was Israel’s tactic—like something from an Ian Fleming novel—a justifiable act of national security or a violation of international law? ...
Diplomatic Games on UN Security Council Expansion September 24, 2024
Some topics never die at the United Nations. Calls to expand and reform the Security Council is one of those persistent issues. An amendment increasing its size was adopted only once in 1965. But calls for further expansion were raised again only a f...
Biden’s Foreign Policy Goals Slip as Clock Ticks September 24, 2024
In one of his final moments on the global stage, President Joe Biden this week will aim to burnish his legacy and bolster Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign — but his top foreign policy goal may be slipping away. ...
Is It Time To Stop Insisting on U.S. Global Primacy? September 23, 2024
The time following the Cold War was what foreign policy wonks now, somewhat dolefully, refer to as the "unipolar moment." The term, coined by columnist Charles Krauthammer, described an era in which the world was clearly led by a sole superpower: the...
U.S. & Turkey Offer Support for Peace Between Armenia and Azerbaijan September 21, 2024
This week, Azerbaijan held a conference on the “Modern Challenges to the Security of Global Transport Networks.” Over 50 representatives and foreign officials attended the forum. During the event, participants stressed the importance of “expanding in...
Why U.S. Foreign Policy Won’t Grow Up September 20, 2024
Ralph Waldo Emerson’s famous observation, made in his 1846 poem Ode, Inscribed to William H. Channing, that “things are in the saddle, and ride mankind,” applies with some force to the current circumstances surrounding the war in Ukraine. ...
Japanese Leadership: Many Candidates, Multiple Challenges September 19, 2024
Power abhors a vacuum, the saying goes, so perhaps it’s no surprise that nine Japanese lawmakers—a record high—have declared their candidacy since Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced he would not seek reelection.While Kishida’s decision was not un...
‘Multi-Vectoring,' U.S. Shouldn’t Be Left Behind September 19, 2024
Regional countries are diversifying their foreign policy portfolios, leaning on Beijing, Moscow, New Delhi, as well as Washington ...
America Has Made Americans Less Safe to Travel the World September 16, 2024
In an increasingly interconnected and globalized world, the idea of traveling or working abroad used to evoke images of cultural exchange, adventure, and opportunity. But the reality today is much darker: Americans are less safe around the world than...
Time to Launch Abraham Accords 2.0 September 14, 2024
Four years ago, the historic Abraham Accords between the UAE, Bahrain, and Israel were signed on the White House lawn. Morocco and Sudan soon followed. In the midst of the extremely challenging COVID-19 pandemic, a ray of light heralding a new era of...
Modi Visits Ukraine: Indian “Strategic Autonomy” on Display September 13, 2024
Media coverage of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent trip to Ukraine focused on how it was the first time an Indian prime minister had visited modern Ukraine. It is equally important, and no coincidence, that his visit came as Ukraine is pl...
Germany’s Extremists Shape Its Foreign Policy Debate September 12, 2024
Germany’s populist parties have enjoyed electoral success with their “anti-establishment” foreign policy. The governing centrist coalition must act fast to address their dangerous anti-Western stance before it becomes mainstream...
The Diminished Worldwide Respect and Fear of America September 11, 2024
After the U.S. presidential campaign concludes, either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris will need to confront hard truths and tough choices to address an international geopolitical landscape marked by competitors, rivals, and enemies who, sensing a supe...
Is Ukraine Falling Victim to Victory’s Disease? September 10, 2024
Over the past month, Ukraine has boasted of seizing approximately 500 square miles of the Russian Kursk region, marking the first time that Ukraine has directly attacked and seized Russian territory since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.However it is ...
A ‘Rules-Based’ or ‘Principle-Driven’ New Global Order? September 10, 2024
UN Charter’s respect for sovereignty, non-intervention and territorial integrity, as well as human rights, freedoms and open economics must prevail ...
‘Ending in Rabat’: France's Moroccan Pivot and the Future of Western Sahara September 09, 2024
A saying oft repeated in discussions of French diplomacy stipulates that “a French president's mandate begins in Algiers and ends in Rabat.” This axiom has proven strikingly prescient. Consider the letter French President Emmanuel Macron recently sen...
The Deep Roots of Trump’s Isolationism September 09, 2024
The mainstream U.S. foreign policy establishment views former President Donald Trump as a dangerous neo-isolationist, completely out of step with American ideals and interests....
Peace Requires Strength, but Also Diplomacy September 05, 2024
When Ronald Reagan ran for president of the United States in 1980, he put “peace through strength” at the heart of his foreign policy vision....
What Is Kamala Harris’s Foreign Policy? September 05, 2024
Although Kamala Harris is largely aligned with Joe Biden on many global and strategic issues, her unique worldview promises a distinct form of leadership on the international stage. Not only would US foreign policy shift under a Harris administration...
The Foreign Policy Establishment Licks Its Chops for Harris September 05, 2024
Any discussion of what U.S. foreign policy under a President Harris might look like must begin with a recognition that every Democratic president beginning with Truman has ended up being captured by the very institutions that presidents are ostensibl...
Perils of a Populist Foreign Policy August 24, 2024
America’s populist turn has confused and perplexed observers of U.S. politics, both at home and abroad. New cultural flashpoints emerge with great intensity and speed, and many seasoned observers can no longer predict the American reaction to long-st...
Britain’s Government Pressured to Pivot on Gaza August 22, 2024
When Britain’s Labour Party took power following the country’s July 4 election, it pledged to undo what was brought on by 14 years of Conservative rule. While much of that work has focused on domestic issues, it has also extended to foreign policy ma...
The U.S. Divide on Foreign Policy August 22, 2024
This gap between Democrats and Republicans on foreign policy — and America’s role in the world — is one that’s been steadily evolving over the past decade. And it’s a shift that reflects a fundamental change in the Republican Party. ...
The Return of Hamiltonian Statecraft August 21, 2024
The twenty-first century has seen the return to prominence of U.S. foreign policy traditions once largely considered relics of an outmoded past. ...
U.S. Fighting ‘Four Cold Wars’ at the Same Time August 16, 2024
The U.S. is "fighting four different Cold Wars" with China, Iran, Russia and North Korea and needs to come up with ways to cause divisions between them, according to a foreign policy expert. ...
The Case for a More Strategic U.S. Foreign Policy August 15, 2024
As the nation focuses on the coming presidential election, the foreign policy landscape surrounding the United States is in disarray. Israel is bracing for a retaliatory Iranian attack following their killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeah...
What Was the Biden Doctrine? August 15, 2024
Although it is too soon to judge the historical significance of Joe Biden’s one-term presidency, it is clear that the past four years have witnessed remarkable achievements in foreign policy. Biden has made some notable strategic mistakes, as well, m...
Iran’s Plans for the Region Were Interrupted by the Haniyeh Killing August 14, 2024
Following the sudden death of Iran’s president, Ibrahim Raisi, the reformist politician Masoud Pezeshkian won the snap election to replace the hard-liner, a possible successor to supreme leader Ali Khamenei.Pezeshkian campaigned on a program of chang...
Meet Philip Gordon: Kamala’s Foreign Policy Guru August 13, 2024
His views on Iran—and connections—are raising eyebrows in Washington. ...
Canadian Foreign Minister Undermines NATO on China August 10, 2024
Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly’s official visit to Beijing last month demonstrates both a failure to take Chinese interference in Canadian democracy seriously and an apparent determination to undermine the United States and other NATO allies ...
Saving Conservative Foreign Policy From Itself August 10, 2024
Over the years, conservatism in the Western world has transformed into ethno-nationalism, limiting membership and making global alliances difficult. ...
A Different Economic Strategy for India August 10, 2024
The national election in India this past spring produced a shocking outcome. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were widely expected to win a third five-year term and increase their majority in the Indian parliament. ...
Worldviews, Values, and the Will To Survive August 09, 2024
The foundational issue facing America and the West is whether they have the will to survive. ...
Kenya and the African Continent Need Greater U.S. Attention August 08, 2024
Africa has never truly been a strategic geopolitical focus for the United States. Despite the continent’s population of 1.4 billion people, which is predicted to double by 2050, and having some of the fastest-growing economies in the world, the U.S. ...
Time To Fix the Foreign Service August 07, 2024
Diplomacy is the art of obtaining foreign policy objectives through skillful negotiation rather than military force. It is often more effective and always less costly in terms of both blood and money than going to war. History provides many examples ...
Biden’s Foreign Policy Fails in Venezuela August 07, 2024
The Biden administration has again fallen victim to its own foreign policy, this time in Venezuela. ...
Where is U.S. Foreign Policy Headed? August 07, 2024
Four distinct, but not necessarily exclusive, strategies present themselves for the next administration. ...
Boot’s Big Grift August 03, 2024
The foreign policy establishment has been shaken by scandal. ...
Biden’s Anti-Israel Deterrence Will Provoke Future Violence August 01, 2024
Since last October, the Biden administration has pursued one objective in the Middle East: de-escalation. But this policy has succeeded only in deterring Israel from acting independently in pursuit of its security interests in Gaza and around the reg...
Russia Isn't Solely to Blame for the West's Loss in Sahel August 01, 2024
Russia’s sudden influence in the Sahel is likely to fade in time, as did the domination of other world powers in the region. ...
Harris Can’t Ignore Foreign Policy Even if Voters Do July 27, 2024
Foreign policy is rarely the dominant issue in US presidential elections. But it does, invariably, matter at the margins, and in a close race the margins can matter quite a lot. The electorate, moreover, isn’t the only important audience: What a cont...
Realism, Restraint, and Freedom Conservatism July 27, 2024
I am a veteran of three conflicts—Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. I spent two weeks after September 11, 2001, at Ground Zero with the National Guard. I’ve seen bloodshed, death, and destruction firsthand. ...
President Biden: A Single Point of Failure for America July 27, 2024
On Sunday, President Joe Biden made the appropriate decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race amid pressure and a soft coup attempt from Democrats. While dropping out, Biden, our sitting commander-in-chief, hid in Delaware for almost a week ...
Russia’s Gateways into the Indo-Pacific July 26, 2024
In September 2022, after both the invasion of Ukraine and a military takeover in Myanmar, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing met with Russian President Vladimir Putin under the umbrella of the Eastern Economic Forum (an event held in Vladivostok) to expl...
Trump’s Unconventional Approach Might Be the Key To Ending the Ukraine War July 25, 2024
As economic concerns dominate American voters’ priorities, Trump’s austere approach to the Ukraine conflict might resonate more than Biden’s ongoing support.Not only has the war in Ukraine resulted in significant military and civilian casualties for ...
Trump’s Doctrine of Realism - And Not Isolationist July 25, 2024
Since the end of World War II, debates about American foreign policy have more often been within the two major parties than between them....
Will Americans Stop Trying to ‘Run the World’? July 25, 2024
Harris and Trump should drop Biden’s disastrous grandiosity. ...
Lessons From a Wartime Presidency July 25, 2024
There are key lessons to be drawn about US foreign policy from the last four years. It’s important they’re correctly identified. ...
What a Kamala Harris Foreign Policy Could Look Like July 22, 2024
If elected president in November, Vice President Kamala Harris would enter office with a foreign policy record defined by her tenure as a senator during Donald Trump’s presidency, and her time as the No. 2 to one of the most experienced presidents on...
Why Vance as VP Is About U.S. Foreign Policy July 20, 2024
The Ohio senator's vision on Ukraine can be the blueprint for a revised GOP orthodoxy ...
Labour’s Foreign Policy Problems Are Just Beginning July 19, 2024
Keir Starmer used the opening of the European Political Community summit yesterday to “reset” Britain’s relationship with Europe....
Iran’s Expectations for Political Developments in Armenia July 19, 2024
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is moving Armenian foreign policy away from traditional alliances with Russia and Iran, favoring closer ties with the West which could be an important paradigm shift in its foreign policy after dependence on Mo...
The Fall of the Sahel: A Generational Foreign Policy Failure July 18, 2024
U.S. troops just withdrew from Niger’s Air Base 101—the latest phase in an ongoing complete evacuation of U.S. forces that began following a coup in the African nation one year ago. As an isolated incident this would be troubling enough: however, Nig...
Strongman & Working-Class: GOP’s Foreign Policy July 18, 2024
On the third day of the Republican National Convention, themed “Make America Strong Once Again,” the GOP laid out their vision for the world, outlining what US foreign policy could look like under Donald Trump and JD Vance. ...
J.D. Vance: Foreign Policy Realist July 18, 2024
“In a private session Tuesday with the International Republican Institute, an internationalist group founded in the Reagan era, [Mitch] McConnell walked attendees through history, reminding them that the party has long had brushes with isolationism,”...
China and Russia Challenge NATO at UN July 17, 2024
Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to force a reduction of NATO’s operations in Europe as a condition of future negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, according to Russia’s top diplomat. ...
Europe's Populist-Right Needs a Project 2025 July 16, 2024
Every four years, European media reports breathlessly on the latest happenings in America’s presidential elections. This is fairly reasonable, particularly this year. After all, Donald Trump could become the first president in nearly 140 years to ret...
Let Seoul Hit back Against North Korea July 16, 2024
North Korea is counting on the United States to restrain South Korea if it conducts a military escalation resulting in the loss of South Korean lives. ...
Prospects Dimming for Democracy in the Sahel July 12, 2024
Since 2020, the Sahel has experienced a string of coups and attempted coups from the Atlantic to the Red Sea. ...
The West Is Misreading China July 12, 2024
In spite of the abundance of opinions voiced almost daily by foreign policy experts and international relations academics there is no consensus about China’s strategic and tactical motivations regarding the South China Sea (SCS). But if one considers...
NATO at 75: Rebalancing the Alliance July 10, 2024
America is a republic, but only if we keep it—a republic, not an empire. A republic, not a mob-rule democracy. A focused America-First foreign policy is integral to restoring a government small enough to fit within the Constitution....
What’s Next for South Africa’s Foreign Policy July 09, 2024
While there are ministers in the new government eager for change, the country’s system is likely to maintain the status quo ...
U.S. Allies Are Already Worried About Trump July 08, 2024
Most of America’s allies would like Joe Biden to win the U.S. presidential election in November. He has been a fine president. His foreign-policy team is first-class. But what if Donald Trump should win instead? In the aftermath of Biden’s poor debat...
How Sudan’s Wars of Succession Shape the Current Conflict July 08, 2024
Since fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the government-sponsored paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April of 2023, according to the International Rescue Committee at least 25 million people out of a total populati...
A Foreign Policy for the World as It Is June 18, 2024
“America is back.” In the early days of his presidency, Joe Biden repeated those words as a starting point for his foreign policy. The phrase offered a bumper-sticker slogan to pivot away from Donald Trump’s chaotic leadership....
The World of Balance June 18, 2024
The international system is always changing. It usually shifts one piece at a time, each one constrained by the system to dampen its impact – and thus maintain balance and stability. ...
Why Great Powers Fight, and Why They Cooperate June 17, 2024
A prominent IR theorist’s new book explains why 'dynamic realism' offers a compelling narrative on economics shaping geopolitic ...
The U.S. Increases the Risk of War With Russia June 14, 2024
Last week, U.S. Senator J.D. Vance took to X to warn that when Biden authorized Ukraine to use U.S. weapons to strike targets in Russia, he believes, “the risk of nuclear war is (now) higher now than at any point in my lifetime. Biden is sleepwalking...
Is the UK Turning Realist on Foreign Policy? June 14, 2024
The British debate about an intervention in the American Civil War is fascinating because it skewers every political theory one might be attached to. ...
Argentina’s New Chapter With NATO June 14, 2024
President Javier Milei has turned Argentine foreign policy in a pro-American, pro-NATO direction. ...
World Order Is in a Downward Spiral June 13, 2024
The United States needs a grand strategy to deal with three interconnected threats to global stability. ...
Canada Readies New Arctic Foreign Policy June 12, 2024
Canada is preparing a long-awaited Arctic strategy to respond to the growing threat posed by Russia and to strengthen security ties with northern NATO members....
Russia Sees 2024 as the Turning Point in the War June 10, 2024
The Russian government expects 2024 to be a turning point in the country’s war against Ukraine. For this expectation to become reality, the Kremlin is using means of reflexive control: It projects an image of a country that has weathered Western sanc...
Myths and Political Realities of the ‘Migration Wars’ June 08, 2024
Immigration is often portrayed as a grassroots phenomenon driven mostly by the spontaneous human agency of individuals in the pursuit of better opportunities and higher living standards. It is believed that the involvement of states in the governance...
‘New Containment’ Strategy Is Doomed To Fail June 08, 2024
In recent years, the concept of "containment" has made a surprising comeback in U.S. foreign policy circles, with strategists proposing a "New Containment" strategy aimed at Russia and China. This idea, modeled after America's Cold War strategy, seek...
Europe’s Global Strategy Is an Afterthought June 06, 2024
As voters across the EU head for the polling stations in the coming days to elect their MEPs, it is issues to do with their daily life experience that will likely be uppermost in their minds. ...
The Failing State Next Door June 05, 2024
President Joe Biden’s next big foreign-policy crisis was waiting for him at his desk this morning: a southern neighbor heading fast toward authoritarianism and instability....
‘We Are the World Power.’ How Joe Biden Leads June 05, 2024
Joe Biden makes his way through the West Wing telling stories. In the Cabinet Room, with sun pouring through French doors from the Rose Garden outside, he remembers the first time he sat around the long mahogany table, its high-backed leather chairs ...
Our Ruling Class Feeds the Flames Inside & Outside the U.S. June 05, 2024
They aren’t pretending anymore. As he walked away from the podium on Friday, Joe Biden was asked by a reporter what he thought about Donald Trump’s claim that he is a “political prisoner” and “blames you directly.” Biden turned, looked at the camera ...
Africa Faces the Unintended Consequences of Relying on Russia PMCs June 05, 2024
Contracting Russian private military companies, whether Wagner or its successor organization, the Africa Corps, is likely to lead to a series of unintended consequences for client states. In addition to increases in indiscriminate violence, outsourci...
Our Tinderbox Moment: Four Flashpoints May 29, 2024
This election year could be turned on its head by an international crisis — and it won't necessarily come in the Middle East. ...
Will Gen Z Change America’s Foreign Policy Towards Israel? May 28, 2024
Not just the protests, but myriad polls show a dramatic shift away from unconditional support ...
'America First' Right Coalesces To Change Foreign Policy May 25, 2024
"The people we elect to government should run the government, and their first and sole moral duty is to the citizens of this nation, not any other one," former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said at the "What a Foreign Policy for t...
Three Foreign Policy Priorities for the Next UK Government May 24, 2024
With a general election imminent, it is already clear that the next UK government will take office in an immensely challenging environment for foreign policy. ...
A U.S.-Saudi Defense Pact Shows How Warped U.S. Priorities Are May 23, 2024
It seems like ages ago now, but before Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel, real momentum was building toward an Israeli-Saudi normalization deal. Israel's brutal response in Gaza halted progress on those talks. But the top U.S. and Saudi diplomats sai...
Genocide Allegations Are Not a Political Football May 20, 2024
Why Turkey’s application to join South Africa’s ICJ case trivializes the charges against Israel....
If Russia Wins, There Will Be 30 Years of Insurgency May 17, 2024
Look for some good news now on Ukraine – and I mean good in whatever terms it can be used on that wrecked country — and you may end up in a room with Dr. Sumantra Maitra, one of the foreign policy specialists at American think tanks and an associate ...
Argentina and Brazil: New Allies and Illiberal Weeds in America’s Backyard May 17, 2024
In a time when they would like to see a region united against terrorist and authoritarian infiltration, the United States is getting mixed messages from Latin American leaders. On the one hand, Argentina’s new president Javier Milei is taking a pro-W...
The Coming North Korean Crisis May 16, 2024
U.S. President Joe Biden has plenty of foreign policy crises on his hands. ...
Rethinking Western Strategies Towards Russia May 16, 2024
For more than a couple of decades, the Russian Federation has been in the process of reasserting itself as a telluric Eurasian force to be reckoned with, particularly in the post-Soviet space. Although contemporary Russia is far behind the USSR in se...
African Countries Are Failing To Make a Dent in Washington May 16, 2024
The Washington calendar is filled with get-togethers for the diplomatic set, from embassy parties to book launches to private dinners with policymakers. Each gathering is a chance to network, sometimes with very powerful people, or at least glean gos...
Putin’s Friends Fight Back May 16, 2024
Foreign policy experts have worried for decades about a second Korean War. No one ever imagined it would happen in Ukraine. ...
The Day After Iran Gets the Bomb May 15, 2024
Scholars and policymakers are still trying to understand what would happen after Tehran acquires a nuclear weapon....
The U.S. Needs a Real Cuba Policy May 10, 2024
While Washington has hoped that Cuba will stay on the foreign policy backburner, potential political instability may make it difficult to ignore. ...
Government vs. the People in Georgia May 09, 2024
In April of this year the Georgian government submitted to parliament a controversial “foreign agents law,” sparking massive anti-government demonstrations in Tbilisi....
Mark Helprin Is the Embodiment of MMT, Foreign Policy Edition May 09, 2024
“I’ve been reading these cover to cover since the 1960s.” So said foreign policy eminence and novelist Mark Helprin in his interview with the great Barton Swaim in last weekend’s Wall Street Journal. What’s Helprin been reading? Magazines like the U....
Global Tipping Points Converge May 08, 2024
Tipping points in war, international affairs, cultural trends, and domestic economies happen all the time, but rarely do they occur globally and all at once — as they appear to be doing just now. ...
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