US Reportedly Weighing New Troop Deployment to the Middle East

In the News
BBC News
Leslie Vinjamuri

"This is a very deeply unpopular war," Council President and CEO Leslie Vinjamuri says of the widening Iran conflict. "If we see boots on the ground, if we see high-risk operations undertaken, I think that will really galvanize Congress and the American public."

Leslie Vinjamuri speaks with BBC News via video US Foreign Policy

In Cuba, Food Security Is a Point of Political Pressure—and Solidarity

Analysis
by Ertharin Cousin

The global response to Cuba’s worsening humanitarian plight reveals a growing divide over whether limiting access to food and energy is an acceptable form of leverage or if there is a shared international responsibility for humanitarian intervention.

Activists from the vessel Maguro that arrived from Mexico, behind, as part of the "Nuestra America," or Our America convoy, unload humanitarian aid with the help of Cuban port workers in Havana Bay, Cuba, Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
IPS via AP / Jorge Luis Banos
Food and Agriculture

From Oil to Food: How the Iran War Could Disrupt Global Stability

Podcast
Deep Dish on Global Affairs Podcast

Catherine Bertini and Michael Werz explain how the Iran war could ripple from energy markets into global food systems, driving prices higher and worsening global food security.

Lebanon Food Aid
Hassan Ammar / AP
Food and Agriculture

What Would an Abundance Foreign Policy Look Like?

In the News
Foreign Policy
Suzanne Nossel

"A foreign policy of abundance should make US economic strength and broad-based prosperity its first order of business, banking that bounty and stability at home are prerequisites for the United States to thrive in the world," Council Lester Crown Senior Nonresident Fellow Suzanne Nossel writes.

An American flag hangs in front of a store in Colorado
David Zalubowski / AP
US Foreign Policy

Behind China's Measured Response to the Middle East Conflict

Analysis
by Leslie Vinjamuri

The Iran war is presenting the greatest test yet of the limits of America's power in an increasingly multipolar world.

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping
Mark Schiefelbein / AP
Global Politics

What Trump May Do if He Loses in Iran

In the News
Foreign Policy
Suzanne Nossel

"Military morale, alliances, and Washington’s global standing are all at stake in how Trump navigates the bind," Council Lester Crown Senior Nonresident Fellow Suzanne Nossel writes.

Donald Trump walks down a hallway in the White House
Julia Demaree Nikhinson / AP
US Foreign Policy

War in Iran 'Maddening' to US Allies

In the News
Bloomberg
Leslie Vinjamuri

"Europe is clearly not happy. It's not a war that they were consulted about. It's not a war that they've chosen," says Council President and CEO Leslie Vinjamuri.

Leslie Vinjamuri joins Bloomberg via video Global Economy

The Pros and Cons of Negotiating in Public

In the News
Foreign Policy
Suzanne Nossel

"Taking negotiations public is like setting sail in a squall: You’re betting you can harness the popular and geopolitical winds to make way, rather than get blown off course," Council Lester Crown Senior Nonresident Fellow Suzanne Nossel writes.

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters aboard Air Force One
Mark Schiefelbein / AP
US Foreign Policy

Trump, Iran, and the Future of American Power

Podcast
Deep Dish on Global Affairs Podcast

Matt Duss unpacks what the widening conflict with Iran could mean for the future of US foreign policy.

Donald Trump Walking
Jose Luis Magana / AP
US Foreign Policy

Why Trump Is Focused on Cuba

Analysis
by Cécile Shea

A US oil blockade has brought Cuba to the negotiating table. That gives Washington an “extraordinary opportunity” to influence the island’s trajectory and its relationship with the United States. Will Trump’s power play get in the way?

A driver steers his bicycle taxi decorated with US and Cuban flags in Havana, Cuba
Ramon Espinosa / AP
US Foreign Policy