How Foreign Policy Drove the Midterm Vote

In the News
Fox 32
Craig Kafura

Council Director of Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Craig Kafura joins Fox 32 to discuss how the Iran war, tariffs, and US support for Israel impacted the vote—and what might happen next.

Craig Kafura appears on NewsNation Public Opinion

The Dangers of a Lame-Duck Trump

In the News
Foreign Affairs
Daniel W. Drezner

"A boxed-in Trump, with no obvious constructive foreign policy outlet to channel his energy, may well lash out internationally," Council Senior Nonresident Fellow Daniel Drezner and Elizabeth Saunders write.

President Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally at Sioux Gateway Airport
Alex Brandon / AP
US Foreign Policy

Bloomberg Surveillance: Democrats' Midterm Sweep

In the News
Bloomberg
Leslie Vinjamuri

"I don't see this as a huge foreign policy election," Council President and CEO Leslie Vinjamuri says, pointing to other issues like affordability and corruption. "[But] I think generally people haven't been pleased with foreign policy because it's been disruptive and it's affected them."

A volunteer sorts I Voted stickers at the Brooklyn Museum in New York on Election Day,
Yuki Iwamura / AP
US Foreign Policy

US Cuts Aid to Israel as American Attitudes Shift

In the News
Fox 32
Dina Smeltz

"In both parties, there's a generational shift away from Israel," Council Managing Director and Chair of Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Dina Smeltz tells Fox 32.

Dina Smeltz appears on Fox 32 Public Opinion

Election Puts Iran Policy in Focus

In the News
Bloomberg
Leslie Vinjamuri

"The Iran war is deeply unpopular, and people see its impacts here at home," Council President and CEO Leslie Vinjamuri tells Bloomberg.

Leslie Vinjamuri appears on Bloomberg US Foreign Policy

Trump Has Lost the Foreign Policy Debate

In the News
Foreign Policy
Coauthors

Polling by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the University of Texas at Austin shows the president’s policies are deeply unpopular.

Donald Trump pictured in front of an American flag
Jacquelyn Martin / AP
Public Opinion

Ukraine at a Crossroads: US Tensions and Iran

In the News
Bloomberg
Leslie Vinjamuri

Leslie Vinjamuri discusses the stakes for Ukraine, Europe, and Republicans heading into the midterms and how the Iran war is affecting US politics.

A screenshot of Leslie Vinjamuri on screen US Foreign Policy

Russia's Hybrid War Has Entered a Dangerous New Phase

In the News
Foreign Affairs
Julianne Smith

"As long as each provocation costs Moscow nothing more than a downed drone, Putin has every reason to keep escalating," Council Distinguished Nonresident Fellow in Defense and Security Julianne Smith writes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, visits the Center-2026 military exercises at the Chebarkulsky training ground outside Chebarkul, Chelyabinsk region, Russia, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026.
Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP
Geopolitics

War, Tariffs, Israel: How Trump's Foreign Policy Is Influencing the Midterms

In the News
The Christian Science Monitor
Dina Smeltz

“People are making the connection between a foreign policy issue and their personal financial well-being more than at any time I’ve seen in the last 15 years," Council Managing Director and Chair of Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Dina Smeltz tells The Christian Science Monitor.

People vote in the primary election at Northwestern High School in Detroit
Nic Antaya / AO
Public Opinion

How the United States Can Once Again Lead on Human Rights

In the News
Foreign Policy
Suzanne Nossel

"Civic pluralism offers an entry point to repair relationships, restore credibility, and demonstrate Washington’s readiness to help the world tackle common challenges," Council Lester Crown Senior Nonresident Fellow Suzanne Nossel writes in Foreign Policy.

A large United States flag
Julio Cortez / AP
US Foreign Policy