The Chicago Council for Global Affairs

The conflict offers lessons for how to bolster European security with less support from the United States.

FIFA is increasingly bending to host countries on domestic politics, raising questions about whether global sporting events can still function as unifying forces.

But both Americans and Europeans are hopeful that relations will improve in the future.

The Iran war may have been the catalyst, but the UAE’s decision to leave the oil cartel is the culmination of years of geopolitical divergence with Saudi Arabia.

Council President and CEO Leslie Vinjamuri speaks with Christiane Amanpour about what options are on the table as the US-Iran ceasefire crumbles.

"Ultimately, I don't think that either the United States or Iran wants to return to March, when we had large-scale operations," says Council Vice President of Research for Security and Defense Ariane Tabatabai. "And so this, in my mind, is the new steady state for the foreseeable future."

"Despite open enmity toward multilateral institutions, the Trump administration finds itself turning back to these bodies to handle crises, distribute funds, and shoulder burdens," Council Lester Crown Senior Nonresident Fellow Suzanne Nossel writes.

Alliances have long been one of America's greatest strategic advantages. At 250, the United States must redefine its partnerships for a transformed geopolitical and technological era.

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement is up for review in 2026. In its pursuit of a strong economy, the United States would be smart to renew its trade partnership with its North American neighbors.

Since the days before its independence, America has gone to the extremes of foreign economic policy.

Recent history suggests that when the United States leads, others follow. And when it retreats, others take cover.