Lawfare Daily: Ukraine, Iran, Taiwan, and the Short War Illusion

In the News
Lawfare
Ariane Tabatabai

Council Vice President of Research for Security and Defense Ariane Tabatabai joins the podcast to discuss how the short war illusion is playing out today and how it could play out in a future conflict between China and Taiwan.

ships in the Taiwan Strait
US Navy via AP
Defense and Security

How America’s Adversaries Have Stopped Fighting Alone

In the News
Time
Ariane Tabatabai

"Russian support for Iran in the war with the US was not a new development," Council Vice President of Research for Security and Defense Ariane Tabatabai and John Drennan write. "Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea had been deepening and widening their cooperation."

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrive at a military parade to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender
Kremlin Pool Photo via AP
Defense and Security

Trump Says the US And Iran Have Agreed on a Deal

In the News
NPR
Ariane Tabatabai

"I think President Trump had overestimated how much he could achieve militarily. And I think Iran might now be overestimating what it can achieve diplomatically based on the cycle that we're in," Council Vice President of Research for Security and Defense Ariane Tabatabai tells NPR.

A woman walks past a mural depicting a US aircraft carrier under missile attack
Vahid Salemi / AP
US Foreign Policy

The Paradox of President Trump's Peace Project

Analysis
by Leslie Vinjamuri

Trump can disrupt wars and force pauses but has yet to close one. The gap is creating space for middle powers—and an opening for China.

 President Donald Trump signs the charter of his Board of Peace initiative at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 22, 2026.
Markus Schreiber / AP
US Foreign Policy

Can Britain Grow Again?

Podcast
Deep Dish on Global Affairs Podcast

Britain's new prime minister inherits an economy that has struggled to grow for years, with less room to maneuver in an increasingly competitive world. Financial Times columnist Gillian Tett explains what's holding Britain back and what it will take to get growth moving again.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham sits next to Queen Camilla and King Charles III at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony in Glasgow, Scotland on July 27, 2026.
Kin Cheung / AP
Global Politics

Burnham Meets with Zelensky for First Time as UK Prime Minister

In the News
BBC News
Leslie Vinjamuri

"This meeting really moves the needle in a very serious way [and] makes it clear that he is prepared to be a statesperson on the biggest issues of war and peace," Council President and CEO Leslie Vinjamuri tells BBC News.

Leslie Vinjamuri speaks with a BBC presenter Global Politics

What the US-Saudi Nuclear Deal Means for Global Nonproliferation

Analysis
by Rachel Bronson

Rachel Bronson explains how the deal's uranium enrichment terms and apparent bypass of IAEA oversight break from past US nuclear agreements—and what precedent that sets.

President Donald Trump speaks with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during the Saudi Investment Forum at the Kennedy Center, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, in Washington.
Evan Vucci / AP
US Foreign Policy

Could Burnham's 'Manchesterism' Be a Model for Fixing the West's Crisis?

Analysis
by Leslie Vinjamuri

New UK leader Andy Burnham is wagering that economic renewal at home, not global strategy, is what stands between Britain and its own populist reckoning.

Britain's new Prime Minister Andy Burnham arrives at 10 Downing Street in London, Monday, July 20, 2026.
Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP
Global Politics

Transatlantic Publics Lose Confidence That Allies Will Help in Event of Attack

BLOG
Running Numbers by Dina Smeltz

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

Two men walk past the NATO logo
Hussein Malla / AP
Public Opinion

What Winning the AI Race Really Means

Podcast
Deep Dish on Global Affairs Podcast

Everyone is asking whether the US is ahead in the AI race. Anne Neuberger argues that's the wrong question and explains what matters instead.

A factory working lining up a data chip under a machine.
Jeffrey McWhorter / AP
Tech and Science