"It's a psychology need that he has, not a need that is driven by US national interests," Council Senior Nonresident Fellow Suzanne Nossel says of US President Trump's aim to take control of Greenland.
"My fear is that this could lead to a very, very escalatory trade war," Council President and CEO Leslie Vinjamuri says of rising transatlantic tensions.
The US capture of Venezuela’s Maduro echoed intents outlined by Trump in the 2025 National Security Strategy. While the action might have appealed to his Republican base, the strategy’s principles are mostly out of step with US public opinion on America’s engagement in the world.
"The person that is probably benefiting the most right now is Vladimir Putin," Nonresident Senior Fellow Bruce Jentleson says. "'What's yours in mine' is what he said to Ukraine."
"Whether one loves Donald Trump or hates him, this daring operation shows what leadership in the executive branch looks like," Council Board Member Richard Porter writes following the US intervention in Venezuela.
"This administration wants to enlist its friends to help secure its dominance in the Western Hemisphere," Leslie Vinjamuri says. "It's also willing to push the boundaries of what we have come to see as normal, expected, legitimate, international behavior in order to secure that dominance."
"Beijing’s efforts to strike a nationalist chord among Chinese citizens regarding Taiwanese unification might not be easily transmitted," the Council's Dina Smeltz and Craig Kafura write.
The Trump administration rejects the post-Cold War international order and sets out a new vision in its National Security Strategy. At the Doha Forum, world leaders reckoned with its impact on long-standing alliances and its implications for war and peace.
