Commentary and Analysis

"There's been tension building, but yesterday, what happened last night, was definitely an escalation," Paul Poast says of the ongoing conflict between the two nations.

"The current situation is at a much higher level of intensity to where it doesn't seem like that's going to be easy to achieve, if it could even be achieved at all," Paul Poast says of diplomacy between the United States and Iran.

The centrality of wealth in US politics under Trump is more a sign of continuity than change. His falling out with Elon Musk only underscores this point, Paul Poast writes.

With Operation Spiderweb, Ukraine demonstrated it has a lot of fight left. All that means is that the war is set to rage on, Paul Poast writes.

Observers have argued that Trump has irreparably damaged the US reputation abroad. Paul Poast explores whether that matters.

Besides making business deals and accepting lavish gifts, Trump also promised a reset in US-Middle East relations, Paul Poast writes.

The Trump administration got a relatively easy win in deescalating the India-Pakistan conflict. It's not doing so well in Gaza and Ukraine, Paul Poast writes.

The US and Russian governments argued last week about who should get the credit for winning World War II. Both have the wrong takeaway, Paul Poast writes.

Pope Francis wasn't afraid to wield the Catholic Church's moral authority, which remains a potent force in world politics, Paul Poast writes.

"The hard reality is that the application of rules, be they domestic or international, comes down to exercises of power," Paul Poast writes.