What This Moment Requires of Us

As we move squarely into peak summer, things continue to be bleak on the geopolitical front. Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has nearly stopped as negotiations falter and coercion increasingly substitute for diplomacy. In the Black Sea, renewed attacks on commercial shipping are threatening Ukrainian grain exports and global food supplies. The effort to build internal and regional resilience in the face of a disruptive region and unreliable United States continues. Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan announced a regional defense arrangement. Experts are divided on whether this is designed to augment US engagement or work around it. Regardless, it is yet another sign that cooperation and collective action are lacking a global steward.   

Tomorrow marks five years since the Taliban regained control of Kabul, and later this month, five years since the United States completed its chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. Former US Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker joined me on the Deep Dish podcast this week to reflect on America’s longest war. He was adamant that the costs of maintaining a limited US presence in Afghanistan would have been minimal, and that the decision to withdraw has had dire consequences. Meanwhile, The Economist has pressed hard on one of the most challenging decisions states are facing: whether to engage with the Taliban or continue to isolate it. Engagement may present horrible moral dilemmas. But in a world of bad alternatives, they argue it is a trade worth making.  My view? Engage selectively, with conditions, and a very clear objective in mind: to bring greater stability to the region and improve lives in Afghanistan—especially those of the women and girls who are suffering.   

I have been thinking about what this moment of geopolitical rupture and disorder requires of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. The Council was founded in 1922 by a group of women and men who believed that the United States should have a positive vision for international engagement, and, importantly, that the Midwest had a critical role to play. They were committed to providing an alternative to the isolationist sentiment that was taking root across the Midwest. Today, many people and states across the globe feel that the United States has ceased to provide a moral compass for international relations, that it has abandoned its role as a provider of global peace and stability, and, even more so, that it has left others to pick up the pieces of the multilateral institutions it once stewarded. Views do vary, however. Last weekend, I delivered a keynote address at the Bucerius Summer School in Hanover, Germany, where one participant reminded the group that as you move closer to Ukraine, many people are very desirous of and grateful for America's support. 

In this context—and as we rapidly approach an election season—the Council has a responsibility to convene our members, bring influential policymakers and thought leaders to the Midwest, and promote high-level dialogue about the future of America and the international order. As always, we do this with more than 50 years of commitment to understanding US public opinion on foreign policy.  

The challenge in front of us is not a shortage of information. Rather, it is a shortage of trusted spaces where people can make sense of today’s disruptive geopolitics, subject their beliefs to rigorous debate and dialogue, and connect to national and global expert communities. At the Council, we are working to meet this charge. The 2026 Chicago Council Survey will launch October 1, providing critical insights into American public opinion ahead of the midterm elections. On November 5, we will hold a high-level panel to consider the consequences of the new Congress for US democracy and foreign policy. And we have a slate of exciting programs on China, NATO, the global economy, artificial intelligence, global food security, and more that will be announced in the weeks ahead.   

As always, we know we cannot do this work alone. The Warsaw Security Forum, RAND Europe, the Council on Foreign Relations, Princeton University's Reimagining World Order Initiative, the London School of Economics, and SOAS University of London are among the many partners we will be working with this upcoming season. We will also be hosting leaders and experts from the World Economic Forum here in Chicago. 

As we finalize our plans for the season, The Global Issue will be going on a brief break. We will resume publishing in early September. In the meantime, I hope to see those of you who are members of our giving circles on September 9, where I will share more news about the Council’s plans and strategic future at the President’s Reception.