The Global Issue
A weekly reflection from Council President & CEO Leslie Vinjamuri on the ideas and events influencing the world today.
Latest | The Global Issue
In Greenland, European Allies Push Back Against Trump’s Pressure Campaign
A joint European troop deployment underscores how US allies are navigating Greenland, NATO obligations, and a more coercive American approach.
Trump 2.0 Enters 2026 in Full Force
Trump's first foreign policy moves of the new year included invading Venezuela, threatening to coerce Greenland into becoming a US territory, and withdrawing the US from 66 international organizations.
Trump Redefined Transatlantic Ties in the NSS. Where Does China Stand?
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.
The G20 Presidency Presents an Opportunity for the United States. Will Trump Take It?
The Trump administration’s national security strategy calls for US dominance. But in embracing a G20 agenda of multilateralism, the United States could affirm its role as a world leader—and elevate its ability to set the terms.
In His Pursuit of Peace, Trump Defers the Difficult Details
From the exclusion of Europe in outlining a Ukraine peace plan, a continued push against Venezuela, and his embrace of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Trump showed this week that he will disrupt the status quo to deliver on his agenda.
Why Is the UK Distancing Itself from the US?
This week’s incidents speak to a growing, and concerning, trust deficit between the United States and its closest European ally.