A House Divided? American Foreign Policy After the Midterms

Hybrid

John Ikenberry, Charles Kupchan, Shannon O'Neil, Adam Posen and Leslie Vinjamuri discuss how the 2026 midterms will shape the direction of US foreign policy and America’s role in the world in the months ahead.

The top of the US capitol photographed from in between two tree branches on September 2, 2026.

Nov

Mariam Zuhaib / AP

Speakers

G. John Ikenberry
Charles Kupchan
Shannon O'Neil
Adam S. Posen
Leslie Vinjamuri

Date and Time

Nov 5: 5:30 - 6:30 pm CST

Doors Open: 5:15 pm

Location

Chicago Council Conference Center, 130 E Randolph Street; or via YouTube

Who Can Attend

For All

REGISTRATION

This event is open to the public.

About This Event

Whatever the outcome, the 2026 midterms will help set the political terrain for American foreign policy over the next two years. The results could reshape debates over trade, defense spending, support for Ukraine, and relations with allies, while offering new clues about which foreign policy priorities have public support and political staying power. What will the new balance of power mean for US foreign policy? Where might the election reinforce the direction Washington is already heading, and where could it force a change in course? And what should allies and adversaries take away from the results? Join John Ikenberry, Charles Kupchan, Shannon O'Neil, Adam Posen, and moderator Leslie Vinjamuri for a conversation on what the midterms mean for the next chapter of American foreign policy.

Copies of Charles Kupchan's latest book, Bringing Order to Anarchy: Governing the World to Come, will be available for sale and signing following the program.

About the Speakers

G. John Ikenberry

Albert G. Milbank Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Princeton University

G. John Ikenberry is the Albert G. Milbank Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University and co-director of Princeton's Center for International Security Studies. A fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he has been ranked among the top international relations scholars of the past two decades.

Charles Kupchan

Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations; Former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European Affairs, National Security Council

Charles Kupchan is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and professor of international affairs at Georgetown University in the Walsh School of Foreign Service and Department of Government. From 2014 to 2017, Kupchan served as special assistant to the president and senior director for European affairs on the staff of the National Security Council.

Shannon O'Neil

Vice President, Deputy Director of Studies, Council on Foreign Relations

Shannon K. O'Neil is senior vice president of studies and Maurice R. Greenberg chair as well as the Nelson and David Rockefeller senior fellow for Latin America Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. She is an expert on Latin America, global trade, US-Mexico relations, corruption, democracy, and immigration, and is the author of "The Globalization Myth: Why Regions Matter."

Adam S. Posen

President, Peterson Institute for International Economics; Former External Member, Monetary Policy Committee, Bank of England

Adam S. Posen is president of the Peterson Institute for International Economics and a leading macroeconomist whose research focuses on globalization, international economic policy, and China–US economic relations. He previously served on the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee and has written extensively on monetary policy and the global economy.

Leslie Vinjamuri

President & Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Council on Global Affairs

Dr. Leslie Vinjamuri joined the Council in 2025 as the president and chief executive officer, after previously serving as director of the US and the Americas program at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, known as Chatham House, in London. She is Professor of Practice in International Studies and Diplomacy at SOAS University of London.

An American flag in front of the US Capitol building

Mapping the Global Future This event is part of Mapping the Global Future, an initiative that brings together leading scholars and thought leaders to identify the trends shaping international order and to examine how domestic politics shapes US foreign policy.

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