Will China Fill the UN Leadership Gap?

Analysis
by Raymond C. Kuo

Reports that Xi will forgo addressing the United Nations General Assembly ahead of his meeting with Trump in Washington raise uncomfortable questions about the role of multilateral institutions under great power compacts.

People walk around the plaza by the Sphere Within Sphere outside the United Nations Headquarters on the first day of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly's High-Level week, Monday, Sept. 22, 2025.
Angelina Katsanis / AP
Global Politics

The Next Defining Moment of the Iran War

Analysis
by Ariane Tabatabai

Six months into the war against Iran, the Trump administration has realized its strategy isn’t working. Will economic measures succeed where military operations failed?

A woman waves an Iranian flag during a pro-government gathering at a square in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026.
Vahid Salemi / AP
US Foreign Policy

What This Moment Requires of Us

Analysis
by Leslie Vinjamuri

The Council’s founders believed that the United States should have a positive vision for international engagement—and that the Midwest had a critical role to play.

A flower seller arranges bouquets ahead of celebrations marking the fifth anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal and the start of Taliban rule in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026.
Nava Jamshidi / AP
Global Politics

The Gulf's New NATO?

Analysis
by Rachel Bronson

The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement is not just a response to Iran but the divergence between states over theories of power.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pose after signing a trilateral defense agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026.
Saudi Press Agency via AP
Geopolitics

A Moment of Great Disruption

Analysis
by Leslie Vinjamuri

Answers to the questions on what comes next, from the Iran war to the midterm elections.

President Donald Trump disembarks Air Force One at Newark Liberty International Airport, New York seen in the background, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, in Newark, N.J.
Julia Demaree Nikhinson / AP
US Foreign Policy

The Paradox of President Trump's Peace Project

Analysis
by Leslie Vinjamuri

Trump can disrupt wars and force pauses but has yet to close one. The gap is creating space for middle powers—and an opening for China.

 President Donald Trump signs the charter of his Board of Peace initiative at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 22, 2026.
Markus Schreiber / AP
US Foreign Policy

What the US-Saudi Nuclear Deal Means for Global Nonproliferation

Analysis
by Rachel Bronson

Rachel Bronson explains how the deal's uranium enrichment terms and apparent bypass of IAEA oversight break from past US nuclear agreements—and what precedent that sets.

President Donald Trump speaks with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during the Saudi Investment Forum at the Kennedy Center, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, in Washington.
Evan Vucci / AP
US Foreign Policy

Could Burnham's 'Manchesterism' Be a Model for Fixing the West's Crisis?

Analysis
by Leslie Vinjamuri

New UK leader Andy Burnham is wagering that economic renewal at home, not global strategy, is what stands between Britain and its own populist reckoning.

Britain's new Prime Minister Andy Burnham arrives at 10 Downing Street in London, Monday, July 20, 2026.
Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP
Global Politics

The World Cup Amplified Old Tensions and Deferred to New Politics

Analysis
by Alexander Cooley

FIFA is increasingly bending to host countries on domestic politics, raising questions about whether global sporting events can still function as unifying forces.

President DonaldTrump walks onto the stage for the trophy presentation during the World Cup final
Abbie Parr / AP
Sports Diplomacy

The Shortcomings of US Transactionalism

Analysis
by Leslie Vinjamuri

America’s treatment of its allies is creating a gap that others will fill.

President Donald Trump walks through blue curtains
Alex Brandon / AP
US Foreign Policy