Can Middle Powers Make the US-Led G20 Relevant?

Analysis
by Leslie Vinjamuri

The forum combines middle powers ambition with great power access. But the US presidency promises a narrow agenda and unpredictable leadership.

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, France's President Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stand as leaders pose for a group photo, on the opening day of the G20 Leaders' Summit, in Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025.
Yves Herman / AP
US Foreign Policy

What a Snap Election Could Mean for Israel and Netanyahu

Analysis
by Joel Braunold

Disputes within the Knesset over a military draft bill could prompt a change in Israel's leadership. What would it take to get there?

Israeli lawmakers in the Israeli parliament, during a session considering a bill to dissolve the government in Jerusalem, Wednesday, May 20,2026.
Ohad Zwigenberg / AP
Global Politics

The Ebola Outbreak Is a Test of International Health Cooperation

Analysis
by Joshua Busby

As the virus spreads, the United States is turning inward. Can the international community contain the outbreak without Washington?

Workers load World Health Organization (WHO) emergency supplies onto a United Nations plane in Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, May 20, 2026, headed for Congo to combat the Ebola outbreak in Ituri province.
Andrew Kasuku / AP
Global Health

Neither a Birthday Party nor a Funeral: How the Council is Preparing for America's 250th

Analysis
by Leslie Vinjamuri

The Council's America at 250 Global Forum will convene high-level policymakers, world-class scholars and experts, business leaders, and influential thought leaders to reflect on the nation's past and inform its future.

The U.S. Capitol backdrops the National Mall where construction crews prepare The Mall for the 250 anniversary celebrations, Thursday, May 28, 2026, in Washington.
Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP
US Foreign Policy

At Trump-Xi Summit, a Chance to Set the Terms on Taiwan

Analysis
by Coauthors

The Beijing meeting gives the United States an opportunity to push back on a Chinese narrative that worsens the bargaining positions of both Washington and Taipei.

 In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te speaks during a press conference on "Taiwan-U.S. Economic Prosperity Partnership" in Taipei, Taiwan on Feb. 3, 2026.
Taiwan Presidential Office via AP
US Foreign Policy

Will China Dominate the Future?

Analysis
by Evan Medeiros

Trump and Xi meet this week with vastly different goals and theories about where the world is going.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, center front, attends the opening session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Monday, March 4, 2024.
Tatan Syuflana / AP
Global Politics

What the Trump-Xi Summit Could Mean for US-China Relations

Analysis
by Raymond C. Kuo

From trade to Taiwan, the two leaders are set to discuss a range of thorny issues this week in Beijing.

President Donald Trump, left, shakes hands with China's President Xi Jinping during a meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019.
Susan Walsh / AP
Global Politics

What a Fragmented ASEAN Means for US-China Competition

Analysis
by Raymond C. Kuo

The Iran war’s ripple effects risk obscuring festering divisions within the Southeast Asian bloc—most notably its inability to develop a region-wide approach to Washington and Beijing.

A group photo during the opening ceremony of the 48th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings in Cebu, Philippines on Friday, May 8, 2026.
Aaron Favila / AP
Global Politics

Can the Next Secretary-General Bring the UN Back to Relevance?

Analysis
by Suzanne Nossel

The contest to succeed António Guterres is underway. As candidates put forward their visions, the more pressing question is what kind of leader the moment demands.

A screen shows Rafael Grossi, left, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General and a candidate for United Nations Secretary-General, speaking during an informal dialogue at U.N. headquarters, Tuesday, April 21, 2026.
Yuki Iwamura / AP
Global Politics

Beyond OPEC: The Geopolitical Earthquake Reshaping the Middle East and Its Neighbors

Analysis
by Rachel Bronson

The Iran war may have been the catalyst, but the UAE’s decision to leave the oil cartel is the culmination of years of geopolitical divergence with Saudi Arabia.

The skyline of Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Fatima Shbair / AP
Global Politics