The Challenges of a Nuclear Deal with Iran

Analysis
by Saeid Golkar

While the Trump administration's proposed agreement would curtail Tehran’s ability to develop a nuclear weapon, it would not touch the real drivers of the Islamic Republic’s power.

an Iranian missile and flag
Vahid Salemi / AP
Global Politics

Why Pakistan is Mediating Between the United States and Iran

Analysis
by Paul Staniland

Thinking about Pakistan as a South Asian power misses the fact that it has regional connections to the Middle East—and global power connections it can leverage.

 President Donald Trump listens as Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif speaks at a podium
Evan Vucci / AP
Global Politics

In Cuba, Food Security Is a Point of Political Pressure—and Solidarity

Analysis
by Ertharin Cousin

The global response to Cuba’s worsening humanitarian plight reveals a growing divide over whether limiting access to food and energy is an acceptable form of leverage or if there is a shared international responsibility for humanitarian intervention.

Activists from the vessel Maguro that arrived from Mexico, behind, as part of the "Nuestra America," or Our America convoy, unload humanitarian aid with the help of Cuban port workers in Havana Bay, Cuba, Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
IPS via AP / Jorge Luis Banos
Food and Agriculture

Behind China's Measured Response to the Middle East Conflict

Analysis
by Leslie Vinjamuri

The Iran war is presenting the greatest test yet of the limits of America's power in an increasingly multipolar world.

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping
Mark Schiefelbein / AP
Global Politics

Why Trump Is Focused on Cuba

Analysis
by Cécile Shea

A US oil blockade has brought Cuba to the negotiating table. That gives Washington an “extraordinary opportunity” to influence the island’s trajectory and its relationship with the United States. Will Trump’s power play get in the way?

A driver steers his bicycle taxi decorated with US and Cuban flags in Havana, Cuba
Ramon Espinosa / AP
US Foreign Policy

Anthropic, the Pentagon, and Claude's Split Personality

Analysis
by Suzanne Nossel

Anthropic implicitly acknowledges the two faces of Claude: one with the firm ethical constraints embodied in its constitution, and a second available to do just about anything the Pentagon says—just as long as it can do it well.

Pages from the Anthropic website and the company's logos are displayed on a computer screen in New York on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.
Patrick Sison / AP
Tech and Science

The USMCA Review: What to Keep in Mind and What to Watch for on North American Trade

Analysis
by Julián Ventura

North America has a chance to come out on top of global trade, investment, and competitiveness in a rapidly shifting geopolitical environment.

President Donald Trump, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney hold their countries' cards during the draw for the 2026 soccer World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025
Stephanie Scarbrough / AP
Global Economy

War in the Middle East Ushers in a World of 'Might Makes Right'

Analysis
by Leslie Vinjamuri

The US-led postwar international order is being tested in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz and in the shrewd calculations of governments from New Delhi to Helsinki.

A man walks along the shore as oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, March 11, 2026.
Altaf Qadri / AP
US Foreign Policy

Why the War in Iran Prompted a Global Energy Crisis—and How it Might End

Analysis
by Coauthors

The widening conflict in the Middle East underscores the recurrent vulnerability of fossil fuel energy systems—and why a pivot to renewables is critical.

A UPS truck driver stands in transit as gasoline prices are advertised at over seven dollars a gallon at a gas station downtown Los Angeles Tuesday, March 3, 2026.
Damian Dovarganes / AP
Global Politics

In New Delhi, Crisis Furthers an Embrace of Multipolarity

Analysis
by Leslie Vinjamuri

Across the first two days of the Raisina Dialogue, the Global South and Europe worked to forge a way forward amid profound disruption and uncertainty.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi listens to a speaker during the inauguration of the second edition of the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017. Raisina Dialogue is India's flagship geo-political conference organized annually by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in association with the Ministry of External Affairs.
Manish Swarup / AP
Global Politics