Past Events

After US-Israel Strikes: What Comes Next for Iran and the Region?

PAST EVENT VIDEO
Rapid Response

A live stream with Lisa Anderson, Daniel Byman, and Leslie Vinjamuri on the emerging developments following the joint US-Israel coordinated strikes on Iran.

US Missile Strike
US Central Command / AP

US-Iran Nuclear Tensions: What Is at Stake and What Comes Next?

PAST EVENT VIDEO
Rapid Response

A live stream with Suzanne Maloney and Vali Nasr on escalating US-Iran nuclear talks and US President Donald Trump’s threat of an imminent US strike.

US Navy Striker in Indian Ocean
Seaman Daniel Kimmelman / US Navy via AP

Commentary

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 with Iran Could Be a Long One

In the News
Time
Paul Poast

"The conditions that typically produce short wars—a decisive military advantage, an adversary willing to negotiate, and a clear political end game—are conspicuously absent in this conflict," Council Senior Nonresident Fellow Paul Poast and Pegah Banihashemi write.

A man holds up an Iranian flag and a poster of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Vahid Salemi / AP
Defense and Security

Research

Majority of Americans Say Congress' Approval Needed for US Strikes in Iran

RESEARCH
Public Opinion Survey by Coauthors

While few Americans want to see Iran develop a nuclear weapon, just half expressed support for US airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities—and most believe direct military action would spark a broader regional war.

Plumes of smoke from two simultaneous strikes rise over Tehran, Iran
Mohsen Ganji / AP
US Foreign Policy

Americans See Congress as Weak on Foreign Policy Compared to the President

RESEARCH
Public Opinion Survey by Coauthors

Just three in 10 Americans see the division of foreign policy powers between Congress and the president as “about right.”

President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress
Jessica Koscielniak / Pool via AP
Public Opinion

Experts

Rachel Bronson 

Lester Crown Senior Nonresident Fellow, Energy and Geopolitics
Photo of Rachel Bronson

Joshua Busby 

Senior Nonresident Fellow, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy
headshot of Joshua Busby