Reports

The United States is a resilient nation positioned to make a quick post-pandemic recovery. A broad assessment of the elements of U.S. power and the state of American society finds few challenges related to the Covid-19 that could undermine the country’s stability or sap its capacity to project its global ...

Our favorite GIS cartoons of 2020

Joe Biden’s policies toward China can be inferred from his political trajectory, his record and election promises, and also the policies and public statements of key figures in the president-elect’s emerging administration. This report indicates the areas in foreign relations, trade, technology and defense where policy changes are imminent, and ...

Though Saudi Arabia appears willing to normalize its relations with Israel, it must act cautiously. Riyadh is waiting to see which path President-elect Joe Biden will take once in the White House, but many assume his approach to the Middle East will differ from the Trump administration’s strategy. Nevertheless, it ...

The World Health Organization did poorly in living up to its responsibilities at the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Much of this can be put down to its leader, who had a mixed record coming into his position and seems to be heavily backed by China. The future of this ...

Joe Biden’s victory in the U.S. presidential election may mean less change than many expect, especially when it comes to the essential nature of the U.S.’s relationships with other countries. Moreover, President Trump had some important successes that instead of undermining, the president-elect should reinforce.

Last month, Israel and Sudan signed an agreement on normalizing relations. Though less comprehensive than similar deals Israel recently signed with the UAE and Bahrain, the pact is still significant for its potential to stabilize Sudan and generate momentum toward Middle East peace. The question now is whether the new ...

Despite being the largest trade agreement in modern history, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) will have only a limited impact in Asia, where most countries have already signed trade deals with each other. China’s aggressive military posturing will undo any eventual soft power benefits. Meanwhile, the regional relevance of ...

Through RCEP, Asian and Pacific countries have created the largest and most powerful trade zone in the world. Although there is no lack of geopolitical tension in the region, the member states have put aside political issues to prioritize economic growth. This could serve as an example for Europe, which ...

The WTO is a relatively cheap international organization, but it has achieved very little since it was created in 1995. It will not likely disappear, especially if it keeps a low profile and transforms bilateral deals driven by politics into multilateral deals. That would be less useful than if it ...

The geopolitics of the Caribbean region is dominated by natural resources, disputes over sovereignty and the growing salience of national identities. Oil-dependent Venezuela is in steep decline but sustained by allies, while an underdeveloped Guyana is expecting a major energy windfall. In the long term, China will use both carrot ...

China’s recent moves to secure supply chains, win over allies and beef up its military made it clear that it saw conflict with the West as a possibility. Now, its new five-year plan will develop policies meant to insulate it from the possible negative effects of the great power competition. ...

Though small and separated by vast distances, Pacific Island nations play a key role in Western military and diplomatic strategy. They host crucial bases and help provide international clout to allies like Taiwan. Like in other areas of the world, however, China has been flexing its muscles in the region, ...

Shortly after Democratic candidate Joe Biden declared victory, European states began expressing their hope of a new era in transatlantic relations. However, the nature of U.S.-EU ties is unlikely to undergo a profound change. A Biden presidency will also have its downsides. President Trump’s style might have made him unpopular ...

Free trade is undergoing a dip in popularity, as it gives way to economic nationalism in many parts of the globe. Much of this comes down to the WTO and its failure to rein in China’s unfair economic practices since 2001. Washington wants to bring about fundamental changes in the ...

The Chinese app TikTok has rapidly conquered the American market, but its fate is now uncertain due to security concerns. President Trump has put an upcoming ban on hold to discuss a deal that would create a joint venture between American and Chinese companies. However, Beijing has proven unwilling to ...

Ahead of the November 3 elections in the U.S., the Democratic Party has cobbled together a broad but fragile anti-Trump coalition. Older, centrist Democrats and a young socialist faction have come to a compromise in hopes of boosting their candidate’s chances. But even in the event of a victory for ...

In the aftermath of the Chinese Communist Party’s harsh crackdown on Hong Kong’s independence, many observers believe Taiwan will now face increased pressure from Beijing to fall in line with the political and economic goals of mainland China. While the West has done little in response to the Hong Kong ...

With a new import ban on 101 kinds of weapons, Narendra Modi is continuing his quest to expand India’s domestic arms industry. The lack of arms manufacturing has been a concern since the 1960s, and despite criticisms, the latest efforts are bearing some fruit. But India still has a slow ...

With two months to go until the 2020 presidential election, U.S. policy on Venezuela faces new urgency. While the country has been used as a political football for domestic reasons, the crisis in Venezuela has serious consequences for the interests of America and its regional partners. Resolving that crisis is ...

The Chinese craft intrusions in the territorial waters and airspace of Japan’s Senkaku Islands put Tokyo in a quandary. It has worked hard to have good relations with Beijing. The question marks over the reliability of Washington’s support for U.S. Asian allies further complicates the Japanese position.

President Donald Trump has finally announced a long-discussed redeployment of some American forces in Europe, mainly from Germany to Italy and Belgium. Wielded as a “punishment" by the U.S. administration, the move is less consequential from an immediate military perspective than critics and the media would admit. But it does ...

Moscow and Beijing may prefer one U.S. presidential candidate over the other, but it is unlikely that either power would be able to influence the outcome of the U.S. electoral process in a significant way.

The toughest nut to crack in the Balkans remains resolving the Kosovo-Serbia conflict. Recently, the U.S. has stepped further into the fray, jockeying with the EU for primacy in leading the negotiations. At the same time, the regime in Belgrade has strengthened, while in Pristina, the third government in a ...