Donald Trump
Trump’s insistence on personal loyalty from ambassadors could crimp US foreign policy
Ambassadors play a middle role between the countries where they serve and the one they represent. Trump insists their loyalty must be to the US.
Ukraine is under pressure to trade land for peace − if it does, history shows it might not ever get it back
Ukraine may need a major, system-level change or crisis in Russia to regain any lost territories.
The rise and fall of globalisation: the battle to be top dog
In each era of globalisation since the mid-17th century, a single country has sought to be the clear world leader – shaping the rules of the global economy for all.
Rebirth of the madman theory? Unpredictability isn’t what it was when it comes to foreign policy
During the Cold War, projecting a readiness to act erratically may have served a purpose. But it has diminishing returns if used too often.
Is Trump heading to a Pyrrhic victory in Iran?
Pyrrhus was said to have remarked that one more victory would leave his kingdom ‘utterly ruined.’ Some see echoes in US interventions in the Middle East.
The US has long used economic coercion to achieve foreign policy goals — the war in Iran shows how that power has declined
US sanctions on foreign nations have lost some of their power to influence the behavior of other nations – with increasing costs for the US to boot.
When a president settles his own lawsuit to create a fund for allies, fundamental questions about justice arise
Donald Trump’s suit against the IRS and the settlement creating a $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund to compensate his allies raise important moral and constitutional issues.
Meloni and Trump’s cooling relationship marks the failure of an EU‑MAGA middle ground
Italy’s right-wing leader was once seen as Trump’s main ally in Western Europe – but not so anymore.
Strait of Hormuz: Why the US and Iran are sailing in very different legal waters
Tehran and Washington look to different rules to govern their conduct in the key choke point.
Russia’s pared‑down Victory Day parade tells a story: Away from the pomp, war in Ukraine is not going to Putin’s plan
Moscow’s influence is Eastern Europe has been slipping of late, including with the loss of a stalwart ally in Hungary. The battleground, as ever, remains Ukraine.