Will Merrow/CFR

Middle East and North Africa

The ramped-up U.S. attacks against the Yemen-based Houthis are possible in part due to an extensive military footprint in the Middle East. This article maps the U.S. military’s presence.

Yemen

Iranian support has boosted the military prowess of Yemen’s Houthi rebels, helping them project force into the Red Sea. Ramped up U.S.-led attacks on the group raise the prospect of military escalation with Iran.

Iran

A strategically weakened Iran has sent signals it would be willing to discuss the militarization of its nuclear program with the United States, but any diplomatic breakthroughs are highly unlikely.
Trade

RealEcon

President Trump’s upcoming tariff barrage is supposed to reduce trade deficits by cutting out imports. But more exports also bring higher-paying jobs and greater innovation.

RealEcon

President Donald Trump has announced that on April 2 he will impose tariffs on countries engaged in “non-reciprocal” trade with the United States, but the formula for calculating reciprocal tariff rates remains unclear.

Trade

There was once a broad consensus in Washington that trade was a force for good—a way to connect, grow, and prosper. But today, trade has evolved into something much bigger than just the exchange of goods. It’s become a powerful tool to rewrite the rules of foreign policy, reshape how the United States is viewed by the rest of the world, and steer us toward an increasingly uncertain future. When did this change begin, and where did we go off course?  
Myanmar

Myanmar

The massive earthquake in Myanmar has exacerbated the country’s existing crises, and will likely worsen instability rather than lead to peace.

 

Myanmar

Tariffs

Trade

Trade retaliation looms from Canada, China, Mexico, and the European Union in response to U.S. tariffs. Four timelines lay out their responses, and the experience of American soybean farmers in 2018 shows how damaging this could be. 

Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies

Studies have shown that tariffs depress productivity in protected industries. U.S. steel is a case in point.

 

United States

United States

Women in the military have been removed from the Department of Defense and Arlington Memorial Cemetery's websites: why this is happening and how it can be reversed.

Women and Women's Rights

Find out where women around the world wield political power—and why it matters.

Defense and Security

Deployed around the world, the armed forces are a pillar of U.S. power and influence abroad. But many civilians are unfamiliar with their composition. How much does the military resemble U.S. society?
CFR experts provide timely analysis on the trade-offs and costs associated with U.S. President Donald Trump’s economic policies.

Events

United States

Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin discusses U.S. monetary policy and the outlook for inflation and labor markets. The C. Peter McColough Series on International Economics brings the world’s foremost economic policymakers and scholars to address members on current topics in international economics. This meeting series is presented by the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies. If you wish to attend virtually, log-in information and instructions on how to participate during the question and answer portion will be provided the evening before the event to those who register. Please note the audio, video, and transcript of this hybrid meeting will be posted on the CFR website.

China

Panelists discuss the future of U.S.-China relations under the new Trump administration, including recent developments relating to trade, technological innovation, and increasing military tensions in the Indo-Pacific.If you wish to attend virtually, log-in information and instructions on how to participate during the question and answer portion will be provided the evening before the event to those who register. Please note the audio, video, and transcript of this hybrid meeting will be posted on the CFR website.This meeting is part of CFR's Transition 2025 Series, which examines the major foreign policy issues confronting the Trump administration and is presented in partnership with CFR’s China Strategy Initiative. 

Middle East and North Africa

Panelists discuss the Trump administration’s role in the Israel-Hamas peace negotiations, U.S. relations with other Middle East countries, and the administration’s priorities regarding U.S. involvement and stability in the region. This meeting is part of CFR’s Transition 2025 series, which examines the major foreign policy issues confronting the Trump administration. Please note there is no virtual component to the meeting. The audio, video, and transcript of the discussion portion of this event will be posted on the CFR website.

Defense and Security

In recent years, China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea have deepened their cooperation, raising concerns about an emerging “Axis of Autocracies” challenging U.S. global leadership. From military support and weapons transfers to economic backing, these alliances are reshaping the geopolitical landscape. This symposium will examine the extent of their collaboration, its global implications, and how the United States should respond to the threats it poses to U.S. national security. Click here to view the full agenda. This Hauser Symposium is made possible by the generous support of the Hauser Foundation. If you wish to attend virtually, log-in information and instructions on how to participate during the question and answer portion will be provided the evening before the event to those who register. Please note the audio, video, and transcript of this hybrid event will be posted on the CFR website.

Explainers

How Much Does the U.S. Pay to UN Agencies?
Many UN agencies, programs, and missions receive crucial funding from the United States. In his second administration, President Trump is again calling for greater scrutiny of U.S. funding and involvement in the global body.

Featured Publications

International Law

Few Americans have done more than Jerome A. Cohen to advance the rule of law in East Asia. The founder of the study of Chinese law in the United States and a tireless advocate for human rights, Cohen has been a scholar, teacher, lawyer, and activist for more than sixty years. Moving among the United States, China, and Taiwan, he has encouraged legal reforms, promoted economic cooperation, mentored law students—including a future president of Taiwan—and brokered international crises. In this compelling, conversational memoir, Cohen recounts a dramatic life of striving for a better world from Washington, DC, to Beijing, offering vital first-hand insights from the study and practice of Sino-American relations. In the early 1960s, when Americans were not permitted to enter China, he met with émigrés in Hong Kong and interviewed them on Chinese criminal procedure. After economic reform under Deng Xiaoping, Cohen’s knowledge of Chinese law took on a new importance as foreign companies began to pursue business opportunities. Helping China develop and reconstruct its legal system, he made an influential case for the roles of Western law and lawyers. Cohen helped break political barriers in both China and Taiwan, and he was instrumental in securing the release of political prisoners in several countries. Sharing these experiences and many others, this book tells the full story of an unparalleled career bridging East and West.

Public Health Threats and Pandemics

A detailed exploration of the most sweeping government border closures in human history during the COVID-19 pandemic and the implications for the future of global mobility.

United States

Son of the Midwest, movie star, and mesmerizing politician—America’s fortieth president comes to three-dimensional life in this gripping and profoundly revisionist biography.