Global Insights

The United States was once hailed as a pinnacle example for democracy, but its credibility has slowly eroded since the turn of the century. Since the Trump presidency, that credibility has declined exponentially due to blatant attacks on democracy, financial crises, and increasingly growing political polarization among its citizens. How have domestic issues affected its global credibility, partner...

This year, India overtook its neighbor and rival China in population, while protests raged in France after the national retirement age was delayed due to the country’s aging population. While the population of much of the developed world continues to grow older, countries in the developing world are growing faster and getting younger. Just months after the world population finally hit the 8 billio...

An armed conflict has erupted between rival factions of the military government in Sudan, resulting in widespread violence and chaos across Sudan, with the majority of fighting happening in cities of over 100,000 people. The fighting comes just months after the civilian political forces and the military signed an agreement to transfer power to a civilian government. As the conflict grows, what is...

Water instability is a global challenge that will have far-reaching implications in the coming years. It is inextricably linked to conflict and competition between international and national governments as well as non-state actors in the private sector. On the other hand, it is also the source of new forms of innovation and cooperation. How will issues of rising population, political instability,...

Last year, Chinese leader Xi Jinping gave his opening remarks for the 20th Party Congress, where he is poised to secure a norm-breaking third term. In his speech, President Xi called national security the “foundation of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” and urged enhancing security across all aspects of China’s power, including economic and defense. Outside the Great Hall of the People, he...

Paramilitary organizations and private military companies have played significant roles in the execution of some countries’ foreign policy; Russia’s Wagner Group serves as one of the more notorious examples. Not officially recognized in the eyes of their country’s law, this paramilitary force carries out operations unhampered by the direct oversight of government. How has Russian foreign policy co...

In late 2022, mass demonstrations broke out in China against the Zero Covid Policy. In a rare move, the Chinese government acknowledged these acts of dissent by relaxing Covid restrictions. However, despite this concession, there were many reports of protesters being tracked down with the help of an advanced state surveillance system and severely punished, with aggressive interrogations and threat...

Pakistan is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis, exacerbated by political paralysis, devastating floods, rising inflation, and the resurgence of terrorism. The country is dealing with three intersecting crises: an economic crisis, a political crisis, and a security crisis that has grown since the fall of Kabul. How can Pakistan address the multi-faceted and interlocking challenges tha...

Over the years, recruitment and the creation of a healthy talent pipeline for national security jobs have become a concern. A changing landscape of challenges, including competition from the private sector, government shutdowns, shifts in educational priorities, and hiring freezes have complicated efforts to attract sufficient young talent with the right skillsets. In particular, the U.S. governme...

Compared to his predecessors, Xi Jinping is more focused on military modernization, which he views as a prerequisite for achieving the “China Dream” of national rejuvenation by the midcentury. China also intends to be entirely independent in its defense sector and compete with other well-established military industries such as Russia and the United States. What are the current capabilities of the...

India is navigating a foreign policy conundrum following its decision to abstain from voting against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. These new demarcations of loyalties are stirring up crucial considerations and questions about India’s global strategy at a time when it is taking over leadership of the G20 for the year. India’s past policy of nonalignment has been reinvigorated under the Bhartiya Jan...

Between September and October 2022, the United Kingdom witnessed a rotation of three individuals in the position of Prime Minister. The newly inaugurated Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has inherited a treacherous economic recession and now faces the challenge of stabilizing the U.K. economy. According to the Office of National Statistics, Britain had the worst-performing economy of any G7 country in t...

In 2020, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace published a report called “Making U.S. Foreign Policy Work Better for the Middle Class,” using interviews from middle-income people in Colorado, Ohio, and Nebraska to gauge what the American middle class wants to see from foreign policy. Securing a “foreign policy for the middle class” went on to become a major talking point in Biden’s 2020 c...

On March 5th, Chinese outgoing Premier Li Keqiang opened the National People’s Congress meeting with his annual Work Report and revealed a growth target of “around 5%”, the lowest since 1976. For decades, the country had expanded by more than 10% annually. Even though China missed its target last year by a wide margin due to its zero-Covid policy, not many people expected this low of a target from...

20 years ago this month, the United States launched its invasion of Iraq, an operation that ousted brutal dictator Saddam Hussein at the cost of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives. Since the occupation ended, the rise of ISIS and governance challenges line the bumpy path to peace. What are some of the major challenges the country is dealing with? Where is there hope for building peace, stability...

Tension between the United States and China has intensified, and the U.S. is expressing growing concerns over China's relationship with Russia. Given the current political climate, is it still possible for the two nations to cooperate, and what could be the consequences of a deteriorating relationship? Join us for a discussion with former U.S. diplomat and Fellow at Yale School of Law's...

As President Biden took office and outlined his foreign policy agenda, China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force continuously breached Taiwanese airspace with military planes. Tensions across the Formosa Strait continue to rise and with the crackdown on Hong Kong and China’s bolstered economy, experts are warning Taiwan is in a vulnerable geopolitical position. Recently re-elected President Tsai...

Democracy promotion has long been a key component of U.S. foreign policy, but this objective has become increasingly more complex in recent years. On the one hand, democracy promotion is now a more pressing goal than ever before, as democracies around the world face a multitude of domestic and international threats. On the other hand, many have argued that the United States is no longer in a posit...

Russian spies and covert intelligence missions seem like tools of the bygone era of the Cold War, but in reality, Russia continues to employ similar policies and techniques to this day. As made clear by recent cyber hacks and interference in the 2020 presidential election, Russian intelligence actions have far-reaching impacts on U.S. national security and present even greater challenges in today’...

Much of what is understood about Saudi Arabia is based on stereotypes depicting the country as homogenous. In reality, Saudi Arabia is a diverse and complex country faced with deepening social stratification. Saudi’s youth, which makes up over 30 percent of the population, has a significant role in voicing a vision for Saudi Arabia’s future. So, what is their role in driving social reforms and res...

Since November 2020, the ongoing tensions between the Ethiopian federal government and the leadership of the northern Tigray region have been manifesting as open conflict. The violence has resulted in both humanitarian and political crises, with reports of possible ethnic cleansing of Tigrayans and mass displacement and migration of Ethiopians. With Ethiopia serving as a long-standing provider of...

Join us on on the conversation between Ambassador Robert Finn (the first U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan after the U.S. invasion), Best-seller Author Ahmed Rashid (author of five books including ‘Taliban’ (2000) which was translated into 40 languages and sold 1.5 million copies in English alone and ‘Jihad – The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia’ (2002), and Brigadier General (r) Peter B. Zwack...

Despite the range of policy differences between Presidents Trump and Biden, both administrations see China as a strategic threat and great-power rival. It explains why, after nine months in the White House, there has been no sign that Biden is preparing to quickly abandon the use of Trump’s signature tariffs. What are the underlying assumptions about China and its economic role driving Washington’...

Does democracy lead to economic prosperity and growth? This question dates back to Plato and Aristotle’s debate regarding which form of government brings more political and economic gains to society. While the United States has sought to promote democracy and liberal values abroad for decades with a belief that democracy will lead to economic prosperity, many countries around the world do not agre...

Washington made headlines in September 2021 when it announced that the U.S. will be forming a new Indo-Pacific security alliance with the UK and Australia, AUKUS, alienating France in the process. This announcement came prior to Indian PM Narendra Modi’s trip to the U.S. for an in-person meeting of the Quad summit, a loose grouping of U.S., Japan, Australia, and India for talks on security, econom...