Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

RealEcon

Without any exemptions, President Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs are likely to negatively affect the U.S. defense sector, critical infrastructure, and U.S. allies.

RealEcon

The Trump administration can achieve more reciprocal trade relations through tariff negotiations, argues John K. Veroneau, but it should first untangle tariff threats from unrelated matters.

Trade

Though Congress holds power over regulating commerce with foreign nations, it has incrementally delegated significant authority to the president, giving him broad discretion to take trade actions.    
U.S.-India Relations

China Strategy Initiative

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington reflects U.S. support for India as a counterbalance to China, but the United States still has a tenuous grasp on India’s interests.

RealEcon

This time around, Modi and Trump should seize the opportunity to strike a substantial bilateral agreement.

India

India’s influence at the World Trade Organization has grown following a notable decline of U.S. power within the organization, but its opportunism and obstructionism could weaken its potential to benefit fully from the international trading system.
Space

Space

As outer space becomes more congested with debris and international tensions escalate, the threat to U.S. national security grows. The United States must act now to reassert its leadership and create pathways for management in this critical strategic domain.

United States

In its new report, Securing Space: A Plan for U.S. Action, the CFR Task Force on Space Management Policy analyzes the challenges in low Earth orbit, where the acceleration in human space activity is most evident, and proposes recommendations for a U.S.-led international strategy to govern this increasingly congested and contested space. 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. Members may bring a guest to this event.  

Space

The United States needs to restore its focus on space as a national security priority as conditions have changed and threats have multiplied.
Japan

Japan

On Friday, Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and President Donald Trump sat down for the first time to discuss the U.S.-Japan alliance.

Japan

Japan

Sheila Smith, the John E. Merow senior fellow for Asia-Pacific studies at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how Trump’s victory is being viewed in Japan and what his presidency will mean for U.S.-Japanese relations and the security situation in northeast Asia. This episode is the sixth in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2025 presidential transition and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
South Korea

South Korea

 

South Korea

South Korea continues to reel from President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law declaration on December 3. Although the National Assembly overwhelmingly nullified the declaration in a few hours, political tensions remain unresolved.
Foreign Aid

United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

USAID is a foremost tool of U.S. soft power, administering what experts say is vital humanitarian aid worldwide each year. The Trump administration says the agency is not aligned with its priorities, putting USAID’s future in doubt.

 

RealEcon

An overzealous effort at reforming the U.S. Agency for International Development will dismantle programs that enhance U.S. security, save lives, and boost United States’ image around the globe.

Events

United States

In its new report, Securing Space: A Plan for U.S. Action, the CFR Task Force on Space Management Policy analyzes the challenges in low Earth orbit, where the acceleration in human space activity is most evident, and proposes recommendations for a U.S.-led international strategy to govern this increasingly congested and contested space. 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. Members may bring a guest to this event.  

Europe

Panelists discuss transatlantic ties under a second Trump administration, NATO burden-sharing, and the future of European strategic autonomy.  This meeting is part of CFR’s Transition 2025 series, which examines the major foreign policy issues confronting the Trump administration.

Trade

CFR experts provide insights and context around President Donald Trump's announced tariffs and what they mean for North American trade, U.S. alliances, and global competition.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Tech leader Reid Hoffman shares his insider’s perspective on an AI-powered future and its transformative potential to improve lives and create positive change.  The Malcolm and Carolyn Wiener Annual Lecture on Science and Technology addresses issues at the intersection of science, technology, and foreign policy. It has been endowed in perpetuity through a gift from CFR members Malcolm and Carolyn Wiener.  

Explainers

Expert Spotlight

Alice C. Hill
Alice C. Hill

David M. Rubenstein Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment

Climate Change Infrastructure Food and Water Security

The Adaptation Imperative

Rush Doshi

C.V. Starr Senior Fellow for Asia Studies and Director of the China Strategy Initiative

China Taiwan Asia

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