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The Water's Edge

James M. Lindsay analyzes the politics shaping U.S. foreign policy and the sustainability of American power.

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A few of our summer reading recommendations. Missionaries/Penguin Press; The Price of Peace/Random House Trade; This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends/Bloomsbury Publishing.
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The World Next Week: What to Read This Summer

by James M. Lindsay June 18, 2021

Each year CFR.org managing editor Bob McMahon and I take a break from the news on The World Next Week to record a special episode of our summer reading recommendations. That episode is now live. This year, our colleague Carla Anne Robbins came back on the podcast to share some of her picks. Read More

Featured

U.S. Foreign Policy

TWE Book and Film Recommendations

Blog Post by James M. Lindsay November 10, 2020 The Water's Edge

Global

The President's Inbox Episodes by Topic

Blog Post by James M. Lindsay May 27, 2021 The Water's Edge

Elections and Voting

The 2020 Election by the Numbers

Blog Post by James M. Lindsay December 15, 2020 The Water's Edge

2020 in Review

Ten Good Foreign Policy News Stories in 2020

Blog Post by James M. Lindsay December 30, 2020 The Water's Edge

2020 in Review

Ten World Figures Who Died in 2020

Blog Post by James M. Lindsay December 29, 2020 The Water's Edge

2020 in Review

Ten Foreign Policy Notables Who Died in 2020

Blog Post by James M. Lindsay December 28, 2020 The Water's Edge

2020 in Review

Ten Most Significant World Events in 2020

Blog Post by James M. Lindsay December 17, 2020 The Water's Edge

Elections and Voting

Ten Elections to Watch in 2021

Blog Post by James M. Lindsay December 23, 2020 The Water's Edge

Global

Five Foreign Policy Stories to Watch in 2021
   

Blog Post by James M. Lindsay December 21, 2020 The Water's Edge

United States

Ten Anniversaries to Note in 2021

Blog Post by James M. Lindsay December 2, 2020 The Water's Edge

United States

TWE Remembers: Learning More About the Cuban Missile Crisis

Blog Post by James M. Lindsay October 16, 2012 The Water's Edge

United States

The History of the Cold War in 40 Quotes

Blog Post by James M. Lindsay November 7, 2014 The Water's Edge

Vietnam

The Vietnam War in Forty Quotes

Blog Post by James M. Lindsay April 30, 2015 The Water's Edge

Censorship and Freedom of Expression
TWE Remembers: The Pentagon Papers
Sunday is the fiftieth anniversary of the New York Times’ publication of the Pentagon Papers. My colleague Margaret Gach, a research associate for U.S. foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relati…
Blog Post by Guest Blogger for The Water's Edge June 11, 2021 The Water's Edge
United States
Happy Birthday to the U.S. Army!
The United States Army celebrates its 246th birthday today. If you see an active duty, former, or retired member of the United States Army today, wish their service Happy Birthday.  The Army provi…
Blog Post by James M. Lindsay June 14, 2021 The Water's Edge
United States
Remembering Those Whom Memorial Day Honors
The United States has fought twelve major wars and numerous smaller skirmishes in its history. Memorial Day is how we honor the soldiers, sailors, airmen, airwomen, and marines who did not return hom…
Blog Post by James M. Lindsay May 28, 2021 The Water's Edge
  • Global
    The President's Inbox Episodes by Topic
    The President's Inbox (TPI) has produced more than two hundred episodes since it debuted in November 2016. The topics covered have ranged from Afghanistan to China to human rights to Russia to the ro…
    Blog Post by James M. Lindsay May 27, 2021 The Water's Edge
  • United States
    TWE Celebrates Presidents’ Day
    Today is Presidents’ Day. It is a TWE tradition to recognize the forty-five men—and they have all been men—who have been president on Presidents’ Day with the following essay, which has been revised …
    Blog Post by James M. Lindsay February 15, 2021 The Water's Edge
  • United States
    A Presidents' Day Quiz
    Monday is Presidents’ Day. To get you in the proper celebratory mood, TWE presents its tenth annual Presidents’ Day quiz. If you are feeling up to it, you can try the quizzes from 2012, 2013, 2014, 2…
    Blog Post by James M. Lindsay February 12, 2021 The Water's Edge
  • Transition 2021
    Biden’s Inaugural Address to a Divided America
    Joe Biden gave the nation a much-needed civics lesson today in the guise of an inaugural address. His message was impossible to miss—America’s strength lies in American unity. It is a simple, almost …
    Blog Post by James M. Lindsay January 20, 2021 The Water's Edge
  • Transition 2021
    Remembering the Best (and Worst) Presidential Inaugural Addresses
    In two days, Joe Biden gets to do what only thirty-nine other Americans have ever done: deliver a presidential inaugural address. It is a tough task to do well under any circumstance. It’s even tough…
    Blog Post by James M. Lindsay January 15, 2021 The Water's Edge
  • Transition 2021
    Transition 2021: What Can Biden Get Done?
    Each Friday, I look at what is happening in President-Elect Joe Biden’s transition to the White House. This week: Biden faces substantial obstacles in his bid to remake U.S. foreign policy after four years of America First.
    Blog Post by James M. Lindsay January 15, 2021 The Water's Edge
  • Transition 2021
    Ten Things You Probably Don’t Know About Presidential Inaugurations
    By now you no doubt have heard that President Donald Trump will skip President-Elect Joe Biden’s inauguration next Wednesday. Given Trump’s role in inciting last week’s mob attack on the Capitol Buil…
    Blog Post by James M. Lindsay January 12, 2021 The Water's Edge