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World powers continue to punish North Korea with economic sanctions, but problems persist with enforcement, and it's unclear if they'll be enough to pressure Pyongyang back into denuclearization talks.
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Germany’s elections will determine whether Chancellor Angela Merkel remains in power, with ramifications for the migration crisis, the future of the European Union, and U.S.-German relations.
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Public Health Threats and Pandemics
Opioid addiction in the United States has reached epidemic proportions, threatening not only public health but economic output and national security. -
The seventy-second session of the UN General Assembly will be dominated by debates over nuclear disarmament, African development, and the rights of indigenous peoples.
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Political shifts and economic challenges in Latin America could either boost Latin America’s largest trade bloc or lead to its obsolescence.
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Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic minority group, are fleeing persecution in Myanmar’s western Rakhine State, fueling a migration crisis in Southeast Asia.
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The UN Security Council is the premier global body for maintaining international peace and security, but faces steady calls for reform to better meet twenty-first–century challenges.
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Comprehensive immigration reform has eluded Congress for years, moving controversial policy decisions into the executive and judicial branches of government, explains this Backgrounder.
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President Trump has made reducing the U.S. trade deficit a priority, but economists disagree over whether such a deficit harms the economy and how policymakers should respond.
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North Korea has embarked on an accelerated buildup of weapons of mass destruction and modernization of its already large conventional force.
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Attempts by the United States and Japan to intercept North Korean ballistic missiles headed toward Guam could fail and undermine the credibility of missile defense.
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Sub-Saharan Africa is home to many of the world’s longest-ruling heads of state, but civil society and regional blocs may be slowing the trend of extending presidential terms in some areas.
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For many policymakers, economic sanctions have become the tool of choice to respond to major geopolitical challenges, from counterterrorism to conflict resolution.
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President Nicolas Maduro’s efforts to consolidate power amid a deepening economic and humanitarian crisis have drawn widespread international condemnation.
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Iran has restricted its nuclear program and given international inspectors unprecedented access, but it has not seen the economy recovery expected in the aftermath of the agreement with international powers.
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The U.S. water system, among the safest and most reliable in the world, is central to the nation’s economy, but chronic underinvestment, increasing demand, and worsening droughts have revealed weaknesses.
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Federal investigators in Brazil have uncovered corruption at the highest levels of the government and in the country’s largest corporations.
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One of the world’s most-watched news networks is at the center of a geopolitical rift between a Saudi-led bloc and the broadcaster’s funder, Qatar.
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China has become Africa’s largest trade partner and has greatly expanded its economic ties to the continent, but its growing activities there have raised questions about its noninterference policy.
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China is North Korea’s biggest trade partner and arguably has the most leverage on Kim Jong-un’s regime. But while Beijing appears willing to condemn its neighbor’s nuclear developments, analysts say its cautious policies remain focused on stability.
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The G20 summit comes amid tensions over trade, climate, and refugee policy and increased uncertainty over the U.S. commitment to multilateral institutions.
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Hong Kong has certain political and economic freedoms based on China’s “one country, two systems” principle, but the city’s political evolution is challenging its relationship with the mainland.
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The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been reoriented toward counterterrorism in recent years, but continues to face charges of overreach.
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The Trump administration has partially rolled back some business guidelines with Cuba while largely leaving the normalization policy unchanged.