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August 21, 2024

United States
Foreign Policy at the U.S. National Political Conventions

Foreign policy issues regularly come to the fore at the national political conventions, especially during periods of global instability. Sometimes the events are marked by bitter disagreements within…

Delegates cheer on the floor of the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City.

August 15, 2024

Monetary Policy
What Is the U.S. Federal Reserve?

Over the past decade, the Fed kept interest rates low while it deployed trillions of dollars in stimulus and expanded its regulatory oversight. Now, the central bank is back in the spotlight for its …

A stone bald eagle perches on the Federal Reserve building in Washington, DC.

February 2, 2023

China
China’s Massive Belt and Road Initiative

China’s colossal infrastructure investments may usher in a new era of trade and growth for economies in Asia and beyond. But skeptics worry that China is laying a debt trap for borrowing governments…

Aerial view of a railway that cuts through lush Indonesian jungle.

June 18, 2024

United States
How the U.S. Patrols Its Borders

President Joe Biden’s attempts to grapple with a record number of migrants are keeping the role of enforcement at the center of the debate over U.S. asylum, border, and deportation policy.

Migrants walk along the U.S.-Mexico border after crossing the Rio Grande into Texas.

February 29, 2024

United Nations
Funding the United Nations: How Much Does the U.S. Pay?

Many UN agencies, programs, and missions receive crucial funding from the United States. The Trump administration sharply reduced funding to some UN agencies, but President Biden has largely reversed…

A child peeks out from a blue and white tent managed by the UN refugee agency.

May 14, 2024

Trade
The Contentious U.S.-China Trade Relationship

Trade between the world’s two biggest economies has ballooned in recent decades, bringing significant benefits but also perils that have led to calls to rethink the relationship.

A Chinese technician wearing a facemask is cast in blue light as he works on a solar panel production line.

March 26, 2024

Refugees and Displaced Persons
How Does the U.S. Refugee System Work?

The United States has long been a safe haven for refugees from around the world. President Biden is working to expand the country’s resettlement program after the Trump administration made sharp cuts…

Afghan refugees walk through Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia, on September 2, 2021.

February 16, 2024

United Kingdom
Moving Past the Troubles: The Future of Northern Ireland Peace

The Good Friday Agreement has dampened sectarian conflict and brought stability to Northern Ireland, but the peace deal has been challenged by Brexit-related border tensions that have thrown the regi…

A peace mural adorns a building in a loyalist neighborhood of Belfast

September 20, 2023

Sub-Saharan Africa
Africa’s ‘Leaders for Life’

Sub-Saharan Africa is home to many of the world’s longest-ruling heads of state. Pro-democracy advocates have at times successfully stopped presidents from extending their mandates, but the authorita…

A worker throws away campaign posters of President Yoweri Museveni after Uganda’s 2021 election.