A new survey commissioned from Gallup by the Council on Foreign Relations and the National Geographic Society explores American adults’ knowledge about geography and world affairs.

Despite growing rivalry among the major powers, multilateral institutions like the United Nations can continue to play a vital role in the management of violent conflict. Washington should look for opportunities to work with these institutions and, where needed, bolster their role in cooperation with other powers to manage future regional threats to peace.

The United States should regard distrust, not cooperation, as a baseline condition for starting negotiations around shared global threats and challenges with other major powers, such as China and Russia.