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Welcome to the Daily News Brief, CFR’s flagship morning newsletter summarizing the top global news and analysis of the day. Top of the Agenda Middle East diplomacy inched forward yesterday as a U.S. blockade on Iranian shipping continued. Participants in Israel-Lebanon talks in Washington described them as positive, while U.S. President Donald Trump told the New York Post that additional U.S.-Iran talks could occur within the “next two days” in Pakistan. Meanwhile, the United States has tightened pressure on Tehran via a naval blockade and plans for renewed sanctions on Iranian oil, while sending additional forces to the region. The diplomatic […]

That the president hasn’t adopted a U.S. humanitarian agenda in response to the conflicts in the Middle East isn’t a capacity problem—it’s a policy choice. The security implications, for the region, Europe, and the United States, are growing with every hour of inaction.

Welcome to the Daily News Brief, CFR’s flagship morning newsletter summarizing the top global news and analysis of the day. Top of the Agenda U.S. President Donald Trump said yesterday that war with Iran could last weeks or longer, a reversal for a president who campaigned on limiting foreign military entanglements. Iran’s retaliation to the U.S.- and Israeli-launched war continues to widen, with attacks on the U.S. embassies in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The State Department urged Americans to leave the Middle East due to “serious safety risks.” Energy markets remain volatile, with European natural gas prices surging at least 40 percent today after Qatar paused exports from a gas facility following […]

Welcome to the Daily News Brief, CFR’s flagship morning newsletter summarizing the top global news and analysis of the day. Top of the Agenda The war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran continues to spread across the Middle East today, with Hezbollah attacking Israel and Iran striking energy facilities in Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens of Iranian officials were reportedly killed over the weekend in strikes that began Saturday. Iran has retaliated against targets throughout the region, including U.S. bases and sites within Israel. President Donald Trump appeared to float an off-ramp by suggesting yesterday that he […]

The protests in Iran could have a sweeping effect in a region already jolted by historic changes over the past year. Four CFR fellows assess how Israel, the Gulf States, Lebanon, and Turkey view the developing movement.

It’s too soon to tell how exactly the current wave of Israeli strikes could transform the region, but one thing is clear: Israel’s actions have fundamentally reshaped the security landscape of the Middle East.

United Arab Emirates Forty Years of Relations: On November 1, all of Chinese and Emirati state media flooded with news that the two countries’ leaders had congratulated each other on forty years of bilateral relations. The Burj Khalifa displayed a light show to celebrate the milestone, marking three months in a row the world’s tallest […]

CFR experts discuss President Donald Trump’s upcoming trip to the Gulf region, including what the trip could signify for Iran nuclear negotiations, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and U.S. policy in the Middle East. BEN CHANG: I am Ben Chang, CFR’s vice president of global communications and novice at using Zoom. (Laughter.) Welcome to today’s Council on […]

Panelists discuss the Trump administration’s role in the Israel-Hamas peace negotiations, U.S. relations with other Middle East countries, and the administration’s priorities regarding U.S. involvement and stability in the region. This meeting is part of CFR’s Transition 2025 series, which examines the major foreign policy issues confronting the Trump administration. RYAN: All right. Welcome, […]

The second Donald Trump administration assumes office at a moment of great peril for the United States, according to the Council on Foreign Relations’ (CFR) annual Preventive Priorities Survey. The results revealed five conflict-related scenarios that experts deemed highly likely to emerge or escalate and to have high impact on U.S. interests. This is the largest number of high likelihood and high impact contingencies since the survey began in 2008. The survey found that experts are most concerned by scenarios that involve the worsening of ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. Those conflicts include the Israel-Hamas war, clashes between Israeli […]

Thomas Graham is a distinguished fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. The stunning fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has upended Russia’s policy in the Middle East. Less than a decade ago, Russia decisively intervened in the Syrian civil war, allying with Iran and Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah to save Assad from rebel forces […]

Israel Condemnation: The month began with Israeli ground incursions into southern Lebanon. The evening of September 30, Iran launched two hundred ballistic missiles at Israel. When asked about both incidents, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson condemned only Israel’s actions and cited its offensive in Gaza as the source for the region’s current turmoil. As Israeli […]

Show Notes Mentioned on the Episode Steven A. Cook, The End of Ambition: America’s Past, Present, and Future in the Middle East Ivo H. Daalder and James M. Lindsay, The Empty Throne: America’s Abdication of Global Leadership Jared Kushner, Breaking History: A White House Memoir Transcript LINDSAY: Welcome to The President’s Inbox. […]

A year after Hamas’s devastating October 7 attack, Israel faces a seven-front war and deepening divisions between its military and Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is dire. This joint symposium between CFR and the Institute for National Security Studies (Israel) will bring together a broad range of regional and military experts to reflect […]

Panelists discuss the latest updates regarding the conflict in the Middle East, the risks of wider escalation, and the role of the United States. PLEASE NOTE: This meeting is part of the Twenty-Ninth Annual Term Member Conference. All CFR members are invited to attend this session virtually. BODURTHA: Well, good morning and welcome back to […]

Show Notes Mentioned on the Episode Steven A. Cook, The End of Ambition: America’s Past, Present, and Future in the Middle East Jake Sullivan, “The Sources of American Power,” Foreign Affairs The U.S. Election and Foreign Policy, CFR.org Transcript Jim Lindsay: Welcome to The President’s Inbox. I’m Jim Lindsay, the Mary and […]

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and the Brookings Institution Foreign Policy Program are collaborating to convene an expert discussion to examine the future of the Middle East. As part of a series of virtual events convened by CFR and Brookings in the lead-up to Election Day, the conversation will examine the escalating conflicts in the […]

CFR experts discuss developments in the Middle East a year after the October 7 attacks in Israel. LABOTT: Thank you very much. And thank you to everyone for joining this media briefing. I’m Elise Labott. I am the Edward R. Murrow press fellow here at the Council on Foreign Relations. I’m pretty new. You can […]

Elliott Abrams’s testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia addresses Iran’s proliferation of Chaos.

Show Notes Mentioned on the Episode Steven Cook, The End of Ambition: America’s Past, Present, and Future in the Middle East Transcript LINDSAY: Welcome to The President’s Inbox, a CFR podcast about the foreign policy challenges facing the United States. I’m Jim Lindsay, director of Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. This week’s […]