Brookings Foreign Policy is reporting on several critical international issues, drawing insights from its scholars and other media outlets.
The Atlantic is reporting that Robert Kagan warns against defeat in the current confrontation with Iran, stating there will be no return to the status quo or ultimate American triumph to undo the harm. Separately, Ryan Hass, writing in The Atlantic and quoted by The Washington Post, argues that China is biding its time, positioning itself as a future leader as the United States potentially falters. Hass suggests China is acting as a "solutions provider" for products like jet fuel, aiming to drive wedges between America and its traditional partners.
Brookings scholars Adie Tomer and Samantha Gross are examining the implications of the Iran war for American consumers and the United States, noting the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has caused the largest energy disruption in decades.
In other international affairs, Patricia M. Kim writes for Channel News Asia on whether the U.S. and China can compete without destabilizing Asia, as President Donald Trump meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Alexander Noyes and Andris Banka, for Englesberg Ideas, detail how former U.S. President Bill Clinton used diplomatic and financial power to facilitate Russia's withdrawal from the Baltic states in the early 1990s.
Thomas Wright, in a speech at the Lowy Institute, discussed the collapse of consensus among major powers and the unraveling of the international order. Wright also argues in an epilogue for his recent ebook that the Iran war underscores President Trump's willingness to take significant risks to build his legacy. Fiona Hill, in an essay adapted from her IWM Institute Annual Lecture 2026, emphasizes the critical importance of societal resilience in a world at war.