Washington Has More Demands—and Tehran Has More Leverage; Why Beijing Has Failed to Exploit Trump’s Missteps; A Smarter War on Drugs Begins With Selective Punishment
Foreign Affairs Today

May 12, 2026 | View in Browser

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Holding an Iranian flag in Tehran, May 2026 

Can Trump Get a New Nuclear Deal With Iran?

Washington Has More Demands—and Tehran Has More Leverage

By Matthew Sharp and Nate Swanson

 

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Riding a scooter past a Chinese national flag in Beijing, February 2026 

China Is Squandering a Golden Opportunity

Why Beijing Has Failed to Exploit Trump’s Missteps

By David Shambaugh and Steven F. Jackson

 
After an anticartel military operation, Guadalajara, Mexico, February 2026 

How America Can Coerce the Cartels

A Smarter War on Drugs Begins With Selective Punishment

By Benjamin Lessing

 

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A Timely Analysis of Transformations to the Global Trading System

Cover Image of “On Trade War”
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“This sweeping account of trade wars through history is especially valuable as the United States and China launch a new and probably long battle. VanGrasstek’s documentation is a gold mine, and his analysis contains lessons for scholars and diplomats alike.” —Gary Hufbauer

 
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen at a press conference in Brussels, January 2026

Europe Is Stuck With America

Economic Ties Will Be Hard to Unwind

By Jacob Kirkegaard

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Where influential thinkers talk about the forces shaping the world. Listen on your favorite podcast platform or the Foreign Affairs app.
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