https://usforeignpolicy.org American Diplomacy, Defense & Global Strategy en-us Sun, 13 Sep 2026 14:51:54 GMT https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/us-un-peacekeeping-dues-strategy-2026.html https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/us-un-peacekeeping-dues-strategy-2026.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 05:00:00 GMT U.S. strategy at the UN now hinges on peacekeeping dues, congressional caps, and burden sharing. The diplomatic cost of arrears is rising in 2026. Congressional Foreign Affairs https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/foreign-aid-reset-meets-budget-reality-2026.html https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/foreign-aid-reset-meets-budget-reality-2026.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 05:00:00 GMT Washington's aid overhaul is now a congressional appropriations test, as State seeks to absorb USAID functions while lawmakers rewrite FY2026 and FY2027 funding lines. Congressional Foreign Affairs https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/us-iran-sanctions-reset-faces-friction-2026.html https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/us-iran-sanctions-reset-faces-friction-2026.html Sat, 11 Apr 2026 05:00:00 GMT Washington is signaling sanctions relief to secure Iran diplomacy while expanding OFAC designations, exposing legal, congressional, and enforcement limits. Sanctions & Trade https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/us-japan-philippines-deterrence-test-2026.html https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/us-japan-philippines-deterrence-test-2026.html Wed, 08 Apr 2026 05:00:00 GMT Washington's trilateral with Tokyo and Manila moved from summit optics to alliance architecture. The next test is funding, posture, and legal durability. State Department https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/annual-threat-assessment-china-taiwan-homeland-2026.html https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/annual-threat-assessment-china-taiwan-homeland-2026.html Sun, 13 Sep 2026 05:00:00 GMT The 2026 IC report no longer projects a 2027 Taiwan invasion, but warns China, Russia, and North Korea are developing missiles that can reach U.S. soil. Defense Policy https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/aukus-pentagon-review-virginia-submarine-march-2026.html https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/aukus-pentagon-review-virginia-submarine-march-2026.html Sun, 13 Sep 2026 05:00:00 GMT A Pentagon review and CRS report raise questions about whether Australia will receive Virginia-class submarines under the $240 billion AUKUS pact. Defense Policy https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/aukus-pillar-i-industrial-base-accountability-april-2026.html https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/aukus-pillar-i-industrial-base-accountability-april-2026.html Sun, 13 Sep 2026 05:00:00 GMT AUKUS policy barriers have eased, but Senate testimony and CRS analysis show U.S. submarine output now determines whether Pillar I delivery timelines hold. Defense Policy https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/congress-april-6-hormuz-deadline-war-powers-iran-2026.html https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/congress-april-6-hormuz-deadline-war-powers-iran-2026.html Sun, 13 Sep 2026 05:00:00 GMT Senate war powers votes have failed three times. With the April 6 Hormuz deadline days away, Congress confronts its limits on restraining executive war. Congressional Foreign Affairs https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/gulf-alliances-iran-strikes-us-diplomacy-march-2026.html https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/gulf-alliances-iran-strikes-us-diplomacy-march-2026.html Sun, 13 Sep 2026 05:00:00 GMT As Iran strikes U.S. bases in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the UAE, the State Department faces its most acute Gulf alliance challenge in decades. State Department https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/indopacom-pacific-gap-iran-conflict-march-2026.html https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/indopacom-pacific-gap-iran-conflict-march-2026.html Sun, 13 Sep 2026 05:00:00 GMT Pentagon and INDOPACOM are assessing a Pacific deterrence gap as carrier strike groups and precision munitions remain locked in the Persian Gulf in April. Defense Policy https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/iran-ceasefire-15-point-plan-pakistan-march-2026.html https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/iran-ceasefire-15-point-plan-pakistan-march-2026.html Sun, 13 Sep 2026 05:00:00 GMT Trump's 15-point Iran ceasefire plan, submitted via Pakistan, opens a new diplomatic track as 5,000 Marines head to the Gulf while Tehran denies any talks. State Department https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/iran-mojtaba-succession-us-war-objectives-march-2026.html https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/iran-mojtaba-succession-us-war-objectives-march-2026.html Sun, 13 Sep 2026 05:00:00 GMT Two weeks after U.S. strikes toppled Khamenei, son Mojtaba leads Iran — forcing Washington to reconcile its military benchmarks with regime-change goals. Defense Policy https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/iran-post-conflict-governance-washington-march-2026.html https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/iran-post-conflict-governance-washington-march-2026.html Sun, 13 Sep 2026 05:00:00 GMT Six weeks into Operation Epic Fury, the State Department faces mounting pressure to clarify Washington's intent on post-conflict Iranian governance. State Department https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/iran-shadow-fleet-sanctions-intensify-2026.html https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/iran-shadow-fleet-sanctions-intensify-2026.html Sun, 13 Sep 2026 05:00:00 GMT Treasury and State sanctions target Iran's shadow fleet oil traders as the U.S. maximum pressure campaign escalates alongside active military operations. Sanctions & Trade https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/japan-takaichi-trump-summit-iran-alliance-march-2026.html https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/japan-takaichi-trump-summit-iran-alliance-march-2026.html Sun, 13 Sep 2026 05:00:00 GMT Takaichi's summit with Trump revealed US-Japan alliance strain over Hormuz maritime security, a controversial Pearl Harbor remark, and a $40B nuclear deal. State Department https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/nato-allies-hormuz-warship-rebuff-march-2026.html https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/nato-allies-hormuz-warship-rebuff-march-2026.html Sun, 13 Sep 2026 05:00:00 GMT NATO allies refuse Trump's warship request for the Strait of Hormuz, exposing fault lines in U.S. alliance management as oil tops $100 per barrel. Defense Policy https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/nato-burden-sharing-spain-standoff-march-2026.html https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/nato-burden-sharing-spain-standoff-march-2026.html Sun, 13 Sep 2026 05:00:00 GMT Trump's trade threat against Spain over NATO spending and military base access reveals deepening fault lines in the transatlantic alliance's burden-sharing compact. Defense Policy https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/ofac-russia-shadow-fleet-europe-sanctions-march-2026.html https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/ofac-russia-shadow-fleet-europe-sanctions-march-2026.html Sun, 13 Sep 2026 05:00:00 GMT Treasury's OFAC and European allies are tightening pressure on Russia's shadow fleet—the linchpin of Moscow's sanction-busting oil export machine. Sanctions & Trade https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/operation-epic-fury-us-iran-nuclear-diplomacy-collapse.html https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/operation-epic-fury-us-iran-nuclear-diplomacy-collapse.html Sun, 13 Sep 2026 05:00:00 GMT After three rounds of negotiations failed, the U.S. launched Operation Epic Fury on February 28, 2026, targeting Iran's missile sites, military infrastructure, and nuclear program remnants. Defense Policy https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/pentagon-hormuz-naval-strategy-iran-conflict-march-2026.html https://usforeignpolicy.org/articles/pentagon-hormuz-naval-strategy-iran-conflict-march-2026.html Sun, 13 Sep 2026 05:00:00 GMT After neutralizing Iran's Gulf fleet, CENTCOM is safeguarding the Strait of Hormuz — through which 20% of global oil and gas supplies transit daily. Defense Policy