Recent Events
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U.S. Nuclear Cooperation in an Era of Strategic Competition
As geopolitical competition reshapes global energy, security, and economic relationships, international nuclear cooperation is taking on renewed strategic importance. Several U.S. civil nuclear cooperation agreements under Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act are currently pending or are expected to come before Congress. On July 22, 2026, the United States and Saudi Arabia announced a
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Geo-Connectivity and the Death of Eurasia
In moments of crisis, the connections that bind Eurasia’s economies together can become the very channels through which instability spreads. This “geo-connectivity” framework responds to a dynamic that became impossible to ignore this year with three concurrent war theaters overlapping across Eurasia: Ukraine, Iran, and Afghanistan-Pakistan. Existing analytical traditions treat each theater in isolation and
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US Grand Strategy and the Madman Theory: From Nixon to Trump
What happens when a president convinces the world he might just do the unthinkable? In US Grand Strategy and the Madman Theory, James D. Boys argues that projecting calculated irrationality can terrify adversaries into submission, but at enormous risk. From Nixon’s secret Cold War gambits to Trump’s chaotic tweet-driven diplomacy, Boys explores how these two
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Tradecraft, Tactics, and Dirty Tricks: Russian Intelligence and Putin’s Secret War
On May 5, 2026, the Center for the National Interest hosted a discussion of Sean Wiswesser’s new book, Tradecraft, Tactics, and Dirty Tricks: Russian Intelligence and Putin’s Secret War. Wiswesser, who retired after a nearly 30-year career in the CIA, has written a fascinating book that demystifies how the Russian intelligence services operate; their strengths
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Should the Arctic Be a Top U.S. Priority?
The Arctic has become a region of intensifying geopolitical competition, particularly following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Moscow’s efforts to expand its Northern Sea Route as an alternative corridor for Russia’s energy and raw materials exports, and for shipping between Europe and Asia. Many also see the Arctic—including Greenland, as well as continental shelf and
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