Every major foreign policy decision collides with the machinery of American governance. Congress debates and blocks. Courts intervene and delay. Agencies interpret and resist. Career officials shape implementation. Allies react based on their own interests, not Washington’s slogans. The result is often slower, messier, and more constrained than the rhetoric that precedes it.

In April 2013, Venezuela stood at a crossroads after the death of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro’s razor-thin victory. More than a decade later, revisiting that moment reveals what early analysis got right about legitimacy, power, and economic decay—and what it underestimated about time, endurance, and the ability of systems to survive by hardening.

The latest study by the Security Council Report (SCR) reveals a quiet but significant shift inside the UN Security Council: Africa and the Caribbean—through the A3 Plus—are emerging as a disciplined diplomatic force capable of reshaping negotiations and challenging long-entrenched power dynamics. Far from Cold War non-alignment, this new bloc is redefining how influence flows inside the Council’s most contested debates.

Zohran Mamdani’s election as New York City’s mayor marks a defining moment in the city’s political trajectory. His victory reflects deep frustration with inequality, homelessness, and a sense of civic neglect that has shaped urban life for years. Running a grassroots-driven campaign, Mamdani built a broad, diverse coalition — from Harlem to Brooklyn's Jewish neighborhoods, LGBTQ+ communities, and immigrant families across the boroughs. His inclusive message, combined with sha

Saudi Arabia and the UAE’s decision to freeze Gaza’s reconstruction funds until Hamas is disarmed is not cruelty—it’s common sense. After decades of destruction and rebuilding, both nations are refusing to bankroll another cycle of war. Ahmed Fathi argues that real aid must start with accountability and the removal of weapons from the hands of militias that serve foreign agendas, not the people of Gaza.

The SCO Summit in Beijing brings together 20 heads of state, including Putin, Modi, Kim, and Iran’s Pezeshkian, with UN Secretary-General António Guterres also present. At a moment when global cooperation is under strain, the summit highlights how Eurasia is shaping an alternative vision of world order—one that unfolds without the United States in the room.