Analysis

Analysis offers a new angle on a contemporary or historical issue. These articles are policy-oriented and cover current developments around the globe that impinge upon American foreign policy and national security priorities.

Pathways for the War with Iran

After a month of combat operations, the United States and Israel have made it clear that they will not allow Iran to become a nuclear power. Based on Iran’s history of domestic repression and foreign terrorism, this is a...

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False Promises: Russian Military Trafficking in Africa

An estimated 1,800 African men (17 South African, 272 Ghanaian, and over 1,000 Kenyan) have reportedly signed contracts to work in Russia as drivers, security guards, and other civilian jobs only to find themselves shipped off to the frontlines...

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How War in Iran is Impacting the Baltic States

Each month, Dr. Indra Ekmanis writes a monthly roundup highlighting major political, cultural, and economic events in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Her commentary on the Baltic response to war in Iran is featured below, originally published in the March...

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The Royal Navy in the Gulf

This piece is part of Behind the Front, an FPRI project on the future of US and allied national defense. The Royal Navy is set to take a leading role in a multinational “Hormuz Coalition” to reopen the Strait...

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Medicine for Minerals: US Foreign Assistance in Africa

In a March 16, 2026 article, The New York Times reported that it had obtained the draft of a memo indicating that the State Department is considering “withholding lifesaving assistance to people with HIV in Zambia as a negotiating...

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Militias and Iraq’s Role in a Multifaceted Regional War

Introduction Amid the escalating Iran-US-Israel war, Iraq is increasingly becoming one of its central fronts, bringing back into sharp focus a chronic structural dilemma: the role of militias embedded within the state and the consequences of their conduct for...

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Why Africa Is Key to New Delhi’s Strategic Autonomy

The ongoing military conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States has once again exposed that war and conflict not only carry significant human costs but also reveal deep structural vulnerabilities in the global economic and energy systems. The...

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Would You Fight For Your Country? The Most and Least Willing Among NATO Allies

This piece is part of The Ties That Bind, a project on NATO’s role in the global security landscape. If a war were to break out, would you be willing to fight for your country? This is a shortened...

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Canada and Africa: Bridging the Gap Between Potential and Policy

Does Canada neglect the African continent? This question was raised in a 2026 interview with Radio-Canada by Amina Gerba, a Quebec senator and business leader whose public work has long emphasized the strategic importance of Canada’s engagement with Africa....

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China’s Political Warfare: Challenges to Taiwan and the United States in Latin America

Throughout Latin America, China is engaging in a unique form of political warfare—employing, per FPRI’s definition, “elements of national power including cyber, economic, financial, informational, paramilitary, and political statecraft tools short of declared war… to achieve political goals.” While...

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