United States

American Cycles and Uncertainty

Editor’s note: If it feels as though the world is changing, that’s because it is. Global economic reconfiguration, demographic decline and geopolitical realignment have...

The Spirit of America – Its People

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Editor’s note: If it feels as though the world is changing, that’s because it is. Global economic reconfiguration, demographic decline and geopolitical realignment have...

Turkey vs. Iran vs. the US

A few developments over the past week bode ill for the Middle East’s sectarian rivalries, with implications for U.S. strategy in the region. On...

A New Trade Investigation Into Chinese Semiconductors

By Chris Siepmann On Dec. 23, the United States launched an investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 scrutinizing China’s policies regarding...

The Panama Canal: Hostage to the US-China Trade War?

In November 1906, Theodore Roosevelt became the first sitting U.S. president to make a diplomatic visit outside the continental United States, sailing to Panama...

Northbound Migration Through the Darien Gap

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(click to enlarge) Panama and Costa Rica lay along one of the most important transit routes for American migrants, the majority of whom are fleeing...

Graphic Essay: US Border Security

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has already made clear that he plans a security crackdown on both the southern and northern borders. The main areas...

Exploring Mexico’s Options

The re-election of Donald Trump has brought Mexico’s relationship with the United States back to the fore. The president-elect has made clear on several...

Saudi Arabia Hedges Its Bets

Last weekend, Saudi Arabia ditched the comprehensive defense pact it had been pursuing with the U.S. in favor of a smaller, more limited military...

Do the New Missiles in Ukraine Matter?

By Andrew Davidson On Nov. 17, the United States greenlit the use of Army Tactical Missile Systems in Ukraine. The stipulations of use and number...

It’s Hard to Quit the USMCA

Danielle Smith, the premier of Canada's province of Alberta, urged the federal Canadian government on Nov. 17 to adopt separate bilateral free trade agreements...

Trump’s Place in US Political Cycles

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As I wrote in my most recent book, “The Storm Before the Calm,” we tend to use presidencies as benchmarks to help us locate...

Graphic Essay: Energy Market Volatility

For many countries, including major geopolitical players, energy resources rank among the most politically and economically sensitive commodities. Prices for these resources are shaped...

US Trade Policy Under Trump

Today's global trade patterns are very different from when Donald Trump began his first term as U.S. president in 2017. The first Trump administration...

The US Election and Its Impact on the Middle East

Editor’s note: Yesterday was election day in the United States. We at GPF tend to avoid the pontifications and predictions of electoral politics, not...

Middle Powers, Polarity and the International System

The great power competition currently underway has created space for second-tier states, or middle powers, to emerge as strong as ever. Alarmed by the...

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The Geopolitics of the United States

The United States needed to expand west to the Pacific coast in order to ensure strategic depth, generate economic activity and development and reduce the presence of any threat on its western front.

The rich agriculture area between the Rockies and Appalachian Mountains has an intricate river system favorable for exports through New Orleans Port via the Mississippi River.

North America can only be threatened from the sea and therefore control of the seas plays an important element of American strategy.

After the Soviet Union fell, the United States had no strategic challenger. The US remains the world’s super power and actively works to prevent the emergence of any potential regional power that could one day challenge it.

Read Regional Assessment

From our Forecast...

The United States is entering a period of domestic disorder that will last a decade or so. The crisis will not affect U.S. foreign policy, even if it looks like it will.

United States in our Memos

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China’s Alternate Route to Europe

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(click to enlarge) China is actively seeking a route to Europe that bypasses Russia, driven by Western sanctions that obstruct trade and instability along sea...

Daily Memo: Russia Readies Reservists

Relying on reservists. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Thursday ordering reservists to participate in military training in 2025. According to the...

Game Over for France in Africa

“I think someone forgot to say thank you.” This loaded statement, made by French President Emmanuel Macron at the 30th annual Ambassadors' Conference in Paris,...

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The Geopolitics of the American President

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