Chicago Council on Global Affairs

08/20/2026

"A bargaining war turns on two quantities: what each side can threaten, and what each side can bear," Council Vice President of Research for Security and Defense Ariane Tabatabai and Lawfare's Julia Curlee write. "In the Iran war, the question is what price each side believes it has already paid and how much more it is willing to pay for an acceptable outcome."

Read the full analysis ⤵️

In war, the guns do not fall silent so the diplomats can speak. The guns often speak for them.

08/20/2026

"The humanitarian system itself is increasingly becoming more multipolar," says Mercy Corps CEO Tjada McKenna. "Gulf states, China, India, and others are playing roles through humanitarian assistance, development finance, infrastructure, and investment. But different governments bring different priorities and approaches."

McKenna joins Leslie Vinjamuri on this week's episode of Deep Dish to discuss who steps in when governments pull back, whether new donors, private capital, or advancing technology can help fill the gap, and why ending conflicts may be just as important as funding the response. Listen: https://bit.ly/4xdB23N

08/19/2026

The postwar era is often told as the story of a liberal international order built and led by the West. However, that narrative can obscure forces that reshaped the world just as profoundly: decolonization, the emergence of dozens of new states, and the rise of the United Nations around an ambitious vision for preventing war. As great-power competition intensifies and conflicts proliferate, what has become of that vision, and why has it proven so difficult to sustain? As the global order grows more fractured, can the foundations for peace be rebuilt, and how?

On September 29, Join historian Thant Myint-U, grandson of former UN Secretary-General U Thant, and Leslie Vinjamuri for a discussion on why the international system is struggling to make peace, and what it might take to change course.

Register to attend today: https://bit.ly/4gFoBrl

08/19/2026

Minilateral relationships "ultimately cannot replace the big monsters on the scene, the heavyweights like the NATO alliance," Council Distinguished Nonresident Fellow Ambassador Julianne Smith tells the Gloves Off podcast. "[But] it gives them another set of capitals to work through and band together to bring more collective strength."

Listen to the full episode ⤵️

Season 2 wraps with a look at what the future could hold for a middle power alliance and what Canada’s role might be in it. The people applauding Carney’s Davos speech were the same people who built and ran the system that led to Brexit, Trump, and more. How can middle powers win without returni...

08/19/2026

Applications for the Emerging Leaders Class of 2027 close on September 1.

Each year, 20 of Chicago’s best and brightest professionals come together through the Council’s Emerging Leaders Program to explore influential global forces, strengthen their leadership, and build lasting connections within a community of peers.

“It's very rare to have an experience where you feel a deep sense of belonging to the people in the room—and, in turn, a deep sense of belonging to the world around you.”

Apply today to join the next great class of Chicago Council rising leaders: https://bit.ly/3O3zIyG

08/18/2026

"[President Trump is] essentially taking Oman and lashing out at them because of the fact that he is unable to close out this war," Council Vice President of Research on Security and Defense Ariane Tabatabai shares on The New Republic's Daily Blast podcast. "He’s unable to get the victory that he desires."

As Trump melts down over Iran and officials quietly admit the unthinkable, a former Defense Department official explains why time is not on his side—and where this fiasco is headed next.

08/15/2026

India marks its 80th Independence Day on August 15. Today, the country is a key player in global affairs, maintaining relationships with superpowers and regional partners alike. Its strategic autonomy can be traced back to the times it was born in, Observer Research Foundation President Samir Saran told a Council audience. "It wanted its own space and it wanted to create a third way."

08/14/2026

The war in Afghanistan "didn't start on 9/11," says former US Ambassador Ryan Crocker. "It didn't end in August of 2021."

Five years after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Crocker joins Council President & CEO Leslie Vinjamuri on the Council's Deep Dish podcast to reflect on America’s longest war.

Listen: https://bit.ly/4i8COOE

08/13/2026

Nearly five years after the United States withdrew from Afghanistan, former US Ambassador Ryan Crocker joins Council President and CEO Leslie Vinjamuri on Deep Dish to reflect on America’s longest war and what its ending revealed about American power. “We went into Afghanistan for the right reasons,” he says. “We came out for the wrong ones.”

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: https://bit.ly/4i8COOE

08/13/2026

Younger Americans are less concerned about China than their elders, Council polling finds. Less than half of Millennials (43%) and Gen Zers (34%), compared to majorities of Boomers (62%) and Generation Xers (56%), view China's development as a world power as a critical threat to the United States.

Explore the data 📊➡️ https://bit.ly/4wkVRsz