Content

Dispatches

Jul 27, 2026

What the latest US sanctions bill means for Russia—and for China, India, and Iran

By Maia Nikoladze

If it passes, the bill would affect several major countries that currently trade with Russia, and those effects should be factored into US planning.

China Financial Sanctions and Economic Coercion

Econographics

Jul 27, 2026

Why banning open-source AI is a bad idea

By JP Schnapper-Casteras

The best response to capable Chinese open models is not to make US developers less capable. It is to build better, safer, more competitive US models—open and closed.

Artificial Intelligence China

Fast Thinking

Jul 24, 2026

What to know about Trump’s newest global tariffs

By Atlantic Council

To dig into the reasoning behind these tariffs and what they mean for the global economy, we turned to our leading tariff watchers.

Trade and tariffs United States and Canada

EnergySource

Jul 23, 2026

Beyond the chip: How the US can shape global standards for AI in energy

By Arno van den Haak

A shift in US policy can better position Washington to set the standards for industrial AI across the energy sector.

Artificial Intelligence Energy & Environment

Econographics

Jul 23, 2026

Mexico can turn USMCA pressure into an industrial opportunity

By Ernesto Stein, Phil Lovegren

Mexico’s record exports mask an uncomfortable reality: its fastest-growing industry—data processing machines—relies overwhelmingly on Asian inputs. A carefully redesigned USMCA could help the country move up the value chain.

Economy & Business Financial Regulation

Dispatches

Jul 23, 2026

How the US should respond to Ortega declaring no more elections in Nicaragua

By Juan Sebastian Chamorro and Maria Fernanda Bozmoski

The dictator is wagering that the Nicaraguan opposition will fragment and Washington will respond with words but no new actions.

Americas Central America

Dispatches

Jul 23, 2026

With a Saudi deal, the US begins ‘Plan C’ for nonproliferation in the Middle East

By William F. Wechsler

Washington is now attempting to achieve its nonproliferation objectives through deep political and commercial integration with partners’ nuclear programs.

Iran Nuclear Energy

Dispatches

Jul 22, 2026

Country-based AI controls are failing. The spyware industry demonstrates why.

By Jen Roberts

Verifying who is really on the other end of an account is not a new problem—it is a classic spyware industry challenge.

Artificial Intelligence Politics & Diplomacy

Report

Jul 22, 2026

Mapping US investment in Latin America and the Caribbean

By Jose Antonio Gonzalez Anaya, Martin Cassinelli

China’s investments in Latin America and the Caribbean grab headlines, but though the US has long been the region’s largest investor less is known about where its investments go. New data shows which countries and sectors receive the most US investment, and how that investment affects local economies.

Economy & Business Latin America

Econographics

Jul 22, 2026

The US just threatened new tariffs on Canada. Here’s why they may not work.

By Madeline Chalecki

The latest escalation in the US-Canadian tariff standoff highlights the limits of using trade restrictions as a negotiating tool—and the risks of getting trapped in a cycle of retaliation.

Americas Trade and tariffs

Experts

Events