The USMCA Review: What to Keep in Mind and What to Watch for on North American Trade North America has a chance to come out on top of global trade, investment, and competitiveness in a rapidly shifting geopolitical environment.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pushed back this week on the idea that the United States should dictate the terms of the upcoming USMCA review.

Council Distinguished Nonresident Fellow Julián Ventura unpacks what to watch for as talks on the North American trade agreement unfold ⤵️

Promo graphic for the Council's 4/21 virtual program "Is the Global Economy Ready for Another Forever War?" featuring speaker headshots and event details.

Is the global economy ready for another forever war? Tune in tomorrow morning at 10:30 a.m. CT as Lord Jim O'Neill, Raghuram Rajan, and @leslievinjamuri.bsky.social analyze the broader economic consequences of the Iran conflict in a virtual program. bit.ly/3O3kkmb

Promo graphic for the Council's 5/18 event "Walter Isaacson on the Greatest Sentence Ever Written," featuring event details and speaker headshots.

On 5/18, join @walteri.bsky.social and @maxboot.bsky.social for a conversation on his new book, "The Greatest Sentence Ever Written," and what the Declaration of Independence's most famous words mean for America as it marks its 250th anniversary. bit.ly/4cJTBEG

Promo graphic for the Council's 4/21 virtual program "Is the Global Economy Ready for Another Forever War?" featuring speaker headshots and event details.

Is the global economy ready for another forever war? Next Tuesday, hear from Lord Jim O'Neill, Raghuram Rajan, and @leslievinjamuri.bsky.social as they discuss the broader economic consequences of the Iran conflict in a virtual program. bit.ly/3O3kkmb

Trump Always Skips the Hard Part The U.S. president’s half-baked approach to dealmaking may be a recipe for more war.

"While everyone welcomes a cessation of hostilities, Trump’s half-baked approach to peacemaking may well be a recipe for more war in the Middle East," Council Senior Nonresident Fellow Suzanne Nossel writes in a new piece for @foreignpolicy.com.
foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/14/t...

What comes next for Hungary after a historic election? Tune in tomorrow morning at 10:45 a.m. CDT to hear @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social, @armida.bsky.social, and @leslievinjamuri.bsky.social as they analyze the results and Orbán's stunning defeat in a rapid response virtual program. bit.ly/424U9Pm

The Council is pleased to announce the appointment of @armida.bsky.social as a nonresident senior fellow on European security and politics. Currently at @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social, she joins our roster of experts contributing to thought leadership, convening, and research efforts. bit.ly/481VLgm

Watch US Blockade Risks Global Conflict - Bloomberg Leslie Vinjamuri, the President and CEO of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs joined Bloomberg Open Interest to break down the risks of a US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, warning it could escalate tensions with China, fail to pressure Iran without incentives, and expose a lack of coordination with key allies.

The US blockade of Iran's coastline raises concerns about a potential confrontation with China and others who have managed to get ships through the Strait of Hormuz, Council President and CEO @leslievinjamuri.bsky.social tells @bloomberg.com. "This is very unchartered territory."

Opinion | A New Era of World War Has Arrived

"As the war in Ukraine drags on and the American and Israeli war against Iran is paused under a fragile cease-fire, we are watching another unwelcome phenomenon return to the global stage: the world war," argues Senior Nonresident Fellow @profpaulpoast.bsky.social. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/12/o...

Promo graphic for the Council's 4/21 event "The Playing Field: When Sports Go Global," featuring event details and speaker headshots.

What does sport reveal about how America engages with the world and the world with America? And what does it mean for teams and fans when the game goes global?

Join Kay Bradley, Andrés Martinez, and @profpaulpoast.bsky.social as they discuss these questions and more on 4/21. bit.ly/4t4iL6D

Northwestern University’s Dean Karlan, WashU Medicine’s Margaret Kruk, and MedGlobal President Zaher Sahloul joined the Council to discuss global public health. Thank you to our event partner, the UChicago's Susan and Richard Kiphart Center for Global Health & Social Development. bit.ly/47akX3L

What does it take for a nation to reckon with its past? On 5/5, join New York Law School's Ruti Teitel and @leslievinjamuri.bsky.social as they examine how presidents reckon with history and shape America’s path forward. bit.ly/4cyrJmW

Graphic announcing the Council's two new vice presidents of research, featuring headshots of Dr. Raymond Kuo and Dr. Ariane Tabatabai over an alabaster background of the Chicago skyline.

The Council is excited to welcome two new members to our team. @kuorum.bsky.social will join the Council as Vice President of Research, Geostrategy and Diplomacy, and @atabatabai.bsky.social will join us as Vice President of Research, Security and Defense. bit.ly/4mlvO0X

Trump, Iran agree to 2-week ceasefire. What now? | The Chicago Report ran agreed Wednesday to a two-week ceasefire and plans to begin talks with the United States in Islamabad, as President Donald Trump said he would pause planned U.S. strikes contingent on Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

"Ceasefires are incredibly precarious," the Council's @leslievinjamuri.bsky.social told @fox32chicago.bsky.social. "But it does give at least a pause—at least a window—to try and push forward more of a negotiation, especially on the question of the nuclear conditions."

Watch the full conversation ⤵️

🔁 ICYMI | China and the U.S. are using trade and supply chains as coercive tools. @victordcha.bsky.social @csis.org, Paul Heer, and @leslievinjamuri.bsky.social discussed @global-affairs.bsky.social how economic interdependence is shifting and how countries can respond.

🎥 Watch: shorturl.at/I75Bc

Trump’s Iran Strategy Falls Short on Solutions Unless Trump can devise a secure—and cost-neutral—plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the United States will lose even more global goodwill.

"Unless Trump can devise a secure—and cost-neutral—plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the United States will lose even more global goodwill," writes Council President and CEO @leslievinjamuri.bsky.social.

More analysis ⤵️

A Nuclear Deal with Iran Now Would Be a Strategic Mistake While the Trump administration's proposed agreement would curtail Tehran’s ability to develop a nuclear weapon, it would not touch the real drivers of the Islamic Republic’s power.

"What looks like a solution for Washington in the short term could create a deeper problem: The deal would address Iran’s enrichment, but it would not touch the real drivers of the Islamic Republic’s power," writes Council Senior Nonresident Fellow Saeid Golkar.

The Next Global Food Crisis Has Already Begun Blocked fertilizer shipments plus La Niña spell trouble for farmers around the world.

"Hunger crises begin when the conditions for producing food begin to erode," Council Distinguished Fellow Ertharin Cousin writes in @foreignpolicy.com. "Today, that erosion is shaped by [the Iran] war’s creation of a geopolitical choke point—and exacerbated by climate variability."

As President Trump looks to wind down Iran war, experts focus on war crimes President Donald Trump announced a major address to the nation on the status of the war in Iran, claiming major military successes.

Targeting Iran's public utilities would constitute a war crime, Council Senior Nonresident Fellow @profpaulpoast.bsky.social tells @nbcchicago.com. "There's supposed to be distinction between military and civilian [targets]."

More insights ⤵️

Is the Middle East Heading Toward a Much Bigger War? “I had never seen the Middle East as chaotic, as dangerous, as spiraling out of control as it is today.” Fawaz Gerges on why he believes the region is entering a much more dangerous phase.

“This is no longer an Iran war. This is a region-wide war.”

On this week’s Deep Dish episode, @lseir.bsky.social's @fawazgerges.bsky.social joins Council President and CEO @leslievinjamuri.bsky.social to share why he believes the Middle East is entering a much more dangerous phase. bit.ly/4mdmc8M

What have the last two months of blockade meant for people in Cuba? | DW News A Russian tanker filled with crude oil has reached Cuba. The Trump administration allowed it to go through - after blocking shipments for weeks. Reports indi...

What have two months of blockade meant for people of Cuba? "Without any fuel, Cuba is really in the midst of a humanitarian crisis," Nonresident Senior Fellow Cécile Shea tells Nehal Johri on @news.dw.com. www.youtube.com/watch?v=WF1U...

Rachel Bronson speaking with Bloomberg over video call.

"What we're seeing, of course, is that the global economy runs on energy, and a significant shock like this will move through the system for years to come," Council Senior Nonresident Fellow @rb312.bsky.social told Dani Burger on @bloomberg.com last week. #[bloom.bg/4s3F0IF

“Pakistan is looking to create a diversified portfolio of relationships that will let it punch above its weight—and also allow it to hedge against or balance against Indian influence and power within South Asia," says Council Senior Nonresident Fellow Paul Staniland. bit.ly/47W47pR

Shampoo, food, and aspirin: The rising cost of oil affects a lot more than just your gas tank “It’s the transportation of the things that you buy, the production of the things that you buy, and the ingredients of the things that you buy,” says Cécile Shea of the Chicago Council on Global Affai...

Oil is a resource often taken for granted, but our daily lives depend on it.

"It’s the transportation of the things that you buy, the production of the things that you buy, and the ingredients of the things that you buy," Council Nonresident Senior Fellow Cécile Shea tells @wbez.org. bit.ly/4sMO464

Council Senior Nonresident Fellow Rachel Bronson joined UChicago’s Robert Rosner and Illinois Commerce Commission’s Doug Scott to discuss geopolitics and energy security in the new nuclear age. Watch the full conversation in partnership with the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists: bit.ly/4rViYsr

a bar chart showing generational views of US trade policy

Grappling with inflation and a tenuous job market, Millennial and Gen Z Americans favor a different approach to US trade policy than their elders.

More Council survey results ➡️ bit.ly/4de1uTJ

Promo graphic for the Council's latest Deep Dish episode "From Oil to Food: How the Iran War Could Disrupt Global Stability," featuring episode details and photo.

On this week's episode of the Deep Dish podcast, Catherine Bertini and Michael Werz joined @leslievinjamuri.bsky.social to explain how the Iran war could ripple from energy markets into global food systems, driving prices higher and worsening global food security. bit.ly/4t9yz7V

Promo graphic for the Council's 4/21 virtual program "Is the Global Economy Ready for Another Forever War?" featuring speaker headshots and event details.

Is the global economy ready for another forever war? On April 21, hear from Lord Jim O'Neill, Raghuram Rajan, and @leslievinjamuri.bsky.social as they discuss the broader economic consequences of the Iran conflict in a virtual program. bit.ly/3O3kkmb

🔁 ICYMI | China and the U.S. are using trade and supply chains as coercive tools. @victordcha.bsky.social @csis.org, Paul Heer, and @leslievinjamuri.bsky.social discussed @global-affairs.bsky.social how economic interdependence is shifting and how countries can respond.

🎥 Watch: shorturl.at/I75Bc

Victor Cha of the @csis.org joined Council Senior Nonresident Fellow Paul Heer and Council President & CEO Leslie Vinjamuri to discuss key findings from his book, China’s Weaponization of Trade: Resistance through Collective Resilience. Watch the full conversation: bit.ly/3OfcYvP