U.S. Foreign Policy

As many in Central and Eastern Europe were emerging from the buoyant aftermath of Hungary’s mid-April 2026 elections, less than 500 miles southeast of Budapest another consequential national plebiscite transpired. On April 19, a mere week after the watershed...

The following conversation was recorded on March 19, 2026 and has been edited for clarity. You can listen to the conversation here. Natalia Kopytnik: Welcome back to The Ties That Bind, a project of the Foreign Policy Research Institute...

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...

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...

The following conversation was recorded on February 5, 2026 and has been edited for clarity. You can listen to the conversation here.  Aaron Stein: Hello and welcome. Today I’m joined by Roland Theis. He is a member of the...

In the Shadow of War and the Threat of International Law Starting in 2026, Latvia will serve as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC) for a two-year term. This will be a first in the country’s...

Shihoko Goto—With Takaichi’s Massive Win, Japan’s Potential Path Forward Opens Up  The decisive electoral victory of Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s ruling party on February 8 was a clear win for a new wave of conservatism in Japan. The Liberal...

The following conversation was recorded on December 11, 2025, and has been edited for clarity. You can listen to the conversation here. Natalia Kopytnik: My guest today is Joel Linnainmäki. He’s a research fellow at the Finnish Institute of...

  The following conversation was recorded on November 26, 2025, and has been edited for clarity. You can listen to the conversation here.   Natalia Kopytnik: Hello, everyone. My guest today is Minna Ålander. She’s an associate fellow at...

Unsurprisingly, the National Security Strategy (NSS) has set off a storm across the Atlantic. The German chancellor called parts of the document “unacceptable,” while the president of the European Council warned that Europeans must now “protect themselves even against...