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Supporters of the Forever Canadian group, who want Alberta to remain in Canada, wave Canadian flags as they wait for the results of a non-binding referendum on Alberta sovereignty in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada October 19, 2026.
Analysis

Alberta nixes independence - but immigration is the real story

Alberta is staying in Canada. But the more important results may have come from the nine other questions on the referendum ballot that have received considerably less attention.

Office of the United Nations in Geneva, second headquarters of the UN
Analysis

The UN’s “major donor syndrome”

A significant part of the UN’s funding problem comes down to a very small number of countries. Just two members – the US and China – account for 42% of the UN’s regular budget.

Medical workers treat injured people at Ameth Bek hospital after a drone strike on a market in the disputed Abyei region along the border between South Sudan and Sudan, October 19, 2026.
What We're Watching

South Sudan suffers drone strike, Romania finally gets a government, Colombia revives sea beef with Nicaragua

South Sudan is accusing neighboring Sudan of launching a drone strike that killed at least 73 people at a market in Abyei, a disputed, oil-rich region of roughly 4,000 square miles claimed by both countries.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney meet in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C.
Analysis

The Great North American trade war

It’s official: the US and Canada are in a trade war, a remarkable rupture in one of the world’s closest alliances.

A man votes at a polling station in South Carolina's Democratic presidential primary in Columbia.
Analysis

Progressives are rising, but Black voters aren’t sold

The left is ascendant in Democratic politics, but a crucial part of the party’s base isn’t moving with it.

A banner reading "Buy Canadian", in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's 25% tariffs on goods from Canada, is held aloft by a pair of hockey sticks in front of a house
What We're Watching

US-Canada talks hit tariff deadline, Meta goes on trial, Japan to test missiles in Australia

Washington and Ottawa are down to the wire with last-minute talks to reach an agreement by 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, when President Donald Trump has threatened to impose 50% tariffs on over $20 billion of Canadian goods.

​US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed (D-MI) speaks during a campaign rally
Analysis

Is Israel the new litmus test for Democrats?

From Michigan to New York, Democratic primaries are becoming key battlegrounds in the party’s growing divide over Israel and US foreign policy.

Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on June 18, 2026.
by ian bremmer

The US-Iran ceasefire is over. What’s next?

On Monday, President Donald Trump announced the United States would reimpose its naval blockade of Iran, effective Tuesday afternoon. Iran responded by declaring the Strait of Hormuz closed to all traffic that does not route through its preferred corridor.

​Crude oil tanker Odessa, carrying UAE crude after passing through the Strait of Hormuz with its Automatic Identification System transponder turned off, navigates the waters at Daesan port, in Seosan, South Korea, May 8, 2026.
What We're Watching

The memorandum of misunderstanding over Hormuz, Magyar’s Orbán-era purge, China's anti-graft drive

The US and Iran exchanged missiles again overnight. The two countries are at odds over whether Tehran can impose tolls on ships that pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

​US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8, 2026.
What We're Watching

Marco Rubio’s not-so-little role in Venezuela, Millions of Sudanese reluctantly return home, Japan reopens an intelligence agency

Who runs Venezuela these days? According to a detailed new exposé by the New York Times, real power over the oil-rich country lies with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

​US Vice President JD Vance at Emmen Military Air Base, Emmen, Switzerland, on June 22, 2026.
Analysis

Can JD Vance reach the promised land?

Two years ago, Donald Trump picked the then-Ohio senator to be his running mate, putting him in pole position to be the next Republican presidential nominee. Since entering office, though, Vance has stumbled, possibly opening the door to challengers.