Ph. Iranians hold national flags in Tehran’s Revolution Square on April 8, 2026, after the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire. Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images Donald Heflin, Tufts University President Donald Trump on April 7, 2026, announced a ceasefire between the United States and Iran, after more than a
Ph. China and Russia view the U.S. grand strategy as increasingly out of focus. AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson Jeffrey Taliaferro, Tufts University “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.” Napoleon Bonaparte’s maxim may well have been in the minds of policymakers in Moscow and Beijing these past weeks, as the
Ph. Boat strikes can harm or kill whales and are one concern about the oil industry’s environmental impact. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images Dan Salas, University of Illinois Chicago There’s a well-worn debate in U.S. politics that goes something like this: Would you rather have abundant and affordable energy or a clean, healthy
Ph. On Feb. 7, 2026, Iranian newspapers featured headlines on the resumption of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, following their suspension after Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iran in June 2025. Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images Debak Das, University of Denver Operation Epic Fury – the latest round of military
Ph. The Conversation, CC BY-SA Justin Bergman, The Conversation; Matt Garrow, The Conversation, and Mitchell Costello, The Conversation Since the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran in late February, Iran has retaliated by targeting commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, effectively shutting down the narrow channel of water. It’s
Ph. A woman poses with a picture of Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, in central Tehran on March 9, 2026. Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images Mehrzad Boroujerdi, Missouri University of Science and Technology The Trump administration announced a US$10 million reward on March 15, 2026, for information leading to the capture
Ph. A protester’s sign reading ‘For peace and justice. No to war’ in Spanish, at a demonstration in Logroño on March 12, 2026. Www.mariomartija.es/Shutterstock Waya Quiviger, IE University The war in Iran has yet again exposed the tensions between Spain’s Pedro Sánchez and Donald Trump. The two leaders have clashed repeatedly over the
Ph. Iran has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil export routes. Aomkanae sawatdinak/Shutterstock Sergi Basco, Universitat de Barcelona After the US and Israel began their military strikes on Iran on February 28, oil and gas markets were plunged into chaos and energy prices shot up. As
Scott Lucas, University College Dublin The conflict in the Middle East is now in its sixth day and is showing no sign of letting up. Israeli and US warplanes have continued to strike targets inside Iran, which has prompted retaliatory attacks throughout the region. An American submarine has also sunk an Iranian navy
Tim Vogel, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) and Zoryana Olekseyuk, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) The African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) was introduced in 2000 as the cornerstone of US development-oriented trade policy towards sub-Saharan Africa. It was designed to grant eligible countries duty-free access to the US