United States of America
Despite polarized domestic politics and social tensions, the United States remains a major player in international relations, on the economic, military and diplomatic levels.
Related Subjects
How to Misread Polls
Poll numbers are the life blood of politics these days. Anything expressed in digits has a claim to truth that assertions without digits cannot make. They inspire confidence - especially among those aspiring to public office - that they actually understand what public sentiment is.
Obama announces "Opportunity Ladder"
There are moments in life when you receive an unmistakable sign that the game is over. That it’s time to fold your tent, to pull up stakes, to pack it in, to furl the flag, to trim the sails, to let go of a lost cause. At best, to wait for next year. In the extreme, to write it off permanently. And if one chooses to breast the tide, to do so stoically.
THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR: 'Freedom fries' forgotten, Hollande visits Obama amid warming ties
Laurence Nardon, head of the United States Program at IFRI, sheds light on Franco-American relations in an article by Sara Miller Llara in the The Christian Science Monitor.
LE FIGARO: Europe and Obama : I loved you but not anymore
Are America and Europe growing apart or does the U.S. still have a privileged tie with the Europeans?
FRANCE CULTURE: United States: Permanently altered global alliances
Washington's relationships with a number of key allies are in a worrying decline. Israel and Saudi Arabia are keeping their distance from Barack Obama as a result of diverging opinions on nuclear negotiations with Iran.... This disenchantment also effects Afghanistan where President Karzai has turned away from the United States as have allies Pakistan and Turkey.
The Return of Robert Gates
The memoirs of public men are exercises in self-promotion and self-justification. They are designed to etch a portrait of the (wo)man that will live across time. It's the legacy thing. These days, that legacy pertains also to the "here and now" since memoirs are not necessarily the conclusion of a career but rather the curtain-raising on its next act.
LA TRIBUNE: The American budget: the end of the tunnel?
Congress found a provisionary compromise but will have to reconsider the federal budget in January. What's the likely outcome? By Laurence nardon, head of the United States Program at IFRI.
Accountability: "Missing In Action"
Accountability is on the endangered species list. No - not the word. Indeed, “accountability” reverberates around the electronic ether almost as frequently as “thwarking.” It is the reality of persons, especially public persons, taking responsibility for acts of malfeasance in ways that entail exemplary punishment and personal costs.
Why Hillary?
Hillary Clinton has been enthroned as the presumptive next President of the United States - by the celebrity mongers, by the trendy Hollywood set, by the media, by the pundits, by the big donors, by Congressional Democratic leaders like Nancy Pelosi and Charles Schumer and by the Las Vegas odds-makers. The crystallization of a consensus three years before the event is as intriguing as the questions about what sort of president she would make.
FRANCE CULTURE: United States. Has its foreign policy pivoted toward Asia?
Domestic policy remains Obama's focus and strongsuit while foreign policy has emerged as the administration's weakest and most deceptive area. Obama has proved measured yet hesitant, pragmatic yet reactive. Latin America and Africa are far from his radar. The relationship with Russia remains complicated. Washington has failed to exert influence over israel. In the Arab world, the U.S. abandoned former ally Mubarak and floundered in Syria. The U.S. will leave Afghanistan at the end of 2014 without fixing a thing. The relationship with Europe is far from harmonious. Only the rapproachment with the new Iranian president reveals a new and more ambitious approach to foreign policy. Only the U.S.'s diverse relationship with Asia remains to be seen.
Ifri, a foundation recognized as being of public utility, relies largely on private donors – companies and individuals – to guarantee its sustainability and intellectual independence. Through their funding, donors help maintain the Institute's position among the world's leading think tanks. By benefiting from an internationally recognized network and expertise, donors refine their understanding of geopolitical risk and its consequences on global politics and the economy. In 2026, Ifri partners with over 90 French and international companies and organizations.
Ifri's work on the Americas region focuses mainly on the United States. Indeed, for more than 20 years, Ifri's Americas Program has provided keys to understanding American society and domestic policy while shedding light on developments in the country's foreign policy, including transatlantic relations and trade issues.
Since 2023, a specific axis on Latin America structures more actively Ifri's research on this region.
Ifri's Canada program was active in 2015 and 2016.