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
Mind the Deterrence Gap: Assessing Europe’s Nuclear Options
Europe must urgently confront a new nuclear reality. In recent years, Russia’s nuclear-backed revisionism has reintroduced nuclear coercion and the threat of nuclear escalation to the continent, underscoring the importance of credible nuclear deterrence. At the same time, Europe’s traditional reliance on US extended nuclear deterrence appears politically more fragile than at any point since the Cold War. Together, these developments require Europeans to think about their nuclear options.
Emmanuel Macron: The Preferred Choice for Taipei and Beijing
The second round of the French presidential election on April 24 will decide whether Emmanuel Macron, the incumbent president, or Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far right nationalist party Rassemblement national (national gathering), will become president of the French Republic for the next five years.
Convince and Coerce: U.S. Interference in Technology Exchanges Between its Allies and China
The tough-on-China policy adopted by the Trump and Biden administrations has – and will increasingly have – important consequences for Washington’s allies, both on their infrastructure choices (5G, submarine cables...) and on their technological exchanges with China.
Qatar and the US-China Rivalry: The Dilemmas of a Gulf Monarchy
Like its neighbors in the Arabian Peninsula, Qatar finds itself increasingly confronted with a difficult dilemma: while its economy is looking to the East, more specifically towards China, the security and stability of the country still depend on the United States.
Trump and the Republican Party: electoral defeat, ideological victory?
During Donald Trump’s four-year term, many new Republican candidates have been elected to Congress. Often backed by the former president from the GOP’s primaries, they were chosen for their devotion towards him and their support for his policies : moral conservatism and laissez-faire attitudes towards fiscal and environmental issues are old Republican tenets taken over by Trump, while nativist and economic nationalism (based on anti-immigration and protectionist policies respectively), as well as the portrayal of White people without college degree as an oppressed minority are fresh precepts brought forward by the former populist President.
Americans First: The Biden Administration’s Geopolitics
The Biden administration’s geopolitics is beginning to be noticed. It aims to build on a reconciled nation willing to see its foreign policy objectives as a defense of its own interests.
The China dilemma from Trump to Biden: one consensus and three worldviews
The United States underwent a fundamental transformation in its stance on China during the Trump presidency.
How Can American Democracy Be Fixed?
The end of the Trump presidency has demonstrated both the strength of institutions and their weakness.
From the Digital Levy to the Taxation of Multinationals: Joe Biden's Tax Revolution
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is conducting important negotiations this spring to reform international taxation.
The US Mineral Independance Strategy : An All-Out Mobilization
The Trump administration has been very actively designing and implementing a new strategy for reliable supply of critical minerals which aims at reducing the country’s vulnerabilities and becoming a leader in this field.
Why Should NATO Care About China? A Japanese Perspective
When we look back and think about some of the decisive moments in the West’s attitude towards China, it is rather symbolic that all goes back to Tiananmen Square, 1989.
Hillary Clinton's Email "Scandal": How Will It Affect the Election?
With the Democratic Presidential Nomination in sight, Hillary Clinton must still contend with a continuous conversation about her email practices. How will this scandal, or non-scandal, affect the presidential race yet to come? A look at the perspectives of the American constituency and pending investigations may predict Clinton's likely future... and the future of the American presidency.
The Middle East that Awaits a New US Administration
Along with a history marked by intervention from external powers, the Middle East is now confronting conflicts which combine political, ethnic and religious dimensions. The United States can not withdraw its “leadership” in the area. Aside from the Syrian question, the next American administration will have to redefine the network of partnerships and alliances in the region and grapple with a multitude of problems, none of which have simple solutions.
Sentencing Reform in the United States
Since the 1980's the incarceration rate in the United States has climbed to unprecedened levels. Today, the United States incarcerates a higher proportion of its population than any other country in the world. Activists have long called for sentencing reform, recognizing the criminal justice system's racial bias and failure to rehabilitate. President Obama's recent call to action propelled the debate on the issue forward at an unprecedented pace but will proposed reforms be enough to end mass incarceration ?
Rethinking the Confederate Legacy
The battle flag of General Robert E. Lee’s famed Army of Northern Virginia, commonly known as the Confederate Flag or the Southern Cross, has become the symbol of the 1861-1865 Southern secession and the most widespread sign of Southern regional identity. Today it can be found flying across the South and on everything from clothing to bumper stickers.
Best friends, eh? The Arctic, Keystone XL and the Canada-United States Relationship in 2015
Canada and the United States enjoy one of the most fruitful relationship in the world. Yet, several points of contention have appeared in recent years over the Northwest Passage and, more importantly, the Keystone XL pipelines. Such disagreements must be analyzed in order to fully grasp the state of the bilateral relationship in 2015.
Agreement on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in Atlanta. TPP and TTIP: Power Games in the U.S. Congress
Our analysis on the Agrement on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in Atlanta: President Obama is now seeking approval from Congress. He might be getting more support from the Republicans.
Blaming El Norte: The Economic Realities of Anti-Americanism South of the Rio Grande
For more than half a century, Cuba captured America’s attention as a symbol of anti-Americanism right in its own backyard. As normalized relations between the United States and Cuba bring these iconic hostilities to a close, many wonder if Castro’s Cold War rhetoric is finally dead. Borne primarily by Venezuela and Ecuador, Latin America's anti-Americanism has in fact merely transformed into an equally aggravating but less consequential trend today. Economic dependency tempers this new thorn in the United States’ side.
The US Shale Oil Revolution: The Test of the Business Model is Underway
Since 2010, the United States has been undergoing a second shale revolution with the very rapid development of Light Tight Oil (LTO) or shale oil, following the revolution in shale gas. This development has allowed the production of oil and liquids to increase, so that the US is the world’s largest producer today, ahead of Saudi Arabia and Russia.
The end of globalization ?
Michael Lind, Policy Director of the Economic Growth Program at the New America Foundation in Washington, D.C, was the guest of the French Institute for International Relations (IFRI) on September 29th 2014. In this video, he analyzes the major economic trends post-2008, and predicts the end of globalization.
The Difficult Issue of College Rape in America
Cette Actuelle est la quatrième d'une série de quatre Chroniques américaines sur l'éducation aux Etats-Unis, publiées cette semaine.
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Related centers and programs
Americas Program
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.