The Case Against Pessimism and the Path to a New Allied Order; The Long Shadow of the Iran Shock; The End of the American Middle East
Foreign Affairs This Week

August 21, 2026 | View in Browser | Sponsored by Virginia Tech School of Public and International Affairs

 

This week’s highlights:

- How Alliances Survive by Kurt M. Campbell and Rush Doshi

- The Long Shadow of the Iran Shock by Jason Bordoff and Meghan L. O’Sullivan

- The End of the American Middle East by Marc Lynch

- The Cost of Keeping China Out by Peter Cowhey and Meg Rithmire

- Podcast: Kurt Campbell, Rush Doshi, and Mark Leonard debate the inevitability of a post-American world

- The Abandoned Order by Mark Leonard

- A China Strategy That Lasts by Bill Cassidy

 

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How Alliances Survive

The Case Against Pessimism and the Path to a New Allied Order

By Kurt M. Campbell and Rush Doshi

 
Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, August 2026

The Long Shadow of the Iran Shock

Hormuz and the New Geography of Energy Power

By Jason Bordoff and Meghan L. O’Sullivan

 

The End of the American Middle East

Iran and the Last Gasp of a Failed Order

By Marc Lynch

 
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, May 2026 

The Cost of Keeping China Out

How Washington’s Fear of Chinese Investment Hurts American Competitiveness

By Peter Cowhey and Meg Rithmire

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No matter where you are in your professional journey, you will gain expertise in policy, governance, and international affairs with Virginia Tech’s School of Public and International Affairs. Offering flexible master’s, PhD, and graduate certificate programs in the D.C. Metro Area, Blacksburg, and online, SPIA connects rigorous coursework and mentoring with real-world impact.

 

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New Podcast Episode

The Foreign Affairs Interview

Is a Post-American World Inevitable?