In mid-November 2025, Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, in a moment of parliamentary pressure, crossed a line that Beijing had long drawn in red ink.

U.S. leaders consistently lack strategic empathy, failing to consider how their actions are perceived by other nations. This longstanding blindness has fueled past conflicts and now risks sparking new crises with Russia and China.

The meeting between the Chinese and U.S. presidents in South Korea at the end of October resolved some issues but left many unanswered. These deferred questions will likely drive next year’s Sino-American policy agenda.

The message of the meeting of two presidents in South Korea is not one of dominance but of balancing — the idea that great power diplomacy can bring stability to the world in uncertain times.

Tensions between Donald Trump and Venezuela are rising against a backdrop of changes in the international order. Moving to rebuild the political biosphere of the Western Hemisphere, Trump is entering a complex and volatile new phase of geopolitics.

Maximum pressure, transactional thinking and an emphasis on spheres of influence all define Donald Trump’s approach to diplomacy and give concrete form to his “America first” ideology. In a world undergoing turbulent change, the impact and destructive effect of this approach demand vigilance.

A stronger alliance between the U.S. and Japan poses significant challenges for China, but it’s important to recognize the internal and external constraints on Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s foreign policy. Actively identifying new areas of growth and nurturing the internal momentum of the relationship is essential.

China’s grand strategy is defined by a deliberate balance between integration into the global economic system and resistance to its Western-led constraints. It employs strategic ambiguity and selective engagement to expand influence, preserve flexibility, and avoid confrontation that could jeopardize its modernization.

In a significant recalibration, the Busan summit helped stabilize China-U.S. relations, which now appear unlikely to return to the past or fall into confrontation. Both sides will instead seek equilibrium through communication and prudent action.

The first in-person meeting between Presidents Trump and Xi in six years focused almost exclusively on trade and technology, resulting in a temporary rollback of tariffs and export restrictions but producing no new agreements or progress on broader security or geopolitical issues. The meeting largely served to stabilize U.S.-China relations and decrease tensions, with both leaders agreeing to reciprocal visits in 2026 for further discussions, effectively “kicking the can down the road” on deeper bilateral challenges.