Council of Councils
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Introduction
Over the last several decades, governments have collectively pledged to slow global warming. But despite intensified diplomacy, the world is already facing the consequences of climate…
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Mercosur: South America’s Fractious Trade Bloc
Three decades after its founding, Latin America’s largest trade bloc continues to seek new global agreements. The recent conclusion of a deal with the European Union could help, but it faces roadblocks.
What Is the BRICS Group and Why Is It Expanding?
As BRICS grows in both membership and global sway, its expansion comes with divisions among its members old and new on how to set the stage for a revised world order.
What’s Happening in Lebanon? A Guide to the War-Torn Democracy
An array of domestic and foreign powers are vying for influence in Lebanon, including the Lebanese Armed Forces, Hezbollah, Israel, Iran, Syria, and the United States.
What Are Tariffs?
U.S. Presidents Trump and Biden have both turned to tariffs to support local industries amid economic confrontation with China. Here’s how these taxes work and how they’ve been used historically.
The Role of the ICC
The International Criminal Court was created to bring justice to the world’s worst war criminals, but debate over the court still rages.
The China-North Korea Relationship
Complex dynamics between the two Asian nuclear powers are shifting once again as North Korea deepens ties with Russia and the U.S.-China rivalry intensifies.
What Does the G20 Do?
The Group of Twenty, an informal gathering of many of the world’s largest economies, is the premier global forum for discussing economic issues. It is facing continued divisions over trade, climate change, and the war in Ukraine.
How the Caribbean Is Building Climate Resilience
The Caribbean is bearing the brunt of climate change. Governments in the region are taking steps to combat it, but are they enough?
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards
The IRGC is one of the most powerful organizations in Iran, conceived as the principal defender of the 1979 revolution, and now a critical link to Islamist militant groups violently opposed to Israel and the United States.
What Is Hezbollah?
The Iran-backed Shiite militia was considered the most powerful non-state group in the Middle East, but an Israeli military campaign against Hezbollah in 2024 has considerably weakened it.
U.S. Disaster Relief at Home and Abroad
The U.S. government responds to scores of disasters each year in coordination with foreign, state, and local partners, but more frequent and severe storms, fires, and floods are straining resources.
Understanding the Global Push for Climate Finance
Countries will collectively need to spend trillions of dollars to reach their decarbonization goals and protect the most vulnerable nations from climate disasters, but experts say that current funding levels lag behind what’s required to stave off and adapt to the worst effects of climate change.
Can Amazon Countries Save the Rain Forest?
The Amazon Rainforest plays a critical role in global climate health, but accelerating deforestation continues to raise alarm. How are the region’s governments responding?
What Is Hamas?
The Palestinian militant group struggled to govern the Gaza Strip before launching a surprise attack on Israel in 2023. Now facing Israel’s military campaign to destroy it, Hamas’s future is in doubt, as is Gaza’s.
What Is Quantum Computing?
Quantum computing, once the realm of science fiction, could bring massive economic gains. But it also threatens to upend national security, and governments are racing to prepare.