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The Water's Edge

James M. Lindsay analyzes the politics shaping U.S. foreign policy and the sustainability of American power.

Latest Post

The President’s Inbox Recap: The U.S.-China Trade War

President Donald Trump’s tariff campaign against China has ignited a trade war with mutually disastrous economic consequences and no clear end in sight.

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United States
The Vietnam War Ended Fifty Years Ago Today
The second-longest war in U.S. history began with dreams of quick victory and ended in catastrophe.  
United States
The President’s Inbox Recap: Trump’s First 100 Days
Unconstrained by ideology or tradition, President Donald Trump has disrupted U.S. foreign policy and turned his back on U.S. leadership of international order.  
United States
First 100 Days: Trump’s Foreign Policy Disruption Is Just Beginning
President Donald Trump has challenged and changed many aspects of U.S. foreign policy since returning to the White House. This disruption likely won’t subside simply because his presidency has hit an arbitrary milestone.
  • Climate Change
    The President’s Inbox Recap: Climate Change Realism on Earth Day 2025
    The world is losing its battle to limit climate change, and the United States needs to prepare for consequences.
  • Panama
    The President’s Inbox Recap: Trump’s Plan for the Panama Canal
    The Trump administration is leaning on the Monroe Doctrine as it seeks to shut China out of Latin America.
  • United States
    The President’s Inbox Recap: Confronting China
    The United States must play to its strengths and avoid self-inflicted missteps if it wants to beat China in the race to dominate the twenty-first century.
  • United States
    Five Things to Know About Trump’s Tariffs
    Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” produced a declaration of economic war on the rest of the world. 
  • Sanctions
    The President’s Inbox Recap: The New Era of Economic Warfare
    The United States leveraged its dominance of the global financial system to deploy powerful sanctions against adversaries, but excessive use risks diminishing their strength.
  • Democratic Republic of Congo
    The President’s Inbox Recap: Conflict in Eastern Congo
    The resurgence of Rwanda-backed insurgents in eastern Congo has reignited a decades-old conflict over ethnic rivalries, mineral wealth, and political representation.
  • United States
    American Public Support for Ukraine Grows
    As Donald Trump pushes for a quick end to the war in Ukraine, Americans increasingly favor doing more to help Kyiv.