One year ago this week, Joe Biden was president. I was in Doha, Qatar, negotiating with Israel and Hamas to finalize a ceasefire and hostage release deal. The incoming Trump team worked closely with us, a rare display of nonpartisanship to free hostages and end a war. It feels like a decade ago. A lot can happen in a year, as 2025 has shown.
Today, the United States has the largest military buildup in the Caribbean since the Cuban missile crisis. Russian envoys are in Miami to discuss a new ceasefire proposal for Ukraine, even as Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to escalate the war there. The US installed a three-star general in Israel to oversee a ceasefire in Gaza after bombing Iran over the summer. President Donald Trump is planning a Beijing summit that might determine the fate of Taiwan, as well as our competition with China in the fields of advanced technologies and AI.
The past year feels more transformational than transitional, with 2026 now shaping up to be a hinge year — with multiple inflection points on the global agenda.
Let’s break it down, with seven issues that I’ll be watching closely:
The Trump administration has deployed the largest armada in the Caribbean and western Atlantic since the height of the Cold War. The force includes an aircraft carrier strike group, multiple destroyers, amphibious assault forces, stealth bombers, and special operations units. The goal remains unclear, but the US military is undertaking a deadly campaign against alleged drug traffickers — now with nearly 30 strikes without any congressional authorization or open debate. Over the past week, Trump upped the tension with a declared military blockade against illicit oil shipments and seizure of more oil tankers.
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