The United States is in the midst of a fundamental reconsideration of its economic relationship with the rest of the world. Tariffs, export controls, investment screening, supply-chain diversification and efforts to bring manufacturing back to American soil have moved from the margins of economic policy to its center.

Africa is the fastest growing continent with the youngest population—critical resources in a world with an aging population and slowing growth. When the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) was first enacted in 2000, it provided for duty-free access for most sub-Saharan exports to the United States for 15 years. It was extended in 2015 for 10 years, and after a brief lapse, AGOA was renewed in February 2026[1] for 11 months through the end of the year.

Historically, Russia sanctions bills in the U.S. Congress have been bipartisan, popular, and quick to garner easy – indeed, overwhelming - approval almost as soon as Washington begins buzzing about them. You blink, and suddenly Congress has codified sanctions against Russia.

For decades, America’s R&D ecosystem and universities were the best in the world, attracting top students, researchers, and innovators from every corner of the globe and fueling its technology leadership. The Administration has steadily eroded these advantages, first by slashing funding for R&D, education (especially universities), and domestic semiconductor and battery manufacturing, and second by imposing restrictions on high-skilled immigration and international students.

Last week, the U.S. scored a serious “own goal,” when it missed the deadline to renew the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) for 16 years. The agreement will now go into an annual review until 2036. Then, absent extension, it will expire.

Last week, the American Leadership Initiative had the distinct privilege of hosting Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) for a robust, candid conversation on how we move America from this moment of anxiety to one of genuine opportunity. In a time when too many middle-class families feel squeezed by rising costs, uncertain supply chains, and a sense that the system isn’t working for them, Senator Kim offered something rare and valuable: a clear, principled framework built around resilience.

In a major speech at Princeton University last month, Senator Andy Kim laid out seven guiding principles for American leadership in an era of global uncertainty. The first and most foundational was simple but powerful: Economic security is national security. That phrase has come into use over the past few years to make the point that we cannot be secure as a nation if our economy is not competitive or our key supply chains are at risk. Senator Kim defines economic security as individual economic security, meaning that the United States is only a secure nation if our families and workers feel secure.

This weekend’s Washington Post article on AI data centers struck me as a microcosm of one of the most fundamental challenges facing the United States today. The tension between AI data centers and the communities that host them is emblematic of a larger question facing the United States: how to be a global technology leader while ensuring that the benefits of growth are shared by families and local communities. We must build the data centers needed to remain globally competitive, but companies must engage transparently with local communities, address concerns about water and electricity use, and make meaningful commitments to job creation and community development.

This weekend’s Washington Post article on AI data centers struck me as a microcosm of one of the most fundamental challenges facing the United States today. The tension between AI data centers and the communities that host them is emblematic of a larger question facing the United States: how to be a global technology leader while ensuring that the benefits of growth are shared by families and local communities. We must build the data centers needed to remain globally competitive, but companies must engage transparently with local communities, address concerns about water and electricity use, and make meaningful commitments to job creation and community development.

For decades, America’s R&D ecosystem and universities were the best in the world, attracting top students, researchers, and innovators from every corner of the globe, fueling its technology leadership. The Administration has steadily eroded these advantages, first by slashing funding for R&D, education (especially universities), and domestic semiconductor and battery manufacturing, and second by imposing restrictions on high-skilled immigration and international students.

The Administration’s sweeping and volatile tariffs undermined the global trading system that had been in place for decades, disrupting supply chains, harming allies, and increasing prices for American businesses, workers, farmers, ranchers, and families.

The Supreme Court’s decision that the sweeping tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act exceed the executive’s authority is a welcome restraint on the president’s abuse of tariff statutes. But the job remains only partially done.

Over the past nine months, the Trump administration has imposed sweeping new tariffs on imports from most of the world. This includes key products, such as steel and aluminum. Starting next month, more tariffs are promised on semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, furniture, and other products.  

Even as there is new evidence of the near-term negative impact of Donald Trump’s tariffs on the US economy, Trump’s recent, unprovoked escalation of duties on Canada prompts the question: Where is US trade policy headed and what long-term systemic changes does it portend for bilateral trade and investment?

When the Administration announced sweeping new tariffs last month, Washington quickly turned to familiar debates: would the bond market force a retreat? Could the Administration strike “90 deals in 90 days” as promised? Would consumer prices spike before the midterms?

The Trump Administration, led by the U.S. State Department, is ramping up its attacks on the EU’s digital rules. At the heart of this new push is the EU’s Digital Services Act, adopted in 2022, which regulates European activities of the world’s largest digital platforms, many of which are American.

As the U.S. reimagines its development and economic statecraft tools in the wake of USAID’s dismantling, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is the smart power tool that the United States needs to reach for in its toolbox.

China’s recent release of DeepSeek has escalated the AI race between the U.S. and China, and the competition for the best and brightest minds will be critical. Talent is a leading factor in the leadership race in emerging technologies. While China far outpaces the U.S. in its supply of domestic talent, the U.S. has historically maintained its leadership through its ability to attract and retain international talent. The U.S. is in danger of losing that lead, unless it expands the flow of highly skilled immigration, and invests in expanding the American skilled workforce.

The renewal of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement was never going to be a cakewalk. But President-elect Trump’s announcement last week that he will issue executive orders imposing 25 percent tariffs on all imported goods from Mexico and Canada threatens the agreement that is the guiding framework for free trade and economic growth in North America.

Annual temperatures are at the warmest levels since record keeping began¹, bringing urgency to government, business, and individual efforts to stem the climate crisis. At the same time, the transition away from fossil fuels and towards more sustainable and renewable sources of energy is upending economies, requiring transformations of manufacturing industries and investments in new industries such as batteries and other “green” technologies. Against these trends, policymakers are juggling their climate mitigation efforts while still encouraging current and future economic growth.