Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

International Affairs

Icon for promotion number 1

Sign up for our Global newsletter

Delivered twice a month

Thank you for subscribing!

Processing…
  • report

    What Japanese and Americans Think about Each Other

    Japan’s decision to join negotiations to create a Trans-Pacific Partnership with the United States and other Pacific nations reflects, in part, the sea change in public opinion that has transformed U.S.-Japan relations. The upcoming TPP negotiations will be contentious. But the political context in which these talks will take place is far more supportive than ever before.

  • report

    Obama’s Israel Challenge

    Criticized by some for being insufficiently pro-Israel during his first term, and dogged by relatively low ratings in Israel, President Obama travels there this week to deliver a major address in Jerusalem. The Obama administration can only hope this speech is more warmly received among Israelis than his last high-profile address in the region at Cairo University in June 2009.

  • report

    Will Budget Cuts = Isolationism?

    The forced budget cuts, known in Washington as sequestration, are now in force. These reductions in defense spending, anti-terrorism activities, foreign aid and the budget for the State Department will shrink the U.S. footprint around the world, with consequences for the projection of both U.S. hard and soft power.

  • report

    Secretary of State John Kerry’s Travel Itinerary

      John Kerry will take his first trip abroad as Secretary of State from February 24 to March 6, travelling to Europe and the Middle East. In Europe, he will visit Britain, Germany, France and Italy, where he will discuss bilateral relations as well as the ongoing conflicts in Mali and Syria. America’s image remains […]

  • report

    American Star Power Still Rules the Globe

    Surveys consistently show that movies – and more broadly, American popular culture – are a strong suit of U.S. soft power. And, while studio executives spend considerably more time thinking about box office returns than public diplomacy, Tinseltown is actually pretty effective at nudging America’s international image in a positive direction.

  • report

    How America and Japan See the World

    The U.S.-Japan relationship has gone through numerous ups and downs in the last few decades and Americans’ fears that Japan Inc. will overwhelm them have subsided. Yet challenges remain: how to jointly deal with China, North Korea and Iran, and whether Tokyo will join with other Asian governments and Washington in creating a transpacific free trade area.

Signature Reports

report

Attitudes on an Interconnected World

How close do people feel to others around the world? How much do they want their countries involved in international affairs? How do people’s experiences with travel and feelings of international connectedness relate to their views about the world? A recent 24-nation survey explores these questions.

report

What Can Improve Democracy?

Amid growing discontent with the state of democracy globally, we asked over 30,000 people what changes would make their democracy work better.