United States of America
Despite polarized domestic politics and social tensions, the United States remains a major player in international relations, on the economic, military and diplomatic levels.
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New Cold War? What New Cold War? Confronting the Geoeconomic Fragmentation Narrative with the Data
It has become widely accepted that the world economy should be seen as increasingly shaped by forces of fragmentation, resulting from geopolitical tensions. This article takes another look at this narrative, using international trade data. While an aggregate analysis is consistent with a new Cold War narrative, whereby international trade is increasingly seen as split into two blocs, this is only a mix of very different outcomes. Far from being a widespread trend, geoeconomic fragmentation of trade flows is only significant in “hotspots”: Russia's foreign trade and China-US bilateral exchanges, and the impact is massive in these cases. Outside these “hotspots”, there is no tangible sign that geopolitical tensions have been shaping international trade patterns in terms of blocs, nor is there any hint of a trend toward nearshoring – to the contrary, in fact.
The Taboo of the Armenian Genocide, Part Two: The Politics of American Avoidance
The Armenian Genocide has been a topic of trials and tribulations in American politics for quite some time. It has been an issue in Presidential campaigns, like that of now-President Obama: when he promised to recognize it. It has been the topic of votes, such as the most recent 2010 vote which failed to recognize the genocide. It has been a funnel for interests, lobbying, and foreign investment. With Germany recently recognizing the genocide and an American Presidential election at hand, speculation of American recognition is once again at a high. As politicians debate the issue, or avoid it altogether, the American political system moves forward. There are various key players in American politics, but in specificity to the Armenian Genocide issue, there are the Armenian, Turkish, and Israeli lobbies, and the constituencies they represent.
États-Unis : les nominations à la Cour suprême, enjeu des élections de 2016
With the death of Justice Antonin Scalia on February 13, 2016, the Supreme Court of the United States lost a beacon of conservative thought and one of the most influential American jurists of the last thirty years. The question of his replacement immediately became an issue as the United States looks forward to the presidential election in November. While past nominations to the Supreme Court have been relatively uncontentious, nominations today are affected by the polarization of American politics.
Hillary Clinton's Email "Scandal": How Will It Affect the Election?
With the Democratic Presidential Nomination in sight, Hillary Clinton must still contend with a continuous conversation about her email practices. How will this scandal, or non-scandal, affect the presidential race yet to come? A look at the perspectives of the American constituency and pending investigations may predict Clinton's likely future... and the future of the American presidency.
The Middle East that Awaits a New US Administration
Along with a history marked by intervention from external powers, the Middle East is now confronting conflicts which combine political, ethnic and religious dimensions. The United States can not withdraw its “leadership” in the area. Aside from the Syrian question, the next American administration will have to redefine the network of partnerships and alliances in the region and grapple with a multitude of problems, none of which have simple solutions.
États-Unis : La Cour suprême en balance
The first few months of this year have been eventful and dramatic for legal and judicial matters on either sides of the Atlantic: while France renewed a third of its magistrates - which has gone largely unnoticed - US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's sudden death caused a political earthquake.
Présidentielles 2016: le Parti républicain et la politique étrangère
Three Republican presidential candidates have proposed a foreign policy agenda worthy of examination. Marco Rubio (who withdrew from the race on 15 March 2016) and Ted Cruz present well-defined political projects pertaining to different traditions of American foreign policy theory. Donald Trump’s approach is less clear-cut but also less traditional, between isolationism and profitability.
Entre citoyenneté et classe moyenne : les défis du futur président
Le programme économique des Républicains, quelles idées pour 2016 ?
Republican candidates in the 2016 primaries have trouble standing out on economic issues. Indeed, they all embrace the same conservative tenets, namely the reduction (at all costs) of federal power in the name of liberty ; and tax cuts for the wealthy in the name of "trickle-down economics", a theory already put forward by the Reagan administration.
Après Paris et San Bernardino, le terrorisme dans le débat américain
Both the Paris attacks and the San Bernardino shooting reopened the wound of terrorism in the United States. Although President Obama has not shifted his stance or his strategy on the issue, public opinion is worried and populist rhetoric is ever more present in the campaign for the 2016 election.
American Presidential Elections: What the Primaries are Telling us
The presidential primaries have begun, and have quickly become a target for much criticism.
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Related centers and programs
Americas Program
Ifri's work on the Americas region focuses mainly on the United States. Indeed, for more than 20 years, Ifri's Americas Program has provided keys to understanding American society and domestic policy while shedding light on developments in the country's foreign policy, including transatlantic relations and trade issues.
Since 2023, a specific axis on Latin America structures more actively Ifri's research on this region.
Ifri's Canada program was active in 2015 and 2016.