Trump and Mexico. Arturo Sarukhan argues that what happens over next six years in the U.S.-Mexico relationship depends less on Mexican President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador and more on President Trump.

Mexican energy reform. Samantha Gross examines whether or not López Obrador is likely to continue energy sector reforms that were initiated by the outgoing Mexican president, Enrique Peña Nieto. For more on the energy reforms, read the recent Brookings paper titled "Will Mexican energy reform survive political transition?" by Carlos Pascual, David Victor, and Rafael Fernandez de Castro.

The trade war with China. As President Trump's tariffs on China go into effect, David Dollar predicts how both countries’ economies will be affected by the ensuing trade war.

North Korean denuclearization. Ryan Hass writes that the Trump administration should not allow symbolic gestures by Kim Jong-un to distract it from the ultimate goal of complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization.

Social media's influence on violence. Brandon Paladino and Hunter Marston analyze how Facebook has been used to perpetuate ethnic and religious violence in Myanmar and Sri Lanka, arguing that government and civil society have an important role to play in reducing the caustic influence of social media.

Islamists and democracy. At a time when Western democracies appear uninterested or even hostile to integrating Islamist parties into democratic politics, Shadi Hamid argues that Arab democracy is inconceivable without Islamist participation.

Israeli politics and foreign policy. At a recent Brookings event, Yair Lapid, member of the Knesset and Israel’s main opposition challenger today, highlighted a wide range of foreign policy issues currently confronting Israel. Kevin Huggard summarizes the discussion.

Brexit and Northern Ireland. Amanda Sloat writes that Brexit could jeopardize the delicate peace that the United States helped build in Northern Ireland—and the Trump administration is ignoring it.

The geopolitics of energy. Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, recently joined Brookings for a discussion on the shifting geopolitics of the global energy environment. Jennifer Perron summarizes the proceedings.

How to build a military. Based on past U.S. experiences, Mara Karlin highlights the key questions that policymakers should consider when cooperating with militaries in fragile countries. For more, read Karlin's latest book, "Building Militaries in Fragile States."