Congress, Russia, and sanctions. Support is growing on Capitol Hill for enacting sanctions on Russia, driven in part by the president-elect’s skepticism about their efficacy, writes Steven Pifer. He recommends that Congress tailor new measures to strengthen the prospects of persuading Moscow to change its policies.

Tillerson's confirmation hearing. Last week, the world heard from the president-elect’s choice for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson. Strobe Talbott observes that while Tillerson’s performance was deft and somewhat encouraging, he equivocated ominously on one issue: the future of U.S. sanctions on Russia.

Biden and nuclear security. Vice President Biden offered his take on President Obama’s nuclear legacy and gave the incoming administration some subtle recommendations in an address at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on January 11. Steven Pifer and Alicia Sanders-Zakre provide key takeaways from Biden's speech.

How Asians view America (and China). The Trump administration will soon face the challenge of formulating and conducting policy towards Asia, write Richard Bush and Maeve Whelan-Wuest, and any successful approach will require an understanding of Asia perspectives. They analyze the implications of a recent survey of public opinion across Asia for the new administration.

Trump's misguided brinkmanship on China. Donald Trump's remarks reported in the Wall Street Journal that, “Everything is under negotiation” on U.S. policy toward China signal a dangerous brinkmanship, explains Richard Bush. He argues that questioning core assumptions of the bilateral relationship is a flawed approach from the start.

How Pakistan may test the Trump administration. Pakistan has been at the root of crisis for the last several administrations, writes Bruce Riedel, and the next administration should prepare to be tested early.

India's foreign policy. In the latest episode of the Brookings Cafeteria Podcast, Shivshankar Menon shares his experiences behind the scenes of some of India's most critical foreign policy decisions.

Libyans haven't forgotten history. Last week, Italy reopened its embassy in Tripoli, the first to do so after the majority of embassies in Libya closed in 2015. A number of Libyans exploited the news with a media war and talk of neo-colonialism. Federica Saini Fasanotti argues that they couldn't be more wrong, but the Italians were wrong in their timing too.

US-China relations in transition: The Trump administration and the 19th Party Congress
Tuesday, January 24 at 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM EST