The 2025 Knight Forum on Geopolitics

Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 1:30 - 4:50 p.m. EDT 
Location: The Brookings Institution, Falk Auditorium, 1775 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20036

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The United States faces a defining moment in American foreign policy. Ongoing war in Ukraine, a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, and intensifying competition with China, security challenges on the home front, and emerging technological and transnational threats have reshaped the strategic landscape. As the Trump administration prepares to release its National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy, policymakers confront a number of key questions. How are other countries’ views of the United States, and their foreign policies and actions, evolving during the Trump administration? How should the United States define and secure its national interests in an era of constrained resources and competing priorities? Addressing these questions requires careful assessment of both the international security environment and the defense capabilities needed to navigate it.  

On October 29, 2025, join Brookings for the fourth annual Knight Forum on Geopolitics to examine the strategic choices confronting American national security and defense policy. This year’s forum will feature a keynote discussions with Rep. Adam Smith and Sen. Elissa Slotkin as well as two expert panels that will assess the global security environment and priorities for the Trump administration’s security and defense strategy.