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This week’s edition brought to you by Katherine Golden Associate Director, Editorial |
AUGUST 2, 2025 | As a dedicated radio listener, I have been keeping an ear out to determine the soundtrack of the summer. (My original bets were for “Ordinary” by Alex Warren or “Manchild” by Sabrina Carpenter.) But it’s almost impossible to hear these hits over the noise of the tariff talk, as US President Donald Trump continues to propose new taxes on trade. And if you listen to our experts’ takes on the latest news, the tariff chatter will not be just a summer fling. For a look at what comes next on tariffs, the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, and other top global issues, check out what’s at the top of our charts. |
1. A whole new world.Soon after Trump released the latest tariff rates—which once they’re implemented would increase the effective US tariff rate on the world from 2.5 percent in January to nearly 20 percent—we went to our experts to tell us what happens next. Former US trade negotiator Mark Linscott wondered whether countries that did make a deal ahead of the latest announcement put themselves in a tough spot, having earned “limited” tariff relief that could be revoked at any moment by Trump. As for what’s next, former US Treasury attaché Barbara C. Matthews tells us that deal-seeking countries will now need to focus on specific goods the United States needs, such as critical minerals and tech. With companies already raising prices, Trump may decide to walk back his tariffs before the midterm elections—but, as trade titan Josh Lipsky warns, “it would be a mistake to bet on it.” Read what our experts want you to know here. |
2. On the frontlines.This week, Trump said he sees “real starvation” happening in Gaza. For insight beyond the images that have shaken Trump and much of the world, turn to Arwa Damon, a fellow with our Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East. Arwa, formerly a CNN journalist, now leads her own charity giving medical care to children in war-torn nations, and this week she described what her charity was witnessing: failing aid distribution systems, children with weakened bodies, empty pots in community kitchens—and, in the most severe cases of malnutrition, death. “Nothing will change unless Israel allows aid to be properly scaled up and delivered in a safe and humane manner,” Arwa writes. Read Arwa’s plea for change. |
3. Reverse card.Trump offered Vladimir Putin a chance to claim victory in the war in Ukraine, writes Peter Dickinson, but Putin didn’t take it. Now as Trump switches from offering concessions to lodging tariff and sanction threats against Russia, Peter, the Kyiv-based editor of our UkraineAlert section, unpacks why Putin let the opportunity pass by. In short: Putin got cocky, thinking that Russia was winning the war, and fearful, unsure about the consequences of negotiating peace. But, most importantly, the Russian leader was too focused on his true intention to fully destroy Ukraine. Check out Peter’s analysis to read how the West can learn from this and convince Putin to end the war. |
4. Drop your pitchforks.The enemy of your enemy should be your friend. That’s the advice that Atlantic Council Distinguished Fellow Gabrielius Landsbergis, writing in Politico this week, gave to Eastern European agricultural officials who are growing concerned that free trade arrangements with Ukraine could result in Ukrainian imports displacing goods farmed in their countries. Gabrielius, formerly the Lithuanian minister for foreign affairs, puts it this way: Protecting European farmers requires protecting them from war—and Ukraine is doing just that. Read why welcoming Ukraine into the EU “simply makes more sense for farmers.” |
5. Weathering the storm.A month after the central Texas flash floods, which took the lives of at least 136 people, resilience proponent Thomas Warrick, formerly with the Department of Homeland Security, looks back on the mistakes that led to such a tragedy—and outlines steps for policymakers to tackle before the next flood. Among his recommendations: More FEMA funding for resilience, the revival of a DHS community resilience program, and a congressional push to advocate for what states need. With flash flood warnings popping up on phones more frequently this summer, catch up here on what needs to be done (quickly). |
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