Welcome to the spring issue of The World Today.
Even before President Donald Trump launched US strikes on Iran last month, his global impact since he took office again in January 2025 was dizzying. The long-term consequences of his actions over the past 14 months are likely to be profound. In their immediate aftermath, however, we offer early insight and analysis across this issue’s cover package of stories: The Trump Effect. The military campaign by the US, with Israel, upon Iran reveals the catastrophic failure of Tehran’s long-nurtured ‘forward defence’ strategy, writes Sanam Vakil. In Britain, Washington’s equivocation about bolstering European security has prompted a fundamental reconsideration of defence spending – what might the UK learn from comparable crises in the 1930s, asks Phil Tinline. Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada pointed to a ‘rupture’ in the world order at Davos in January – Bob Rae, former Canadian ambassador to the UN, tells us what that means for his country’s relations with its nearest neighbour. As the US shrugs off its traditional global role, David Lubin writes that countries will increasingly subordinate trade to economic security – which is bad news for emerging states. Following the US capture of Venezuela’s leader Nicolás Maduro, Feliciano de Sá Guimarães writes that Lula da Silva, Brazil’s president, now faces a dilemma that could jeopardize his chances of re-election this year and entrench US influence in Latin America.
Beyond Trump, much else awaits in the spring issue: challenging China’s critical minerals chokehold, the far right’s threat to Europe, Poland’s security relations with Germany, Eurovision’s audio gamble, and more. Let us know what you think.
Mike Higgins, Editor, The World Today