Hal Brands

My new book has a cover! The Eurasian Century: Hot Wars, Cold Wars, and the Making of the Modern World is about the great struggles that shaped the modern era, and how they help explain the challenges we face today. @AEI @KissingerCenter amazon.com/Eurasian-Centu…

Time to retire the trope that Trump is an isolationist. Trump’s America is a superpower on steroids. A weekend long read on how he is unleashing US power—and depleting it at the same time. bloomberg.com/news/features/… @opinion @AEI

Freedom of the seas is one of the great achievements of the modern era. And now, from the South China Sea to the Strait of Hormuz, it is under assault. My latest for @opinion bloomberg.com/opinion/articl… @AEI

The US can't dismiss dangers of AGI. But US tech primacy will be the bedrock of stability in the age of AGI. A long essay on strategic stability and the push for AGI: geopoliticsagi.substack.com/p/49ce8735-abc…

Will smashing Iran strengthen America's global position? The answer is yes, no, and it depends. My latest weekend piece for @opinion bloomberg.com/opinion/articl… @aei

The current war is a coming-out party for a newly ambitious, full-blown US-Israeli warfighting alliance--an alliance that will shape the Middle East for years to come. @opinion @AEI bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…

The allure of striking Iran is that it could pace the path to a newer, more stable Middle East. The danger is that it could plunge the place into chaos. My latest for @opinion on the region's shifting landscape--and how a US strike might play out. bloomberg.com/opinion/articl… @AEI

This all makes for a cluttered landscape. But the more clearly we see it, the better we can sort our way through the mess. bloomberg.com/opinion/featur… @AEI

1) An updated Heartland-Rimland rift 2) Spheres of influence, old and new 3) Chokepoints and conflict zones 4) The new terrain of tech 5) The infrastructure imperative 6) The global geography of hedging 2/

Visualizing the global landscape is the first step to navigating its opportunities and challenges. In my long read for @opinion I lay out six key trends remaking the global map: They are: bloomberg.com/opinion/featur… 1/

This week's Xi-Trump call previewed a year of intense US-China diplomacy. The months ahead will reveal whether Trump has a strategy that can keep that high-level dialogue together--without seeing America's competitive position come apart. @opinion @AEI bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…

There’s one thing not even the world’s greatest leaders can escape: geography. @HalBrands explains why 🎥

My take on the Donroe Doctrine and its implications, for @GoldmanSachs goldmansachs.com/insights/top-o…

The world is a battleground again. Navigating it will require reacquainting ourselves with the strategic logic of geography--that oldest, least forgiving force in world affairs. @opinion @AEI bloomberg.com/opinion/featur…

War and geopolitics have always been shaped by geography, and that remains true even in an age of superpowers and superweapons, @halbrands writes bloomberg.com/opinion/featur…

Europe needs a new survival strategy, fast--or the former home of great empires will become a plaything of them. @opinion @AEI bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…

4/ In this week's Big Five recommended national security readings, there are good articles from @WIRED @WarOnTheRocks @kyivpost @HalBrands @AEI @lawfare and more.

Il est presque inconnu au grand public. Pourtant ses thèses ont profondément structuré la géopolitique du XXe siècle—jusqu’à nos jours. Qui est vraiment Mackinder ? Entretien fleuve avec @HalBrands. legrandcontinent.eu/fr/2026/01/25/…

Trump has shaken up American foreign policy, and countries across the globe are taking note. 2026 will be the year of countries hedging their bets on the future of the international order, warns AEI’s @HalBrands bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…

Trump's quest for Greenland may be off, but the great global hedge is on. Countries from Canada to Saudi Arabia are hedging their bets--economically, militarily, geopolitically--as they face the possibility of an out-of-control America. @opinion @AEI bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…

The decision on whether to intervene in Iran could define this presidency. The potential rewards, in the Middle East and beyond, are massive. So are the potential complications. @opinion @AEI bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…