Future of Diplomacy Project

NPR's Audie Cornish talks with Nicholas Burns about a letter signed by more than 300 national security professionals saying Trump's actions constitute "an unconscionable abuse of power."

Nicholas Burns, former US Ambassador to NATO and Greece, says American foreign policy has been "turned on its head" this week. How could national security be impacted by an impeachment inquiry of President Trump?

A change of government in Israel may create room for a US policy rethink.

The United States looks to Greece to “maintain stability” in the Eastern Mediterranean, former American ambassador to Greece Nicholas Burns tells Kathimerini in an interview. He adds that following the Prespes agreement, there are now no more obstacles blocking Greece from expanding its role in Southeastern Europe. At the same time, he notes that Turkey has become a “major headache” for Washington.

Ambassador Nicholas Burns speaks to CNN's Jim Sciutto about the Iran crisis.

Trump's critics say that lack of success means the president is going to the United Nations in a weakened position.

When the July 24 congressional testimony of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III deflated the impeachment hopes of Democrats, President Trump crowed “no collusion” and claimed vindication from accusations that he had conspired with Russia in the 2016 election.

President Trump is rejecting reports that the intelligence community’s whistleblower complaint involved a phone conversation with the Ukrainian President.

The UN Charter focuses on states as the central actors in the international system, defining as a multilateral action when three nation-states cooperate in a field of common interest. Today, nation-states are increasingly paralysed into inaction due to political divisions or great power rivalries. Hence, they are failing to effectively utilise collective action. Subnational entities are stepping into this vacuum to deliver on core functions embedded in the UN Charter, redefining effective collaboration on a transnational scale – what we call micro-multilateralism. Cities have emerged as particularly skilful champions of micro-multilateralism, even though their role as independent actors is not specifically addressed by the UN Charter. With 70 per cent of the world’s population projected to be urban by 2050, cities are now effectively tackling transnational issues once the prerogative of states.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson offered his take on global leaders and hotspots, from Iran and Saudi Arabia to North Korea and Syria. He was joined by Professor Nicholas Burns, Professor James Sebenius and Professor Robert Mnookin.