Council on Foreign Relations.

"State and local officials newsletter on questions of authority."

Views expressed in this geopolitical news and analysis are those of the reporters and correspondents.  Accessed on 30 September 2025, 2006 UTC.

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State and Local Officials Newsletter September 2025

Questions of Authority Debate about the scope of U.S. government authority and its role in the shifting world order remain central to today’s political discourse. For state and local leaders, overlapping legal and institutional powers across domestic and international spheres create added complexity. This issue of the State and Local Officials Newsletter highlights resources from CFR.org, ForeignAffairs.com, and ThinkGlobalHealth.org that explore these dynamics and offer insights relevant to the challenges you face in your communities, as well as how international institutions shape authority in an increasingly interconnected policy landscape.   We look forward to your continued participation in the CFR State and Local Officials initiative and welcome your feedback on how we can better support the work you are doing. Please email us at stateandlocal@cfr.org.   Best regards, Irina A. Faskianos Vice President, National Program and Outreach

A Guide to Trump’s Section 232 Tariffs, in Maps:

CFR’s Shannon K. O’Neil, Julia Huesa, and Gabriela Paz-Soldan combine maps with market-level analysis to explain how recent tariffs have affected industries across the country. They walk through the legal foundations of tariffs, making sense of the broader economic and political debate. Read more on CFR.org »

How Court Rulings Could Affect Trump’s Aggressive Trade Policies CFR’s Brad Setser considers how recent rulings from the U.S. Court of International Trade could shape future tariff decisions, highlighting the increasingly important power of the courts in trade policy. Read more on CFR.org »

Civil-Military Relations and the Role of the National Guard

In the latest State and Local Officials Initiative webinar, CFR’s Max Boot and the U.S. Air Force’s Marc H. Sasseville discuss how the National Guard has been called upon in both domestic and overseas contexts. Their conversation places current deployments in historical perspective, highlighting the Guard’s enduring place in American civil-military relations.  Watch on CFR.org »

What Does the U.S. National Guard Do?

The National Guard’s dual role as both a state and federal force can blur the origins of its authority. This CFR Backgrounder traces its responsibilities from disaster response at home to military engagements abroad.   Read more on CFR.org »

Ungoverning America: The Logic Behind Trump’s Assault on the Administrative State  In a recent Foreign Affairs piece, Dartmouth Professor and New Hampshire State Representative Russell Muirhead and Harvard’s Nancy L. Rosenblum analyze the trajectory of the current administration’s consolidation of power, touching on major points of tension surrounding checks and balances through the context of current events.   Read more on ForeignAffairs.com

What Are Third-Country Deportations, and Why Is Trump Using Them?  Third-country deportations have recently become a central element of U.S. immigration policy. This CFR article breaks down the legality underpinning these actions under U.S. and international law, how it is unfolding in implementation, and what pending litigation may hold for the continuation of this policy. Read more on CFR.org »

After U.S. Retreat, Europe Recasts Its Role in Global Health

As the United States steps back from global health leadership, Europe is redefining its role by emphasizing health security and policy coordination. This shift includes stronger EU engagement and leadership from countries like Germany, signaling a broader rebalancing of global health authority. Read more on ThinkGlobalHealth.org »

Israel, Russia, and the United States Are Testing the Boundaries of Global Order  The United States is not alone in testing the boundaries of its authority. CFR President Michael Froman finds that Israel and Russia are two nations who have, through recent military actions, forged a path that sidesteps many of the norms of the post-World War II rules-based international order.  Read more on CFR.org »

Russia Tests NATO With Poland Drone Breach Russia’s drone incursion into Poland underscores how international security tensions can quickly ripple down to the local level, with implications for infrastructure protection, emergency preparedness, and economic stability in U.S. communities. Read more on CFR.org »

Are you part of a delegation traveling abroad? CFR can provide briefings for state and local officials and their staff in advance of international trips. Email stateandlocal@cfr.org to request a dedicated session with a CFR expert in the region or country to which your group is traveling or on a topic of regional interest.

The UN Security Council

This CFR Backgrounder outlines the structure and logic behind the United Nations Security Council. As the premier global body for maintaining international peace and security, the Security Council has recently seen an uptick in criticism. Calls for reform highlight the role that the Security Council plays in the world, and also where its authority stops short. Read more on CFR.org »

Reflections on the Eightieth UN General Assembly

World leaders gathered at the 80th United Nations General Assembly to confront rising global tensions, shifting alliances, and questions about the UN’s relevance in today’s fractured geopolitical landscape. CFR President Michael Froman reflects on the week’s diplomacy, spotlighting moments of quiet progress amid public discord and urging renewed commitment to multilateral cooperation. Read more on CFR.org »

CFR Expert Spotlight

Shannon K. O’Neil is CFR’s senior vice president, director of studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg chair, where she oversees the work of the more than six dozen fellows in the David Rockefeller Studies Program as well as CFR’s fourteen fellowship programs. She is a leading authority on global trade, supply chains, Mexico, and Latin America.  John B. Bellinger III is a CFR adjunct senior fellow for international and national security law. He is also a partner at Arnold & Porter LLP in Washington, DC, where he advises sovereign governments and companies on a variety of international law and U.S. national security issues. From 2005 to 2009, Bellinger was the legal advisor to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Inu Manak is CFR’s senior fellow for international trade. An expert in international political economy, her research focuses on U.S. trade policy and the law and politics of the World Trade Organization. At CFR, she researches and writes on trade politics and institutions, dispute settlement, and development.

The CFR State and Local Officials Newsletter is a monthly roundup of CFR resources and information tailored to support the work of U.S. officials, their staffs, and other policy professionals.  About CFR’s State and Local Officials Initiative The CFR State and Local Officials Initiative is a nonpartisan, independent resource on pressing international issues that affect the priorities and agendas of state and local governments, including the economy, trade and competitiveness, homeland security, public health, energy supply, and climate policy. For more information, email CFR’s State and Local Officials Initiative at stateandlocal@cfr.org. About CFR Founded in 1921, CFR is a nonpartisan, independent national membership organization, think tank, educator, and publisher, including of Foreign Affairs. It generates policy-relevant ideas and analysis, convenes experts and policymakers, and promotes informed public discussion—all to have impact on the most consequential issues facing the United States and the world.

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