US EditionFrom Ai to Venezuela: Why 2026 Is a Key Year for Global Power
The US plans a record $11 billion arms sale to Taiwan amid Beijing summit talks, Israel faces elections after military gains, and Iran remains weakened after regional conflicts.
- On the agenda: Taiwan, where the record U.S. arms sale of nearly $11 billion for missiles, drones, and air defenses highlights escalating US-China tensions at the Beijing summit.
- U.S. policy shifts and Chinese military preparations are reshaping calculations as the United States National Security Strategy recasts the U.S. as hemispheric power while China readies for a Taiwan invasion.
- The United States has massed significant naval and strike forces in the Caribbean and western Atlantic, deploying its largest military buildup since the Cuban missile crisis including an aircraft carrier strike group off Venezuela.
- By October 27, 2026, Israel must hold parliamentary elections, which could come sooner if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls them or a budget fails, possibly enabling Abraham Accords expansion.
- The past year makes 2026 a hinge year with multiple inflection points, as Iran is weakest since 1979 and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s unclear succession raises risks of attacks on Israel.
13 Articles
13 Articles
A year ago this week, Joe Biden was president. I was in Doha, Qatar, negotiating with Israel and Hamas to conclude an agreement on a ceasefire and release of hostages.
From AI to Venezuela: Why 2026 is a hinge year for global power
One year ago this week, Joe Biden was president. I was in Doha, Qatar, negotiating with Israel and Hamas to finalize a ceasefire and hostage release deal. The incoming Trump team worked closely with us, a rare display of nonpartisanship to free hostages and end a war. It feels like a decade ago. A lot can happen in a year, as 2025 has shown.
CNN global affairs expert McGurk wrote an analysis that, based on seven major global issues including Venezuela, the war in Ukraine, the situation in the Taiwan Strait, Israel and Iran, and artificial intelligence (AI), 2026 will be a pivotal year for global power.
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