The World Today: Autumn 2024: How Trump 2.0 would upend the world

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The World Today is a quarterly magazine that stimulates debate on international affairs by providing fresh insights from Chatham House experts and authorities around the globe. The current issue is open access with previous editions reserved for our members and magazine subscribers.

The World Today is back. What’s in Chatham House’s refreshed member magazine? The potential impact of the US presidential election on the world, why autocrats are better connected than ever, how Europe is split on countering Russia’s spies – and much more.

Man waves American flag with image of Donald Trump's face on it against blue sky

A ‘deal’ with Putin, tariffs on all imports, targeting Iran…if Donald Trump wins in November and is as good as his word, America may add to global uncertainty and hand its rivals diplomatic victories, writes Michael Cox.

Kamala Harris in light blue suit stands at a podium addressing a crowd

The president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations talks to Leslie Vinjamuri about how Harris has ‘energized’ the US election, the dangers of an inward-facing America and the big job that awaits Britain in Europe.

The term is commonly used but fails to describe the hostility between many Republicans and Democrats ahead of the presidential election. Instead, American politics faces a deeper crisis, writes Julia Azari.

Multilateralism and the Global South

bronze sculptures of warriors displayed in a musuem

Other countries are doing better jobs of mending fences in Africa and Asia. But the new government has an opportunity to improve post-colonial relations with historical tact and diplomatic generosity, writes Samir Puri.

The organization has failed to give voice to the Global South and the countries it most represents. With new approaches to peacekeeping and trade, an African secretary-general can change this, writes ’Funmi Olonisakin.

three men in suits stand on stage shaking hands

The informal group of emerging markets may lack coherence, but ending the dollar’s dominance has become a theme – and digital currency innovations offer interesting possibilities, writes David Lubin.

UN secretary-general António Guterres hopes the summit will better equip the faltering organization for new global challenges. But restoring faith in multilateralism may take longer, writes Richard Gowan.

man in blue suits gives a thumbs up signal

Brazil’s president is likely to target ‘softer’ issues at this November’s gathering – but, analysts tell James Orr, his agenda to raise $250 billion from the super-rich and boost the Global South is ambitious.

Israel–Palestine

Opinion: Nearly a year on from October 7, Israeli society is still reeling. Only the end of the current coalition and a strategic overhaul can give the country the rebirth it needs, writes Eran Etzion.

two men in suits shake hands while a third looks on

After nearly a year of war in Gaza, Palestinian national politics is more divided than ever. Hamas and Fatah must settle these differences to be ready for ‘the day after’, writes Tahani Mustafa.

Also in this issue

birds-eye image of an island with a long road connecting two circular radar constructions

The discovery of a new radar system on China’s Triton Island military base shows that Beijing is rapidly developing its intelligence capacities in contested waters, write John Pollock and Damien Symon.

a man in a suit walks alongside a mother and daughter holding flowers with an airplane behind them

Moscow’s agents are trying to destabilize Ukraine’s supporters – but while the Baltic states and Finland are boldly countering Russian espionage, others are more reticent, reports Helen Fitzwilliam.

two men in suits walk down red carpet with a military parade behind them

The Pulitzer-Prize winning author tells Ben Horton how super-rich autocrats cooperate in organized networks to subvert the liberal democratic order – and what the world must do to stop them.

birds-eye view of oval shaped island with rectangular shaped harbour in the centre

Recent land-fill operations have significantly expanded Vietnam’s presence in the contested Spratly Islands and risk escalating regional tensions, write John Pollock and Damien Symon.

Solider in camouflage takes cover as an explosion goes off on the battle feild

Anna Morgan profiles two cash-strapped projects struggling to offer mental health support to soldiers returning from the front line.

man with shovel wades through muddy street which has been affected by flooding

Private investment is key to closing the vast gap in climate finance, but too little is reaching the world’s most vulnerable countries. COP29 is an opportunity to change this, writes Thierry Watrin.

The synthetic opioid fentanyl has become one of America’s biggest killers. Now even stronger ‘nitazenes’ have begun to emerge from China’s huge chemical industry, prompting fears of a global health crisis. Danny Vincent talks to those on either side of the front line.

In July, artist Freddie Yauner sent each of Britain’s new intake of 650 MPs a limited edition of his ‘What colour is disaster?’. Why? Because art has a crucial role to play in the climate transition, he tells Mike Higgins.

small girl walks between power generators on a street in Kyiv

The head of Chatham House’s Ukraine Forum reveals how her fellow Ukrainians are preparing for winter, why she chose a career in international relations and why her son would love to live in Kyiv.