Foreign Affairs Discussion Group
The Witherle Library foreign affairs discussion group will meet by zoom on Wednesday, February 4 from 5-6pm. The topic is the 2026 calendar of multilateral events scheduled to take place, specifically how other nations might opt to address an increasingly aberrant US. A suggested reading list follows. Please note that several are from international sources across the center right and left ideological spectrum to give a better sense of how other countries perceive the US threat.
Moderated by Barbara Griffiths. All are welcome.
SUGGESTED READINGS
If you need help accessing any of these sources please contact the library and we’ll be happy to help you.
Background:
Council of Foreign Relations 12/17/2025 ‘Global Summits to Watch in 2026’ (Clickable)
https://www.cfr.org/articles/global-summits-watch-2026-bracing-new-global-disorder
NPR 1/22/2026 ‘Trump vs US Allies: How Will This End?’ By Greg Myre (Clickable)
https://www.npr.org/2026/01/22/g-s1-106678/trump-allies-nato
Two US Perspectives from the US Center Left and Right:
Foreign Affairs 12/16/2025 ‘The Allies after America, In Search of Plan B’ by Philip Gordon and Mara Karlin (By subscription or available at the library)
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/allies-after-america-gordon-karlin
The Atlantic 1/18/2026 ‘America vs The World’ by Robert Kagan (By subscription or available at the library)
Overseas Perspectives
Yahoo Canada reports on a G7 Finance Ministers meeting in Washington to discuss supply chains for rare earth and other minerals. (Clickable)
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/g7-other-allies-discuss-ways-025802876.html
Politico Europe reports on the recent reaction of far right parties to Trump. (Clickable)
https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-donald-trump-afd-greenland-nicolas-maduro-national-rally/
British (conservative) think tank Chatham House ‘It’s Time to Rethink the G7’ (Clickable)
https://www.chathamhouse.org/2025/06/its-time-rethink-g7
British Chatham House ‘The World in 2026’
https://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/the-world-today/2025-12/world-2026
From Davos: The following are the texts of speeches given by Canadian PM Mark Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron at Davos (pls note that the translation from French of Macron’s speech and a portion of Carney’s is the subpar result of AI, but you can, with imagination, catch the drift).