International Relations
How countries cooperate, compete, and negotiate with each other.
NATO
NATO's big promise is that attacking one member means attacking all, and it has been invoked only once, after 9/11.
The European Union
The EU began as a scheme to make war between France and Germany economically impractical, starting with coal and steel in 1951.
Economic Sanctions
A country can be economically isolated from most of the world without a single shot being fired, simply by cutting off its access to global banking.
Trade Agreements
An agreement that can quietly change the price of everyday goods on store shelves, long before most consumers ever notice it was signed.
The United Nations
Built in 1945 to prevent another world war, the UN lets five countries each veto substantive Security Council resolutions.