Hal Brands

Hal Brands

Bloomberg Opinion Columnist

Hal Brands is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist and the Henry Kissinger Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies.

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Bloomberg Opinion

This Trump-Xi Summit Will Actually Matter

The Chinese leader knows what he wants next in the rivalry. Does the US president?

2 hr ago

2 hr ago

OpinionHal Brands

This Trump-Xi Summit Will Actually Matter

The Chinese leader knows what he wants next in the rivalry. Does the US president?

TOPSHOT-SKOREA-US-CHINA-DIPLOMACY

April 29, 2026

April 29, 2026

OpinionHal Brands

The Iran War Is Drawing Some Allies Closer to the US

U.S. President Trump Visits USS George Washington In Japan

April 22, 2026

April 22, 2026

OpinionHal Brands

US Allies Are Becoming All-Star Weapons Sellers

JAPAN-SKOREA-DIPLOMACY

April 12, 2026

April 12, 2026

OpinionHal Brands

The Iran War Has Finally Shattered America’s World

Trump has replaced rules with muscle, alliances with transactionalism and stability with wrath. That’s not entirely bad.

TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-TRUMP

April 2, 2026

April 2, 2026

OpinionHal Brands

Missile Warfare Is Faster, Deadlier and Harder to Control

ISRAEL-IRAN-US-WAR

March 26, 2026

March 26, 2026

OpinionHal Brands

Wars Have Entered the Chokehold Era

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March 22, 2026

March 22, 2026

OpinionHal Brands

Trump Is Making America Weaker. And Stronger

The president alternatively exploits and deplores the US-led global order — and it just might work.

US-POLITICS-TRUMP

March 13, 2026

March 13, 2026

OpinionHal Brands

The Iran War Is Ending Freedom of the Seas

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March 8, 2026

March 8, 2026

OpinionHal Brands

Iran War Is Showing America’s Strengths — and Weaknesses

U.S. Military Launches Operation Epic Fury Attacking Iran

March 3, 2026

March 3, 2026

OpinionHal Brands

Israel Has Become America’s Not-So-Secret Weapon

President Trump Meets With Israeli PM Netanyahu At His Palm Beach Estate

February 27, 2026

February 27, 2026

OpinionHal Brands

Bombing Iran May Blow Up Trump’s Middle East Plans

President Trump Signs Executive Order At The White House

February 21, 2026

February 21, 2026

OpinionHal Brands

Six Key Trends That Are Remaking the Global Map

Simple geography still matters — but tech, infrastructure and distrust of the US are creating new ways of looking at the world.

TOPSHOT-US-SPACE-ACCIDENT-SATELLITE

February 12, 2026

February 12, 2026

OpinionHal Brands

Putin, Xi and Trump Are Launching a Freedom Counterrevolution

Russian President Vladimir Putin deliver

February 6, 2026

February 6, 2026

OpinionHal Brands

Four Fatal Problems in the New US Approach to China

TOPSHOT-SKOREA-US-CHINA-DIPLOMACY

February 1, 2026

February 1, 2026

OpinionHal Brands

In an Age of Superpowers, Geography Is Still Destiny

We continually hear that technology has obliterated distance, but earth’s contours set the deeper rhythms of our world.

Battle Of Waterloo

January 30, 2026

January 30, 2026

OpinionHal Brands

Has Europe Broken the Trump Code?

BELGIUM-EU-BRITAIN-POLITICS-BREXIT

January 21, 2026

January 21, 2026

OpinionHal Brands

The World Is Hedging Its Bets

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January 12, 2026

January 12, 2026

OpinionHal Brands

Iran Is Vulnerable. Is It Time for the US to Intervene?

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Appears Among Supporters

January 11, 2026

January 11, 2026

OpinionHal Brands

The World Order Is Becoming More Cutthroat

TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-TRUMP-GOP

January 6, 2026

January 6, 2026

OpinionHal Brands

China Isn’t Just After Taiwan — But the South Pacific, Too

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