Guides on 2026 Issues for Candidates
The United States needs smarter foreign policy focused on military restraint, stability, and cooperation. Candidates for office have an opportunity to re-focus foreign policy on the interests of the American people, seeking the end of destructive conflicts and focusing on the most pressing issues at home.
These candidate issue guides from the Quincy Institute provide answers to commonly-asked questions on key issues in 2026, along with strategies for avoiding messaging pitfalls that policymakers often encounter. For more detailed and up-to-date analysis on these and other issues, please reach out to [email protected] to request an expert briefing.
- US foreign policy should prioritize the wellbeing of the American people over corporate profits or foreign interests. This one-pager addresses questions like, “Don’t we need to increase Pentagon spending given today’s threats?” What influence do corporations have on foreign policy? And what should we do about foreign influence?
- A responsible approach to ending the Russia-Ukraine war should defend Ukraine’s sovereignty, reduce the risk of a wider NATO-Russia war, and bring the conflict to a close through realistic diplomacy. This one-pager addresses questions like, “Is a negotiated settlement possible – and is Russia really ready to compromise? Would a settlement reward Putin’s aggression?
- A smart approach to China would enable us to deter aggression while preventing rivalry from spiraling into permanent confrontation. This one-pager addresses questions like, Should the U.S. decouple economically from China? Should the US defend Taiwan if China invades? How should the U.S.respond to China’s human rights abuses?
Ending US Entanglements in the Middle East
- The US must right-size its role in the Middle East protecting core interests while ending unnecessary entanglements and avoiding another generation of war. This one-pager addresses questions like, Now that we are at war with Iran, don’t we need to focus on winning the war? Should we continue to sell weapons to Israel? What happens to US troops already in the region?
The US Role in a Changing World
- The global balance of power is changing. Today, trying to dominate every region of the world through military power is not realistic or necessary, and often makes things worse for American security. This one-pager addresses questions like, Does global stability require US dominance? Is the “rules-based international order” under threat? And how should the US behave in a changing world order?