Observatory

Political and Geostrategic Observatory of the United States

On the eve of its 250th anniversary, the United States occupies a central position on the global chessboard. Yet domestically, the country has not appeared so divided, and therefore so vulnerable, since the years preceding the Civil War. Political polarization has reached an unprecedented peak, ethnic, cultural and religious tensions are multiplying, and movements advocating greater autonomy are emerging in several territories or states. Added to this are new frictions between certain major Democratic-led cities and a federal government that is becoming increasingly authoritarian.

In response to these upheavals, the IRIS Political and Geostrategic Observatory of the United States, as it has done since its creation in 2023, will provide in-depth analyses of the economic, social, political, diplomatic and military transformations under way on the other side of the Atlantic. These developments will be examined through policy briefs, conferences and videos by leading North American and French experts, in order to shed light both on the internal dynamics at work in the United States and on their repercussions for France, the European Union and the rest of the world.

In partnership with

  • Academy of Political Science
  • Columbia SIPA
  • Chaire Raoul Dandurand
The Affordability Trap

Notes / Political and Geostrategic Observatory of the United States

5 December 2025

The Affordability Trap

Lincoln Mitchell

Political analyst, essayist, lecturer at Columbia University

American Democracy Put to the Test by Trumpism

Interviews / Political and Geostrategic Observatory of the United States

25 September 2025

American Democracy Put to the Test by Trumpism

Marie-Cécile Naves

Research Director at IRIS, Director of the Gender and Geopolitics Observatory

The Assassination of Charlie Kirk

Notes / Political and Geostrategic Observatory of the United States

17 September 2025

The Assassination of Charlie Kirk

Lincoln Mitchell

Political analyst, essayist, lecturer at Columbia University

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The research team

  • Romuald Sciora

    Romuald Sciora

    Director of the Political and Geostrategic Observatory of the United States at IRIS

  • Marie-Cécile Naves

    Marie-Cécile Naves

    Senior Research Fellow, Head of the Gender and Geopolitics Observatory, IRIS

  • Jeff Hawkins

    Jeff Hawkins

    Non-resident Research Fellow at IRIS, Former U.S. Ambassador

  • Camille Boulenguer

    Camille Boulenguer

    Research Fellow, IRIS

See the entire research team of IRIS

They contribute to the observatory

  • Frédérick Gagnon

    Frédérick Gagnon

    Associate Member of the IRIS Political and Geostrategic Observatory of the United States, Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Quebec in Montreal, and Director of the Raoul-Dandurand Chair