The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Gaza crisis have driven the world into unprecedented turmoil, heightening the geopolitical and geoeconomic anxieties as well as deepening human tragedies. People are wondering what went wrong. Attention is being paid to the role of the United States, especially its intelligence and diplomatic failures. Given its vast intelligence networks and outstanding diplomatic capabilities, the US should have detected early symptoms of the twin crises and prevented them through its diplomatic initiatives. But that didn’t happen. This session will explore the dynamics of American diplomatic and intelligence failures in preventing the crises.