The Preamble

The Preamble

The Business of Diplomacy

Jared Kushner is shaping foreign policy while raising billions

Elise Labott's avatar
Elise Labott
May 07, 2026
∙ Paid

In late April, when the White House announced that envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff would travel to Pakistan for talks with Iran’s foreign minister, financial markets reacted almost immediately.

Oil futures dropped. Shipping insurance rates in the Persian Gulf eased. Not because a breakthrough was imminent, but because investors were looking for an…

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Elise Labott's avatar
A guest post by
Elise Labott
Global affairs journalist. I write Cosmopolitics on Substack.
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