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Two crew members in an ice-covered boat assist three others behind them. The ocean is in the background.
Two crew members in an ice-covered boat assist three others behind them. The ocean is in the background.

The End of American Exceptionalism in the High North

After years of inattention, the United States is playing catch-up where it once held significant sway.

Dispatch
Kenneth R. Rosen
A line of tanks moves down a street with snow-covered mountains in the distance in a black and white photo.
A line of tanks moves down a street with snow-covered mountains in the distance in a black and white photo.

The Forgotten World War III Scare of 1980

Moscow and Washington trapped themselves in a cycle of fear over Iran.

Analysis
James M. Acton, Nicole Grajewski
An illustration shows Syrian-born cook Chef Omar holding a shawarma in front of a kitchen counter. Behind him are figures lining up for food at left and refugees on the move at right The building-covered skyline of Istanbul (left) and the rubble-filled skyline of Aleppo (right) are seen farther in the background.
An illustration shows Syrian-born cook Chef Omar holding a shawarma in front of a kitchen counter. Behind him are figures lining up for food at left and refugees on the move at right The building-covered skyline of Istanbul (left) and the rubble-filled skyline of Aleppo (right) are seen farther in the background.

The Influencer Chef Dividing Syria’s Diaspora

Chef Omar has popularized Damascene cuisine online and in his Istanbul restaurant. But is he linked to the Assad regime?

Dispatch
Joshua Levkowitz
An oil painting of Whitehaven, England.
An oil painting of Whitehaven, England.

The British Countryside’s Forgotten History of Slavery

Britons tend to downplay the empire’s slave-trading history. But its links to Virginia tobacco are all over the landscape.

Excerpt
Corinne Fowler

Recent

Asia & the Pacific

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi flashes victory signs at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters to celebrate the party’s win in the country’s general election, in New Delhi.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi flashes victory signs at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters to celebrate the party’s win in the country’s general election, in New Delhi.

Why Modi Underperformed
Q&A
Ravi Agrawal

China’s South Sea Aggression Is Backfiring

Modi Hits a Roadblock

What the West Can Learn From Singapore

China

U.S. President Joe Biden participates in a virtual meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House.
U.S. President Joe Biden participates in a virtual meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House.

A New Cold War Needs Its Own Rules
Argument
Azeem Ibrahim

China Postures at Shangri-La

Why Is Xi Not Fixing China’s Economy?

Biden’s New Tariffs Should Raise Alarm Bells in Beijing

Middle East & Africa

Fighters of the Sudan Liberation Movement, a rebel group active in Darfur, attend a graduation ceremony in Sudan's southeastern Gedaref state.
Fighters of the Sudan Liberation Movement, a rebel group active in Darfur, attend a graduation ceremony in Sudan's southeastern Gedaref state.

‘Somalia on Steroids’: Sudan Conflict Escalates
Report
Robbie Gramer

Sudanese Militias Are Committing Genocide in Darfur—Again

South Africa’s Era of ANC Dominance Is Over

The Man Who Tried to Save Israel From Itself

Europe

German politician Sahra Wagenknecht gestures with both hands open, palms facing the ceiling, as she speaks into the microphone at a podium. A sign on the podium has the German name of her new political party, the BSW.
German politician Sahra Wagenknecht gestures with both hands open, palms facing the ceiling, as she speaks into the microphone at a podium. A sign on the podium has the German name of her new political party, the BSW.

The Party That Could Shake Up German Politics
Dispatch
Jen Kirby

Europe Needs Forts Again

Are Putin’s Nuclear Threats Working?

Who Pays for Climate Action?

Americas

Mexican President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum waves during her victory speech at Zócalo Square in Mexico City on June 3.
Mexican President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum waves during her victory speech at Zócalo Square in Mexico City on June 3.

Claudia Sheinbaum Wins Landslide Victory
Latin America Brief
Catherine Osborn

Americans Don’t Want a Wartime President

Trump’s Conviction Could Help End Elite Impunity

A Nation of Alternative Realities

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A French electoral card is laid atop a European Union flag, centered between the circle of yellow stars against the dark blue background. The card is labeled with French text and also shows the colors of the French flag and the national motto: "Liberty, equality, fraternity, or death."
A French electoral card is laid atop a European Union flag, centered between the circle of yellow stars against the dark blue background. The card is labeled with French text and also shows the colors of the French flag and the national motto: "Liberty, equality, fraternity, or death."

Why This EU Election Could Be a Referendum on Europe’s Future
Insider
Cameron Abadi, Adam Tooze
Counter protesters (L) argue with supporters of US President Donald Trump during dual rallies with the "America First" group in Laguna Beach, California, on August 20, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / MARK RALSTON (Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images)
Counter protesters (L) argue with supporters of US President Donald Trump during dual rallies with the "America First" group in Laguna Beach, California, on August 20, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / MARK RALSTON (Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images)

The End of Left Versus Right
Insider
Ravi Agrawal
An employee of Mexcio's National Electoral Institute oversees early voting for Mexico's general election.
An employee of Mexcio's National Electoral Institute oversees early voting for Mexico's general election.

Why Mexico’s Election Matters
Insider
Ravi Agrawal

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TOPSHOT - Sudanese refugees and South Sudanese returnees who have fled from the war in Sudan carry their belongings while arriving at a Transit Centre for refugees in Renk, on February 14, 2024.More than 550,000 people have now fled from the war in Sudan to South Sudan since the conflict exploded in April 2023, according to the United Nations. South Sudan, that has itself recently come out of decades of war, was facing a dire humanitarian situation before the war in Sudan erupted and it is feared to not have the resources to host displaced people. The war-torn country of Sudan is currently ravaged by internal fighting between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). (Photo by LUIS TATO / AFP) (Photo by LUIS TATO/AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT - Sudanese refugees and South Sudanese returnees who have fled from the war in Sudan carry their belongings while arriving at a Transit Centre for refugees in Renk, on February 14, 2024.More than 550,000 people have now fled from the war in Sudan to South Sudan since the conflict exploded in April 2023, according to the United Nations. South Sudan, that has itself recently come out of decades of war, was facing a dire humanitarian situation before the war in Sudan erupted and it is feared to not have the resources to host displaced people. The war-torn country of Sudan is currently ravaged by internal fighting between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). (Photo by LUIS TATO / AFP) (Photo by LUIS TATO/AFP via Getty Images)

How to Solve the Refugee Crisis

People flee their homes for a variety of reasons—persecution, poverty, conflict, climate change—and the situation has shown no signs of slowing down. What policies... READ MORE

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Analyzing India’s Election Results
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What to Expect From Mexico’s Elections
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Fareed Zakaria on an Age of Revolutions
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Iran After Raisi

In the Magazine

Current Issue: Spring 2024 Archives
Spring-2024-print-foreign-policy-magazine-cover
Spring-2024-print-foreign-policy-magazine-cover
A photo illustration shows a crowd of people filling the face of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A photo illustration shows a crowd of people filling the face of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The New Idea of India

Narendra Modi’s reign is producing a less liberal but more assured nation.

Essay
Ravi Agrawal
An illustration shows a tiger chasing a dragon up an economic indicator line against a graph paper background. The dragon is turning to snarl at the tiger.
An illustration shows a tiger chasing a dragon up an economic indicator line against a graph paper background. The dragon is turning to snarl at the tiger.

Is India Really the Next China?

The case for its economic ascent is strong, but government policies still stand in the way.

Analysis
Josh Felman, Arvind Subramanian

Modi’s Messenger to the World
Profile
Rishi Iyengar

Meet India’s Generation Z
Essay
Snigdha Poonam

Becoming Indian
Essay
Amitava Kumar

4 Books to Understand Modern India
Review
Mukul Kesavan

Weekend Reads

The view from above a group of people as they lay on scorched, dry ground.
The view from above a group of people as they lay on scorched, dry ground.

No, It’s Not Too Late to Save the Planet

Doomism robs people of the agency and incentive to participate in a solution to the climate crisis.

Review
Paul Hockenos
A photo collage illustration shows the Star of David from Israel's flag overlaid atop a WWII-era map of China and a photo of Jewish refugees lined up against the rail of a ship as they attempt to flee Europe.
A photo collage illustration shows the Star of David from Israel's flag overlaid atop a WWII-era map of China and a photo of Jewish refugees lined up against the rail of a ship as they attempt to flee Europe.

What if Israel Had Been in China?
Essay
Harry Saunders
A main in a suit and helmet holds a British flags in each hand as he hangs from a zipline in front of a ferris wheel.
A main in a suit and helmet holds a British flags in each hand as he hangs from a zipline in front of a ferris wheel.

Is Britain All That Special?
Review
Marie Le Conte
A U.S. Marine uses a U.S. flag to cover the face of a statue of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in Baghdad.
A U.S. Marine uses a U.S. flag to cover the face of a statue of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in Baghdad.

Why Did America Stumble Into a Trap in Iraq?
Review
David Polansky

In Case You Missed It

An illustration shows piles of shipping containers and symbols of industry as protectionist islands in a sea.
An illustration shows piles of shipping containers and symbols of industry as protectionist islands in a sea.

America’s Zero-Sum Economics Doesn’t Add Up

Industrial policy and subsidies are nothing new and can be useful. But shutting off from the world will have consequences.

Essay
Adam Posen
An illustration shows the Statue of Liberty holding a torch with other hands alongside hers as she lifts the flame, also resembling laurel, into place on the edge of the United Nations laurel logo.
An illustration shows the Statue of Liberty holding a torch with other hands alongside hers as she lifts the flame, also resembling laurel, into place on the edge of the United Nations laurel logo.

A New Multilateralism
Essay
Gordon Brown
A fireball erupts behind a turreted building as smoke fills the sky after an Israeli strike over Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
A fireball erupts behind a turreted building as smoke fills the sky after an Israeli strike over Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

10 Conflicts to Watch
Analysis
Comfort Ero, Richard Atwood
A globe with blocks and chunks missing from it sits atop the shoulders of a person looking into a dystopian horizon.
A globe with blocks and chunks missing from it sits atop the shoulders of a person looking into a dystopian horizon.

The Global Credibility Gap
Essay
Jared Cohen, Ian Bremmer
China-military-readiness-war-us-taiwan-Doug-Chayka-illustration
China-military-readiness-war-us-taiwan-Doug-Chayka-illustration

How Primed for War Is China?
Essay
Michael Beckley, Hal Brands
A photo illustration shows Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden posing on pedestals atop the bipolar world order, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Russian President Vladamir Putin standing below on a gridded floor.
A photo illustration shows Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden posing on pedestals atop the bipolar world order, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Russian President Vladamir Putin standing below on a gridded floor.

No, the World Is Not Multipolar
Essay
Jo Inge Bekkevold
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greet each other at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on July 27, 2018.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greet each other at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on July 27, 2018.

6 Swing States Will Decide the Future of Geopolitics
Analysis
Cliff Kupchan
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Subscribers’ Picks

Families who have fled from the war in Sudan carry their belongings while arriving at a transit center for refugees in Renk, South Sudan.
Families who have fled from the war in Sudan carry their belongings while arriving at a transit center for refugees in Renk, South Sudan.

Why Is the World Ignoring a Looming Genocide in Sudan?

Aid workers fear a new disaster as militia forces close in on a major Darfur city.

Analysis
Robbie Gramer
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud as they walk past portraits of the founding leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council at the council’s secretariat in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on April 29.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud as they walk past portraits of the founding leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council at the council’s secretariat in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on April 29.

The U.S.-Saudi Agreement Is a Fool’s Errand

For the sake of the international order, Biden must abandon his proposed deal with Riyadh.

Argument
David M. Wight
Syrians wave national flags and carry a large portrait of their president as they celebrate in the streets of the capital Damascus, a day after an election set to give the current President Bashar al-Assad a fourth term, on May 27, 2021.
Syrians wave national flags and carry a large portrait of their president as they celebrate in the streets of the capital Damascus, a day after an election set to give the current President Bashar al-Assad a fourth term, on May 27, 2021.

The Normalizing of Assad Has Been a Disaster

Syria’s president was welcomed back into the fold a year ago—and everything since then has gotten worse.

Argument
Charles Lister
Trump is shown from below, mid-speech, wearing a navy blue suit and a thick red tie. An American flag is hanging behind him.
Trump is shown from below, mid-speech, wearing a navy blue suit and a thick red tie. An American flag is hanging behind him.

The Problem With Invoking the ‘Third World’ Slur

The Trump verdict is the latest prompt for deploying a meaningless comparison. All that does is reflect poorly on the United States.

Analysis
Howard W. French

Books

A U.S. solderi holding a gun and wearing a helmet provides cover for other soldiers seen behind him out of focus.
A U.S. solderi holding a gun and wearing a helmet provides cover for other soldiers seen behind him out of focus.

The U.S. Needs a New Purpose in the Middle East

It’s time to ditch both romantic ideals of remaking the region and the policy of retrenchment.

Excerpt
Steven A. Cook
The book cover for Immediacy: Or the Style of too Late Capitalism by Anna Kornbluh
The book cover for Immediacy: Or the Style of too Late Capitalism by Anna Kornbluh

Immediacy Ruined Our Politics
Review
Gregory Jones-Katz
The book cover for China's Age of Abundance by Wang Feng.
The book cover for China's Age of Abundance by Wang Feng.

What Produced the China Miracle?
Review
Howard W. French
The book cover for To Run the World by Sergey Radchenko
The book cover for To Run the World by Sergey Radchenko

Putting the Cold War on the Couch
Review
Casey Michel
The book cover for the The Struggle for Taiwan by Sulmaan Wasif Khan.
The book cover for the The Struggle for Taiwan by Sulmaan Wasif Khan.

China and the U.S. Are Numb to the Real Risk of War
Excerpt
Sulmaan Wasif Khan
Fat Leonard: How One Man Bribed, Bilked, and Seduced the U.S. Navy, Craig Whitlock, Simon & Schuster, 480 pp., $32.50, May 2024
Fat Leonard: How One Man Bribed, Bilked, and Seduced the U.S. Navy, Craig Whitlock, Simon & Schuster, 480 pp., $32.50, May 2024

‘Fat Leonard’ Was a Crook U.S. Admirals Called Bro
Review
James Palmer
This article is adapted from The Divine Economy: How Religions Compete for Wealth, Power, and People, Paul Seabright, Princeton University Press, 504 pp., $35, May 2024
This article is adapted from The Divine Economy: How Religions Compete for Wealth, Power, and People, Paul Seabright, Princeton University Press, 504 pp., $35, May 2024

The Divine Marketplace Is Pretty Crowded
Excerpt
Paul Seabright

Trending

  1. The Forgotten World War III Scare of 1980
    Analysis
    James M. Acton, Nicole Grajewski

  2. A Far-Right Takeover of Europe Is Underway
    Analysis
    Anchal Vohra

  3. The British Countryside’s Forgotten History of Slavery
    Excerpt
    Corinne Fowler

  4. Trump Has Mocked the U.S. Military His Whole Life
    Election 2020
    Michael Hirsh

  5. A New Cold War Needs Its Own Rules
    Argument
    Azeem Ibrahim

  6. The End of American Exceptionalism in the High North
    Dispatch
    Kenneth R. Rosen

  7. Why Is Xi Not Fixing China’s Economy?
    Analysis
    Scott Kennedy

  8. The Economics of the Normandy Invasion
    Insider
    Cameron Abadi, Adam Tooze

  9. What if Israel Had Been in China?
    Essay
    Harry Saunders

  10. Why Is the World Ignoring a Looming Genocide in Sudan?
    Analysis
    Robbie Gramer

Visual Stories

A banner depicting the late President Ebrahim Raisi hangs above a gathering of women at the Shah Abdol-Azim shrine in Rey, a conservative southern suburb of Tehran, during the funeral of Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
A banner depicting the late President Ebrahim Raisi hangs above a gathering of women at the Shah Abdol-Azim shrine in Rey, a conservative southern suburb of Tehran, during the funeral of Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

The Mood From Tehran

As Iran gears up for elections to replace Raisi, the country is divided.

Dispatch
Stefanie Glinski
Arms reach up to sacks of aid as they are unloaded by people atop them on a truck above.
Arms reach up to sacks of aid as they are unloaded by people atop them on a truck above.

The World’s Refugee Relief Is Utterly Broken

Millions of Sudanese are fleeing a warzone—and exposing the world’s bankrupt response.

Dispatch
Neha Wadekar

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