A curated selection of FP’s must-read stories.
Editors' Picks
List of Editors' Picks articles
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A photo collage illustration shows U.S. political figures plotted on a foreign-policy spectrum from most assertive to least. From left: Dick Cheney, Nikki Haley, Joe Biden, George H.W. Bush, Ron Desantis, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Bernie Sanders. The Scrambled Spectrum of U.S. Foreign-Policy Thinking
Presidents, officials, and candidates tend to fall into six camps that don’t follow party lines.
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Immigration protestors raise their fists during an immigration rally on the National Mall before the US Capitol on April 10, 2006 in Washington, DC. Heather Cox Richardson: Why I’m Hopeful About Democracy
The historian with a million Substack subscribers describes how Americans can hit reset.
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A girl touches a photograph of her relative on the Memory Wall of Fallen Defenders of Ukraine in the Russian-Ukrainian war in Kyiv. What Does Victory Look Like in Ukraine?
Ukrainians differ on what would keep their nation safe from Russia.
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A Confucius Institute float during the parade for the 100th Anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 on May 28, 2011 in the streets of Indianapolis, Indiana. Cultural Decoupling From China Is Not the Answer
Beijing’s censorship has pernicious effects on artists and educational institutions—but abandoning all cultural ties would do more harm than good.
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Trump's silhouette is seen from the back. He's walking toward a big illuminated U.S. flag. How the U.S. Created Its Own Reality
Historian Heather Cox Richardson charts the roots of 21st-century disinformation—and how American democracy began to falter.
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A man holds a flag bearing the logo of the Wagner Group as supporters of Niger's coup gather in the capital of Niamey on Aug. 26. Wagner’s African Hosts Regret Letting Them In
Libyans, among others, are sick of the Russian mercenaries.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appears before reporters with U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. America’s Budget Dysfunction Has Geopolitical Costs
Congressional performance artists are holding U.S. foreign policy hostage.
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U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting, his mouth open as he stands in front of a sign for a Central Asia plus U.S. group of nations. Biden is an 8-year-old man with white hair, wearing a navy blue suit. Biden Takes Aim at Putin’s Soft Underbelly in Central Asia
Moscow’s war in Ukraine has created an opening for Washington as a new great game heats up
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes the hand of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ahead of the G-20 summit in New Delhi on Sept. 9. Rift With Canada Puts Spotlight on India’s Security Services
Trudeau’s accusations suggest New Delhi’s intelligence operatives could lead it down a dark path.
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A plaque used to reserve the seat of the delegation from Israel, is seen during the UNESCO Extended 45th session of the World Heritage Committee in Riyadh on Sept. 11. Bibi’s Dead-End Road to Riyadh
Netanyahu wants a normalization deal with the Saudis, but his hard-right coalition partners will undermine his plans.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looks on prior a meeting with European Union leaders in Mariinsky Palace, in Kyiv, on June 16, 2022. The Morality of Ukraine’s War Is Very Murky
The ethical calculations are less clear than you might think.
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People’s Revolution party activists hold placards during a demonstration in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Aug. 11. Congress Wants to Hold Sri Lanka’s Feet to the Fire on Human Rights
The United Nations has given the international community the greenlight to punish Sri Lanka for torture. Congress has taken it.
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Argentine President Alberto Fernández (right) and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva prepare for photos as part of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States summit hosted in Buenos Aires on Jan. 24. BRICS Invitation Puts Argentina in a Tough Spot
Ahead of a presidential election, debate in Buenos Aires reveals the mounting challenges of multi-alignment.
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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen looks at a programmable humanoid robot during a visit to the AI Xperience Center in Brussels on Feb. 18, 2020. Ursula von der Leyen Is Europe’s Ruthlessly Efficient Machine
How the European Commission president has prepared for a possible second term.
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Technical managers at the SOMELEC, The Mauritanian Electricity Company, talk with each other at the turbines field at the 30MW Nouakchott Wind Power Station in Nouakchott, Mauritania on March 21. Why Everyone Is Courting Mauritania
NATO, China, Russia, and regional powers all want closer ties to a stable West African nation with crucial energy supplies and a strategically valuable location.
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