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A demonstrator waves an Egyptian flag on a rooftop overlooking Cairo’s Tahrir Square.
A demonstrator waves an Egyptian flag on a rooftop overlooking Cairo’s Tahrir Square.

Lessons for the Next Arab Spring

Ten years after Egypt’s coup, Washington has yet to learn that authoritarian stability is an illusion.

Pita Limjaroenrat, with rolled-up shirtsleeves, no jacket and a flower lei around his neck greets his supporters who are holding their illuminated cellphones aloft at a massive rally at Samyan Mitrtown in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 22.
Pita Limjaroenrat, with rolled-up shirtsleeves, no jacket and a flower lei around his neck greets his supporters who are holding their illuminated cellphones aloft at a massive rally at Samyan Mitrtown in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 22.

Thailand’s Obama Moment

Pita Limjaroenrat could be Southeast Asia’s most significant liberal leader in a generation. But can he actually form a government?

Two people wearing blue scrubs each hold a panda cub, roughly the size of a breadbox. The panda on the left has its eyes closed as it rests its chin on the person's arm. The panda on the right has its head tilted, and its pink tongue sticks out of its mouth.
Two people wearing blue scrubs each hold a panda cub, roughly the size of a breadbox. The panda on the left has its eyes closed as it rests its chin on the person's arm. The panda on the right has its head tilted, and its pink tongue sticks out of its mouth.

How China’s Panda Diplomacy Opened Hearts, Minds, and Borders

Beijing’s strategy isn’t always black and white—except when it is.

A Foreign Policy magazine cover illustration shows a glowing AI projection figure emerging from a pile of technological machinery and semiconductors. The on-image text reads: The Scramble for AI. Paul Scharre, Stanley McChrystal, Alondra Nelson, and more thinkers on the dawn of a new age in geopolitics. Erik Carter illustration for Foreign Policy
A Foreign Policy magazine cover illustration shows a glowing AI projection figure emerging from a pile of technological machinery and semiconductors. The on-image text reads: The Scramble for AI. Paul Scharre, Stanley McChrystal, Alondra Nelson, and more thinkers on the dawn of a new age in geopolitics. Erik Carter illustration for Foreign Policy
AI-geopolitics-cooperation-nonproliferation-foreign-policy-illustration-erik-carter-hp
AI-geopolitics-cooperation-nonproliferation-foreign-policy-illustration-erik-carter-hp

AI’s Gatekeepers Aren’t Prepared for What’s Coming

What was once a diffuse technology is now increasingly controlled by a handful of tech companies. Governments need to catch up.

AI-war-predictions-technology-Brian-Stauffer-illustration-foreign-policy
AI-war-predictions-technology-Brian-Stauffer-illustration-foreign-policy

AI Has Entered the Situation Room

Data lets us see with unprecedented clarity—but reaping its benefits requires changing how foreign policy is made.

Europe

A Russian intercontinental ballistic missile that can deliver multiple nuclear warheads sits on a Moscow street during the rehearsal for a Victory Day parade on May 7. A soldier in fatigues stands in the foreground with tall buildings in the distance.
A Russian intercontinental ballistic missile that can deliver multiple nuclear warheads sits on a Moscow street during the rehearsal for a Victory Day parade on May 7. A soldier in fatigues stands in the foreground with tall buildings in the distance.

Russia’s Nukes Are Probably Secure From Rogue Actors

Americas

Five men, members of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wear suits as they sit at a long table during a committee hearing. Most of the men are looking down as they flip through papers.
Five men, members of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wear suits as they sit at a long table during a committee hearing. Most of the men are looking down as they flip through papers.

America’s Top Diplomats and Generals Are Stuck in Senate Purgatory

Subscribers’ Picks

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin arrive at the Commonwealth of Independent States summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin arrive at the Commonwealth of Independent States summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Russia’s Periphery Takes Note of Putin’s Sudden Weakness

In Central Asia and the Caucasus, the Wagner rebellion has exposed Russia’s fragility.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, wearing a dark tunic with white long-sleeved shirt under it, gives a thumbs up sign from behind a podium and teleprompter at an Indian cultural event in Sydney on May 23.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, wearing a dark tunic with white long-sleeved shirt under it, gives a thumbs up sign from behind a podium and teleprompter at an Indian cultural event in Sydney on May 23.

Will India Surpass China to Become the Next Superpower?

Four inconvenient truths make this scenario unlikely.

U.S. President Joe Biden sits at a desk with his chin resting on his clasped hands. Biden holds a highlighter and has an array of papers front of him, and Chinese President Xi Jinping is visible on the screen of a monitor over Biden's shoulder.
U.S. President Joe Biden sits at a desk with his chin resting on his clasped hands. Biden holds a highlighter and has an array of papers front of him, and Chinese President Xi Jinping is visible on the screen of a monitor over Biden's shoulder.

Washington’s Supposed Consensus on China Is an Illusion

Extremists are threatening the delicate attempt to find a new normal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the Russian public, as seen on screens in Moscow on June 24.
Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the Russian public, as seen on screens in Moscow on June 24.

Putin’s Strongman Image Suddenly Unravels for Russians

His mishandling of the revolt puts him in the spotlight—and Russians don’t like what they see.

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WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 24: U.S. President Joe Biden (R) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi participate in a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on September 24, 2021 in Washington, DC. President Biden is hosting a Quad Leaders Summit later today with Prime Minister Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide. (Photo by Sarahbeth Maney-Pool/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 24: U.S. President Joe Biden (R) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi participate in a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on September 24, 2021 in Washington, DC. President Biden is hosting a Quad Leaders Summit later today with Prime Minister Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide. (Photo by Sarahbeth Maney-Pool/Getty Images)
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US-China-Tech-Wars-Dan-Wang-FPLive-Site-1500x100

Long Reads

Russian Army Gen. Lavr Kornilov, in military garb, salutes a row of uniformed passing troops carrying weapons.
Russian Army Gen. Lavr Kornilov, in military garb, salutes a row of uniformed passing troops carrying weapons.

Why Kornilov’s Ghost Haunts Putin

A 1917 attempted coup d’etat is a reminder that even an ineffective mutiny can alter the course of history.

The release of gas emanating from a leak on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea on Sept. 27, 2022.
The release of gas emanating from a leak on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea on Sept. 27, 2022.

Who Blew Up the Nord Stream Pipeline?

Its destruction reflects decades of energy disputes dating back to the Soviet era.

A wide view of a soccer stadium in Istanbul shows the crowd and the VIP box, where the presidents of Turkey and the United Arab Emirates sit beside each other while watching the match.
A wide view of a soccer stadium in Istanbul shows the crowd and the VIP box, where the presidents of Turkey and the United Arab Emirates sit beside each other while watching the match.

Erdogan and Europe Are Stuck in a Draw

The Turkish president won reelection on an anti-Western platform. But he can’t quit European soccer.

A Polisario fighter wearing a turban is shown from behind as he surveys a desert war scene in the Western Sahara. A vehicle with a rocket launcher and more fighters stand in the sand beyond him.
A Polisario fighter wearing a turban is shown from behind as he surveys a desert war scene in the Western Sahara. A vehicle with a rocket launcher and more fighters stand in the sand beyond him.

Decolonization’s Last Stand in the Sahara

How the Polisario Front’s 50-year war for independence is escalating a battle over a territory long disputed—and feeding a broader crisis.

visual stories

Two soldiers have breakfast outside at a small table next to their cottage near Avdiivka, Ukraine.
Two soldiers have breakfast outside at a small table next to their cottage near Avdiivka, Ukraine.

How a Besieged Ukrainian Town Is Hanging On

Under Russian bombardment, two siege-busters form the last link of the international aid chain.

The village priest and worshippers where traditional garb as they gather outside the church in Bystrets, Ukraine, to celebrate Orthodox Easter.
The village priest and worshippers where traditional garb as they gather outside the church in Bystrets, Ukraine, to celebrate Orthodox Easter.

On the Homefront, Families Mourn Ukrainian Fighters

Behind closed doors in western Ukraine, the devastating impact of the distant war becomes clear.

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How to Reset the U.S.-China Relationship

U.S. Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna has a proposal for improving the most important relationship in the world. A member of the House select committee on China, Khanna says Washington needs...Show more

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China-Debate-FPLive-Site-3-2

Has China Peaked? A Debate.

For much of the past three decades, there was widespread consensus that China’s continued rise was inevitable. But more recently, an alternative school of thought has become popular: China...Show more

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Paul-Scharre-AI-Global-Power-FPLive-Site-1500x100

What AI Means for Global Power

All of a sudden, everyone is talking about artificial intelligence. But while most public conversations about AI center around productivity and jobs, the race to dominate technology is in fa...Show more

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