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FALL 2023 ISSUE: The Alliances That Matter Now

Primary featured article section

Afghans protest against the burning of the Quran by Swedish Danish far-right politician Rasmus Paludan outside Eid Gah mosque in Kabul on Jan. 27.
Afghans protest against the burning of the Quran by Swedish Danish far-right politician Rasmus Paludan outside Eid Gah mosque in Kabul on Jan. 27.

Attention-Seekers and Autocrats Are a Combustible Mix

Geopolitical provocateurs can cause serious diplomatic headaches.

Argument
Elisabeth Braw
A general view during the inauguration of a green-tech hydrogen production plant at the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rheinland in Wesseling, Germany.
A general view during the inauguration of a green-tech hydrogen production plant at the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rheinland in Wesseling, Germany.

Green Hydrogen Isn’t a Silver Bullet 

World leaders are betting big on clean hydrogen. How much of it is hype?

Explainer
Christina Lu
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.
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.

Analysis
Ash Jain
People hold a cutout depicting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a Sikh rally outside the Indian consulate in Toronto on Sept. 25.
People hold a cutout depicting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a Sikh rally outside the Indian consulate in Toronto on Sept. 25.

Washington Is Losing Credibility Over the Canada-India Spat

The Biden administration has refrained from issuing a strong statement about allegations that the Indian government was involved in the assassination of a Sikh activist.

Analysis
Howard W. French

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Protesters in masks in front of the Bank of England in London on Aug. 3. Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images
Protesters in masks in front of the Bank of England in London on Aug. 3. Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images

Why Interest Rate Hikes Don’t Necessarily Tame Inflation
Insider
Adam Tooze, Cameron Abadi
Head of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Samantha Power stands in front of St Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv, on October 6, 2022.
Head of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Samantha Power stands in front of St Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv, on October 6, 2022.

Samantha Power on America’s Development Diplomacy
Insider
Ravi Agrawal
Linda Thomas-Greenfield appears before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at a hearing regarding her nomination to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 27, 2021.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield appears before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at a hearing regarding her nomination to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 27, 2021.

What Washington Wants From the United Nations This Week
Insider
Ravi Agrawal

Asia & the Pacific

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, U.S. President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrive to pay respect at the Mahatma Gandhi memorial on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in New Delhi on Sept. 10.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, U.S. President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrive to pay respect at the Mahatma Gandhi memorial on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in New Delhi on Sept. 10.

The U.S. Shouldn’t Worry About the India-Canada Rift
South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman

Indonesia Asks Where the Money Is for Green Transition

Hong Kong’s Bureaucrats Don’t Make Good Authoritarians

Biden Takes Aim at Putin’s Soft Underbelly in Central Asia

China

The Evergrande logo appears on residential buildings in Nanjing, China.
The Evergrande logo appears on residential buildings in Nanjing, China.

As China’s Property Sector Crumbles, Who Takes the Fall?
China Brief
James Palmer

Cultural Decoupling From China Is Not the Answer

Chinese Spies Are Targeting Access, Not Race

How China Uses Shipping for Surveillance and Control

Middle East & Africa

A man is seen in profile standing several yards away from a prison.
A man is seen in profile standing several yards away from a prison.

The Biden Administration Is Dangerously Downplaying the Global Terrorism Threat
Analysis
Charles Lister

Nigeria’s Unhappy Birthday

Wagner’s African Hosts Regret Letting Them In

How Division and Disorder Led to Devastation in Libya

Europe

Immigrants seeking asylum in the United States look through the border fence as volunteers offer assistance on the other side near San Diego on May 13.
Immigrants seeking asylum in the United States look through the border fence as volunteers offer assistance on the other side near San Diego on May 13.

Which Countries Walk the Walk on Migrant Rights?
Analysis
Justin Gest

The EU Is Letting Hungary and Poland Erode Democracy

North Korea’s Shell Game Is Not a Game-Changer, Pentagon Says

France’s Water War Has No End in Sight

Americas

Trump's silhouette is seen from the back. He's walking toward a big illuminated U.S. flag.
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
Excerpt
Heather Cox Richardson

America’s Budget Dysfunction Has Geopolitical Costs

Who Should Lead the Global South?

Can the U.S. and China Cooperate on Green Technology Again?

weekend reads

A photo collage illustration showing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau frowning, images of Canadians voting at polling centers, and Canadian and Chinese flags
A photo collage illustration showing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau frowning, images of Canadians voting at polling centers, and Canadian and Chinese flags

Why Did Trudeau Dawdle on Chinese Election Meddling?

A new inquiry may expose Beijing’s reach in Ottawa.

Report
Justin Ling
A lone wolf faces the camera appearing to snarl on a dry winter field on the edge of the forest in Hukkajarvi, eastern Finland.
A lone wolf faces the camera appearing to snarl on a dry winter field on the edge of the forest in Hukkajarvi, eastern Finland.

Who’s Afraid of Europe’s Big, Bad Wolves?
Dispatch
Ilya Gridneff
A large crowd of supporters of Nelson Mandela protest against apartheid in 1994. A group of men in the foreground carry a long white box that reads "Farewell apartheid, don't come back."
A large crowd of supporters of Nelson Mandela protest against apartheid in 1994. A group of men in the foreground carry a long white box that reads "Farewell apartheid, don't come back."

South African History From Above
Review
Richard Pithouse
Dozens of people have dinner at a rooftop restaurant at night with the water and lit-up high rises of the Shanghai skyline behind them.
Dozens of people have dinner at a rooftop restaurant at night with the water and lit-up high rises of the Shanghai skyline behind them.

How to Get Chinese Elites to Support Democracy
Excerpt
Yasheng Huang

FP columnists

in the magazine

Current Issue: Fall 2023 Archives
The cover of Foreign Policy's fall 2023 print magazine shows a jack made up of joined hands lifting up the world. Cover text reads: The Alliances That Matter Now: Multilateralism is at a dead end, but powerful blocs are getting things done."
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

How the United States can rejuvenate the global institutions it created.

Essay
Gordon Brown

NATO’s Remarkable Revival

But the bloc’s future could look very different from its past.

Analysis
Jo Inge Bekkevold

The G-7 Becomes a Power Player
Analysis
G. John Ikenberry

The Nimble New Minilaterals
Analysis
C. Raja Mohan

The China-Russia Axis Takes Shape
Analysis
Bonny Lin
BRC22_Biden-1000x400
BRC22_Biden-1000x400

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We explain the ins and outs of how foreign-policy decisions are being made, and just as importantly, who is making them.

Subscribers’ Picks

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

The idea of emerging power centers is popular but wrong—and could lead to serious policy mistakes.

Essay
Jo Inge Bekkevold
The Chinese flag is raised during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics at Beijing National Stadium on Feb. 4, 2022.
The Chinese flag is raised during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics at Beijing National Stadium on Feb. 4, 2022.

America Can’t Stop China’s Rise

And it should stop trying.

Essay
Tony Chan, Ben Harburg, Kishore Mahbubani
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looks on prior a meeting with European Union leaders in Mariinsky Palace, in Kyiv, on June 16, 2022.
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.

Argument
Stephen M. Walt
A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.
A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.

A Firsthand Look at America’s Preparations for a Pacific War

Embedded with U.S. forces in the Pacific, I saw the dilemmas of deterrence firsthand.

Report
Zuri Linetsky

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Andy Kim says Washington is wrong to see Beijing as an existential threat and should instead take a more “comprehensive approach.” Kim, a Democrat who represents New Jersey’s... READ MORE

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Heather Cox Richardson on American Democracy
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The White House’s U.N. Agenda
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Inside Taiwan’s Foreign Policy

books

Lyndon B. Johnson is surrounded by soldiers in this black-and-white photo as he visits U.S. troops in Vietnam. Johnson smiles as he shakes hands with a service member wearing uniform. He is flanked by security officers in dark suits.
Lyndon B. Johnson is surrounded by soldiers in this black-and-white photo as he visits U.S. troops in Vietnam. Johnson smiles as he shakes hands with a service member wearing uniform. He is flanked by security officers in dark suits.

Why U.S. Presidents Really Go to War

As a new book shows, it’s not always about strategy.

Review
Julian E. Zelizer
The book cover of Homelands by Timothy Garton Ash. A black-and-white photo beneath the title shows an outstretched arm wearing a wristwatch in front of a city street. The title and name of the author are in red, all-caps lettering.
The book cover of Homelands by Timothy Garton Ash. A black-and-white photo beneath the title shows an outstretched arm wearing a wristwatch in front of a city street. The title and name of the author are in red, all-caps lettering.

Timothy Garton Ash Misunderstands Liberalism
Review
Blake Smith
Beijing Rules: How China Weaponized Its Economy to Confront the World, Bethany Allen, HarperCollins (August 2023), $32.99
Beijing Rules: How China Weaponized Its Economy to Confront the World, Bethany Allen, HarperCollins (August 2023), $32.99

How China Trolls Flooded Twitter
Excerpt
Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian
The book cover of This is Not America: Why Black Lives in Britain Matter by Tomiwa Owolade.
The book cover of This is Not America: Why Black Lives in Britain Matter by Tomiwa Owolade.

Britain’s Racism Isn’t America’s
Review
Angela Saini
The Starmer Project: A Journey to the Right, Oliver Eagleton, Verso, 240 pp., $19.95, April 2022
The Starmer Project: A Journey to the Right, Oliver Eagleton, Verso, 240 pp., $19.95, April 2022

What Kind of Prime Minister Will Keir Starmer Be?
Review
Jamie Maxwell
The book cover for The Soviet Century: Archaeology of a Lost World by Karl Schlögel.
The book cover for The Soviet Century: Archaeology of a Lost World by Karl Schlögel.

An Epic History of the Soviet Everyday
Review
Sheila Fitzpatrick
The book cover for The Ruble: A Political History by Ekaterina Pravilova.
The book cover for The Ruble: A Political History by Ekaterina Pravilova.

How Dictators Make Money—and Money Makes Dictators
Review
Carey K. Mott

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  4. Washington Is Losing Credibility Over the Canada-India Spat
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  5. Iran Is Exploiting Divisions and U.S. Inaction in Iraqi Kurdistan
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  6. The Morality of Ukraine’s War Is Very Murky
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  7. No, the World Is Not Multipolar
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  8. U.S. Defense Secretary Tours Africa
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  9. America Can’t Stop China’s Rise
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visual stories

El Hardi kneels next to his dog Rock, amid tangled piles of rubble, water, and some intact buildings, during their search in Derna, Libya.
El Hardi kneels next to his dog Rock, amid tangled piles of rubble, water, and some intact buildings, during their search in Derna, Libya.

‘We’ll Start Digging Here’

Unusually virulent weather and poor infrastructure have brought hell to eastern Libya.

Stefanie Glinski
Charmante Kapinga sits on a chair holding her young son as a nurse prepares to weigh him before a routine vaccination at the Mervedi medical center outside Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Charmante Kapinga sits on a chair holding her young son as a nurse prepares to weigh him before a routine vaccination at the Mervedi medical center outside Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Shadow of the Next Pandemic Looms in a Virus Hotspot

Low vaccination coverage in the Democratic Republic of the Congo raises the risk of diseases spreading and adapting undetected.

Andrei Popoviciu

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