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THE TRUMP TRANSITION: Key Appointees and Global Reaction

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Taliban fighters ride on a U.S.-made Humvee to celebrate the first anniversary of their return to power in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 15, 2022.
Taliban fighters ride on a U.S.-made Humvee to celebrate the first anniversary of their return to power in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 15, 2022.

Who Lost More Weapons—Russia in Syria or America in Afghanistan?

After the collapse of their client states, both patrons left behind a trove of military equipment.

Analysis
Gil Barndollar, Matthew C. Mai
U.S. President Joe Biden meets employees of the Lobito Atlantic Railway at the Port of Lobito in Lobito, Angola, on Dec. 4.
U.S. President Joe Biden meets employees of the Lobito Atlantic Railway at the Port of Lobito in Lobito, Angola, on Dec. 4.

Is the U.S. Answer to China’s Belt and Road Working?

The International Development Finance Corporation has put the United States more on the map, but China remains king of global infrastructure.

Analysis
Lili Pike, Christina Lu
Papers are stuck sporadically to the dark-red gate of a prison in Syria. Most papers show a photograph of a person with writing beneath them in Persian. Some posters are handwritten; others are typed.
Papers are stuck sporadically to the dark-red gate of a prison in Syria. Most papers show a photograph of a person with writing beneath them in Persian. Some posters are handwritten; others are typed.

Syria’s Paper Trail of Atrocity Must Be Preserved

Amid the chaos of Assad’s fall, vital documents may be lost.

Argument
Rawan Shaif
A map wearing a hat looks at a computer screen with a protest crowd image on it. On the walls above him are posters and photos.
A map wearing a hat looks at a computer screen with a protest crowd image on it. On the walls above him are posters and photos.

AI Is Bad News for the Global South

The coming wave of technology is set to worsen global inequality.

Argument
Rachel Adams

Syria’s Future

People dance and sing as they take part in victory celebrations in Damascus, Syria, on Dec. 13.
People dance and sing as they take part in victory celebrations in Damascus, Syria, on Dec. 13.

How Post-Assad Syria Could Unleash a New Regional Order

Turkey can calm Arab nations fearful of an Islamist takeover by inviting Syria’s neighbors and the Gulf states to play a central role in the political transition.

Analysis
Galip Dalay
Syrian refugees and their supporters celebrate the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, seen in Istanbul, Turkey, on Dec. 8.
Syrian refugees and their supporters celebrate the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, seen in Istanbul, Turkey, on Dec. 8.

In Post-Assad Middle East, Iran’s Loss Is Turkey’s Gain
Analysis
Vali Nasr
People stand atop a tank holding a Syrian flag adn celebrating with their arms raised.
People stand atop a tank holding a Syrian flag adn celebrating with their arms raised.

Assad’s Fall Is the Middle East’s 1989
Analysis
Lina Khatib
A framed picture of Bashar al-Assad is seen with its glass shattered on the ground.
A framed picture of Bashar al-Assad is seen with its glass shattered on the ground.

How the World Got Syria Wrong
Argument
Charles Lister
An anti-government fighter steps on the head of a statue of late Syrian leader Hafez al-Assad in the Damascus district of Kafr Sousa on Dec. 9.
An anti-government fighter steps on the head of a statue of late Syrian leader Hafez al-Assad in the Damascus district of Kafr Sousa on Dec. 9.

Washington Needs a New Syria Policy Right Now
Analysis
Jonathan Lord
Russia's senior military officer Sergei Rudskoi sits below a map of Syria screened during a briefing at the Russian Defence Ministry headquarters in Moscow on April 14, 2018, following overnight joint strikes by the US, Britain and France in Syria.
Russia's senior military officer Sergei Rudskoi sits below a map of Syria screened during a briefing at the Russian Defence Ministry headquarters in Moscow on April 14, 2018, following overnight joint strikes by the US, Britain and France in Syria.

Syria Is Again a Victim of Its Geography
Argument
Arash Reisinezhad
A child and a man wear oxygen masks in a makeshift clinical setting.
A child and a man wear oxygen masks in a makeshift clinical setting.

Assad Must Face Justice for His Government’s Atrocities
Argument
Annie Sparrow, Kenneth Roth

Asia & the Pacific

A sailor is seen from a distance, standing atop a submarine as it floats in the water. A large battleship can be seen in the background against a gray cloudy sky.
A sailor is seen from a distance, standing atop a submarine as it floats in the water. A large battleship can be seen in the background against a gray cloudy sky.

Rewriting the Rules of Submarine Stealth
Deep Dive
Natasha Bajema

Georgia’s Pro-Europe Protesters Are Facing Down Police Violence

BJP Sends a Message With U.S. ‘Deep State’ Comments

Was a Philippine Mayor a Secret Chinese Spy?

China

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Hangzhou, China, on Sept. 22, 2023.
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Hangzhou, China, on Sept. 22, 2023.

China Needs a New Approach in Syria
China Brief
James Palmer

Another Chinese Military Official Under Fire

What Trump’s Tariffs Will Mean for China

Mass Attacks in China Spark Concern, Censorship

Middle East & Africa

A militiaman wearing military garb and a face covering while holding a gun stands in the doorway of a building.
A militiaman wearing military garb and a face covering while holding a gun stands in the doorway of a building.

Why Militancy Is Spreading in Mali
Analysis
Issa Sikiti da Silva

France’s New African Ally

Hezbollah Is Trying to Spin Loss as Victory

Assad Has Fallen. What’s Next for Syria and the Middle East?

Europe

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni pose for photos at the European Political Community summit in Budapest, Hungary, on Nov. 7.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni pose for photos at the European Political Community summit in Budapest, Hungary, on Nov. 7.

Will Europe Fragment Under Trump 2.0?
Analysis
Agathe Demarais

What a Victorious Ukraine Can Offer Europe

Europe Isn’t Helpless in the Face of Severe Floods

Hungary’s Descent Into Dictatorship

Americas

Effigies of Yoon and Trump are wrapped onto the back of a Trump during a protest. A woman in a mask poses in front of them, making the peace sign.
Effigies of Yoon and Trump are wrapped onto the back of a Trump during a protest. A woman in a mask poses in front of them, making the peace sign.

Would Trump Have Responded Differently to Seoul’s Crisis?
Analysis
Howard W. French

What China Got Right in Latin America

Haiti’s Crisis Sparks a Rethink of U.N. Peacekeeping

The Last Time Senators Rejected a Cabinet Nomination

Weekend Reads

An illustration shows hands holding chopsticks and a spoon with a soup dumpling in it over a large blow. Inside the bowl is a Taipei cityscape with lanterns and semiconductor chips coming out of it.
An illustration shows hands holding chopsticks and a spoon with a soup dumpling in it over a large blow. Inside the bowl is a Taipei cityscape with lanterns and semiconductor chips coming out of it.

Soup Dumplings as Soft Power

Din Tai Fung has become a potent global symbol of Taiwan, at a time when the island sorely needs it.

Analysis
Rishi Iyengar
A historic black-and-white photo of a line of 8 school children wearing backpacks, their heads raised as they look up at a mural of Antonio Gramsci.
A historic black-and-white photo of a line of 8 school children wearing backpacks, their heads raised as they look up at a mural of Antonio Gramsci.

Why Giorgia Meloni Loves Antonio Gramsci
Analysis
Giorgio Ghiglione
A person in a suit with a mustache stands on a street with a church in the distance.
A person in a suit with a mustache stands on a street with a church in the distance.

‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ Finally Gets a Screen Adaptation
Review
Jordan Hoffman
1-interior-chinatown_hulu-poster-hp
1-interior-chinatown_hulu-poster-hp

‘Interior Chinatown’ Falls Into Its Own Trap
Review
Jenny Tinghui Zhang

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PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 06: Wind turbines operate at a wind farm near solar panels on March 06, 2024 near Palm Springs, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

The Future of Clean Energy

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Chip Wars in a Trump 2.0 World
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The Road Beyond the Israel-Hezbollah Cease-Fire
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What’s Wrong With Our Environmental Politics?
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The Case for Trump’s Tariffs

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An employee makes a chip at a JieJie Semiconductor factory in Nantong, China, on March 17, 2021. a factory of Jiejie Semiconductor Company in Nantong, in eastern China's Jiangsu province on March 17, 2021. - China OUT (Photo by STR / AFP) / China OUT (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)
An employee makes a chip at a JieJie Semiconductor factory in Nantong, China, on March 17, 2021. a factory of Jiejie Semiconductor Company in Nantong, in eastern China's Jiangsu province on March 17, 2021. - China OUT (Photo by STR / AFP) / China OUT (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)

How Trump’s Return Will Impact the Chip Wars
Insider
Ravi Agrawal
French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meet with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump at Élysée Palace in Paris on Dec. 7, 2024.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meet with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump at Élysée Palace in Paris on Dec. 7, 2024.

Can Trump Really End the War in Ukraine?
Insider
John Haltiwanger
A man waves a Hezbollah flag as he drives past the rubble of a building in Beirut’s southern suburbs as people returned to the area to check their homes after the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect on Nov. 27.
A man waves a Hezbollah flag as he drives past the rubble of a building in Beirut’s southern suburbs as people returned to the area to check their homes after the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect on Nov. 27.

Can the Israel-Hezbollah Cease-Fire Hold?
Insider
Ravi Agrawal

In the Magazine

Current Issue: Fall 2024 Archives
The cover of the Fall 2024 print issue of Foreign Policy magazine.
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letters-president-america-election-nicolas-ortega-illustration-3-2

Letters to the Next President

No matter who wins the White House, these nine thinkers from around the world would like a word.

Analysis
Catherine Ashton, Jason Bordoff, Arancha González, Martin Kimani, Mark Malloch-Brown, Joseph S. Nye Jr., Danny Quah, Nirupama Rao, Joseph E. Stiglitz

Is 2024 Really the Most Important Election in History?

Democracy—and the global system—might not be so easily dismantled.

Essay
Michael Hirsh

The Top International Relations Schools of 2024, Ranked
Infographic
Irene Entringer García Blanes, Susan Peterson, Michael J. Tierney

Revisiting Chinese Empire
Review
Bethany Allen

FP Columnists

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The Trump Transition

A photo collage illustration shows Donald Trump in profile against red striped background on a beige field. At left is the White House. At right, shipping containers, barricades used in war, and a cloud from a bomb attack in Gaza.
A photo collage illustration shows Donald Trump in profile against red striped background on a beige field. At left is the White House. At right, shipping containers, barricades used in war, and a cloud from a bomb attack in Gaza.

Key Appointees and Priorities

FP’s ongoing updates from staff and contributors.

Tulsi Gabbard in a red suit jacket sits on a small blue couch with her hands clasped on her knee. Behind her are golden circular wall hangings with words in a foreign text on them. A small table with a lamp is on one side, on another an ottoman with a plant atop it.
Tulsi Gabbard in a red suit jacket sits on a small blue couch with her hands clasped on her knee. Behind her are golden circular wall hangings with words in a foreign text on them. A small table with a lamp is on one side, on another an ottoman with a plant atop it.

The Transformation of Tulsi Gabbard
U.S. Army trainees stand at attention in a line in front of a blue backdrop.
U.S. Army trainees stand at attention in a line in front of a blue backdrop.

Trump Picks Vance Advisor for Army Secretary
A close photo of David Perdue with his hand up holding a pen.
A close photo of David Perdue with his hand up holding a pen.

Trump Picks Perdue to Be Next Ambassador to China
An employee works on an aluminum piston ring production line at a factory that produces car parts in the city of Binzhou, in eastern China’s Shandong province, on Oct. 14.
An employee works on an aluminum piston ring production line at a factory that produces car parts in the city of Binzhou, in eastern China’s Shandong province, on Oct. 14.

Trump’s Threat to Revoke China’s Trade Status, Explained
Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump walk together at the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, on June 28, 2019.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump walk together at the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, on June 28, 2019.

The Pitfalls for Europe of a Trump-Putin Deal on Ukraine
Visitors interact with an immersive light and AI display at the "Modern Guru and the Path to Artificial Happiness" exhibition by Australian art studio Eness at the Icon Siam shopping mall in Bangkok on Dec. 2.
Visitors interact with an immersive light and AI display at the "Modern Guru and the Path to Artificial Happiness" exhibition by Australian art studio Eness at the Icon Siam shopping mall in Bangkok on Dec. 2.

Trump Must Rebalance America’s AI Strategy

In Case You Missed It

A selection of paywall-free articles

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
Chinese soldiers in Belarus for military training.
Chinese soldiers in Belarus for military training.

Asian Powers Set Their Strategic Sights on Europe
Analysis
C. Raja Mohan
An illustration shows Russian President Vladimir Putin on a television set with spinning lines behind him for a story about Russia's TV propaganda.
An illustration shows Russian President Vladimir Putin on a television set with spinning lines behind him for a story about Russia's TV propaganda.

A Day Inside Putin’s Surreal Television Empire
Analysis
Anastasia Edel
An illustration shows half faces of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Putin for a story about a ChiRussia alliance.
An illustration shows half faces of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Putin for a story about a ChiRussia alliance.

The China-Russia Axis Takes Shape
Analysis
Bonny Lin
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

Subscribers’ Picks

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham chief Abu Mohammad al-Jolani checks the damage following an earthquake in the village of Besnaya in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province on Feb. 7, 2023.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham chief Abu Mohammad al-Jolani checks the damage following an earthquake in the village of Besnaya in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province on Feb. 7, 2023.

What to Know About the Man Who Toppled Assad

Abu Mohammad al-Jolani has worked for years to rebrand himself, but has he truly broken from his al Qaeda past?

Q&A
John Haltiwanger
A white van crosses the Shehyni-Medyka checkpoint between Ukraine and Poland.
A white van crosses the Shehyni-Medyka checkpoint between Ukraine and Poland.

Ukraine’s Neighbors Are Turning Their Backs

Ukraine’s European border states are crucial for its defense, but they're increasingly uninterested.

Analysis
Paul Hockenos
A framed picture of Bashar al-Assad is seen with its glass shattered on the ground.
A framed picture of Bashar al-Assad is seen with its glass shattered on the ground.

How the World Got Syria Wrong

The international community misjudged the strength of the Assad regime—and its fixation on an external political process is being overtaken by internal events.

Argument
Charles Lister
Syrians pose for a picture on a destroyed tank in the Syrian capital of Damascus on Dec. 12.
Syrians pose for a picture on a destroyed tank in the Syrian capital of Damascus on Dec. 12.

Your Syria Questions, Answered

What Bashar al-Assad’s fall means for Syria, the Middle East, and beyond.

Situation Report
Amy Mackinnon, John Haltiwanger

Books

Book covers for 10 new fiction releases in December
Book covers for 10 new fiction releases in December

The Novels We’re Reading in December

Stories about houses and the meaning of home, from Cape Cod to Kolkata.

Books
Chloe Hadavas, Allison Meakem
The book cover for Spying in South Asia: Britain, the United States, and India’s Secret Cold War
The book cover for Spying in South Asia: Britain, the United States, and India’s Secret Cold War

How the Cold War Forged India’s Intelligence Setup
Review
Sushant Singh
This article is adapted from Intent to Destroy: Russia’s Two-Hundred-Year Quest to Dominate Ukraine by Eugene Finkel (Basic Books, 336 pp., $30, November 2024).
This article is adapted from Intent to Destroy: Russia’s Two-Hundred-Year Quest to Dominate Ukraine by Eugene Finkel (Basic Books, 336 pp., $30, November 2024).

The Only Way to Achieve Lasting Peace in Ukraine
Excerpt
Eugene Finkel
The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic, Alan Moore and Steve Moore with various artists, Top Shelf Productions, $49.99, 352 pp, October 2024.
The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic, Alan Moore and Steve Moore with various artists, Top Shelf Productions, $49.99, 352 pp, October 2024.

Alan Moore Wants You to Invent Your Own God
Review
James Palmer
caption tk here
caption tk here

Noam Chomsky Has Been Proved Right
Review
Stephen M. Walt
Taming Silicon Valley: How We Can Ensure That AI Works for Us, Gary Marcus, The MIT Press, 240 pp., $18.95, September 2024; The Tech Coup: How to Save Democracy from Silicon Valley, Marietje Schaake, Princeton University Press, 336 pp., $27.95, September 2024.
Taming Silicon Valley: How We Can Ensure That AI Works for Us, Gary Marcus, The MIT Press, 240 pp., $18.95, September 2024; The Tech Coup: How to Save Democracy from Silicon Valley, Marietje Schaake, Princeton University Press, 336 pp., $27.95, September 2024.

How Technology Ruined Democracy
Review
Rishi Iyengar
A grid of 10 small books and two larger books, all being released in November.
A grid of 10 small books and two larger books, all being released in November.

The Novels We’re Reading in November
Books
Chloe Hadavas, Allison Meakem

Trending

  1. Who Lost More Weapons—Russia in Syria or America in Afghanistan?
    Analysis
    Gil Barndollar, Matthew C. Mai

  2. India’s Fortunes Shift in Bangladesh
    Analysis
    Sumit Ganguly

  3. Keep Ukraine Out of Talks to End Its War
    Argument
    Anatol Lieven

  4. Far-Right Extremism Is a Global Problem
    Argument
    Heather Ashby

  5. Russia’s War Economy Is Hitting Its Limits
    Analysis
    Marc R. DeVore, Alexander Mertens

  6. Syria’s Paper Trail of Atrocity Must Be Preserved
    Argument
    Rawan Shaif

  7. Rewriting the Rules of Submarine Stealth
    Deep Dive
    Natasha Bajema

  8. ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ Finally Gets a Screen Adaptation
    Review
    Jordan Hoffman

  9. Would Trump Have Responded Differently to Seoul’s Crisis?
    Analysis
    Howard W. French

  10. What China Got Right in Latin America
    Argument
    Yu Jie, Christopher Sabatini

Visual Stories

US-Election-trump-graphics-voter-turnout-1500x100-HP-override
US-Election-trump-graphics-voter-turnout-1500x100-HP-override

6 Charts That Explain the 2024 U.S. Election

From the perpetual campaign cycle to turnout, we examined how the Nov. 5 vote compared with those in other countries this year.

Infographic
Claire Schnatterbeck, Anusha Rathi
Four men, three with prosthetic legs, wear bike helmets and t-shirts as they stand in a parking lot, gathered around a bicycle held up by the man second from the right. The sky above is a dim, dark blue; it seems to be either dawn or dusk.
Four men, three with prosthetic legs, wear bike helmets and t-shirts as they stand in a parking lot, gathered around a bicycle held up by the man second from the right. The sky above is a dim, dark blue; it seems to be either dawn or dusk.

Meet the Para-Cyclists Riding for Gaza

The Sunbirds’ story began with tragedy but has evolved into one of resilience.

Dispatch
Jonathan Rashad

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