Is the White House prepared to deal with the remarkable growth of artificial intelligence? What are the current and potential risks to Americans? If governments should create rules around th...Show more
List of 2009 articles
ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images
Dancing the Apocalypso
Millions of religious believers around the world share a passionate belief in the coming of doomsday -- and that means that the End of Days will remain a factor in politics at least until, well, the end of humankind.
Photo by Joshua Kucera
Vladivostok’s Used-Car Dealers Are Mad as Hell
Where Russia Meets China: Part 4 of a 5-part series in cooperation with Slate.
JOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images
In Italy, Farce or Tragedy?
This year, Berlusconi gave journalists plenty to work with, from his bickering with his wife to his bickering with the courts. But is he muffling Italian journalism at the same time?
Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images
Muslims and the Caliphate
A top representative of the Islamist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir responds to FP's Christian Caryl.
JOE KLAMAR/AFP/Getty Images
A Radioactive Situation
As Yukiya Amano takes the helm at the International Atomic Energy Agency, he must contend with escalating conflicts in Iran and Syria, sharp divides among nations on the Board of Governors -- and the long shadow cast by his predecessor.
SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP/Getty Images
European Pipe Dreams Meet Chinese Pipelines
As China invests in energy-rich Central Asia, Europe pays the price for its muddled approach to energy security.
BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images
The Middle East’s Interrupted Atomic Dreams
As oil prices drop, nuclear power is becoming less attractive in the region. So why is Iran still hanging on to its program?
Photo by Joshua Kucera
Don’t Call Them Twin Cities
Where Russia Meets China: Part 2 of a 5-part series in cooperation with Slate.
Photo by Joshua Kucera
“China is the destiny of Siberia.”
Where Russia Meets China: Part 3 of a 5-part series in cooperation with Slate.
ED OUDENAARDEN/AFP/Getty Images
No, Madam Secretary: The System Is Not Working
To prevent would-be terrorists like Umar Abdulmutallab from slipping through the cracks, the Obama administration must rethink its approach to homeland security.
Photo by Joshua Kucera
Meet the Siberian Liberation Army
Where Russia Meets China: Part 1 of a 5-part series in cooperation with Slate.
GEORGES GOBET/AFP/Getty Images
Europe’s Love Affair with Bureaucracy
Why it's not as dysfunctional as you think.
AFP/GETTY IMAGES
They Killed My Lawyer
A story of Putin's Russia.
David Silverman/Getty Images
Losing Cairo?
Since Barack Obama's speech six months ago, the Muslim world has begun to lose hope in the United States. But it's not too late ... yet.
Chris Hondros/GETTY IMAGES
Blood Diamonds Are Back
Why the U.N.-sanctioned system that's supposed to ensure that gemstones aren't mined at gunpoint is backfiring.
HOANG DINH NAM/AFP/Getty Images
The End of Influence
For as long as many can remember, the United States has been the country with money, influence, and power. But all that is changing, write Brad DeLong and Stephen Cohen in their new book, The End of Influence. FP excerpts exclusively here.
Shannon Stapleton-Pool/Getty Images
Containment Breach
Preventing nuclear war between Iran and Israel would be more difficult than it ever was to avoid a nuclear confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union. Here's why.
REBECCA REID/AFP/Getty Images
The Party’s Not Over
Does Islamist party Hizb-ut-Tahrir pose a threat to Western society? The answer may well be yes -- but that doesn't mean it should be banned.
VOLKER HARTMANN/AFP/Getty Images
Coal for Christmas
The World Bank is still subsidizing one of the world's dirtiest fuels.
TORSTEN SILZ/AFP/Getty Images
Crude Is the New Carbon
Since the world can't seem to agree on cutting carbon emissions, maybe it's time to try an easier but equally important target: oil.
Paula Bronstein/Getty Images
How to Whip the Afghan Army Into Shape
Much of President Barack Obama's strategy rests on the creation of a new, more competent Afghan military. Here's what he'll need to know to get the job done.
SIMON MAINA/AFP/Getty Images
Time to Take Away Sudan’s Credit Card
Sudanese officials are heading to Washington in search of a bailout. But the Obama administration should condition its support on an improvement in the country's dismal human rights record.
AXEL SCHMIDT/ AFP/ GETTY IMAGES
How China Stiffed the World in Copenhagen
Why Beijing insists, "Don't look at our books!"
The FP Quiz
Are you a globalization junkie? Then test your
knowledge of global trends, economics, and politics with 8 questions about how
the world works.
1st page: SERGEI KOMPAIYCHENKO/AFP/Getty Images
No Heads Are Better Than Two
Russia's double-headed eagle is not just a
national emblem. It's a symbol of the national schizophrenia.
KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP/Getty Images
The Islamists Are Not Coming
Religious parties in the Muslim world are hardly
the juggernauts they've been made out to be.
NIALL BENVIE/CORBIS
How High the Moon?
Eclipses move markets. Really.
Illustration for FP by JOSEPH CIARDIELLO
Epiphanies: Ashraf Ghani
Afghanistan's first postwar finance minister has
now set his sights on reforming the country from the ground up, calling out his
former boss, President Hamid Karzai, for corruption and failure. Here, the
poetry-loving Pashtun speaks with FP about his troubled homeland's past and
future.
575266_newblooddiamonds2.jpg
The New Blood Diamonds
Diamonds from African countries have been funding guerrilla wars for decades. But they're not the only precious gems with blood on their hands. Here are four more prized resources that are fraught with conflict.
Top: DENNIS DEGNAN/CORBIS
The Elephant in the Room
The biggest pain in Asia isn't the country you'd think.
Amos BenGershom/GPO via Getty Images
The Mideast Peace Deal You Haven’t Heard About
Benjamin Netanyahu is much more serious about Middle East peace than most Americans realize. With U.S. diplomacy on the brink of a surprising success, it's time for the Palestinians to step up.
MANOOCHER DEGHATI/AFP/Getty Images
Noriega’s Revenge
Twenty years after the U.S. invasion of Panama, America's ambassador to the United Nations at the time considers it an important stepping stone to the disastrous 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Courtesy of the U.S. Department of Defense.
My Trip to a Fake Afghan Village
How the U.S. military is preparing civilians for a surge of their own.
iStockphoto.com
It Didn’t Happen
The dollar didn't crash. Tariffs didn't come roaring back.
The world's growing economies didn't grind to a halt. And other scary tales
that failed to come true during the crisis.
CORNELL CAPA/MAGNUM PHOTOS
Think Again: Nuclear Weapons
President Obama’s pledge to rid the world of atomic bombs is a waste of breath. But not for the reasons you might imagine.
575289_oilresized_02.jpg
A Double Dip
Rising oil prices could drive the global economy into another recession.
PHOTOS BY TEUN VOETEN/PANOS PICTURES
What’s Spanish for Quagmire?
Five myths that caused the failed war next door.
ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/AFP/Getty Images
Crimea and Punishment
On the eve of Ukraine's presidential election, a resurgent Russia may use the disputed territory of Crimea to reassert its hegemony over its eastern neighbor.
575300_kurdhighres_000709592.jpg
Limbo World
They start by acting like real countries, then hope to become them.
MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP/Getty Images
This Week at War: McChrystal Pulls Out His Old Iraq Playbook
What the four-stars are reading -- a weekly column from Small Wars Journal.
STUART PRICE/AFP/Getty Images
Africa’s New Horror
South Sudan's declaration of independence could thrust the country back into a bloody civil war.
-/AFP/Getty Images
Welcome to Qaedastan
Yemen's coming explosion will make today's problems seem tame.
MICHAEL URBAN/AFP/Getty Images
The Pope and the Chancellor
What does their running battle tell us about the future of European politics?
ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/Getty Images
After Pharaoh
Hosni Mubarak's death -- or worse, his failure to give up power -- could throw the largest country in the Arab world into chaos.
FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images
R.I.P, WTO
Why 2010 could mark the death of the global trade system as we know it.
Obama’s Copenhagen Speech
The prepared text of U.S. President
Barack Obama's address at the Morning Plenary Session of the United
Nations Climate Change Conference
in Oslo, Norway.
Load 10 More Articles

Dancing the Apocalypso
Millions of religious believers around the world share a passionate belief in the coming of doomsday -- and that means that the End of Days will remain a factor in politics at least until, well, the end of humankind.

Vladivostok’s Used-Car Dealers Are Mad as Hell
Where Russia Meets China: Part 4 of a 5-part series in cooperation with Slate.

In Italy, Farce or Tragedy?
This year, Berlusconi gave journalists plenty to work with, from his bickering with his wife to his bickering with the courts. But is he muffling Italian journalism at the same time?

Muslims and the Caliphate
A top representative of the Islamist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir responds to FP's Christian Caryl.

A Radioactive Situation
As Yukiya Amano takes the helm at the International Atomic Energy Agency, he must contend with escalating conflicts in Iran and Syria, sharp divides among nations on the Board of Governors -- and the long shadow cast by his predecessor.

European Pipe Dreams Meet Chinese Pipelines
As China invests in energy-rich Central Asia, Europe pays the price for its muddled approach to energy security.

The Middle East’s Interrupted Atomic Dreams
As oil prices drop, nuclear power is becoming less attractive in the region. So why is Iran still hanging on to its program?

Don’t Call Them Twin Cities
Where Russia Meets China: Part 2 of a 5-part series in cooperation with Slate.

“China is the destiny of Siberia.”
Where Russia Meets China: Part 3 of a 5-part series in cooperation with Slate.

No, Madam Secretary: The System Is Not Working
To prevent would-be terrorists like Umar Abdulmutallab from slipping through the cracks, the Obama administration must rethink its approach to homeland security.

Meet the Siberian Liberation Army
Where Russia Meets China: Part 1 of a 5-part series in cooperation with Slate.

Europe’s Love Affair with Bureaucracy
Why it's not as dysfunctional as you think.

They Killed My Lawyer
A story of Putin's Russia.

Losing Cairo?
Since Barack Obama's speech six months ago, the Muslim world has begun to lose hope in the United States. But it's not too late ... yet.

Blood Diamonds Are Back
Why the U.N.-sanctioned system that's supposed to ensure that gemstones aren't mined at gunpoint is backfiring.

The End of Influence
For as long as many can remember, the United States has been the country with money, influence, and power. But all that is changing, write Brad DeLong and Stephen Cohen in their new book, The End of Influence. FP excerpts exclusively here.

Containment Breach
Preventing nuclear war between Iran and Israel would be more difficult than it ever was to avoid a nuclear confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union. Here's why.

The Party’s Not Over
Does Islamist party Hizb-ut-Tahrir pose a threat to Western society? The answer may well be yes -- but that doesn't mean it should be banned.

Coal for Christmas
The World Bank is still subsidizing one of the world's dirtiest fuels.

Crude Is the New Carbon
Since the world can't seem to agree on cutting carbon emissions, maybe it's time to try an easier but equally important target: oil.

How to Whip the Afghan Army Into Shape
Much of President Barack Obama's strategy rests on the creation of a new, more competent Afghan military. Here's what he'll need to know to get the job done.

Time to Take Away Sudan’s Credit Card
Sudanese officials are heading to Washington in search of a bailout. But the Obama administration should condition its support on an improvement in the country's dismal human rights record.

How China Stiffed the World in Copenhagen
Why Beijing insists, "Don't look at our books!"
The FP Quiz
Are you a globalization junkie? Then test your knowledge of global trends, economics, and politics with 8 questions about how the world works.

No Heads Are Better Than Two
Russia's double-headed eagle is not just a national emblem. It's a symbol of the national schizophrenia.

The Islamists Are Not Coming
Religious parties in the Muslim world are hardly the juggernauts they've been made out to be.

How High the Moon?
Eclipses move markets. Really.

Epiphanies: Ashraf Ghani
Afghanistan's first postwar finance minister has now set his sights on reforming the country from the ground up, calling out his former boss, President Hamid Karzai, for corruption and failure. Here, the poetry-loving Pashtun speaks with FP about his troubled homeland's past and future.

The New Blood Diamonds
Diamonds from African countries have been funding guerrilla wars for decades. But they're not the only precious gems with blood on their hands. Here are four more prized resources that are fraught with conflict.

The Elephant in the Room
The biggest pain in Asia isn't the country you'd think.

The Mideast Peace Deal You Haven’t Heard About
Benjamin Netanyahu is much more serious about Middle East peace than most Americans realize. With U.S. diplomacy on the brink of a surprising success, it's time for the Palestinians to step up.

Noriega’s Revenge
Twenty years after the U.S. invasion of Panama, America's ambassador to the United Nations at the time considers it an important stepping stone to the disastrous 2003 invasion of Iraq.

My Trip to a Fake Afghan Village
How the U.S. military is preparing civilians for a surge of their own.

It Didn’t Happen
The dollar didn't crash. Tariffs didn't come roaring back. The world's growing economies didn't grind to a halt. And other scary tales that failed to come true during the crisis.

Think Again: Nuclear Weapons
President Obama’s pledge to rid the world of atomic bombs is a waste of breath. But not for the reasons you might imagine.

A Double Dip
Rising oil prices could drive the global economy into another recession.

What’s Spanish for Quagmire?
Five myths that caused the failed war next door.

Crimea and Punishment
On the eve of Ukraine's presidential election, a resurgent Russia may use the disputed territory of Crimea to reassert its hegemony over its eastern neighbor.

Limbo World
They start by acting like real countries, then hope to become them.

This Week at War: McChrystal Pulls Out His Old Iraq Playbook
What the four-stars are reading -- a weekly column from Small Wars Journal.

Africa’s New Horror
South Sudan's declaration of independence could thrust the country back into a bloody civil war.

Welcome to Qaedastan
Yemen's coming explosion will make today's problems seem tame.

The Pope and the Chancellor
What does their running battle tell us about the future of European politics?

After Pharaoh
Hosni Mubarak's death -- or worse, his failure to give up power -- could throw the largest country in the Arab world into chaos.

R.I.P, WTO
Why 2010 could mark the death of the global trade system as we know it.
Obama’s Copenhagen Speech
The prepared text of U.S. President Barack Obama's address at the Morning Plenary Session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Oslo, Norway.