Send us your jokes!

In the next issue of FP, we’re publishing a group of articles on political humor around the world, ranging from funny-ha-ha to self-protective sarcasm to subtly subversive irony. Not surprisingly, this has been a lot of fun to work on, and we wanted to invite you, our readers, to join in. We’re inviting you to ...

GERARD FOUET/AFP/Getty Images
GERARD FOUET/AFP/Getty Images
GERARD FOUET/AFP/Getty Images

In the next issue of FP, we're publishing a group of articles on political humor around the world, ranging from funny-ha-ha to self-protective sarcasm to subtly subversive irony. Not surprisingly, this has been a lot of fun to work on, and we wanted to invite you, our readers, to join in. We're inviting you to send us your political jokes from around the world. Submit in the comments section, and we'll publish our favorites when we post the rest of the stories. To kick things off, here's a classic from Communist Romania:

In the next issue of FP, we’re publishing a group of articles on political humor around the world, ranging from funny-ha-ha to self-protective sarcasm to subtly subversive irony. Not surprisingly, this has been a lot of fun to work on, and we wanted to invite you, our readers, to join in. We’re inviting you to send us your political jokes from around the world. Submit in the comments section, and we’ll publish our favorites when we post the rest of the stories. To kick things off, here’s a classic from Communist Romania:

The Americans sent a CIA agent to Romania to shoot the dangerous dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. The agent arrives in the country, finds the dictator addressing a large crowd, picks up his sniper rifle… and can’t shoot. He raises it again… and can’t shoot. A final time, he lifts the gun, but he just can’t do it. When he returns home to report to his supervisor about the failure of his mission, the chief asks what happened. "Well," the agent said. "Each time, it started out great: I had a clean shot, I was ready to go — and then the crowd saw what I was about to do and started chanting: Shoot him, shoot him, shoot him!"

Britt Peterson is a contributing editor and columnist for Washingtonian magazine, as well as a freelancer for the New York Times Book Review, Slate, and Elle. Previously, she was an editor at Foreign Policy, where she oversaw the magazine’s culture section. Twitter: @brittkpeterson

More from Foreign Policy

The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.
The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.

America Is a Heartbeat Away From a War It Could Lose

Global war is neither a theoretical contingency nor the fever dream of hawks and militarists.

A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.
A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.

The West’s Incoherent Critique of Israel’s Gaza Strategy

The reality of fighting Hamas in Gaza makes this war terrible one way or another.

Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.
Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.

Biden Owns the Israel-Palestine Conflict Now

In tying Washington to Israel’s war in Gaza, the U.S. president now shares responsibility for the broader conflict’s fate.

U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.
U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.

Taiwan’s Room to Maneuver Shrinks as Biden and Xi Meet

As the latest crisis in the straits wraps up, Taipei is on the back foot.