2016

The book successfully answers its central question: Why aren’t America’s Asian alliances built the same as in Europe?

From China's bubble to Russia's undersea drones, here are big stories around the world that flew under the radar this year.

In refusing to expel U.S. diplomats in response to President Obama’s sanctions, the Russian leader pulled another fast one on the White House.

Instead, he invited their children to a party at the Kremlin.

The answer involves Vladimir the Great, Peter the Great, Nicholas I, and Stalin.

The top 20 bloviations, lies, and just plain dumb lines from U.S. government officials this year.

"His lack of conventional real-world experience of the kind that normally precedes responsibility for the fate of nations — like military or diplomatic service, or even a master’s degree in international relations, rather than creative writing — is still startling."

Mattis vs. Trump: Some big differences.

But the measures may not deter future mischief — and could be undone by Trump.

Moscow and Ankara may have just done something Washington tried in vain to do. But it could ultimately mean victory for Assad.

The firebrand Philippines president said he threw people out of helicopters in the past, then (sort of) backed off of the claim.

FP’s reporters, writers, and editors share some of the most important, personal, and challenging stories they worked on in 2016.

Writers and editors share some of the best books they read this year.

If the world follows these New Year’s resolutions, 2017 will be a lot less awful than 2016.

The arc of history is long, but it won't ever judge the president's Syria policy kindly.

So writes Army Lt. Col. Terrence Buckeye in the new issue of ARMOR magazine.

If the Trump administration is serious about keeping jobs in America, it needs a strong and energized EXIM Bank.

It rains on the just and unjust alike. Today is their day, just like any day on patrol might be your day. That’s enlisted justice.

The U.S. secretary of state’s speech laying out terms for a two-state solution is the final example of the Obama administration’s failure to move the needle on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Mosul Fight Back On; Corruption in the Chinese Army; And Lots More

Worrisome rumblings on trade have been emanating from President-elect Donald Trump's transition team.

Despite their momentary ascendancy, Bibi, Trump, and Putin are yesterday’s men.

For lead Brexit supporters, “leave” means “leave” — as long as beneficial trade continues.

The outgoing U.N. secretary-general touts his support for climate change and gay rights, regrets failures from Haiti to North Korea, and calls Syrian President Bashar al-Assad a liar.

John Kerry rebuked Benjamin Netanyahu's administration and outlined a potential, but improbable, path for peace.

From Filipino folk to Ukrainian pop to the Rolling Stones, it was a turbulent political year, with a soundtrack to match.

The OSCE confirms it was the victim of a cyber attack, but does not want to speculate as to the perpetrator.

When asked to address the question of what a Saudi-Iran war would look like, my first instinct is to ask the reader to look around because it is already happening. As the futurist William Gibson noted, 'the future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed.'

It wasn’t a tactical failure. It was a failure of leadership.

The president-elect doesn’t seem fond of Turtle Bay. But he’s going to need it more than he thinks.

Kerry’s Final Word on Israel; Chinese Hackers in Hot Water; Iraqi Leader Walks back ISIS Comments; And Lots More

As the Trump administration organizational chart comes into focus, the big question is whether the most powerful man in the world will be Mike Pence or Reince Priebus. Or Steve Bannon?

It’s unclear what Jason Greenblatt will do in this new role, though he may be busy with trade and Israel.

Leonardo DiCaprio finally won an Oscar. Beyonce’s ‘Lemonade’ was released. But what else happened this past year that calls for celebrating?

President Obama’s signature rebalance to the Pacific never really got off the ground. Could Trump succeed where he failed?

But post-coup crackdowns that worry international observers continue unabated.

It’s time to start setting priorities for the coming year of war and conflict.

I am now 91 years of age and it has been 70 long, wide years since I returned home on Christmas Eve, 1945.

A friend recently sent me his official Army photo.

What happened in the world over the long holiday weekend.

General Says Two Years Before Mosul and Raqqa Cleared; Afghan Peace Process; And Lots More

A credible scenario today exists in which, the day after 58th quadrennial U.S. presidential election on November 8, 2016, the wheels start to come off the United States of America.

Michael Flynn is now one of the most influential voices in U.S. national security.

An open letter to the president-elect from a Middle Eastern immigrant who has become an American patriot.

Here are some gifts from around the world, fit for even the most insatiable global affairs glutton.

President-elect Donald Trump's comments and actions since winning the U.S. presidential election in November offer new insights into the kind of Asia policy his administration may pursue after taking office in January.

Xi Jinping sees the Soviet Union as a cautionary tale. But Beijing is learning all the wrong lessons.

I have known Kelly for several years and have had the privilege of working with him and having him speak on several occasions at my day job.

The U.N. declares Israeli settlements illegal as United States defies its own past and calls from Trump and Netanyahu for a veto.

Singapore proves that holidays in a multiethnic country don’t have to be occasions for divisiveness.

Violent drug cartels and Islamic terror networks increasingly cooperate.

A last-ditch effort to avert what could be a massive political crisis came to an impasse on Friday — though the deal’s not dead yet.

Ukraine and the U.S. ask Russia to make sure this attempt at peace holds.

The president-elect wants a shiny, new nuclear football to play with. But he doesn’t realize what it’s going to cost him.

Meanwhile, the death toll for refugees trying to make it to Europe has hit 5,000.

Russia’s economy may be struggling, but its economic influence in Central and Eastern Europe is undiminished. Here’s how it wields its power.

Amid reports that the Queen was frustrated by May's refusal to tell her what Brexit means, we imagine how their meeting really went.

The U.N. secretary-general thought he had a pledge for some face time with the new American leader. WRONG!

Also, if you have poor relations with Russia right now, it's not Russia's fault.

Assaults on democracy are working because our current political elites have no idea how to defend it.

There's nothing inevitable about the rise of violence and rancor, in the United States and abroad.

That’s what the historical record suggests, as I have written before.

The ratio of fresh water on Earth to the planet’s salt water is 1:6750

I love both Labs and terriers but in different ways.

A criminal conviction in France didn't end the IMF chief's career – but the combination of Greece and Donald Trump might destroy her legacy.

Moscow may no longer be a superpower, but its revanchist politics are unsettling the international order. How should Donald Trump deal with Vladimir Putin?

Mike Flynn’s Business Ties; Snowden Report; Bombs Over Yemen; And Lots More

Russian military intelligence hackers targeted both the DNC and Ukrainian artillery troops.

Why Trump’s plan is a terrible idea for Israel, Palestine, and the wider Middle East.

And 5 other unlearned lessons from leading experts about modern Russia and the death of an empire.

The architect of Washington’s Cold War strategy offers President-elect Trump the best guide for managing Moscow.

How I experienced the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and President-elect Donald Trump both reached back into the Cold war playbook on Thursday, pledging an increase in their country’s nuclear stockpiles.

Embracing bilateral deals and new tariffs, the incoming president casts a zero-sum view on world trade.

Hary Tanoesoedibjo is a sketchy billionaire with ties to pro-Islamist politicians — and the ear of the next U.S. president.

The Vatican is one of Taipei's few remaining political allies, but the Holy Father's desire to deal with the mainland may end that.

Though Kiev may contest the results of the competition, the contestants are paws-itively adorable.

But don't expect its southern neighbor to follow its lead.

Obama may dismantle the surveillance system, but Trump seems poised to put a new one in its place.

A delay would give the Trump administration time -- as welcomed by Tel Aviv -- to begin a dramatic shift from Obama’s Israel policies.

Historians may debate whether Churchill, and the British, were justified in the operations that brought down Norwegian neutrality and the German invasion in April of 1940. What is indisputable, though, is that great stakes played out the northern seas in the winter of 1939-40.

Pacifism is embedded in modern Japan’s DNA. But rising global threats may force that to change.

Without a predetermined political order as the end point, all actions, particularly narratives, are without strategic purpose.

Will she risk criticism in the French press by going back to Moscow money?

Despite predictions that the Islamic State would soon be routed from Iraq’s second-largest city, the offensive is stuck, and casualties are piling up.

Trump Meets With Generals, Defense CEOs; NSA Whistleblower Trouble; Japan increases Defense Spending; And Lots More

It’s boring bureaucrats, not the erratic president, who will shape the next administration's policy toward Africa.

The only way to defend the liberal democratic order is to say goodbye to the German chancellor.

Theresa May opposed Brexit, but it might bail out her surveillance regime.

Because soft diplomacy is more fun than hard power.

The Soviet leader is remembered as the man who killed a superpower. But Gorbachev’s gambit on reforms could have worked -- if only he wasn't betrayed by the Communist Party.

But there would be another power behind her throne.

Twenty-five years ago this week, the Soviet Union lost the Cold War. And 25 years later, Russia renegotiated the terms of surrender.

Social media gives the illusion of a private chat between the President-elect and his supporters. In fact, the whole world is watching.

Obama’s surprise -- and potentially sticky ban -- on offshore drilling is the latest midnight regulation in the land of the midnight sun.

Dmitri Peskov characterizes communications as "frozen."

The gulf between America's politicians and diplomats has been widening for years.

Japan flexes its maritime military muscles.

Will Italy's bank bailout help or hurt the Italian people?

The incoming national security advisor allegedly shared classified intel with Pakistan’s notoriously compromised security services. What does that mean for Trump's "AfPak" policy?

In government-controlled Damascus and western Aleppo, the two rival centers of Syrian life seem destined for very different fates.

China’s seizure and then return of a U.S. unmanned underwater vehicle in the South China Sea poses several challenges for U.S. policymakers and outside observers.

Joseph Kabila is taking advantage of the opposition's mistakes to extend his rule. But armed militias may be the eventual winners.

Saddam saw himself as the guardian of the Arabs against the Persian menace.

The raucous independent investigations that led to President Park Geun-hye's impeachment taught Koreans to trust the news again.

Moscow Replacing Washington as Middle East Power Broker; U.S. Bombing in Libya Ends; Syria and War Crimes; And Lots More

President Poroshenko promised to tackle corruption. Halfway through his term, Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies are fighting each other.

After an attack on the German capital, the chancellor’s moment of reckoning is upon her.

Europe’s refugee crisis tinges political reaction to the Christmas market assault.

One Turkey expert's take on what the ambassador's assassination might mean for the future of U.S. relations with Russia and Turkey.

Meanwhile, Pentagon brass say Moscow is the No. 1 threat to the United States.

What was once Britain’s “crown jewel” has outshined the former empire.

Want a break from Love Actually? Try Six Degrees of Celebration.

Clearly, changes are coming to U.S.-Cuba policy under Trump. But what to replace Obama’s policy with?

Fear not, "Rogue One" is a magnificent and heartening addition to the canon.

New Delhi has been poking at Beijing's One-China Policy for years without wrecking the relationship

That’s the suggestion made by James Gleick in "The Information."

North Korea and its Subs; Women, Trans, and Gay Troops Worried about Trump Policies; And Lots More

Donald Trump became president, Russia hacked the U.S. elections, and Europe may have unraveled. But what else awful happened in 2016?

They reportedly met with Trump’s national security adviser Michael Flynn in New York last month.

Trump and his deputies are skeptical of historic policy changes at the Pentagon opening up combat jobs to women and allowing transgender troops to serve openly.

The U.S. president-elect took the first steps up the ladder of escalation, but China’s seizure of a naval drone shows it’s glad to follow.

An Eastern European example of what happens when the institutions meant to stop unchecked power are taken over by it.

Anti-immigrant, anti-Europe, anti-Muslim sentiment is resonating with more and more voters in Europe.

It may not spell a third world war. But here's what could happen after the assassination.

What’s happening in Syria is a tragedy – but nobody has ever been willing to do what’s necessary to stop it.

The U.N. voted to send monitors to Aleppo. But some fear such moves could be too little, too late.

The appellation “warrior,” and the “warrior culture” it denotes, have a bad rap.

The Fund’s top official won’t be fined or jailed, but she may lose her job -- and the IMF may lose more than that.

Koreans demanded, and received, the impeachment of their president. But there's a thin line between the collective will and mob rule.

You’re a leading foreign policy expert and you just got into an elevator with President-elect Trump. You have a few moments to give your best elevator pitch on the most pressing foreign policy challenges facing his upcoming presidency. What do you say?

From a potential electoral college showdown to another South China Sea stand-off, here's quick rundown of what happened over the weekend

Signals, or Confusion, Over Defense Budget; Aleppo Chaos; And Lots More

In Recife, Brazil’s ground zero of the Zika virus, a community struggles to deal with the devastating spread of microcephaly.

The appointment of David Friedman might be seen as a honeymoon in Jerusalem, but it’s a bold divorce from decades of U.S.-Israel policy.

Why the president-elect is already a big hit in the Persian Gulf.

But does that mean he's going to gut America’s $50 billion foreign aid budget?

The president defends his response to Russian hacking, his legacy on Syria, and approach to China.

This is not civil war; this is war on civilians.

Davos organizers eye putting up staff in temporary housing containers during talks on rising income inequality and social inclusion.

David Friedman’s hardline views on Israel and its neighbors have drawn either high praise or sharp rebuke from advocacy groups -- but little in between.

Beijing raises the stakes in a watery showdown.

The president-elect is caught between promises to be more aggressive in cyberspace, and U.S. demands for payback against a Russian hack apparently done for his benefit.

Out of work, Cuban youth revel after dark in Havana's underground electronic music scene.

A present political conflict may explain why India's prime minister is blaming the past for his problems.

Dozens of leaked censorship directives reveal a Chinese government increasingly insecure about its image.

Japanese investment cannot buy back the islands.

I worry that Michael Flynn is not a good fit for national security advisor. Even so, I think the discussions of his sharing intel with the Pakistani military are unfair.

I come away from it with much more sympathy for Arnold than I expected.

Or is it a Newfoundland? They get mixed up.

The country's growing number of 'disappeared' are paying for their fathers' (alleged) sins.

As long as they're not Uighur.

The U.N. struggles to practice what it preaches on women's empowerment. Can the new secretary-general break the institution's glass ceiling?

Sanctions in Play; North Korean Missile Tests; Cold War Bases Back in Play; And Lots More

How I slipped my jihadi captors and escaped from Syria.

Yes, the markets are looking good (for now). But subsidized deal-making and tax cuts for the rich are the surest sign of a bubble.

A former governor of Texas would seem to be a natural choice for secretary of energy. Yet Perry faces a paradox.

But if Donald Trump is really, “like, a smart person” he’ll realize the CIA isn’t out to get him.

He oversaw the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad. She wrote a book on "what the bleep just happened."

Advice for the president-elect.

Will the EU's latest round of sanctions against Russia also be its last?

Plus, a brief history of the president's daily briefs.

We were both disabled by polio, but I was adopted by Americans. Returning to China 10 years later showed how sharply our destinies had diverged.

As the noose tightens around civilians in the besieged Syrian city.

The U.S. president-elect maintains he won fair and square.

A super-powered micro-animal, a hacker-proof grid, and more.

Win or lose, a patch gives people skin in the game.

"Go ahead and impeach him."

Southern Minnesota, 1862, the Dakota/Lakota Sioux confined to a reservation about a hundred miles long and ten miles wide on the south bank of the Minnesota River.

The United States’ international broadcasters work because they produce real journalism, not government spin. That could change — just in time for Trump.

PEOTUS Surrogate in Moscow Calling for Sanctions Lift; Horror in Aleppo; And Lots More

First he conceded defeat. Then he challenged the legitimacy of the vote. What explains the flip-flop that is threatening the stability of this tiny African country?

Mike Flynn, Jim Mattis, and Rex Tillerson don’t have much in common with each other — or Donald Trump. But together they might revolutionize American foreign policy.

Beijing laughed at Trump’s hard-right advisers. Now that he’s rewriting decades of U.S.-China policy, it's deploying bombers.

It's going to be more expensive to borrow money in Donald Trump's America.

Failed ceasefires have become a common occurrence in Syria. The latest deal could be the last best hope for civilians and embattled rebels — if it holds.

Kiev is too corrupt to do the job itself. The reconstruction of the Donbass must be overseen by an independent body.

One way to shake up a cabinet? Hire people who previously wanted to get rid of the organizations they're now slated to run.

Morale in Kim’s inner circle probably isn’t so great as Pyongyang seems to get more erratic.

Twelve tips for surviving life in the new Foggy Bottom.

The lawyer turned anti-corruption blogger and activist wants to make Russia great again. That doesn't necessarily make him like Trump.

The clandestine celestial war between superpowers isn't over. It's just getting more high-tech.

It's one thing to bash migrants. It's another to govern when they arrive in unprecedented numbers on your shores.

Tillerson is not the first nominee for secretary of state whose company's close ties with a foreign country cast a cloud of suspicion.

Amid a spate of violent gang turf battles, one town took matters into their own hands.

The CIA is trained in objective analysis, not political knife-fighting. Can it survive a hostile administration?

"I was really looking for a confrontation so I could kill."

Do all military revolutions have a moral or political dimension? I bet they do.

The sea is a hostile environment where everybody makes mistakes. The key is to learn how to recognize a mistake and recover from it without multiplying it.

Do any other National Guard units have such side operations?

Chemical Weapons in Syria; Lasers!; New ISIS Weapons; And Lots More

President Obama has been shamefully derelict in making Putin pay a price for his aggression. It’s time to give Vladimir a taste of his own medicine.

NOAA’s Arctic Report Card documents melting sea ice and a ticking time bomb of billions of tons of carbon.

The Senate’s hawks -- and frequent Trump critics -- look to challenge the ExxonMobil CEO’s nomination to be secretary of state.

Russia and the rebels both say a deal has been reached to allow rebels to leave Aleppo.

Ukraine is so corrupt that it’s hard to imagine it being otherwise. A new comedy series shows that things could be different.