Newscast: What Looms on the 2016 Horizon

From China’s economic downturn to the lifting of sanctions on Iran, this week’s panel reviews the scariest, biggest, and most important stories in the year ahead.

FP_podcast_article_artwork-1-globalthinkers
FP_podcast_article_artwork-1-globalthinkers

This week’s E.R. panel looks at a wide array of potentially year-defining news stories. How will the economic dynamics of the Middle East change now that sanctions have been lifted on Iran? Will Prime Minister David Cameron be able to stave off a Brexit? Will Angela Merkel make real strides in dealing with the EU’s refugee crisis and keep her job?

This week’s E.R. panel looks at a wide array of potentially year-defining news stories. How will the economic dynamics of the Middle East change now that sanctions have been lifted on Iran? Will Prime Minister David Cameron be able to stave off a Brexit? Will Angela Merkel make real strides in dealing with the EU’s refugee crisis and keep her job?

David Rothkopf, Lara Jakes, and Ed Luce discuss the most complex issues facing the year ahead: the best way forward in battling the Islamic State, the extent to which China devaluing its currency is affecting the market slowdown, and why instead of debating U.S. policies in Syria and North Korea, the presidential candidates should be talking about Mexico and Canada, which could actually have a more direct impact on the United States.

Lara Jakes is the deputy managing editor for news at FP. Follow her on Twitter: @larajakesFP.

Ed Luce is the Financial Times’s chief U.S. commentator and columnist based in Washington, D.C. Follow him on Twitter: @EdwardGLuce.

David Rothkopf is the CEO and editor of the FP Group. Follow him on Twitter: @djrothkopf.

Subscribe to The E.R. podcast and other FP podcasts on iTunes here.

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.