Our Top Weekend Reads
Russia is consolidating its foothold in Georgia, Canada’s new brand of populism, and China’s repression of the Uighurs is a genocide.
Russia is actively trying to undermine attempts by neighboring Georgia to strengthen its ties to Europe and the United States.
Meanwhile, Iran is covertly funding terrorist groups in Somalia as a way of attacking U.S. troops in the region.
And it’s time for world leaders to call the systematic repression of the Uighurs in China’s Xinjiang region what it is—a genocide.
Russia is actively trying to undermine attempts by neighboring Georgia to strengthen its ties to Europe and the United States.
Meanwhile, Iran is covertly funding terrorist groups in Somalia as a way of attacking U.S. troops in the region.
And it’s time for world leaders to call the systematic repression of the Uighurs in China’s Xinjiang region what it is—a genocide.
Here are Foreign Policy’s top weekend reads.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives for a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka on June 28, 2019.Mikhail Klimentyev/AFP via Getty Images)
1. U.S. Sees Russian Push to Consolidate Foothold in Georgia
Russia is using frozen conflicts in Georgia’s breakaway regions to further undermine the Caucasian nation’s stability and the viability of its bid to join the European community, Foreign Policy’s Jack Detsch reports.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford shakes hands at the end of a government session in Toronto on April 11, 2019. Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images
2. Populism Isn’t Always Xenophobic. Just Ask Ontario’s Premier.
Doug Ford, the premier of Canada’s most populous province, is utilizing a more inclusive and malleable brand of populist politics to hold on to power, Simon Lewsen writes.
Al Qaeda-linked al-Shabab recruits walk down a street in the Deniile district of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, following their graduation on March 5, 2012. Mohamed Abdiwahab/AFP via Getty Images
3. In Somalia, Iran Is Replicating Russia’s Afghan Strategy
Iran has established covert ties with the Somalia-based al-Shabab terrorist group, allegedly to attack the U.S. military and other foreign forces in Somalia and in the region, Muhammad Fraser-Rahim and Mo Fatah write.
A man walks past a screen showing images of Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kashgar in China’s northwest Xinjiang region on June 4, 2019. Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images
4. The World’s Most Technologically Sophisticated Genocide Is Happening in Xinjiang
The overwhelming evidence of the Chinese government’s deliberate and systematic campaign to destroy the Uighur people clearly meets the definition of genocide, Rayhan Asat and Yonah Diamond write.
5. To Pay for the Pandemic, Dry Out the Tax Havens
The COVID-19 pandemic has given world leaders a chance to learn from their mistakes and shut down offshore tax havens once and for all, David L. Carden writes.
Dan Haverty is a former editorial fellow at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @dan_haverty
More from Foreign Policy
Is Cold War Inevitable?
A new biography of George Kennan, the father of containment, raises questions about whether the old Cold War—and the emerging one with China—could have been avoided.
So You Want to Buy an Ambassadorship
The United States is the only Western government that routinely rewards mega-donors with top diplomatic posts.
Can China Pull Off Its Charm Offensive?
Why Beijing’s foreign-policy reset will—or won’t—work out.
Turkey’s Problem Isn’t Sweden. It’s the United States.
Erdogan has focused on Stockholm’s stance toward Kurdish exile groups, but Ankara’s real demand is the end of U.S. support for Kurds in Syria.
Sign up for Morning Brief
Foreign Policy’s flagship daily newsletter with what’s coming up around the world today. Delivered weekdays.
By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.
