August 2020

Putin is signaling he wants a clear resolution—but he may not mind which side wins.

Whatever happens in the ongoing protests, the country’s society is increasingly less governable for a dictator.

Xi Jinping is bringing methods honed in Xinjiang back to the Himalayas.

Jeremy Corbyn’s blunders over Russian poisoning were critical to his polling collapse.

The continued use of lethal restraints, as in the case of Iliass Tahiri in Spain, damages the bloc’s human rights advocacy around the world.

The Trump administration’s decision to scale back briefings on election security needs to be reversed. Here’s how to do it.

Divides over the police split young and old.

How a dispute over an arms deal complicates normalization between Israel and the UAE.

The celebrated philosopher was an unapologetic racist and anti-Semite who inspired Hitler. The recent removal of his statue in Paris was long overdue.

The retired colonel called refugees fleeing Middle East violence “unwanted Muslim invaders.”

Skyrocketing housing prices threaten South Korea, the plight of LGBTQ people in Kashmir, and rapidly deteriorating economic conditions in Argentina. 

‘Under Beijing’s Shadow’ lays out in compelling detail how China is working to dominate the region.

Disruptions of mail aren’t just a problem for the election—they’re a danger to millions of American lives.

The United States hasn’t had to worry about Japan in nearly a decade. Now it might have to start.

A struggle to bring down South Korea’s soaring housing market could doom a presidency.

The longest-ever-serving Japanese prime minister steered the country through rocky years.

Poor governance, disinformation, censorship, and punishing U.S. sanctions have turned a crisis into a disaster.

New Delhi claims that Kashmir used its semi-autonomous status to discriminate against sexual and gender minorities, but its own moves are doing more harm than good.

After the discovery of a large natural gas field, Ankara may have Moscow on the ropes.

Trump’s friends have opted for their usual grievance politics.

Both parties have featured speeches from key diplomats at their conventions, with Mike Pompeo making a controversial cameo at the RNC—but they aren’t proposing much that’s new.

A new upsurge of racial unrest during the RNC could define Trump’s 2020 campaign.

New Delhi has failed to learn from its mistakes.

The nation was already on the economic brink before COVID-19 hit.

The potential next Democratic administration is preparing to upend decades of dogma on globalization.

The U.S. secretary of state’s commission cherry picks the issues that suit its agenda while undermining international law and threatening LGBT and women’s rights.

China’s rise has pushed Silicon Valley away from the values it once claimed to hold.

Some U.S. officials fear the move will harm Washington’s relationship with Addis Ababa.

How Republicans and Democrats are gearing up for the most important election in a generation.

Lawmakers and former U.S. military officials criticized the Trump administration for failing to forcefully condemn the Kremlin after several U.S. troops were injured in Syria.

Exaggeration, distortion, spin—that much was expected. More frightening were the things they didn’t say.

The AU’s double standard on lifelong leaders who reject term limits undercuts its moral standing to reject military coups.

The Assad regime is suffering a massive outbreak—and burying the bodies in silence.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is growing—and so is the role of the Pakistan Army.

After months of delay, Boris Johnson’s government has rejected amendments to the landmark legislation that would ensure support for some of the country’s most marginalized women.

In a party turning America inward, its brightest stars built their résumés on foreign policy.

Signs of coal’s demise are everywhere, but the world needs a better plan to phase out thousands of coal power plants still in use.

Beijing’s ambitions shouldn’t be treated as an existential threat to the United States.

Panama came up with a novel—and uniquely discriminatory—public health measure to combat the coronavirus.

The lawyer Prashant Bhushan’s arrest and detention for posting tweets critical of the Indian government is part of a wider global trend.

Pyongyang will never accept the shelter of another power’s nuclear umbrella.

Even as they struggle to control the pandemic, governments should move quickly to reopen borders instead of giving in to xenophobia, nationalism, and illusions of autarky.

The United States has a law for disputed elections—but it’s not ready for this year's presidential vote.

The deal could pave the way for Sudan’s removal from the U.S. State Sponsors of Terrorism list.

Technology in policing might appear more benign than rogue cops or racist judges, but a look at global trends gives pause.

Misogynistic, nationalistic rants get creators rewards—and bans—on social media.

If Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi cracks down too hard on pro-Iran militias, as Washington has demanded, he risks losing his position and jeopardizing the country’s security.

Washington has no right to impose snapback sanctions on Tehran because it is no longer a participant in the Iran nuclear deal.

Trump, in a rambling speech, says if he loses the election was rigged.

Employees say people of color are paid and promoted less.

A surreal helicopter flight highlights the besieged Belarusian president’s belief in force.

Russian autocracy is different, but Belarus should still be a cautionary tale.

When it comes to building international power, there’s growing reason to think that foreign policy barely matters.

Most residents don’t have money for repairs, making them vulnerable to corruption schemes.

Powered by Israeli weapons, Azerbaijan is facing off against Armenia far from the long-disputed enclave, placing civilians—and possibly the Aliyev regime—at risk.

If the invisible hand won’t produce buyers at home, governments will need to step in.

The most persuasive portrait of Angela Merkel’s decision-making five years ago is featured in a new television film.

“The Madman Theory” hands Trump a foreign-policy report card.

The impact of the Israel-UAE deal on the war in Libya, what we know about Biden’s foreign-policy vision, and the disastrous state of Taiwan’s military.

Politics in the country have followed familiar cycles of violence and collapse.

Pakistan’s prime minister might just become the first ever to complete a full term.

The overthrow, swiftly condemned by the U.S. government, could pose a setback in the regional fight against extremist groups.

The much-touted agreement cements the regional divide between traditionalist monarchies and their rivals, while their respective proxies fight over the spoils from Libya to Yemen.

Many former Republican national security officials just endorsed Biden. They will be hobbled in the fight for the party’s post-Trump future.

Left-wing groups say the troop presence has made Germany complicit in U.S. drone wars.

China may want to displace the dollar with the yuan as the global reserve currency, but its actions are leading to the opposite.

Not all diplomatic deals are preludes to peace—and the Israel-UAE agreement fits an inauspicious pattern.

The 2020 Democratic nominee manages to unify his party. But for how long?

Blue skies, clear water, thriving wildlife—nature has regenerated thanks to global lockdowns. How can we make the effect last?

A young soldier’s suicide reveals the disastrous logistics of an undersupplied army.

The Democratic nominee and his closest advisors served in the Obama administration—but their foreign-policy vision is finding inspiration in Harry S. Truman.

The Russian leader is known to target opponents, but his involvement this time seems unlikely.

Satirists who mean to cut down fascists can end up boosting their ideas.

A Trump empowered with a second term would be a threat to the United States, especially in Asia.

The Italian philosopher saw the power of technology and change.

Throughout history, pandemics have been a great equalizer. Here’s why this time is different.

In speaking for all Americans—instead of just a section of them—Biden's team has rejected the conventional narrative about how to beat Trump in November.

Tit-for-tat tactics are sometimes necessary but rarely effective.

Aid groups operating in Houthi-controlled areas are unable to deliver lifesaving support.

The Trump administration wants to trigger snapback sanctions on Iran to bury the nuclear deal once and for all. No other major U.N. player seems to be on board.

Last week’s deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates is the latest reminder that countries are always out for their own interests—and the weak suffer what they must.

The game is hauntingly beautiful, but it reshapes history and geography.

The British government’s haphazard approach to quarantining travelers won’t make up for its failed domestic coronavirus containment efforts.

The Palestinian Authority has failed to deliver democracy or sovereignty to the Palestinian people. It’s time for a new generation of leaders to deliver accountable governance and freedom.

A confused tribunal process is a step toward justice in a case that has haunted the country for years.

As mainstream denominations see their own outbreaks, Shincheonji members say they were unfairly targeted.

A top State Department official insists Pompeo rightly invoked an emergency to send billions of dollars in weapons to the Gulf last year.

With little chance of the installation of an anti-Russian regime in Minsk, Moscow doesn’t have much reason to step into the fray.

American, French, and West African leaders must pressure the army to stand down and form an interim government, before a power vacuum and violent extremism threaten the entire region.

Politics, corruption, and the pandemic impede reconstruction of the country’s lifeline.

Strongman Khalifa Haftar has lost the initiative, and it looks as if the only option left for his international backers is to divide the country.

For those in the borderlands, the recent landslide in Kachin state is a symptom of the government’s empty promises.

Replacing the president won’t resolve the country’s deep-seated political problems. If neighboring nations and global powers don’t demand a democratic transition, it could lead to greater instability across West Africa.

Shaming violators alone won’t stop the use of child soldiers and other human rights abuses. Defending children’s rights requires engagement with governments and armed groups.

A conservatorship is unlikely, but the world can work to nudge Beirut’s political class aside.

Massive foreign assistance is on its way to the country—but the government has forfeited any right to it.

In their crass hunger for Chinese money, universities have become China’s fifth column in the West.

A U.N.-backed tribunal convicts one Hezbollah member in the Hariri murder but fails to determine who ordered it.

Isolationists among both Democrats and Republicans want to withdraw from foreign entanglements. That would make the world much less safe.

Understanding oppression requires layered histories of the city itself.

They keep touting him as a man of “character” and “empathy.” But that may not be enough to define him for the electorate.

A congressional investigation into the firing of the department’s inspector general has caused friction between the secretary of state and members of Congress.

In the tussle over the Inter-American Development Bank, the region is prepared to wait him out.

Russia will do just enough to prop up Belarus’s tottering regime.

The region’s powers and the West are facing off against Turkey—and Turkey is not going down without a fight.

The verdict is in: Donald Trump’s shallow approach to foreign policy has damaged the United States.

Report finds Russia, China, and other countries have spent over $300 million to influence the democratic process in countries around the world.

After a humiliating defeat at the U.N. Security Council, Washington will seek snapback sanctions to sabotage what’s left of the nuclear deal. Britain, France, and Germany can still keep it alive until after the U.S. election.

As protests swell across the country, Belarusians are calling for the return of the unlikely politician Svetlana Tikhanovskaya.

After a violent crackdown on protesters, Belarus’s leader has lost all credibility in the eyes of his people, Lithuania’s foreign minister says.

By striking a major partnership with Tehran, Beijing risks not only angering other regional partners but also getting entangled in complicated security and political issues.

The Belarusian dictator bet everything on force. Now he's becoming a dangerous joke.

The biggest rallies in years are risking the wrath of royalists eager to use the lèse-majesté law.

His administration spent four years mostly failing to reach diplomatic agreements. What it did instead was far more disturbing.

Charisma doesn’t have to be earned for its impact on democratic politics to be very real.

A new cold war is starting, and neither side seems interested in winning.

Decision to release 400 Taliban prisoners paves way for negotiations.

Democracies have greater legitimacy because citizens largely support the system and its institutions. Dictatorships rely on performance—and they fail when they don’t produce results.

Anne Applebaum wants to understand rising illiberalism but is clinging to a Cold War moral framework that no longer applies.

After the wreckage of World War II, a new form of global community had huge momentum—but the United States rejected it.

Training films reveal how to sell a complicated fight to a conscript army.

The deal defers the idea of annexation rather than burying it, and could exacerbate tensions between Iran and the Gulf States.

Eight voices on the future of entertainment, culture, and sports.

Seventy-five years after Japan surrendered in World War II and scrapped its armed forces, the Trump administration is redoubling efforts to get Tokyo to be more aggressive in countering China.

Belarus is not another Ukraine, Israeli prime minister scores important victory, and Venezuelan autocrat uses coronavirus pandemic to assert power.

The backstory of the UAE’s deal with Israel is a 20-year tale of business, technological, and personal ties.

As a critical vote approaches, the fate of Iran nuclear sanctions—and decades of multilateralism—lies in the hands of Britain and France.

As “Gandhi,” a new wargame, demonstrates, peaceful protest is mightier than the sword.

Applying 20th-century analogies to the U.S.-Chinese relationship is a misuse of history—and shows a misunderstanding of the present.

A disturbing rise in crime figures highlights the dangers of endorsing militancy.

Beijing has produced a booklet to counter allegations that it’s curtailing the freedoms of Hong Kong residents, abusing Uighurs, and failing to come clean on its role in the spread of the coronavirus.

The app’s dominance forces people to adopt self-censorship to stay in touch.

An arrogant and bloated army bears its share of responsibility for Kashmiri suffering.

Beijing is ramping up support for U.N. and a host of other international organizations, racking up more influence even as Washington is in headlong retreat.

Calls for fundamental political reform are gaining momentum in Lebanon after a deadly twin explosion this month laid bare government negligence.

Lessons from ancient Greece and Islamic finance for creating a tax that will benefit the poor—and the wealthy, too.

Sri Lanka’s ruling party promised quick and decisive leadership. But with an economic meltdown looming, it should also be careful.

Trump’s new restrictions on Chinese apps and technology are so far-reaching that the future of the open internet is at stake.

As protests rock another post-Soviet state, the Kremlin could be in an annexationist mood. 

It’s a historic achievement that eluded other presidents. Trump will try to make the most of it.

The agreement requires Israel to put West Bank annexation on hold, but Netanyahu says it’s temporary.

Liberal internationalism is full of contradictions on how to handle Beijing.

And Saudi Arabia may well stand to lose the most.

The vice presidential candidate’s foreign-policy takes are conventional, but her identity is transformational.

A coordinated strategy is emerging among allies, despite Trump’s best efforts.

Combined with the COVID-19 pandemic, the country is struggling to stay afloat.

The shared threat from Iran helped grease the wheels for the diplomatic breakthrough.

For decades, U.S. foreign policy has been badly distorted by the way that World War II ended.

Democrats weigh in on a Biden-Harris ticket.

Corruption charges against the former king forced him into exile—and the latest scandal could be the nail in the coffin for the monarchy.

Lawmakers threaten to block the confirmation of the first U.S. envoy to Belarus in over a decade. But others say an ambassador is needed now more than ever.

It’s hard—but possible—to save people from the conspiracy theory’s grip.

Yes, there are surprisingly big protests—like those that rocked Kyiv six years ago—being met with brutal crackdowns. But Belarus is a whole different story.

Chinese security threats offer the chance to rethink the U.S. economy.

His administration wants to trigger the JCPOA’s snapback mechanism, but he probably can’t do that from the outside.

Netanyahu might be seeing an opportunity to evade his corruption trial by dissolving his coalition and calling yet another election.

The media often underplays the fact that Biden’s vice presidential pick has an Indian mother. Her heritage could play a crucial role in U.S. foreign policy.

As vice president, Harris would be ready to go toe-to-toe with adversaries, both foreign and domestic.

The Democratic candidate’s choice of vice president says more than you might think about his foreign policy—and his own self-image.

The presumptive Democratic nominee was one of the most impactful vice presidents ever.

Picking Kamala Harris as his running mate underscores that Joe Biden is not looking for extra heft on foreign policy—but he’s reaching out with several firsts.

The California senator is the first Black and South Asian American woman to back up a major U.S. presidential ticket.

Israel's plan to annex parts of the West Bank seems off the agenda for now, but Trump might push Netanyahu to proceed anyway.

Reeling from the aftermath of a chemical explosion in the city’s port, Lebanon’s most vulnerable are bracing for even more anguish.

As Beijing cracks down, it turns to familiar tools of repression.

Washington should not talk itself into accepting Moscow’s aggression—again.

And he won’t be able to keep the game going for much longer.

Land reform isn’t just about compensating white farmers whose land was expropriated. It must secure the property rights of Black farmers, too.

This week’s student protests are part of a backlash against a monarchist elite trying to erase Thailand’s democratic history.

A State Department watchdog report concludes that Pompeo followed proper channels in sending arms to Saudi Arabia but faults the State Department for not assessing the humanitarian risks of such a move.

Foisting a divisive, first-ever U.S. president on the Inter-American Development Bank will likely hinder—not help—the bank’s quest to raise cash during the coronavirus pandemic.

After a major victory, the family will be able to reshape Sri Lanka to ensure their control for the long term.

After decades of living in denial, the country has hit rock bottom—but glimmers of a brighter future are starting to emerge.

If the United States lets France take the lead, the Lebanese people will get more political paralysis, cosmetic reforms, and Hezbollah control of state institutions.

Latin American governments have a chance to model a better version of the inspector general, with even greater autonomy, to address graft in the public health sector.

As the pandemic continues to stress the country’s collapsing health system, Venezuela’s president has bolstered his political ground.

Massive violence in the wake of Sunday’s sham election has thrown a spotlight on Belarus and the growing backlash to a quarter century of one-man rule.