What in the World?

This week in FP’s international news quiz: Kazakhs protest, an African prime minister resigns, and Germany’s new top diplomat heads to Washington.

By , a deputy copy editor at Foreign Policy.
Protesters in Kazakhstan
Protesters in Kazakhstan
Protesters take part in a rally over a hike in energy prices in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on Jan. 5. ABDUAZIZ MADYAROV/AFP via Getty Images

Happy New Year, and welcome back to Foreign Policy’s international news quiz! Time to test your knowledge of this week in world events.

Have feedback? Email whatintheworld@foreignpolicy.com to let me know your thoughts.

Happy New Year, and welcome back to Foreign Policy’s international news quiz! Time to test your knowledge of this week in world events.


1. Protests erupted in Kazakhstan this week over a government move to eliminate a cap on fuel prices, with demonstrations popping up in cities across the country.

What is Kazakhstan’s capital?

FP’s Emma Ashford and Matthew Kroenig debate how the Kazakh protests will affect U.S.-Russian relations.


2. Who is Germany’s new foreign minister, who visited Washington this week?


3. Abdalla Hamdok resigned as prime minister of what country on Sunday?

Writing in Foreign Policy, Hamdok’s former assistant chief of staff calls for international support for Sudanese democratization.


4. On Friday, who became the first world leader to officially visit Myanmar’s junta leader, Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, since he took power in a coup last year?


5. Kosovo is experiencing dramatic energy shortages. What did the country’s government ban this week to limit national energy consumption?


6. The president and prime minister of which country hinted at the possibility of joining NATO in their New Year’s addresses?

FP’s Elisabeth Braw explores the possibility of Finland and its neighbor Sweden joining the defense alliance.


7. Which region ended 2021 with the world’s highest COVID-19 vaccination rate?

In this week’s Latin America Brief, FP’s Catherine Osborn weighs whether South America’s vaccine success will be enough to contain the new coronavirus variant.


8. The multistate cartel of oil-rich nations known as OPEC+ met this week to discuss oil production. Which country is the plus-one in OPEC+?


9. In the past few months, China has increasingly sought to punish Lithuania for its growing relationship with Taiwan. To make up for one instance of Chinese retaliation, a Taiwanese government-owned company recently purchased over 20,000 bottles of what substance?

FP’s Robbie Gramer ranked the Lithuanian-Chinese spat over Taiwan as one of five major diplomatic disputes that could spell more trouble in 2022.


10. After being closed for several years to facilitate conservation efforts, Thailand’s scenic Maya Bay reopened to the public this month. The beach had been overrun by tourists after appearing in what film?

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Have feedback? Email whatintheworld@foreignpolicy.com to let me know your thoughts.

Nina Goldman is a deputy copy editor at Foreign Policy.

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