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FALL 2023 ISSUE: The Alliances That Matter Now

Primary featured article section

A photo illustration shows Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden posing on pedestals atop the bipolar world order, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Russian President Vladamir Putin standing below on a gridded floor.
A photo illustration shows Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden posing on pedestals atop the bipolar world order, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Russian President Vladamir Putin standing below on a gridded floor.

No, the World Is Not Multipolar

The idea of emerging power centers is popular but wrong—and could lead to serious policy mistakes.

Essay
Jo Inge Bekkevold
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes the hand of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ahead of the G-20 summit in New Delhi on Sept. 9.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes the hand of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ahead of the G-20 summit in New Delhi on Sept. 9.

Rift With Canada Puts Spotlight on India’s Security Services

Trudeau’s accusations suggest New Delhi’s intelligence operatives could lead it down a dark path.

Analysis
Sushant Singh
Protesters in masks in front of the Bank of England in London on Aug. 3. Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images
Protesters in masks in front of the Bank of England in London on Aug. 3. Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images

Why Interest Rate Hikes Don’t Necessarily Tame Inflation

Adam Tooze answers listener questions about inflation.

Insider
Adam Tooze, Cameron Abadi
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting, his mouth open as he stands in front of a sign for a Central Asia plus U.S. group of nations. Biden is an 8-year-old man with white hair, wearing a navy blue suit.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting, his mouth open as he stands in front of a sign for a Central Asia plus U.S. group of nations. Biden is an 8-year-old man with white hair, wearing a navy blue suit.

Biden Takes Aim at Putin’s Soft Underbelly in Central Asia

Moscow’s war in Ukraine has created an opening for Washington as a new great game heats up

Report
Amy Mackinnon

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Linda Thomas-Greenfield appears before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at a hearing regarding her nomination to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 27, 2021.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield appears before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at a hearing regarding her nomination to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 27, 2021.

What Washington Wants From the United Nations This Week
Insider
Ravi Agrawal
Head of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Samantha Power stands in front of St Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv, on October 6, 2022.
Head of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Samantha Power stands in front of St Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv, on October 6, 2022.

Samantha Power on America’s Development Diplomacy
Insider
Ravi Agrawal
A clerk wearing dark glasses, a white shirt, and dark tie counts stacks of Chinese yuan and U.S. dollars at a bank in Shanghai.
A clerk wearing dark glasses, a white shirt, and dark tie counts stacks of Chinese yuan and U.S. dollars at a bank in Shanghai.

How China Can Hurt the U.S. Economy
Insider
Cameron Abadi, Adam Tooze

In the Magazine

Current Issue: Fall 2023 Archives
The cover of Foreign Policy's fall 2023 print magazine shows a jack made up of joined hands lifting up the world. Cover text reads: The Alliances That Matter Now: Multilateralism is at a dead end, but powerful blocs are getting things done."
The cover of Foreign Policy's fall 2023 print magazine shows a jack made up of joined hands lifting up the world. Cover text reads: The Alliances That Matter Now: Multilateralism is at a dead end, but powerful blocs are getting things done."
An illustration shows two large hands with pinky fingers — and their own tiny hand tips — extended in a small handshake for a story about minilateral alliances.
An illustration shows two large hands with pinky fingers — and their own tiny hand tips — extended in a small handshake for a story about minilateral alliances.

The Nimble New Minilaterals

Small coalitions are a smart alternative to cumbersome multilateralism and formal alliances.

Analysis
C. Raja Mohan
An illustration shows an expanding shield with the NATO alliance logo on it.
An illustration shows an expanding shield with the NATO alliance logo on it.

NATO’s Remarkable Revival

But the bloc’s future could look very different from its past.

Analysis
Jo Inge Bekkevold

The G-7 Becomes a Power Player
Analysis
G. John Ikenberry

A New Multilateralism
Essay
Gordon Brown

The China-Russia Axis Takes Shape
Analysis
Bonny Lin

Deterrence in Taiwan Is Failing
Essay
Hal Brands

The Word That Captures Nigerians’ Feelings About the Future
Decoder
Ugonna-Ora Owoh
BRC22_Biden-1000x400
BRC22_Biden-1000x400

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Asia & the Pacific

Two people stand and sit in a boat in an above shot looking down at a string of colorful rowboats floating along the bank of the Ravi River, a tributary of the Indus in Lahore, Pakistan.
Two people stand and sit in a boat in an above shot looking down at a string of colorful rowboats floating along the bank of the Ravi River, a tributary of the Indus in Lahore, Pakistan.

Can India and Pakistan’s Historic Water Pact Endure?
Analysis
Betsy Joles

Congress Wants to Hold Sri Lanka’s Feet to the Fire on Human Rights

North Korean Talks Collapsed but Didn’t Fail

Trudeau’s Allegations Upend India-Canada Ties

China

A Chinese container ship is unloaded in the port of Hamburg, Germany, on Oct. 26, 2022.
A Chinese container ship is unloaded in the port of Hamburg, Germany, on Oct. 26, 2022.

How China Uses Shipping for Surveillance and Control
Argument
Elaine Dezenski, David Rader

China’s Defense Minister Meets His Downfall

China’s Defense Budget Is Much Bigger Than It Looks

China’s Tech Industry Shows It Still Means Business

Middle East & Africa

A plaque used to reserve the seat of the delegation from Israel, is seen during the UNESCO Extended 45th session of the World Heritage Committee in Riyadh on Sept. 11.
A plaque used to reserve the seat of the delegation from Israel, is seen during the UNESCO Extended 45th session of the World Heritage Committee in Riyadh on Sept. 11.

Bibi’s Dead-End Road to Riyadh
Argument
Shalom Lipner

Why Everyone Is Courting Mauritania

U.S. Sudan Sanctions Won’t Work Without the UAE’s Help

How Tunisia Became Europe’s Border Guard

Europe

Polish President Andrzej Duda looks on as French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz chat at the NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11, 2023.
Polish President Andrzej Duda looks on as French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz chat at the NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11, 2023.

Biden Should Press Poland and the EU to Make Up
Argument
Sophia Besch, Tara Varma

Slovakia Is Headed Back to the (Recent) Past

Zelensky: ‘War Crimes Must Be Punished’

Ukraine Is Getting Its Abrams—but Not What It Really Wants

Americas

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva addresses the 78th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City on Sept. 19.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva addresses the 78th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City on Sept. 19.

Who Should Lead the Global South?
Latin America Brief
Catherine Osborn

Can the U.S. and China Cooperate on Green Technology Again?

BRICS Invitation Puts Argentina in a Tough Spot

Trudeau Says India Likely Behind Murder of Canadian Sikh Leader

weekend reads

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, seen in a suit and tie and in profile, walks outside the venue at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Behind him is a sculptural tree in a larger planter that appears to be leaning away from him.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, seen in a suit and tie and in profile, walks outside the venue at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Behind him is a sculptural tree in a larger planter that appears to be leaning away from him.

The Endless Frustration of Chinese Diplomacy

Beijing’s representatives are always scared they could be the next to vanish.

Argument
Cindy Yu
Supporters of the AfD party, Free Saxons movement, and other groups demonstrate against high energy prices, German support for Ukraine, and other government policies in Chemnitz, Germany.
Supporters of the AfD party, Free Saxons movement, and other groups demonstrate against high energy prices, German support for Ukraine, and other government policies in Chemnitz, Germany.

Why Does Eastern Germany Love Putin So Much?
Dispatch
Jens Kastner, Jack Hewson
A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.
A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.

America Prepares for a Pacific War With China It Doesn’t Want
Report
Zuri Linetsky
Viet Cong soldiers in the fog of the jungle during the Vietnam War in a black and white photograph
Viet Cong soldiers in the fog of the jungle during the Vietnam War in a black and white photograph

The Ghostly Legacies of America’s War in Vietnam
Argument
Chris Humphrey

Subscribers’ Picks

An illustration shows the Statue of Liberty holding a torch with other hands alongside hers as she lifts the flame, also resembling laurel, into place on the edge of the United Nations laurel logo.
An illustration shows the Statue of Liberty holding a torch with other hands alongside hers as she lifts the flame, also resembling laurel, into place on the edge of the United Nations laurel logo.

A New Multilateralism

How the United States can rejuvenate the global institutions it created.

Essay
Gordon Brown
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.

The End of America’s Middle East

The region’s four major countries have all forfeited Washington’s trust.

Argument
Hisham Melhem
An illustration shows half faces of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Putin for a story about a ChiRussia alliance.
An illustration shows half faces of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Putin for a story about a ChiRussia alliance.

The China-Russia Axis Takes Shape

The bond has been decades in the making, but Russia’s war in Ukraine has tightened their embrace.

Analysis
Bonny Lin
Afghan men consume drugs on a street in Kabul.
Afghan men consume drugs on a street in Kabul.

The Taliban Have a New Drug of Choice

After cornering the market on heroin, they’ve pivoted to a quicker and more profitable alternative.

Analysis
Lynne O’Donnell

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The World’s Most Important Alliances

books

Lyndon B. Johnson is surrounded by soldiers in this black-and-white photo as he visits U.S. troops in Vietnam. Johnson smiles as he shakes hands with a service member wearing uniform. He is flanked by security officers in dark suits.
Lyndon B. Johnson is surrounded by soldiers in this black-and-white photo as he visits U.S. troops in Vietnam. Johnson smiles as he shakes hands with a service member wearing uniform. He is flanked by security officers in dark suits.

Why U.S. Presidents Really Go to War

As a new book shows, it’s not always about strategy.

Review
Julian E. Zelizer
The book cover of Homelands by Timothy Garton Ash. A black-and-white photo beneath the title shows an outstretched arm wearing a wristwatch in front of a city street. The title and name of the author are in red, all-caps lettering.
The book cover of Homelands by Timothy Garton Ash. A black-and-white photo beneath the title shows an outstretched arm wearing a wristwatch in front of a city street. The title and name of the author are in red, all-caps lettering.

Timothy Garton Ash Misunderstands Liberalism
Review
Blake Smith
Beijing Rules: How China Weaponized Its Economy to Confront the World, Bethany Allen, HarperCollins (August 2023), $32.99
Beijing Rules: How China Weaponized Its Economy to Confront the World, Bethany Allen, HarperCollins (August 2023), $32.99

How China Trolls Flooded Twitter
Excerpt
Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian
The book cover of This is Not America: Why Black Lives in Britain Matter by Tomiwa Owolade.
The book cover of This is Not America: Why Black Lives in Britain Matter by Tomiwa Owolade.

Britain’s Racism Isn’t America’s
Review
Angela Saini
The Starmer Project: A Journey to the Right, Oliver Eagleton, Verso, 240 pp., $19.95, April 2022
The Starmer Project: A Journey to the Right, Oliver Eagleton, Verso, 240 pp., $19.95, April 2022

What Kind of Prime Minister Will Keir Starmer Be?
Review
Jamie Maxwell
The book cover for The Soviet Century: Archaeology of a Lost World by Karl Schlögel.
The book cover for The Soviet Century: Archaeology of a Lost World by Karl Schlögel.

An Epic History of the Soviet Everyday
Review
Sheila Fitzpatrick
The book cover for The Ruble: A Political History by Ekaterina Pravilova.
The book cover for The Ruble: A Political History by Ekaterina Pravilova.

How Dictators Make Money—and Money Makes Dictators
Review
Carey K. Mott

Trending

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  4. A BRICS Currency Could Shake the Dollar’s Dominance
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  5. America Can’t Stop China’s Rise
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  6. Biden Takes Aim at Putin’s Soft Underbelly in Central Asia
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  7. Why Did Trudeau Dawdle on Chinese Election Meddling?
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  8. Liberal Illusions Caused the Ukraine Crisis
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  9. Chinese Spies Are Targeting Access, Not Race
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  10. America Prepares for a Pacific War With China It Doesn’t Want
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visual stories

El Hardi kneels next to his dog Rock, amid tangled piles of rubble, water, and some intact buildings, during their search in Derna, Libya.
El Hardi kneels next to his dog Rock, amid tangled piles of rubble, water, and some intact buildings, during their search in Derna, Libya.

‘We’ll Start Digging Here’

Unusually virulent weather and poor infrastructure have brought hell to eastern Libya.

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Charmante Kapinga sits on a chair holding her young son as a nurse prepares to weigh him before a routine vaccination at the Mervedi medical center outside Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Charmante Kapinga sits on a chair holding her young son as a nurse prepares to weigh him before a routine vaccination at the Mervedi medical center outside Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Shadow of the Next Pandemic Looms in a Virus Hotspot

Low vaccination coverage in the Democratic Republic of the Congo raises the risk of diseases spreading and adapting undetected.

Andrei Popoviciu

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