Amy Mackinnon

Amy Mackinnon was a staff writer at Foreign Policy from 2018-2025.

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Articles by Amy Mackinnon
President-elect Joe Biden speaks to the media in Delaware.
President-elect Joe Biden speaks to the media in Delaware.

And the Top Contenders for Biden’s Cabinet Are…

Election 2020
Robbie Gramer, Jack Detsch, Amy Mackinnon
Former President Barack Obama and Republican President-elect Donald Trump shake hands during a transition planning meeting in the Oval Office at the White House on November 10, 2016 in Washington,DC. (Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)
Former President Barack Obama and Republican President-elect Donald Trump shake hands during a transition planning meeting in the Oval Office at the White House on November 10, 2016 in Washington,DC. (Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)

Here’s How a Transition Is Supposed to Work

Election 2020
Amy Mackinnon
Zeleke Alabachew, a farmer and militia fighter, poses near the village of Tekeldengy, northwest of Gondar, Ethiopia, on Nov. 8.
Zeleke Alabachew, a farmer and militia fighter, poses near the village of Tekeldengy, northwest of Gondar, Ethiopia, on Nov. 8.

How Ethiopia Reached the Brink of Civil War

While You Weren't Looking
Amy Mackinnon
U.S. President Donald Trump chats with Russia's President Vladimir Putin
U.S. President Donald Trump chats with Russia's President Vladimir Putin

Trump’s Still Got Some Believers—Strongmen, Populists, and Authoritarians Refuse to Recognize Biden’s Win

Election 2020
Amy Mackinnon, Augusta Saraiva
Corey Lewandowski, former campaign advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump (right), and former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi speak to the media about a court order giving the Trump campaign access to observe vote counting operations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 5.
Corey Lewandowski, former campaign advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump (right), and former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi speak to the media about a court order giving the Trump campaign access to observe vote counting operations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 5.

Why Trump’s Elections Challenges Are Nothing Like Bush v. Gore

Election 2020
Amy Mackinnon
U.S. President Donald Trump leaves after addressing the press at the White House in Washington on Nov. 5.
U.S. President Donald Trump leaves after addressing the press at the White House in Washington on Nov. 5.

Trump’s ‘Most Dishonest’ Speech Lays Out Assault on the U.S. Election

Election 2020
Amy Mackinnon
Dozens of supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump call for stopping the count of ballots in Pennsylvania at the State Capitol in Harrisburg on Nov. 5.
Dozens of supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump call for stopping the count of ballots in Pennsylvania at the State Capitol in Harrisburg on Nov. 5.

Trump Legal Challenges More Bluster Than Substance

Election 2020
Amy Mackinnon
Election workers count ballots on Nov. 4 in Philadelphia.
Election workers count ballots on Nov. 4 in Philadelphia.

As Biden Inches Ahead, Trump Lays the Groundwork for a Challenge

Election 2020
Amy Mackinnon
A member of the "Democrats Abroad" organization in Berlin
A member of the "Democrats Abroad" organization in Berlin

Allies Look to ‘Strategic Autonomy’ as Support for Trump Proves Resilient

Election 2020
Colum Lynch, Amy Mackinnon
"I Voted" stickers
"I Voted" stickers

No Sign of Large-Scale Voter Disruption in U.S. Election

Election 2020
Amy Mackinnon
Supporters raise signs at Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders's campaign rally in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, on March 8.
Supporters raise signs at Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders's campaign rally in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, on March 8.

Foreign Actors Haven’t Interfered Like Last Time. But the Disinformation Fight Is Just Beginning.

Election 2020
Amy Mackinnon
A police officer looks on as protesters gesture during a mass protest the morning after preliminary results were released for five communes in Conakry, Guinea, on Oct. 21.
A police officer looks on as protesters gesture during a mass protest the morning after preliminary results were released for five communes in Conakry, Guinea, on Oct. 21.

Aspiring Autocrats Threaten Democracy Across the World

While You Weren't Looking
Amy Mackinnon
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

Pompeo Courts the Maldives in Latest Bid to Check China’s Influence

Report
Amy Mackinnon, Robbie Gramer
President Donald Trump departs after speaking to media at the White House.
President Donald Trump departs after speaking to media at the White House.

Trump Appointee Seeks to Turn U.S. Media Agency Into a Political Cheerleader

Report
Colum Lynch, Amy Mackinnon, Robbie Gramer
A group of migrants from Mali, Ivory Coast, and Cameroon travel on board the Spanish NGO Maydayterraneo's Aita Mari rescue boat on Feb. 10.
A group of migrants from Mali, Ivory Coast, and Cameroon travel on board the Spanish NGO Maydayterraneo's Aita Mari rescue boat on Feb. 10.

U.S. Treatment of Cameroonian Asylum-Seekers Is ‘Tantamount to Torture,’ Advocates Say

While You Weren't Looking
Amy Mackinnon
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