Elisabeth Braw

Elisabeth Braw is a columnist at Foreign Policy, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, and the author of "Goodbye Globalization."

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Articles by Elisabeth Braw
A man holds his fist in the air and shouts along with a crowd of other men holding placards.
A man holds his fist in the air and shouts along with a crowd of other men holding placards.

8 Simmering Threats You Shouldn’t Ignore in 2025

Roundup
Emma Ashford, Nick Aspinwall, Elisabeth Braw, John R. Deni, Markus Garlauskas, Mina Al-Oraibi, Natia Seskuria, Sushant Singh
A silhouette of Donald Trump speaking into a microphone.
A silhouette of Donald Trump speaking into a microphone.

From Musk to Gaza: Issues We’re Watching in 2025

Roundup
Edward Alden, Elisabeth Braw, Steven A. Cook, James Crabtree, Agathe Demarais, Zongyuan Zoe Liu, C. Raja Mohan
An illustration of geopolitical words from 2024: Anchor-dragging-ATACMS, Lavender, P&I clubs, Autogolpe, gallium and germanium.
An illustration of geopolitical words from 2024: Anchor-dragging-ATACMS, Lavender, P&I clubs, Autogolpe, gallium and germanium.

New Geopolitical Words We Learned in 2024

Analysis
Elisabeth Braw
People fish on the ice-covered Gulf of Finland in front of a warship in St. Petersburg on Dec. 26, 2023.
People fish on the ice-covered Gulf of Finland in front of a warship in St. Petersburg on Dec. 26, 2023.

The Baltic Sea’s Bad Actors

Analysis
Elisabeth Braw
The Chinese ship Yi Peng 3 is anchored and being monitored by a Danish naval patrol vessel (unseen) off the coast of Denmark, on Nov. 20.
The Chinese ship Yi Peng 3 is anchored and being monitored by a Danish naval patrol vessel (unseen) off the coast of Denmark, on Nov. 20.

Will Denmark Expose Chinese-Russian Sabotage in the Baltic?

Analysis
Elisabeth Braw
Houthi fighters sit with heavy machine guns atop a vehicle.
Houthi fighters sit with heavy machine guns atop a vehicle.

Russia Is Running an Undeclared War on Western Shipping

Analysis
Elisabeth Braw
Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout is seen from the shoulders upward as he attends an art gallery opening. Bout is a man in his 50s with brown hair and a thick mustache, wearing a dark gray blazer over a black T-shirt. Large photographs hang from the gallery walls behind him.
Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout is seen from the shoulders upward as he attends an art gallery opening. Bout is a man in his 50s with brown hair and a thick mustache, wearing a dark gray blazer over a black T-shirt. Large photographs hang from the gallery walls behind him.

Russia’s Most Infamous Arms Dealer Is Backing Maritime Terror

Analysis
Elisabeth Braw
Visitors stand at an exhibit at the InnoTrans fair, an international industry platform for buyers and sellers of passenger and freight transport technology, in Berlin.
Visitors stand at an exhibit at the InnoTrans fair, an international industry platform for buyers and sellers of passenger and freight transport technology, in Berlin.

Germany Is Hardening Its Supply Chains Against Chinese Control

Argument
Elisabeth Braw
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson kneels at a makeshift memorial near the center of Skaerholmen.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson kneels at a makeshift memorial near the center of Skaerholmen.

Hired Teen Hitmen Test Limits of Swedish Justice

Argument
Elisabeth Braw
Boats are moored in a Swedish harbor.
Boats are moored in a Swedish harbor.

A Fight Is Brewing Over Chinese Money in Norway

Argument
Elisabeth Braw
A fighter jet kicks up dust behind it as it moves along a highway. A fence and grass is seen in the foreground with trees and grass behind.
A fighter jet kicks up dust behind it as it moves along a highway. A fence and grass is seen in the foreground with trees and grass behind.

Old MacJohan Had a Fighter Jet

Analysis
Elisabeth Braw
Finnish and Swedish units simulate a naval attack. Swedish and Finnish Amphibious Forces Take Part In NATO Military Drill “Baltops 22” In Stockholm Archipelago on June 11, 2022.
Finnish and Swedish units simulate a naval attack. Swedish and Finnish Amphibious Forces Take Part In NATO Military Drill “Baltops 22” In Stockholm Archipelago on June 11, 2022.

Is Russia Trying to Poison Finland’s Water?

Analysis
Elisabeth Braw
Maria Butina (center), who served time in a U.S. jail for acting as a Russian government agent, arrives at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport on Oct. 26, 2019, a day after her release from prison.
Maria Butina (center), who served time in a U.S. jail for acting as a Russian government agent, arrives at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport on Oct. 26, 2019, a day after her release from prison.

Stop Wasting Captured Spies

Argument
Elisabeth Braw
Britain's new Defense Secretary John Healey leaves 10 Downing Street in London on July 5.
Britain's new Defense Secretary John Healey leaves 10 Downing Street in London on July 5.

What Does a Labour Win Mean for U.K. Defense Policy?

Analysis
Elisabeth Braw
A crate with 16 charges in the packaging area of a production line at a powders and explosives plant.
A crate with 16 charges in the packaging area of a production line at a powders and explosives plant.

It’s Time to Learn How to Blow Things Up Again

Argument
Elisabeth Braw
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