Skip to main content

Dispatch

The view from the ground.

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkey’s Balancing Act Between Putin and the West

Turkey’s marriage of convenience with Russia may give President Recep Tayyip Erdogan what he needs to win upcoming elections.

A dove flies to its nest in Cundinamarca, Colombia, on Jan. 31, 2016.
A dove flies to its nest in Cundinamarca, Colombia, on Jan. 31, 2016.

When Transitional Justice Falls Short

The abrupt end of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal in Cambodia and the ongoing proceedings in Colombia show how the process doesn’t always serve the victims.

Australian Greens Sen. Lidia Thorpe speaks to a crowd.
Australian Greens Sen. Lidia Thorpe speaks to a crowd.

Australians Can’t Agree on the Voice

Most of the country wants the government to do more for Indigenous Australians. So why is a proposal to achieve that so fraught?

A child looks on while being carried by a woman as migrants wait outside the officers of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Tunis on Feb. 27.
A child looks on while being carried by a woman as migrants wait outside the officers of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Tunis on Feb. 27.

Tunisia’s Kais Saied Is Doubling Down on Xenophobia

As the country’s financial crisis worsens and Saied’s popularity wanes, the president has decided to scapegoat Black migrants and condone violence against them.

A person waits for the start of the 11th emergency special session of the General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City.
A person waits for the start of the 11th emergency special session of the General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City.

The U.N. Has Turned Turtle on the Ukraine War

A paralyzed Security Council and a toothless General Assembly can’t come to grips with Russia’s challenge to the international order.

People protest French President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform plan.
People protest French President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform plan.

France’s Labor Pains

Despite more than a month of paralyzing strikes, France’s unions are bleeding members, influence, and prestige.

People arrive for a rally in Rome.
People arrive for a rally in Rome.

Italy’s Opposition Wonders if It’s Time to Get Radical Again

After an electoral drubbing, some are hoping for a socialist revival.

A wounded soldier holds his head.
A wounded soldier holds his head.

‘Killing Was a Game for Russians’

The war in Ukraine is a year old. Here are the stories of some who have survived.

German politician Christian Schmidt looks on as he officially takes office as the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on Aug. 2, 2021.
German politician Christian Schmidt looks on as he officially takes office as the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on Aug. 2, 2021.

Bosnia’s Peace Envoy Is Caught in a Political Tug of War

Constitutional changes orchestrated by German diplomat Christian Schmidt have led to stalemate, but he won’t compromise.

Tunisian demonstrators raise flags and protest placards as they take to the streets of the capital Tunis, on January 14, 2023, to protest against their president.
Tunisian demonstrators raise flags and protest placards as they take to the streets of the capital Tunis, on January 14, 2023, to protest against their president.

Young Tunisians Don’t Trust Kais Saied Anymore

Those who once supported the president and his coup are starting to doubt his ability to rescue the country amid an economic crisis.

A man walks past a torn AfD banner.
A man walks past a torn AfD banner.

Germany’s Far-Right ‘Firewall’ Is Starting to Crack

At the national level, parties insist they won’t work or vote with the far-right AfD—but at the local level, it happens all the time.

Belarusian soldiers in the pro-Ukraine Kastus Kalinouski Regiment practice tying tourniquets in a battlefield simulation in Ukraine.
Belarusian soldiers in the pro-Ukraine Kastus Kalinouski Regiment practice tying tourniquets in a battlefield simulation in Ukraine.

Meet the Belarusian Regiment Fighting for Ukraine

Someday, soldiers hope to return home and topple Lukashenko.

A view of the old town of Amman, Jordan.
A view of the old town of Amman, Jordan.

Can Buses Drive Change for Jordanian Women?

In a country where poor transit has long been a barrier to equal opportunity, a new public bus project could prompt a broader shift.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg addresses a press conference following British, French, and U.S. strikes against Syria's regime at the NATO headquarters in Brussels.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg addresses a press conference following British, French, and U.S. strikes against Syria's regime at the NATO headquarters in Brussels.

NATO Chiefs Try to Jump-Start the Aid Ukraine Really Needs

It’s all about artillery rounds and air defense, not just tanks and fighter jets.

A rescuer checks a partly damaged building in Turkey.
A rescuer checks a partly damaged building in Turkey.

The Quake That Exposed Erdogan’s Fault Lines

Last week’s earthquake killed tens of thousands of people, made many more individuals homeless, and exposed the shoddy underpinnings of the AKP economic miracle.

A container ship operated by the French shipping company CMA CGM is moored in the Port of Marseille.
A container ship operated by the French shipping company CMA CGM is moored in the Port of Marseille.

Can a French Shipping Giant Make Marseille the Capital of the Mediterranean?

The Saadé family has raked in huge profits, turning CMA CGM into a strategic asset for Paris and a potential economic lifeline for France’s impoverished second city.

A mural warns of the dangers of heroin use in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Oct. 17, 2022. Lindsey Kennedy for Foreign Policy
A mural warns of the dangers of heroin use in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Oct. 17, 2022. Lindsey Kennedy for Foreign Policy

How the Taliban’s ‘War on Drugs’ Could Backfire

The purported ban on opium and ephedra devastates poor farmers, enriches the Taliban, and has done nothing to curb addiction.

A couple walks along the dim streets of Penrith in the United Kingdom
A couple walks along the dim streets of Penrith in the United Kingdom

Blankets, Food Banks, and Shuttered Pubs: Brexit Has Delivered a Broken Britain

Brexiteers promised to “take back control.” But the decision has instead delivered recession, gloom, and despair.

Tunisian political parties took the streets and demonstrate against Tunisian President Kais Saied on Revolution Day at Habib Bourguiba Street, demanding his resignation on Jan. 14.
Tunisian political parties took the streets and demonstrate against Tunisian President Kais Saied on Revolution Day at Habib Bourguiba Street, demanding his resignation on Jan. 14.

Is Kais Saied Losing His Grip on Tunisia?

Tunisians are taking to the streets—rather than voting—as the economy collapses, but they remain deeply divided.

Kashmir-Chenab-railway-bridge-IMG_5459
Kashmir-Chenab-railway-bridge-IMG_5459

How India’s New Bridge to Kashmir Divided a Region

Kashmiris fear an expensive infrastructure project will mean more military domination and demographic change.

Loading graphics

Welcome to a world of insight.

Make the most of FP.

Explore the benefits of your FP subscription. Explore the benefits included in your subscription.

Stay updated on the topics you care about with email alerts. Sign up below. Stay updated on the topics you care about with email alerts. Sign up below.

Choose a few newsletters that interest you. Get more insight in your inbox.

Here are some we think you might like. Update your newsletter preferences.

  • Morning Brief thumbnail
  • Africa Brief thumbnail
  • Latin America Brief thumbnail
  • China Brief thumbnail
  • South Asia Brief thumbnail
  • Situation Report thumbnail

Keep up with the world without stopping yours. Keep up with the world without stopping yours.

Download the FP mobile app to read anytime, anywhere. Download the new FP mobile app to read anytime, anywhere.

Download on the App Store
  • Read the magazine
  • Save articles (and read offline)
  • Customize your feed
  • Listen to FP podcasts
Download on the Apple App Store
Download on the Google Play Store

Analyze the world’s biggest events. Analyze the world’s biggest events.

Join in-depth conversations and interact with foreign-policy experts with Join in-depth conversations and interact with foreign-policy experts with

BEIJING, CHINA - MARCH 05: A general view of the Great Hall of the People during the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang delivers a speech in the opening of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress at The Great Hall of People on March 5, 2023 in Beijing, China.China's annual political gathering known as the Two Sessions will convene leaders and lawmakers to set the government's agenda for domestic economic and social development for the year. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
BEIJING, CHINA - MARCH 05: A general view of the Great Hall of the People during the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang delivers a speech in the opening of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress at The Great Hall of People on March 5, 2023 in Beijing, China.China's annual political gathering known as the Two Sessions will convene leaders and lawmakers to set the government's agenda for domestic economic and social development for the year. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

Inside China’s ‘Two Sessions’

✓  

Registered

  |   Ask a Question Ask a Question   |   Add to Calendar
  1. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

  2. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

Every year, the top Chinese legislative and advisory bodies meet for two weeks to rubber-stamp decisions already made by the Chinese Communist Party. It’s called the “two sessions,” ...Show more

made-in-america-protectionism-adam-posen-doug-chayka-illustration-fp-live-lead
made-in-america-protectionism-adam-posen-doug-chayka-illustration-fp-live-lead

Economist Adam Posen Explains Why He Thinks U.S. Industrial Policy Will Backfire

✓  

Registered

  |   Ask a Question Ask a Question   |   Add to Calendar
  1. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

  2. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

Over the last few years, Washington has prioritized relocating manufacturing production back to the United States. Critics abroad argue that America’s new industrial policy is protectionis...Show more

A tank fires at Russian positions near Kreminna in the Lugansk region of Ukraine on Jan. 12. ANATOLII STEPANOV/AFP via Getty Images
A tank fires at Russian positions near Kreminna in the Lugansk region of Ukraine on Jan. 12. ANATOLII STEPANOV/AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine’s Battlefield Dynamics

✓  

Registered

  |   Ask a Question Ask a Question   |   Add to Calendar
  1. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

  2. Only FP subscribers can submit questions for FP Live interviews.

    ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?

Russia has gone from one mobilization to the next, burning through equipment and ammunition faster than it can replace it—even resorting to the recruitment of prisoners to fight its drawn-...Show more

See what’s trending. See what’s trending.

Most popular articles on FP right now. Most popular articles on FP right now.