The Year in Review

List of The Year in Review articles

Wind turbines tower over a building on a farm in Colorado City, Texas, on Jan. 21, 2016.
Wind turbines tower over a building on a farm in Colorado City, Texas, on Jan. 21, 2016.

The Best Deep Dives of 2020

Essential reads from a Chinese wind farm in Del Rio, Texas, to U.N. headquarters.

Election judge Bonnie Carr looks over ballots as she prepares them to be counted at the Denver Elections Division Building in Denver on Nov 3.
Election judge Bonnie Carr looks over ballots as she prepares them to be counted at the Denver Elections Division Building in Denver on Nov 3.

Our Top Arguments of 2020

From the pandemic to Black Lives Matter and the U.S. election, five articles from the year that changed everything.

A man cross an empty highway on Feb. 3 in Wuhan, China.
A man cross an empty highway on Feb. 3 in Wuhan, China.

Our Top Stories of 2020

From human rights abuses in Xinjiang to the coronavirus crisis in the United States, here are the stories that most captivated our readers this year.

A person stands below an Ethiopian flag during a blood donation rally in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Nov. 12.
A person stands below an Ethiopian flag during a blood donation rally in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Nov. 12.

Is Ethiopia the Next Yugoslavia?

A country that once seemed to hold great promise for peaceful democratization has descended into conflict. Here’s what could happen next.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson’s Year From Hell

Britain’s prime minister promised to take back control. When it comes to the coronavirus, he has lost it.

Supporters and employees of Philippine broadcast network ABS-CBN protest against government attacks on press freedom, in Manila on Feb. 21, 2020.
Supporters and employees of Philippine broadcast network ABS-CBN protest against government attacks on press freedom, in Manila on Feb. 21, 2020.

How Press Freedom Came Under Attack in 2020

Citizens hungry for information turned to the media during the pandemic, but governments around the world used the crisis to restrict journalists.

Steven-Luke-Pentagon-Defense-Department-Whistleblower-article2
Steven-Luke-Pentagon-Defense-Department-Whistleblower-article2

Foreign Policy News Stories That Packed a Punch in 2020

From the tragedy of whistleblowers to imperiled nuclear talks to the State Department's struggle with diversity, here are some of our articles that had an outsized impact this year.

The rooms at the Grand Hotel in Taipei are illuminated to form the word "zero" after Taiwan reported no new coronavirus cases for two consecutive days, on April 17.
The rooms at the Grand Hotel in Taipei are illuminated to form the word "zero" after Taiwan reported no new coronavirus cases for two consecutive days, on April 17.

East Asia Takes a Cautious Coronavirus Victory Lap

Here are five of our best pieces on how East Asia handled the pandemic.

Medical staff prepare to transfer patients with COVID-19 to a newly built hospital for coronavirus patients in Wuhan, China, on March 3.
Medical staff prepare to transfer patients with COVID-19 to a newly built hospital for coronavirus patients in Wuhan, China, on March 3.

How China Fought the Pandemic—and Lied About It

A look back at our best essays on the onset of the coronavirus.

ForeignPolicy__Caste2
ForeignPolicy__Caste2

The Best of 2020 to Read, Watch, or Listen To

With much of the world in lockdown again, here are some of this year’s highlights to help you pass the time.

China's President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump review the Chinese honor guards during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Nov. 9, 2017.
China's President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump review the Chinese honor guards during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Nov. 9, 2017.

How Trump’s Assault on International Organizations Benefits Beijing

The United States was already fighting with China for influence at global organizations, but the pandemic made everything worse.

Franco D’Agostino, 54, returns home to his wife, Gabriella, and his three daughters in Penne, Italy, on April 27 after 42 days in the hospital. He spent 19 days in the intensive care unit for respiratory failure due to COVID-19.
Franco D’Agostino, 54, returns home to his wife, Gabriella, and his three daughters in Penne, Italy, on April 27 after 42 days in the hospital. He spent 19 days in the intensive care unit for respiratory failure due to COVID-19.

Our Top Visual Stories of 2020

From Afghanistan to Mexico, and from Belarus to Cambodia, here’s the best photojournalism from a year that felt like a decade.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel talks with newly-elected French President Emmanuel Macron on the terrace, with a view of the television tower in the background during his visit to the chancellor's office on May 15, 2017 in Berlin, Germany.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel talks with newly-elected French President Emmanuel Macron on the terrace, with a view of the television tower in the background during his visit to the chancellor's office on May 15, 2017 in Berlin, Germany.

The Deadly Crash of Europe’s Second Wave

The continent thought it had the coronavirus beat—and had its guard down when it mattered most.

Sailors standing on the deck of a warship at a parade during the Turkish International Ceremony at Mehmetcik Abidesi Martyrs Memorial near Seddulbahir Turkey on April 24, 2015.
Sailors standing on the deck of a warship at a parade during the Turkish International Ceremony at Mehmetcik Abidesi Martyrs Memorial near Seddulbahir Turkey on April 24, 2015.

Turkey’s Year of Living Dangerously

Turkey took its expansionist vision to new heights in 2020—but with a battered economy, growing opposition, and now U.S. sanctions, it’s not clear how long that can continue.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow’s Red Square marking the 75th anniversary of the victory in World War II on June 24.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow’s Red Square marking the 75th anniversary of the victory in World War II on June 24.

In 2020, Putin Raised the Stakes at Home and Abroad

Russia started the year with political uncertainty, then cemented Putin’s future, and ended the year by poisoning the main opposition figure—and future relations with the Biden administration.

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Are America and Europe Aligned on China?

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The war in Ukraine has propelled the United States and Europe closer on a variety of foreign-policy issues. But do Washington and Brussels agree on how to deal with Beijing’s growing clout...Show more

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Inside the U.S.-China Tech War

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Over the last few years, the United States has moved to limit China’s technological rise. U.S.-led sanctions have imposed unprecedented limits on Beijing’s access to advanced computing c...Show more

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 24: U.S. President Joe Biden (R) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi participate in a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on September 24, 2021 in Washington, DC. President Biden is hosting a Quad Leaders Summit later today with Prime Minister Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide. (Photo by Sarahbeth Maney-Pool/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 24: U.S. President Joe Biden (R) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi participate in a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on September 24, 2021 in Washington, DC. President Biden is hosting a Quad Leaders Summit later today with Prime Minister Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide. (Photo by Sarahbeth Maney-Pool/Getty Images)

Is America Making a Bad Bet on India?

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For decades, the U.S. foreign-policy establishment has made the assumption that India could serve as a partner as the United States jostles with China for power in the Indo-Pacific region. B...Show more

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