While You Weren't Looking
If history has taught us one thing, it’s that while we’re focused on one crisis, the next is just around the corner. A weekly update on the world beyond the coronavirus pandemic, written by Foreign Policy staff writer Amy Mackinnon. Delivered Friday.
The Rajapaksas Win in a Landslide in Sri Lanka
Parliamentary elections on Thursday cemented the family’s hold on power, amid warnings that human rights will suffer as a result.
Zimbabwe Cracks Down on Protests as Economy Crumbles
With inflation running at 700 percent, the pandemic has left an already weak state on the brink.
In Belarus, an Unlikely Trio Challenges Lukashenko
The president’s sixth term in office is all but guaranteed, but an unexpected groundswell of support for the opposition has exposed his unpopularity.
The International Aid Sector Faces a Reckoning
Doctors Without Borders staff are pushing back against institutional racism, reflecting a growing debate in the aid community over the legacies of colonialism.
Putin’s Russia Gets Voters’ Rubber Stamp
This week’s constitutional referendum gives the long-serving president the veneer of legitimacy needed to hold on to power through 2036.
The Clock Is Ticking on Ethiopia’s Dam Dispute
Ethiopian officials say they will start filling Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam next month, but they haven’t reached a deal with the countries downstream.
Russia and Turkey’s Proxy War in Libya Heats Up
The oil-rich African nation is in danger of becoming the next Syria.
Is Syria’s Assad on the Edge?
New U.S. sanctions come into force next week, threatening the country’s fragile economy and dealing a fresh blow to the regime.
New Anti-Terrorism Law Would Enhance Duterte’s Power
In the Philippines, the House of Representatives just passed legislation that will enable a crackdown on government critics.
Extremism Is on the Rise in West Africa. Education Is Suffering.
A new report from Burkina Faso shows that rising violence is taking a toll for a generation of children.
Why Did Assad Just Seize His Cousin’s Assets?
A deepening family rift shows intensifying pressure on the Syrian president.
Will the United States Sanction China Over Xinjiang?
The Senate just passed a bipartisan bill condemning Beijing’s human rights abuses against Uighur Muslims. Its enforcement remains uncertain.
Botched Venezuela Operation Is a Boon for Maduro
A coup attempt by a U.S.-based security contractor looks like a propaganda victory for the Venezuelan president.
Why Lebanon’s Protesters Are Back
As the coronavirus lockdown eases, demonstrators respond to the country’s worst economic crisis since the civil war.
Security Flaw in iPhone Mail App Went Undiscovered for Years
A recently uncovered bug in Apple’s email app shows prominent individuals remain vulnerable to hackers.
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