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 emerging global stories, written by Foreign Policy staff writer Amy Mackinnon. Delivered Monday.

Posters for incumbent President Yoweri Museveni and Bobi Wine, the pop star-turned-opposition leader, are seen along a street in Kampala, Uganda, on Jan. 6.
Posters for incumbent President Yoweri Museveni and Bobi Wine, the pop star-turned-opposition leader, are seen along a street in Kampala, Uganda, on Jan. 6.

Uganda Heads to the Polls, With ‘Dictator’ on the Line

Popular singer Bobi Wine seeks to unseat long-serving President Yoweri Museveni in the election, which has been marred by misinformation.

A member of Afghan security force stands guard at the site of an attack in Kabul on Dec. 20, when a car bomb targeting an Afghan lawmaker killed nine people and wounded more than a dozen others.
A member of Afghan security force stands guard at the site of an attack in Kabul on Dec. 20, when a car bomb targeting an Afghan lawmaker killed nine people and wounded more than a dozen others.

As Peace Talks Reconvene, Afghanistan Grapples With Targeted Killings

2020 was one of the deadliest years on record for such assassinations, many of which are still unclaimed.

Protesters carry a huge former flag of Belarus during a rally to demand the resignation of President Aleksandr Lukashenko and a new election in Minsk, Belarus, on Oct. 19.
Protesters carry a huge former flag of Belarus during a rally to demand the resignation of President Aleksandr Lukashenko and a new election in Minsk, Belarus, on Oct. 19.

The Global News Stories You Missed in 2020

From Ethiopia to Nagorno-Karabakh, here are the events that may have flown under the radar in the year of the coronavirus pandemic.

Warships moored at the Russian Baltic Fleet base in Baltiysk, Russia, on Nov. 21.
Warships moored at the Russian Baltic Fleet base in Baltiysk, Russia, on Nov. 21.

With Base in Sudan, Russia Expands Its Military Reach in Africa

Moscow has struck a deal with Khartoum to establish its first naval outpost on the continent.

Rohingya refugees board a Bangladesh Navy ship to be transported to the island of Bhasan Char in Chittagong, Bangladesh, on Dec. 4.
Rohingya refugees board a Bangladesh Navy ship to be transported to the island of Bhasan Char in Chittagong, Bangladesh, on Dec. 4.

Ignoring Criticism, Bangladesh Begins Resettling Rohingya

Human rights groups have already voiced serious concerns about the plan to move thousands of refugees to an uninhabited island.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson chairs the weekly cabinet meeting at the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office in London on Nov. 3.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson chairs the weekly cabinet meeting at the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office in London on Nov. 3.

U.K. Announces Biggest Defense Spending Increase Since the Cold War

The funds will establish an artificial intelligence center and a space force, but it could come at the expense of foreign aid.

China's Premier Li Keqiang looks on as Chinese Minister of Commerce Zhong Shan signs the the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade pact at the online ASEAN summit on Nov. 15.
China's Premier Li Keqiang looks on as Chinese Minister of Commerce Zhong Shan signs the the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade pact at the online ASEAN summit on Nov. 15.

The World’s Largest Trade Agreement Doesn’t Include the United States

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership signals China’s growing influence in the Asia-Pacific.

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

Sudden reforms in the ethno-federal state system have drawn comparisons to the dissolution of Yugoslavia.

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

As U.S. voters head to the polls, recent elections elsewhere show what happens when embattled incumbents cling to power.

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

A legal complaint details how ICE officers forced some detainees to sign their own deportation orders.

A view of the Rio Grande with a low flow in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico on March 14.
A view of the Rio Grande with a low flow in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico on March 14.

The Water War on the U.S.-Mexico Border Has Just Begun

Drought-hit farmers in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua have refused to cede control of a dam so that Mexico can repay its water debt to the United States.

Greek Cypriots protest at the Deryneia crossing point on Oct. 8, after Turkish troops reopened part of the historic city of Verosha.
Greek Cypriots protest at the Deryneia crossing point on Oct. 8, after Turkish troops reopened part of the historic city of Verosha.

How a Beach in Northern Cyprus Could Derail Peace Talks

The move to reopen a public beachfront, backed by Turkey, comes amid escalating tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean.

A group of illegal gold panners work beside a pond in southern Ghana, on April 10, 2017.
A group of illegal gold panners work beside a pond in southern Ghana, on April 10, 2017.

Africa Is Losing $90 Billion Annually to Illicit Finance

Stolen funds undermine public spending on health care, education, and infrastructure, a U.N. report finds.

Belarusian servicemen block a street during an opposition rally against the disputed presidential election results in Minsk on Aug. 30, 2020.
Belarusian servicemen block a street during an opposition rally against the disputed presidential election results in Minsk on Aug. 30, 2020.

Lukashenko Puts Troops on High Alert

The tense move in Belarus comes as the U.N. special rapporteur warns that “another iron curtain” could descend in Europe.

Supporters of the CNSP (National Committee for the Salvation of the People) take part in a rally on Independence Square in Bamako, on Sept. 8, following a call for a gathering to support the role of the army in Mali's transition phase.
Supporters of the CNSP (National Committee for the Salvation of the People) take part in a rally on Independence Square in Bamako, on Sept. 8, following a call for a gathering to support the role of the army in Mali's transition phase.

Mali Looks for Path Back to Democracy After Coup

Proposals would see the ruling junta appoint a new leader for a two-year transition.

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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)

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