A curated selection of FP’s must-read stories.
Editors' Picks
List of Editors' Picks articles
-
Dozens of protesters are seen from overhead as they wave their hands and flags. Many of the protesters carry umbrellas, and several shelter beneath long banners in the colors of the Thai flag. A woman in a yellow shirt at the center of the crowd has spotted the camera and waves at it. No Winners in Thailand-Cambodia Border Dispute
The Thai prime minister’s coalition is hanging by a thread, while her Cambodian counterpart looks sidelined.
-
A general view of a rare-earth refinery north of the Inner Mongolian city of Baotou on Aug. 20, 2012. How Rare Earths Became China’s Top Trade Weapon
Washington wasn’t always so vulnerable to Beijing’s chokehold.
-
Two men in suits, shown from the side, shake hands. Why Southeast Asia Is Flocking to BRICS
The expanding bloc has become a hedge against future geopolitical shifts.
-
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a handover ceremony for the new Israeli chief of staff on January 15, 2019 at the Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv. Israel’s War on Iran Backfired
Despite what it claims, Israel failed to achieve its goals in its latest war.
-
UAE's President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan greets Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the leaders summit during the COP27 climate conference, in Egypt's Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, on November 7, 2022. The Middle East’s End of Ideology
Across the region, transnational movements are giving way to a political model based on strong states.
-
Australian and American flags on the table during a meeting between Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison and then-U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon on September 22, 2021. Australia Can’t Have Its Geopolitics Both Ways
Trump forces a reckoning with China on a key Indo-Pacific ally.
-
An illustration shows a hand holding up a head-shaped hourglass in a Hamlet-esque pose. Inside the hourglass are sands enveloping the statue of liberty and other monuments. The End of Modernity
A crisis is unfolding before our eyes—and also in our heads.
-
An illustration depicts historical moments from the past in the curtains of the Oval Office: Julius Caesar, the Cultural Revolution in China, and three American presidents. The room shows an empty chair at the Resolute Desk and a presidential seal on the rug. Why Compare the Present to the Past?
Thinking via historical analogy has become the preferred way to confront our anxieties.
-
People use their phones to take a photo of the empty space on a wall of portraits. How Trump Will Be Remembered
No other president has made his time in office so nakedly about himself and his legacy.
-
A member of the Iraqi Federal Police stands guard near the Seventeen Ramadan Mosque along al-Firdous square in Baghdad on March 9, 2023. Don’t Let Iran Become Another Iraq
Nuclear uncertainty is bad for regional stability.
-
Damage in a residential building in the Saadat Abad neighborhood of Tehran on June 26, following the Israeli attack on Iran. Would Beijing Welcome Escalation in the Middle East?
China has plenty to lose from instability.
-
Putin and Khamenei sit beside each other in upholstered armchairs, a coffee table between them. Putin gestures with both hands as he speaks, while Khamenei smiles slightly at him. Why Russia Is Sitting Out This Round of the Israel-Iran Conflict
As Putin’s dependence on Iran decreases, he seeks to maintain ties with Tehran’s regional rivals.
-
A U.N. peacekeeper in a blue helmet is seen in profile as he holds the pole of a blue U.N. flag in front of a razor wire border fence. Three other blue-helmet troops are visible behind him, holding rifles and peering at the camera. The landscape beyond the fence is a dusty hill spotted with sparse plants. At 80, the U.N. Is Down but Not Out
Despite its many failings, the 80-year-old institution still has a vital role.
-
U.S. President Donald Trump looks down and adjusts his suit lapels as he poses alongside other leaders standing in rows for a family photo. The leaders around him face the camera and smile. NATO Is Avoiding a Difficult Conversation
Leaders lack public approval to make good on their promises on defense spending.
-
People demonstrate against the United States entering a war with Iran outside the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 9, 2020. What Happened to the War Powers Act?
A 1973 bipartisan coalition promised to restore constitutional balance, but Trump’s recent actions show things didn’t work out as planned.
Loading graphics