A curated selection of FP’s must-read stories.
Editors' Picks
List of Editors' Picks articles
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Technicians wearing white protective suits conduct tests in a research laboratory in Ningbo, China. The West Did Not Invent Decoupling—China Did
Beijing has long sought to gain a free hand by untangling its economy from the West.
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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks to journalists at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. How Europe Can Prepare for a Second Trump Term—Now
The continent must bolster its own defense capabilities before an isolationist ringleader returns to the White House.
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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi shakes hands with Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud as the two man stand in front of a set of risers before a photo op at a diplomatic event hosted in an ornately decorated room in Beijing. How China Is Leveraging the Israel-Hamas War
The growing divide between Washington and the global south is playing out in Beijing’s favor.
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A view of the Russian Central Bank headquarters in downtown Moscow. The Russian flag flies above the building. The U.S. Is Considering Giving Russia’s Frozen Assets to Ukraine
The unprecedented move could offer a tidy way to make Moscow pay for Ukraine’s reconstruction.
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U.S. President Joe Biden stands behind a podium onstage at a NATO summit, speaking into a microphone, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stands beside him with a serious expression on his face. Biden wears a navy suit, while Zelensky is dressed more casually in his usual army green trousers and polo shirt. U.S. and Germany Push to Delay Ukraine NATO Membership Invite
Ukraine and its Eastern European allies want the invite to come soon, but Washington and Berlin are wary.
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U.S. soldiers patrol an area in the town of Tell Hamis, in Syria's northeastern Hasakah governorate. U.S. Troops Are Dangerously Vulnerable in the Middle East
The Jordan attack may pull Washington into an unwanted conflict.
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U.S. President Joe Biden walks down the steps out of his plane, Air Force One, beneath a dark sky. Biden wears a suit and holds the railing with one hand as he steps. 3 Options for How Biden Could Respond to Iran
Hawks want strikes on Tehran, but others advise a more limited approach.
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Two people watch the sunset in Jerusalem. A Middle East Paradox
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict has never been more dire—or riper for resolution.
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AfD demonstrators holding German flags gather at the main station in Berlin to attend the "demonstration for the future of Germany" called by the far-right AfD in Berlin on May 27, 2018. Germany’s Far-Right Party Is Worse Than the Rest of Europe’s
The Alternative for Germany is more popular than ever—and more dangerous.
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Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is toured around Expo 2020 Dubai by the UAE's deputy prime minister Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (C-R), in the gulf emirate of Dubai on December 8, 2021. The Hidden Rivalry of Saudi Arabia and the UAE
The two countries look like allies—but are increasingly regional competitors.
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An Israeli tank sits on a dusty hill along a fence in southern Israel. The damaged buildings of the Gaza Strip fill the landscape in the distance. Some buildings have been entirely leveled; others are barely standing, with their windows blown out and walls crumbling. Six Steps Israel Must Take to Win the War
Netanyahu needs to scale back war aims and compromise on core issues.
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Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greets U.S. President Joe Biden upon his arrival at Tel Aviv. Why an End to the War in Gaza Is Still Far Off
A major U.S. diplomatic push is unlikely this year.
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A U.S. military convoy takes part in a joint patrol with Turkish troops near the Syrian town of Tell Abyad along the border with Turkey, on Sept. 8, 2019. America Is Planning to Withdraw From Syria—and Create a Disaster
The Islamic State has regained its momentum, and the Biden administration might inadvertently give it another boost.
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People pose on a statue next to a river, with skyscrapers in the background. The Reason China Can’t Stop Its Decline
The conventional wisdom on China has shifted but still misses the bigger picture.
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Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivers a speech during the 18th anniversary of the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini at the latter's mausoleum in Tehran on June 4, 2007. Iran’s Missile Strikes Reveal Its Weakness
Tehran was trying to showcase its strength, but it betrayed its strategic limitations.
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