A curated selection of FP’s must-read stories.
Editors' Picks
List of Editors' Picks articles
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Members of Iran’s Basij force hold the flags of Iran, Lebanon, and proxy forces including Hezbollah during a rally commemorating Quds Day. Iran’s Proxies in Syria Move Toward Escalation With Israel
As Israel advances in Gaza, the intensity of the response by Tehran’s so-called axis of resistance will increase.
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Blinken in Israel Is the U.S. Using All Its Leverage in Gaza?
Washington has influence and, with its allies, could shape an endgame that serves long-term U.S. interests.
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A group of protesters stand on a street at nighttime, many of them holding signs and chanting. In the foreground, a woman with brown hair dyed with purple streaks sobs as another demonstrator hugs her. The crying woman holds a hand-painted sign that says "Israelis for ceasefire now." Israelis Struggle to Imagine a Possible Peace
A wounded activist movement tries to come to terms with war.
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Caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati speaks on the phone ahead of an interview. Lebanon’s Half-Formed Peace Plan May Be Gaza’s Best Chance
Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s tentative proposal needs Western backers.
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Media delegates watch Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, shown on a TV screen, address the Arab League summit in Jeddah. The World Won’t Be the Same After the Israel-Hamas War
The Middle East’s latest war will have widespread geopolitical effects.
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A worker examines car batteries at a factory for Xinwangda Electric Vehicle Battery Co., in Nanjing in China's eastern Jiangsu province. Beijing Tightens Its Grip on the Critical Minerals Sector
The West has taken steps to slash its dependence on China, but it still commands supply chains—for now.
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A protester holds a placard reading "China Out" outside the Chinese Embassy in Manila. With Two Wars Raging, China Tests America in Asia
Beijing knows that Washington can ill afford a third geopolitical crisis.
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Israeli volunteers tend to plants in a greenhouse growing tomatoes in Moshav Sde Nitzan, in southern Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip, on October 25, 2023. Israel’s Wartime Economy Can’t Hold Up Forever
The country’s massive military mobilization has created serious economic strain.
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Pictured sitting at a table from left to right are Finnish Navy commander Toni Joutsia; Markus Paljakka, the lieutenant commander of the Finnish Border Guard; Risto Lohi, the detective inspector of Finland's National Bureau of Investigation (NBI); and Robin Lardot, the head of the NBI. Above them hang screens with pictures of a Hong Kong-registered ship thought to have intentionally damaged the Balticconnector pipeline. A Pipeline Mystery Has a $53 Million Solution
Who sabotaged Finnish infrastructure—and was it war or not?
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A photo collage illustration shows Russian President Vladamir Putin walking with a shadow cast before him on a red field. In front of him is the crown of a Russian tsar and a Soviet-era statue with hammer, sickle, and star. The Inevitable Fall of Putin’s New Russian Empire
What history tells us about collapsed empires trying to restore their former possessions.
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Supporters of Hezbollah gather at Ashura Square in the southern suburbs of Beirut to listen to the speech of the secretary-general of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, on Nov. 3. Will There Be a Wider War in the Middle East?
How Lebanon, Iran, Egypt, Qatar, and other countries in the region are watching Israel’s war on Hamas.
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Republican Congressman Brandon Williams of New York holds an Israeli flag as he looks down on a crowd of protesters below as they stage a demonstration in support of a cease fire in Gaza. The crowd holds signs that say Ceasefire, Jews Say Ceasefire Now, and Philly Jews Say Never Again is Now. Reporters and photographers are seen on the columned balcony framing the scene in the Cannon House Office Building. Is America Really ‘Indispensable’ Again?
The new debates over aid to Ukraine and Israel have opened an old wound: avoiding too many foreign entanglements.
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A young girl is silhouetted as she stands behind the metal mesh that covered the window of a building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in the southern Gaza. In front of her is a scene of destruction with the rubble of crumbled buildings and an excavator sifting through the piles. What Happens to Gaza After the War?
A set of grim scenarios emerge for the enclave’s Palestinian residents.
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From left to right: Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gesture during the 2023 BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Dollar’s Dominance Is Shakier Than Ever
BRICS has growing currency leverage despite internal divisions.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. I Worked With Netanyahu. It’s Time for Him to Step Down.
A former U.S. ambassador to Israel on why Bibi has lost his mandate—and the confidence of his country’s closest allies.
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