
With Trump Gone, Taiwan Seeks Assurances From Biden Administration
But Biden and his team are likely to resist using Taiwan as a cudgel against China the way Trump did.

North Korea’s New Sub Missile Is First Step Toward a New ICBM
Parading a new submarine-launched missile made a big buzz in North Korea. The real buzz is what it could mean for Pyongyang’s nuclear deterrent.

Trump’s Legacy Is a Global Alliance Against Women’s Rights
U.S. conservatives have forged dangerous ties on abortion with reactionaries abroad.

President Biden Pledges a Fresh Start for America
With Trump gone, Biden talks up the need for unity and renewal after four years of bitter division.

Capitol Assault Dominates Hearing for Biden’s Spy Chief
Avril Haines vowed to keep politics out of intelligence.

What to Expect in Biden’s First 100 Days in Foreign Policy
From climate change to China to ending the forever wars, here are 10 of the biggest challenges facing the Biden foreign-policy team as it takes office.

Pompeo Declares China’s Crackdown on Uighurs ‘Genocide’
The Trump administration’s final parting shot at Beijing poses a diplomatic challenge for Biden on his first day in office.

Trump Mounts Last-Minute Attempt to Starve Funding for Foreign Aid, Global Vaccine Efforts
But congressional sources say it’s highly unlikely lawmakers will cut billions of dollars of already appropriated funding.

Trump Impeached—Again
The U.S. president was impeached on charges of “incitement of insurrection” in a vote that laid bare deep divisions within the Republican Party over its post-Trump future.

Another Base Attack in Afghanistan Hushed Up to Hurry U.S. Exit
Camp Chapman, once the scene of the CIA’s second-deadliest day, was hit again in December—but never reported.

Trump Impeached—Again
The U.S. president was impeached on charges of “incitement of insurrection” in a vote that laid bare deep divisions within the Republican Party over its post-Trump future.

Biden Names Former U.N. Envoy to Head USAID, Beefs Up Asia Staff
Samantha Power, a former U.S. ambassador to the U.N., will seek to revive a troubled agency, while Obama-era veterans Kurt Campbell and Ely Ratner get top Asia jobs.

Trump Team Makes Last-Minute Moves to Box In Biden on Foreign Policy
On Taiwan, Yemen, and Cuba, the Trump administration is laying political land mines for Biden on its way out the door.

Biden Taps Career Diplomat William Burns as CIA Director
The final big name for Biden’s national security team signals a break with the CIA’s dark past.

Why The Latest Cyberattack Was Different
The epic SolarWinds hack affecting thousands of government agencies and companies could mark the beginning of the end of the open internet.

Trump’s Inexplicable Crusade to Help Iran Evade Sanctions
The U.S. president never could grasp that shielding Turkey’s Halkbank for Erdogan would make Iranian sanctions evasion easier.

Familiar Faces Return to State and National Security Council as Biden Staffs Up With Obama Alums
One notable absence from Biden’s announcements: CIA director.

Growing Number of Trump Officials Resign Following Insurrection at Capitol
Wednesday’s assault was not the first time the president has incited violence, but for several administration officials, it was a step too far.

U.S. Diplomats Draft Dissent Cable
State Department officials expressed anger at the department’s gag order on messaging as violence wracked Washington.

Trump Promises “Orderly” Transition
Without mentioning Biden by name, Trump acknowledged a “new administration” will take power on Jan. 20.

New House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Vows Pompeo Investigations Will Continue
Rep. Gregory Meeks, who took the gavel this week, also urged the State Department to reverse its decision to close the last two U.S. consulates in Russia.

In Yemen, No End in Sight to the World’s Worst Humanitarian Crisis
Five articles from the past year that explain how the quagmire in Yemen sparked fierce political battles in Washington as millions teeter on the brink of starvation.

Legalization Advocates Hope to End Mexico’s Drug War
Threats, violence, and clampdowns have failed. Can decriminalization work?

Senate Effort to Stop Trump Arms Sales to UAE Fails
But the vote laid down a marker for the incoming Biden administration on Democrats’ opposition to Middle Eastern arms sales and U.S. involvement in the conflict in Yemen.

U.S. Diplomats and Spies Likely Targeted by Radio Frequency Energy, Long-Withheld Report Determines
A scientific study that was long kept under wraps by the State Department finally provides some—though not all—of the answers to mysterious health problems of American officials.

Meeks Makes History as First Black Lawmaker to Chair House Foreign Affairs Committee
The New York congressman fended off a progressive challenge in an unusually public race.

Kamala Harris Taps Ex-Diplomat to Be Her National Security Advisor
Nancy McEldowney is one of several former senior foreign service officers expected to join the senior ranks of the new U.S. administration.

Showdown in House Foreign Affairs Chair Race Reflects Rifts in Democratic Party
The battle between centrists and progressives over U.S. foreign policy that is dogging Biden’s transition is also playing out in a crucial committee.

Biden Likely to Lift Sanctions on ICC Chief Prosecutor
But it’s unlikely the next U.S. administration will be able to fully embrace the International Criminal Court as the shadow of American prosecutions still lingers.

In Break From Trump, Biden Opts for Experience, Expertise for Top National Security Jobs
The U.S. president-elect laid out most of his national security team even as more Republicans abandoned Trump and his legal battles over the election results.

Team Biden Urged to Keep Trump’s Afghan Envoy
Biden’s foreign-policy team is weighing the merits of letting Zalmay Khalilzad keep his job or letting him go.

U.N. Peacemaking in the Age of Plague
United Nations diplomats and civil servants fear peace efforts in Geneva may aid the spread of the coronavirus.

More Top Pentagon Officials Out After Trump Sacks Esper
“It’s embarrassing for the United States,” a former senior intelligence officer who served under Trump said of the recent spate of firings.

If Biden Wins, Progressives Are Getting Their Wish List Ready
Internecine tensions within the Democratic Party have been tamped down to defeat Trump—but that truce could be over Wednesday.

Montana’s Most Pressing Electoral Issue Is Suddenly China
Both parties are flinging mud, and Asian Americans stand to suffer.