The Islamic State's recent attack in Moscow surprised many who may have believed that the group was a problem of the past. Colin P. Clarke argues that while terrorist tactics persist, fighting them requires a continued concerted strategy. Read by Jonathan Booth.

Foreign Policy helps you dive into the headlines with rigorous analysis and award-winning journalism focused on global affairs, current events, and international relations.

Foreign Policy

The Islamic State never went away

As India heads towards a national election this year, Narendra Modi's time in office is producing a less liberal but more assured nation. Ravi Agrawal explains how the illiberal, Hindu-first ideologies are challenging— and even eclipsing—other ideas of India. Read by Michael Satow.

The new idea of India

Government institutions and essential services have broken down, and gang violence has sparked one of the worst humanitarian and refugee crises in the Western Hemisphere. Robbie Gramer reports on how the country risks becoming an “open-air jail”. Read by Jonathan Booth.

How the world failed Haiti 

The U.S. House's bipartisan vote advances a bill aiming to ban TikTok unless sold by its Chinese owner amidst a wider push against Chinese tech. Rishi Iyengar explores how this vote challenges previous legal hurdles and sparks a robust defence from TikTok and its users. Read by Sean Crisden.

Washington goes all-in on a TikTok ban

In its information war against the West, the Kremlin is not just weaponizing social media but relying on Westerners themselves to spread its messages far and wide. 

Paralyzed by concerns about free speech, Ian Garner reflects on why the region's handling of the Russian disinformation crisis seems to be weakening rapidly. Read by Simon Mattacks.

The West is still oblivious to Russia’s information war

The economic crisis in Argentina under President Milei's austerity measures is increasing inflation and pushing more people into poverty. Lautaro Grinspan reflects on why experts fear Milei's strategy could provoke a looming recession and lead to social upheaval. Read by Michael Bott.

Milei’s austerity is devastating Argentina

Beijing’s long game would be much better served by the candidate’s policies and the divisions he would unleash. Agathe Demarais explores why China would likely benefit from a second Trump presidency. Read by Emily Woo Zeller.

Why China is rooting for Trump

Indonesia's new leader, Prabowo Subianto, may have rebranded himself as an affable, dancing grandpa, but his record doesn't bode well for democracy.

Exploring the implications of his presidency, Joseph Rachman highlights Subianto's forgotten bombastic nature and nationalistic streak which could put the future of Indonesia at risk. Read by Jonathan Booth.

Indonesia’s election winner has a dark past and a cute image

2024's major election year has placed social media disinformation firmly in the spotlight. While appreciating the need to mitigate these risks for the future of democracy, Maude Morrison and Shannon Raj Singh point out that the broader threats posed by social media apps require a more holistic approach that doesn't always coincide with election cycles. Read by Emma Powell.

Disinformation isn’t just a problem for elections

While men are more likely to fight in a war - according to some studies - it’s women who more frequently stand up for a return to negotiations and an end to violence. Xanthe Scharff argues that the rich history of women's political engagement in Israel and Palestine will make them essential to the peace process. Read by Marni Penning.

Men alone cannot build a durable peace in the Middle East

Statehood could be extended to the West Bank after a test period of peaceful sovereign rule and recognition by the major powers. Jerome M. Segal examines how a trial period of sovereignty in Gaza before extending it to the West Bank could address Israeli concerns and provide a path to peace. Read by Jonathan Booth.

A trial Palestinian state must begin in Gaza

Under Chinese President Xi Jinping, Beijing is amassing ships, planes, and missiles as part of the largest military buildup by any country in decades. How worried should we be? Michael Beckley and Hal Brands discuss. Read by Simon Mattacks.

How primed for war is China?

China is now at the point where it must invest huge amounts of capital to produce each new dollar of economic growth, and everything points to this continuing to worsen, Howard W. French explains. Read by Jonathan Booth.

The reason China can’t stop its decline

For Rwandan President Paul Kagame, the new U.K. refugee deal is not only a cash cow—it also helps him to escape accountability for Rwanda’s violent past. Norman Ishimwe Sinamenye reflects on how this poses risks for both nations' unresolved history. Read by Jonathan Booth.

Rwanda isn’t the safe haven the U.K. wants

Mars fantasists still cling to dreams of the Old West that are founded more in myth than history. Zach and Kelly Weinersmith critique the Turner thesis comparing space settlement to the American West, highlighting historical inaccuracies and impracticalities and emphasizing the challenges, both social and logistical, that space settlers would confront. Read by Emma Powell.

Space isn’t the final frontier

No matter who is in power, politicians seem to instinctively understand that the best way to combat false information about them is to push out their own narratives on social media. Nick Aspinwall reflects on Taiwan’s efforts to combat disinformation. Read by Sean Crisden.

Taiwan learned you can’t fight fake news by making it illegal

Ex-spy Valerie Plame reflects on the “secret history” of women in the agency. Recounting her personal experiences, she dissects Liza's Mundy's new book on the contributions of female spies to the CIA—and the barriers they faced. Read by Emily Woo Zeller.

What it’s actually like being a woman in the CIA

Britannia once ruled the waves. Now, as the Houthis threaten global shipping, U.K. naval power is reprising its old role. Elisabeth Braw reflects on how the maritime order in the world’s oceans is deteriorating. And if that happens, the Royal Navy may soon be regularly called on. Read by Emma Powell.

In the Red Sea, the Royal Navy is back

Identity politics has always influenced elections. In 2024, it will pose a serious threat to liberalism—and to democracy itself. Pratap Bhanu Mehta argues that this year's elections may well decide whether democracy can successfully negotiate the dilemmas of nationalism—or whether it will be degraded or crushed. Read by Simon Mattacks.

The specter of nationalism

From India to Germany to the United States, the debate over the Israel-Hamas war is creating or exacerbating political rifts that could have real electoral consequences. Amy Mackinnon reflects on how the conflict in Gaza could echo through world politics in the coming year. Read by Sharon Bott.