Foreign Affairs
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A magazine of U.S. foreign policy and international affairs, founded in 1922. https://www.foreignaffairs.com/
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Our January/February 2026 issue is now available online. Start reading here: fam.ag/3Mxfg8G
In a 2024 essay, Oona Hathaway discussed the breakdown of the law of war, which aims to spare civilians from the worst calamities of conflict:
War Unbound
Gaza, Ukraine, and the Breakdown of International Law
www.foreignaffairs.com
January 10, 2026 at 1:17 PM
In a 2024 essay, Oona Hathaway discussed the breakdown of the law of war, which aims to spare civilians from the worst calamities of conflict:
“The relations between Hamas and Israel today are characterized by limited but persistent conflict, not progress toward peace,” writes Daniel Byman.
Gaza’s New Normal
Persistent limited conflict is more likely than peace.
www.foreignaffairs.com
January 10, 2026 at 12:25 AM
“The relations between Hamas and Israel today are characterized by limited but persistent conflict, not progress toward peace,” writes Daniel Byman.
The nature of global conflict is changing, and the United States needs to adapt to this new reality, writes Alexander Noyes. To do so, Washington “must close the seam between national security and daily life.”
Total Defense for an Era of Total War
How to protect the vulnerable American home front.
fam.ag
January 9, 2026 at 11:38 PM
The nature of global conflict is changing, and the United States needs to adapt to this new reality, writes Alexander Noyes. To do so, Washington “must close the seam between national security and daily life.”
To advance Trump’s “America first” agenda, his administration must translate the president’s instincts into clear policy—and exert “more influence over congressional Republican leaders,” writes Reid Smith.
The Fate of “America First”
The assault on Venezuela threatens Trump’s promise.
www.foreignaffairs.com
January 9, 2026 at 10:15 PM
To advance Trump’s “America first” agenda, his administration must translate the president’s instincts into clear policy—and exert “more influence over congressional Republican leaders,” writes Reid Smith.
“Much as the Filipinos initially did in 1898, many Venezuelans have welcomed the removal of an oppressive leader,” writes Aroop Mukharji. “But welcoming change is not the same as welcoming the United States to take over.”
The New Imperial Age
Trump, Venezuela, and a century-old vision of American power.
www.foreignaffairs.com
January 9, 2026 at 5:07 PM
“Much as the Filipinos initially did in 1898, many Venezuelans have welcomed the removal of an oppressive leader,” writes Aroop Mukharji. “But welcoming change is not the same as welcoming the United States to take over.”
Russia’s shadow fleet is already destabilizing European countries, and these vessels may eventually “provide a launch point for offensive operations in Europe,” warn @andreisoldatov.bsky.social and Irina Borogan.
Moscow’s Offshore Menace
How the shadow fleet enables Russia’s hybrid warfare in Europe.
www.foreignaffairs.com
January 8, 2026 at 11:34 PM
Russia’s shadow fleet is already destabilizing European countries, and these vessels may eventually “provide a launch point for offensive operations in Europe,” warn @andreisoldatov.bsky.social and Irina Borogan.
The Sudanese civil war is bringing the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates into stark relief, writes Alex de Waal. “Sudan has become a prototype of a new kind of international war.”
The War That Outgrew Sudan
Middle East rivalries are turning a local war into a regional crisis..
www.foreignaffairs.com
January 8, 2026 at 10:11 PM
The Sudanese civil war is bringing the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates into stark relief, writes Alex de Waal. “Sudan has become a prototype of a new kind of international war.”
On the latest episode of “The Foreign Affairs Interview,” @philgunson.bsky.social and Juan S. Gonzalez consider what will happen in Venezuela with Maduro gone—and what his ouster means for the wider region.
https://fam.ag/4svwYd7
https://fam.ag/4svwYd7
January 8, 2026 at 7:33 PM
On the latest episode of “The Foreign Affairs Interview,” @philgunson.bsky.social and Juan S. Gonzalez consider what will happen in Venezuela with Maduro gone—and what his ouster means for the wider region.
https://fam.ag/4svwYd7
https://fam.ag/4svwYd7
Reposted by Foreign Affairs
The postwar “rules-based order” is dead. A transactional world has taken its place, one where values, multilateralism, and liberalism have less influence, a world more suited for the 19th century instead of a multipolar order. My latest for @foreignaffairs.com.
www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...
www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...
The Transactional Trap
How foreign policy dealmaking can sow violence.
www.foreignaffairs.com
January 8, 2026 at 6:32 PM
The postwar “rules-based order” is dead. A transactional world has taken its place, one where values, multilateralism, and liberalism have less influence, a world more suited for the 19th century instead of a multipolar order. My latest for @foreignaffairs.com.
www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...
www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...
“The government’s role is to advance the public interest, not to please its contractors,” writes Margaret Mullins. “A capable and competent state is not the enemy of innovation and resilience but a precondition for them.”
What Silicon Valley Gets Wrong About National Security
Defense tech innovation requires government intervention.
www.foreignaffairs.com
January 8, 2026 at 4:53 PM
“The government’s role is to advance the public interest, not to please its contractors,” writes Margaret Mullins. “A capable and competent state is not the enemy of innovation and resilience but a precondition for them.”
The world is bipolar, not multipolar, argues @proflind.bsky.social. “The increasingly influential role of middle powers should not be confused with multipolarity.”
The Multipolar Mirage
Why America and China are the world's only great powers.
www.foreignaffairs.com
January 8, 2026 at 5:52 AM
The world is bipolar, not multipolar, argues @proflind.bsky.social. “The increasingly influential role of middle powers should not be confused with multipolarity.”
“The world is more than a decade into a prolonged democratic recession, and the space for women to organize for political change is shrinking across all regions,” writes Saskia Brechenmacher.
How to Save the Fight for Women’s Rights
The backlash against democracy calls for new strategies.
fam.ag
January 7, 2026 at 10:59 PM
“The world is more than a decade into a prolonged democratic recession, and the space for women to organize for political change is shrinking across all regions,” writes Saskia Brechenmacher.
Today, a growing number of countries are embracing “a more transactional, nineteenth-century model” of foreign affairs—but a more transactional era will not necessarily be a more peaceful one, writes @mbrenes.bsky.social.
The Transactional Trap
How foreign policy dealmaking can sow violence.
www.foreignaffairs.com
January 7, 2026 at 8:16 PM
Today, a growing number of countries are embracing “a more transactional, nineteenth-century model” of foreign affairs—but a more transactional era will not necessarily be a more peaceful one, writes @mbrenes.bsky.social.
Under the current administrations in Bogotá and Washington, it may be difficult to prevent the U.S.-Colombian relationship from falling apart, writes Kevin Whitaker, who served as U.S. ambassador to Colombia from 2014 to 2019.
The Needless Rift Between America and Colombia
How to rescue Washington’s most important partnership in Latin America.
www.foreignaffairs.com
January 7, 2026 at 7:48 PM
Under the current administrations in Bogotá and Washington, it may be difficult to prevent the U.S.-Colombian relationship from falling apart, writes Kevin Whitaker, who served as U.S. ambassador to Colombia from 2014 to 2019.
Foreign Affairs editors have selected some of our best writing on the origins of the U.S. operation that removed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro—and its consequences for Venezuela, the United States, and global order.
How to Understand the Crisis in Venezuela
www.foreignaffairs.com
January 7, 2026 at 6:19 PM
Foreign Affairs editors have selected some of our best writing on the origins of the U.S. operation that removed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro—and its consequences for Venezuela, the United States, and global order.
Will Freeman considers what Maduro’s removal will mean for Venezuela, for Latin America as a whole, and for the future of American power:
The Shock Waves of Venezuela
How Maduro’s capture could throw Latin America into tumult.
fam.ag
January 6, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Will Freeman considers what Maduro’s removal will mean for Venezuela, for Latin America as a whole, and for the future of American power:
For years, European officials have been “effectively waiting for a crisis to force themselves to fix widely acknowledged problems,” write @dougrediker.bsky.social and @heidirediker.bsky.social. “Now, they risk doing something worse: wasting a crisis by failing to act as it unfolds.”
Europe Is Missing Its Moment
It’s time to finally reform—or risk irrelevance.
www.foreignaffairs.com
January 6, 2026 at 6:20 PM
For years, European officials have been “effectively waiting for a crisis to force themselves to fix widely acknowledged problems,” write @dougrediker.bsky.social and @heidirediker.bsky.social. “Now, they risk doing something worse: wasting a crisis by failing to act as it unfolds.”
In a 2021 essay, Renee DiResta and Alex Stamos discussed the factors that led to the January 6 storming of the Capitol—and warned that “echo chambers, hyperpartisan media, and peer-to-peer misinformation are not going anywhere.”
The Insurrection Hiding in Plain Sight
The alternate reality that political leaders, media properties, and influencers have helped construct still envelops millions of Americans.
www.foreignaffairs.com
January 6, 2026 at 6:04 PM
In a 2021 essay, Renee DiResta and Alex Stamos discussed the factors that led to the January 6 storming of the Capitol—and warned that “echo chambers, hyperpartisan media, and peer-to-peer misinformation are not going anywhere.”
To strengthen deterrence in the AI era, leaders and defense strategists must “preserve the reliability of their information environment—even amid widespread digital distortion,” write Brett Benson and Brett Goldstein.
The Fog of AI
What the technology means for deterrence and war.
www.foreignaffairs.com
January 6, 2026 at 5:06 PM
To strengthen deterrence in the AI era, leaders and defense strategists must “preserve the reliability of their information environment—even amid widespread digital distortion,” write Brett Benson and Brett Goldstein.
The relative calm in Yemen is fading—and the United States must “recommit serious attention to the country” to prevent a return to full-blown conflict, argues April Longley Alley.
The Middle East’s Most Overlooked Threat
How the Houthis—and a new civil war in Yemen—could upend the post-Gaza balance of power.
www.foreignaffairs.com
January 5, 2026 at 11:34 PM
The relative calm in Yemen is fading—and the United States must “recommit serious attention to the country” to prevent a return to full-blown conflict, argues April Longley Alley.
“A simplistic pursuit of national interest can fail catastrophically,” writes Michael O’Hanlon. “What may have worked for the first half of the country’s history—ethics aside—did not work thereafter, and it is unlikely to begin working now.”
The Illusion of Isolationism
No one should have expected Trump to retreat.
www.foreignaffairs.com
January 5, 2026 at 9:55 PM
“A simplistic pursuit of national interest can fail catastrophically,” writes Michael O’Hanlon. “What may have worked for the first half of the country’s history—ethics aside—did not work thereafter, and it is unlikely to begin working now.”
Read Juan Gonzalez on the three most likely outcomes of U.S. intervention in Venezuela:
The End of the Beginning in Venezuela
The real challenges and risks for U.S. policy are still to come.
www.foreignaffairs.com
January 5, 2026 at 8:24 PM
Read Juan Gonzalez on the three most likely outcomes of U.S. intervention in Venezuela:
When Trump “says that Washington is going ‘to run the country,’ he is likely talking most about getting U.S. companies back in and having the United States take control of Venezuela’s oil.” Read Francisco Rodríguez’s Q&A with Senior Editor Daniel Block:
Venezuela After Maduro
A conversation with Francisco Rodríguez.
www.foreignaffairs.com
January 5, 2026 at 4:45 PM
When Trump “says that Washington is going ‘to run the country,’ he is likely talking most about getting U.S. companies back in and having the United States take control of Venezuela’s oil.” Read Francisco Rodríguez’s Q&A with Senior Editor Daniel Block:
“Venezuela’s future will be decided not by Maduro’s removal, but by the discipline, restraint, and economic imagination applied in its aftermath,” writes Juan S. Gonzalez.
The End of the Beginning in Venezuela
The real challenges and risks for U.S. policy are still to come.
www.foreignaffairs.com
January 4, 2026 at 9:44 PM
“Venezuela’s future will be decided not by Maduro’s removal, but by the discipline, restraint, and economic imagination applied in its aftermath,” writes Juan S. Gonzalez.
On the latest episode of “The Foreign Affairs Interview,” Odd Arne Westad explains how China’s complicated past is shaping its approach to global power today:
How the Past Shadows China’s Future
A Conversation With Odd Arne Westad
www.foreignaffairs.com
January 4, 2026 at 5:50 PM
On the latest episode of “The Foreign Affairs Interview,” Odd Arne Westad explains how China’s complicated past is shaping its approach to global power today: