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Foreign Affairs

@foreignaffairs.com

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A magazine of U.S. foreign policy and international affairs, founded in 1922. https://www.foreignaffairs.com/ Sign up for our newsletters here: http://foreignaffairs.com/newsletter

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Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · 15h

“To appease his right flank and ensure his own political survival, Netanyahu might be tempted to resume the war on Hamas once the hostages are freed and obstruct meaningful humanitarian aid once again,” write @joosthiltermann.bsky.social and @natashahall.bsky.social.

The Gaza Deal Is Not Too Big to Fail

How Israel’s military dominance could undermine America’s quest for regional peace.

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Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · 16h

In a Q&A with Editor Dan Kurtz-Phelan, Philip Gordon weighs in on what Trump’s cease-fire deal means for Israel, Gaza, and the wider world:

The Perilous Path to Sustained Peace in Gaza

A conversation with Philip Gordon on the pitfalls and opportunities of trump’s ceasefire deal.

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Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · 17h

Lin Fei-fan, the deputy secretary-general of Taiwan’s National Security Council, discusses Taiwan’s national resilience campaign—and urges democratic powers to bolster Taipei’s capacity to resist Chinese aggression:

Taiwan’s Plan for Peace Through Strength

How investments in resilience can deter Beijing.

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Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · 20h

Listen to the latest episode of “The Foreign Affairs Interview,” featuring @massdara.bsky.social on the extent to which Russia has managed to learn and adapt—in Ukraine and beyond:
https://fam.ag/46GZpvO

Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · 21h

“The United States is in the grip of an era of violent populism,” writes Robert Pape. “Left to its own momentum, political violence is likely to escalate further, with major consequences for American liberal democracy.”

America’s New Age of Political Violence

What happens when the threat comes from both left and right.

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Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · 1d

For his regime to survive, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele “will have to do more than terrorize the population and take a hammer to civil society,” argue Beatriz Magaloni and Alberto Diaz.

Does the Bukele Model Have a Future?

El Salvador's police state will soon face a reckoning.

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Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · 1d

Starting in 2022, Russia “launched a systematic effort to examine its combat experience” and learn from its failures, writes Dara Massicot. Now, Washington and European capitals “need to study Russia’s studying” or risk falling behind.

How Russia Recovered

What the Kremlin is learning from the war in Ukraine.

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Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · 1d

Steven Simon and Adam Weinstein explain why Syria is at risk of returning to civil war—and explain how federalism could help prevent further bloodshed:

How to Avoid Another Syrian Civil War

Start with embracing federalism.

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Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · 1d

James Curran explains the debate over the future of AUKUS—and how unmet expectations on both sides could shatter the U.S.-Australian alliance:

Unmet expectations could fracture the U.S.-Australian alliance.

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Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · 2d

A security guarantee based on snapback of sanctions, financing, and weapons would help deter the Kremlin and “give Ukraine confidence that it will not be abandoned—without inspiring false hope,” write Samuel Charap and @jyshapiro.bsky.social.

A Snapback Solution for Ukraine

How to craft security guarantees that Kyiv—and Moscow—will find credible.

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Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · 2d

“Israel is not yet at the point of no return,” writes Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid. “The world looks at Israel and sees a country in crisis. I look at it and see a country holding its breath. It is waiting for a new leadership to lead it down a different path.”

A Defining Choice for Israel

After two years of growing isolation and endless war, an alternative future is possible.

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Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · 2d

“The United States bet on India, but that bet has not paid off.” Moeed Yusuf calls on Washington to rethink its myopic support for New Delhi—and build a closer relationship with Pakistan:

Why America Should Bet on Pakistan

A better South Asia policy runs through Islamabad.

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Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · 2d

The United States misunderstands China’s core interests and goals, argue David Kang, Jackie Wong, and Zenobia Chan. “Beijing’s aims are far less expansionary, confrontational, or threatening to U.S. interests than most policymakers believe.”

What China Doesn’t Want

Beijing’s core aims are clear—and limited.

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Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · 3d

Israel’s future will be determined by its citizens, writes Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid. “If Israelis choose courage over cowardice, openness over isolation, prosperity over religious zealotry, the country’s best days will yet lie ahead.”

A Defining Choice for Israel

After two years of growing isolation and endless war, an alternative future is possible.

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Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · 3d

“American policymakers do something they think will work, do it again even though it did not work, say it works when everyone knows it does not, promise it will when all have lost patience and faith,” write Hussein Agha and Robert Malley.

The Lies America Tells Itself About the Middle East

As its influence faded, Washington dissembled and denied reality.

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Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · 3d

China’s reluctance to engage with the U.S. military is dangerous, Kurt Campbell argues. The United States must “keep pushing to create robust channels of crisis communications before an emergency occurs.”

The U.S.-China Crisis Waiting to Happen

Beijing’s reluctance to engage with the U.S. military has never been more dangerous.

Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · 3d

In a Q&A with Senior Editor Eve Fairbanks, Ami Ayalon—a former head of the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency—discusses U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan to end the war in Gaza:

In Gaza, Can There Be Peace Without Trust?

A conversation with Ami Ayalon about Trump’s deal.

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Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · 3d

Read Stewart Patrick on the consequences of Trump’s disengagement from the West:

What Happened to “the West”?

As America drifts away from its allies, a less peaceful world awaits.

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Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · 4d

From the archive: In a 2012 essay, the political scientist Francis Fukuyama considered whether liberal democracy could survive the decline of the middle class.

The Future of History

Stagnating wages and growing inequality will soon threaten the stability of contemporary liberal democracies and dethrone democratic ideology as it is now understood. What is needed is a new populist ...

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Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · 5d

“Too many U.S. leaders continue to believe that a more exquisite export control regime will halt China’s technological momentum,” write Dan Wang and Arthur Kroeber. “They are sending lawyers into an engineering fight.”

The Real China Model

Beijing’s enduring formula for wealth and power.

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Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · 6d

“Ironically, South Africa’s complaints about U.S. foreign policy’s hypocrisy are similar to the grievances the United States has about its approach,” writes Michelle Gavin.

The Costs of South Africa’s Ideological Foreign Policy

Washington and Pretoria were at odds long before Trump.

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Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · 6d

Benn Steil considers how the political historian Carl Schmitt, who rose to prominence in the German Weimar Republic of the 1920s, would view the United States’ turn toward authoritarianism:

Reading Schmitt in Beijing

How China’s rise provoked America’s illiberal turn.

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Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · 6d

Even if Russia succeeds in maintaining its military presence in Syria, it is unlikely to play a significant role in shaping the country’s future, writes Hanna Notte.

Russia Isn’t Done With Syria

How Moscow has retained influence in the post-Assad era.

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Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · 6d

“The global consensus against the starvation weapon took decades to achieve,” writes Alex de Waal. “Now, international apathy risks letting it collapse at the moment it is most needed.”

The Return of the Starvation Weapon

The collapse of global norms fueling the catastrophes in Gaza and Sudan.

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Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · 7d

“Bold action is the only way to keep Europe safe and united in the dangerous times that lie ahead.”

Read Dalibor Rohac and Eduardo Castellet Nogués on how European leaders can rebuild the continent’s defenses:

Funding Europe’s Firepower

How the EU can funnel its wealth into its defense.

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