Foreign Affairs
@foreignaffairs.com
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
To avoid getting mired in its allies’ fights, Washington must use its leverage “at the beginning of a conflict rather than wait for an opportunity that may never come,” argues Dafna Rand.
The New Forever Wars
How America gets stuck in its allies’ fights.
foreignaffairs.com
To prepare for a possibility of a Chinese blockade by fire, “Taiwan should stockpile essential items, including the parts and materials needed to repair port infrastructure,” argue Eugene Gholz and Kerby Davis.
The War China Might Choose
A new Taiwan option.
foreignaffairs.com
Meet with representatives from top graduate programs in public policy, diplomacy, and international studies at Foreign Affairs’ virtual graduate school fair on August 5. Register for free here: https://bit.ly/3Ub7k0o
To “satisfy Riyadh’s quest for nuclear power” without creating new risks in the Middle East, Washington should “reframe enrichment not as a national right but as a regional, internationally controlled service,” argues Yoel Guzansky.
The Looming Nuclear Crisis in the Gulf
Overcoming the enrichment dilemma in the Saudi deal.
foreignaffairs.com
In Latin America, China can make investments almost undetected, writes Natalia Cote-Muñoz. By cutting deals with municipal procurement offices and police academies, Beijing is quietly “making recipient states dependent on China.”
China’s Quiet Quest to Dominate Latin America
Small projects, big influence.
foreignaffairs.com
In Ukraine, Putin’s Plan C is beginning to falter—and Russia’s war effort “is clearly floundering,” write @alexgabuev.bsky.social, Alexandra Prokopenko, and Tatiana Stanovaya. But the Kremlin remains unwilling “to consider a meaningful settlement.”
Why a Weaker Russia Keeps Fighting
Putin sees little need to negotiate.
foreignaffairs.com
The United States needs to be clearer about its objectives in Iran, argues Erik Lin-Greenberg. “Otherwise, Tehran and Washington will continue to get their wires crossed—and the next cease-fire could again collapse.”
The Ambiguity Spiral in Iran
How Trump’s lack of clarity leads to escalation.
foreignaffairs.com
China’s new ethnic unity law codifies, “under the guise of civic inclusion,” a requirement that Mongols, Tibetans, and Uyghurs “become part of a single, party-defined Chinese identity,” write James Leibold and Tenzin Dorjee.
The Next Phase of China’s Minority Crackdown
Forced assimilation is now the law.
foreignaffairs.com
On the latest episode of “The Foreign Affairs Interview,” Robert Lighthizer argues that the free trade system should be thrown out and replaced with one that is more balanced, sovereign, and transparent. https://bit.ly/4fEp5wb
Even if the United States and Iran can reach a more sustainable cease-fire, “the countdown to the next war will have already begun,” argues F. Gregory Gause III in a new essay in the forthcoming issue of Foreign Affairs.
The New Old Middle East
Wars of sound and fury.
foreignaffairs.com
Beijing has reduced head-on confrontations in the South China Sea, but its quieter acts in the region could still alter the strategic landscape in ways that weaken the rule of law and threaten U.S. objectives, writes Lynn Kuok.
Beijing’s Next Play for the South China Sea
How China is normalizing its control.
foreignaffairs.com
“Regardless of what some leaders in Washington think about the changing climate, clean power is what other governments and corporations want,” write Joseph Aldy, Motoy Kuno-Lewis, and Dustin Tingley.
America’s Surprising Energy Advantage
How to beat China on clean power.
foreignaffairs.com
“A strategic investment fund would ensure that the future is not only imagined in America, but made in America, too,” writes former U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
How to Reindustrialize America
The case for a strategic investment fund.
foreignaffairs.com
Eyck Freymann’s new book, “Defending Taiwan,” argues that the United States must respond to China’s gray-zone tactics—or risk enabling Beijing to seize the island “through coercion alone.” Read Bonny Lin’s review:
The Loneliest Island
Will America truly defend Taiwan?
foreignaffairs.com
“Put simply, it is impossible to mobilize for political change while people are starving and bombs are falling.” Read Nader Hashemi on how the end of the war in Iran could lay the groundwork for democratization:
The Hidden Path to Regime Change in Iran
Ending the war can strengthen the prospects for democracy.
foreignaffairs.com
If the United States bolsters Africa’s green transition, it would not only expand the continent’s “access to reliable and affordable energy; it would shore up American economic and geopolitical interests,” writes Mohamed Adow.
Can Renewables Industrialize Africa?
The Iran war is driving the continent toward Chinese-backed green energy.
foreignaffairs.com
“In a world increasingly shaped by Chinese power, the willingness of U.S. allies in Asia to deal with Washington is likely to make them stronger and more secure than European powers will be,” argues John Lee.
How Asia Learned to Live With “America First”
Why allies in Asia Are willing to work with Trump.
foreignaffairs.com
“The United States has more potential economic leverage than China does,” write Ben Vagle and Stephen Brooks. “Still, to be able to use this leverage, Washington needs to act in concert with its Asian and European allies.”
America Still Has the Upper Hand Over China
Washington can win if it works with allies.
foreignaffairs.com
“The coming era will be one of more frequent crises, higher costs for protecting global commerce, and intensifying competition over the world’s strategic chokepoints,” writes Robert Pape.
Iran and the New Rules of Global Power
The making and unmaking of American dominance.
foreignaffairs.com
“In the face of existential threats, smaller states must heed the advice often attributed to Benjamin Franklin: if they do not hang together, they will surely hang separately,” write Tom Long and Stewart Patrick.
The Small Suffer What They Must?
Band together or struggle alone in a disordered world.
foreignaffairs.com
“Not only is there virtually no chance of China overtaking the United States as the world’s largest economy, but it is also likely that the U.S. advantage in economic strength will expand further in the next decade,” writes Logan Wright.
China’s Moment of Weakness
Economic decay and America’s strategic opening.
foreignaffairs.com
On the latest episode of “The Foreign Affairs Interview,” former Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority Salam Fayyad discusses his proposals for building a Palestinian state and delivering effective governance in Gaza. https://bit.ly/4xjF7TJ
“Unless a cease-fire is followed by sustained diplomacy, it risks becoming a mere pause that warring parties use to prepare for the next round.” Neil Quilliam and Sanam Vakil argue that transactionalism will not stabilize the Middle East:
The Iran Cease-Fire Was Doomed to Fail
Why transactionalism won’t deliver peace in the Middle East.
foreignaffairs.com
“As firms use Mythos to hunt and fix flaws in their products, a more urgent question looms: how to defend the United States and its allies from AI-powered cyberwarfare,” writes Michael Sulmeyer.
When China Gets Its Own Mythos
Preparing for an AI cyber crisis.
foreignaffairs.com
Despite China’s ongoing economic interests in the Gulf, Beijing has no intention of becoming “a regional security stakeholder,” write Mohammed Alsudairi, Andrea Ghiselli, and Aaron Glasserman.
The Gulf’s China Problem
Beijing wants trade but not responsibility.
foreignaffairs.com
“Attacks on national hubs of population, innovation, productivity, and creativity have little precedent in the United States. But they are hardly novel.” Read Nina Hachigian on why illiberal leaders target cities:
The Autocrat’s Worst Enemy
Despots hate cities and the mayors who run them.
foreignaffairs.com
Former Iranian Foreign Minister M. Javad Zarif considers what it will take for the United States and Iran to negotiate a durable peace:
An Iranian Vision of the New Middle East
Ending the war and sustaining the peace requires a new approach to regional security.
foreignaffairs.com
Asfandyar Mir explains why Pakistan, Qatar, Turkey, and other countries that “lack traditional geopolitical credentials” are increasingly well-positioned to manage conflicts before they spiral out of control.
Pakistan Won the War in Iran
Islamabad and the new path to global power.
foreignaffairs.com
Ro Khanna argues that “by promoting innovation, taking the right risks, and institutionalizing some bold steps,” Congress and the Department of Defense “can transform today’s military—and tomorrow’s force.”
America’s Trillion-Dollar Failure
The Pentagon is broken, but Congress can fix it.
foreignaffairs.com
Today in @foreignaffairs.com, @reidpauly.bsky.social and I reflect on why Trump’s belligerent approach to coercion so often fails, and what it will take to repair the damage that Trump is inflicting on U.S. statecraft:
The Lost Art of Coercion
Why Trump’s belligerence is a sign of weakness.
foreignaffairs.com