![Africa and the Middle East](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Africa-Middle-East-foreign-policy-regional-landing-page_smaller.png)
Middle East & Africa
List of Middle East & Africa articles
![Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid leaves a press conference in Kabul.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/taliban-afghanistan-spokesperson-GettyImages-2159790634.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Engaging With the Taliban Can Only Go So Far
Nearly three years since the group took over in Afghanistan, the Doha process underscores how talking comes with trade-offs.
![Afghan refugees carry their belongings after being deported back from Iran at the Islam Qala Border between Afghanistan and Iran, in the western Herat province, on May 30.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Afghan-refugees-Iran-GettyImages-2154706359.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Afghan Asylum Seekers Face Hostility in Iran
As the country heads to a presidential run-off election, its largest immigrant population has featured prominently in the debate.
![Kenyan youths carry flags during the candle light vigil in memory of dead protesters on June 30, 2024.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/kenya-protests-ruto-tax-bill-july-GettyImages-2159375301.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Can Kenya’s Ruto Survive?
After a deadly crackdown and government backtracking on legislation, young Kenyans are still taking to the streets.
![Israeli army soldiers patrol around a position along Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip on June 13.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/idf-soldiers-GettyImages-2156779335.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Who’s in Charge of the IDF?
Evidence is growing of a command and control problem.
![Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert speaks in New York.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/OlmertAbbas-GettyImages-1200176130.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Ehud Olmert on Israel’s Two-Front War and the Fall of Netanyahu
The former Israeli prime minister calls for a cease-fire in Gaza and the creation of a Palestinian state.
![A Houthi fighter guards the Galaxy Leader vessel on the Red Sea coast off Hudaydah, Yemen.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Houthis-Navy-US-GettyImages-2152899182.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why Can’t the U.S. Navy and Its Allies Stop the Houthis?
Months of intense Western naval operations have failed to secure the Red Sea.
![Iranian women arrive to cast their votes at a polling station during the presidential election in Tehran on June 28.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/iran-election-women-GettyImages-2158963025.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What Will Elections in France, Iran, and the U.K. Mean for U.S. Foreign Policy?
As more countries prepare to go to the polls, Julian Assange is freed and Vladimir Putin cozies up to Kim Jong Un.
![Protesters are arrested by the riot police during a demonstration against a proposed finance bill on June 27 in Nairobi, Kenya.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/kenya-protests-ruto-GettyImages-2158907194.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
How Kenya’s President Broke the Social Contract
Faced with economic crisis and mass protests, Washington’s newest non-NATO ally has turned to brutal repression at home.
![U.S. President Joe Biden (right) and former U.S. President Donald Trump participate in the first presidential debate of the 2024 election at CNN’s studios in Atlanta, Georgia.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/trump-biden-presidential-debate-june-2024-GettyImages-2158941093.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Key Foreign-Policy Moments From the Trump-Biden Debate
The two candidates clashed over Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas war, immigration, and America’s global image.
![U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. C. Q. Brown, Jr. speak during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington on April 26.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/US-military-Africa-counterterrorism-Niger-GettyImages-2150334561.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
U.S. Military Courts New Partners in Africa After Major Setbacks
Top military chief visits Africa to reassess U.S. presence.
![A group of protesters hold their arms up above their heads, crossed at the wrists, as they protest a finance law on the streets of Nairobi.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/kenya-unrest-financial-system-GettyImages-2157587094.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Deep Roots of Kenya’s Unrest
A tax bill sparked deadly protests. But a broken financial system has plagued the country for years.
![Supporters of reformist Iranian presidential candidate Massoud Pezeshkian lift his portraits during a rally in Tehran on June 26.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/poster-iran-election-pezeshkian-GettyImages-2158794863.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Can a Reformist President Change Iran?
Masoud Pezeshkian could win the election, but that doesn’t mean he’d have the power to change the country’s direction.
![Protesters hold banners and chant anti-government slogans in front of Kenyan police during a demonstration against tax hikes in Nairobi.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Kenya-protests-US-Africa-diplomacy-GettyImages-2158657140.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Washington Fails to ‘Read the Room’ in Kenya
President Ruto is valued by the White House but much less popular at home.
![Supporters of Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf hold a banner depicting him, in Shahr-e-Rey, south of Tehran, on June 7, 2013.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-170133126.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Conservative Power Struggle Shaping Iran’s Election
Iran’s reformists are back—but the competition among conservatives deserves far more attention.
![Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attend the weekly cabinet meeting at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-1906222230.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Man Leading Israel’s Not-So-Quiet Annexation of the West Bank
Bezalel Smotrich aims to bankrupt the Palestinian Authority and cement Israeli rule.
![Three fishermen in a traditional vote ride the top of a wave as they had out to see. The lights of a gas terminal are seen on the horizon.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/senegal-gas-africa-oil-AP23103625472193.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Empty Promise of Africa’s Oil and Gas Boom
The continent is awash in fossil fuel discoveries. But relying on them for development will be disastrous.
![Men sit on the railway line near the airport in Kolwezi, a city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on May 7, 2018.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/drc-railway-congo-katanga-copper-lobito-GettyImages-957960666.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Africa’s Critical Mineral Race Heats Up
Competing railway corridors pit the United States against China; Kenya faces a violent crackdown on tax protests.
![Supporters attend an election campaign rally for Iranian presidential candidate and former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili in Tehran on June 24.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/iran-election-rally-jalili-GettyImages-2158501721.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Elections Could Reshape U.S.-Iran Dynamic
Voters in Iran are focused on restrictive Western sanctions as both countries head to the polls this year.
![Mourners carry crosses bearing the names of victims of the Mugunga Camp bombing attack as they attend a funeral ceremony in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on May 15.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/goma-drc-bombing-m23-GettyImages-2152539622.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
How Africa’s War on Disinformation Can Save Democracies Everywhere
African leaders can’t afford to wait for Big Tech. By taking action, the continent could spare future generations from the scourge of adversarial AI.
![President Cyril Ramaphosa gestures to colleagues before casting his ballot as members of parliament vote for the President of South Africa during the first sitting of the new South African Parliament in Cape Town on June 14.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/ramaphosa-south-africa-gnu-2024-election-GettyImages-2156949305.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Can South Africa’s Center Hold?
The new coalition government has brought together parties with divergent agendas while keeping radical populists out.
![An Israeli soldier wearing a green combat uniform uses a flashlight to examine a framed photograph of three women as he checks personal belongings in a house that was hit by a Hezbollah rocket. Behind him, a presumably broken window is boarded up with a slab of plywood.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Hezbollah.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What a War Between Israel and Hezbollah Might Look Like
The Lebanese armed group is trained and equipped much better than Hamas.
![U.S. President Joe Biden reaches his arm out a table to shake hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Both men wear dark suits and ties, and the Israeli and American flags hang in front of a blue curtain beyond the two leaders.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-1677555006.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why Biden’s Gaza Gambit Is Likely to Fail
The U.S. president wants a truce more than Israel and Hamas do.
![Sudanese refugees and South Sudanese returnees who have fled from the war in Sudan arrive at a transit camp in Renk on Feb. 14.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-2016309945.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
How to Solve the World’s Refugee Crisis
UNHCR’s Filippo Grandi on Sudan, Gaza, Ukraine, and more.
![A general view of the Paleisheuwel solar plant, which was established by Italy-based Enel Green Power, in partnership with South African electricity public utility Eskom, in Paleisheuwel, South Afrcia on June 5. This solar plant can produce 82MW of electricity, which can power 48000 households.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/south-africa-solar-power-GettyImages-2156322243.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why South Africa Won’t Be Going Green
Clean energy was not a priority for voters—and a weakened ANC will make climate-friendly policies even less likely.
![People walk past a train on a platform with their luggage.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/africa-development-china0-GettyImages-2059538426.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What Africa Can Learn From China’s Rise
The continent’s human capital is its greatest resource.
![South Africa’s former president Jacob Zuma addresses his supporters outside the Johannesburg High Court in Johannesburg on June 3.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/zuma-durban-mk-GettyImages-2155299410.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
South Africa Should Take Zuma’s Threats Seriously
The ex-president’s party is openly hostile to democracy, but excluding it after a strong election showing could lead to violence.
![The President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, holds a press conference after the start of 100 days of remembrance, as Rwanda commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Tutsi genocide, on April 8, in Kigali, Rwanda.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/kagame-election-rwanda-GettyImages-2147527579.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Rwanda’s Rigged Election
Paul Kagame has banned all but two opposition candidates, ensuring himself another landslide win.
![An Israeli soldier wearing a patch on the back of his flack jacket showing Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah as a target, stands in front of a self-propelled artillery howitzer in Upper Galilee in northern Israel on January 4, 2024.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-1899078212-2.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Israel and Lebanon Won’t End Up at War
The fighting is intensifying—but neither side wants an all-out escalation.
![Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sergei Lavrov (L) and South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor (R) speak during a press conference in Pretoria on Jan. 23, 2023.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/pandor-lavrov-russia-south-africa-GettyImages-1246467284.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why South Africa’s Nonalignment Is Here to Stay
The end of ANC majority rule is unlikely to signal a dramatic shift in the country’s foreign policy.
![A woman wearing a short sleeve shirt stands in a doorway inside a house. Bullet holes can be seen in the walls behind her and writing and spray paint is on a wall.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Israel-kibbutz-hamas-GettyImages-2139222217.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Inside Israel, the Gaza War Looks Very Different
Mired in the trauma of Oct. 7, many see the war as one of existential necessity.
![A man holds a sign reading: "Down with France down with ECOWAS," using the bloc's French acronym CEDEAO, as supporters of Niger's National Council for Safeguard of the Homeland gather in Niamey on Aug. 26, 2023.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/niger-ecowas-protest-GettyImages-1625944003.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
How ECOWAS Lost Its Way
An inability to stand up to constitutional coups—most recently in Togo—has undermined the bloc’s credibility.
![A line of tanks moves down a street with snow-covered mountains in the distance in a black and white photo.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/soviet-union-afghanistan-iran-GettyImages-515124164.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Forgotten World War III Scare of 1980
Moscow and Washington trapped themselves in a cycle of fear over Iran.
![An illustration shows Syrian-born cook Chef Omar holding a shawarma in front of a kitchen counter. Behind him are figures lining up for food at left and refugees on the move at right The building-covered skyline of Istanbul (left) and the rubble-filled skyline of Aleppo (right) are seen farther in the background.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/chef-omar-syria-turkey-assad-diaspora-maria-contreras-illustration.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Influencer Chef Dividing Syria’s Diaspora
Chef Omar has popularized Damascene cuisine online and in his Istanbul restaurant. But is he linked to the Assad regime?
![Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, U.S. President Bill Clinton, and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat walk at Camp David, Maryland, on July 11, 2000.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-156968315.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
America’s Israel Policy Is Stuck in the 1990s
Washington has been making a series of bad assumptions that trace back 30 years.
![U.S. President Joe Biden stands at a podium in front of a row of hedges on a sunny day. Biden is a man in his 80s with white hair, and he wears a black suit and a serious expression as he speaks.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Biden-France-GettyImages-2155649257.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Americans Don’t Want a Wartime President
If Biden can avoid the temptation to be a warrior defending allies abroad, he might have a better chance at winning his battles at home.
![Fighters of the Sudan Liberation Movement, a rebel group active in Darfur, attend a graduation ceremony in Sudan's southeastern Gedaref state.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/sudan-militia-civil-war-GettyImages-2113280516.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
‘Somalia on Steroids’: Sudan Conflict Escalates
The U.S. special envoy for Sudan warns that the geopolitical fallout from the spiraling civil war could be immense.
![People watch as fighters of the Sudan Liberation Movement, a rebel group active in Sudan's Darfur State, attend a graduation ceremony in the southeastern Gedaref state on March 28.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/sudan-militia-civil-war-GettyImages-2113281656.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Sudanese Militias Are Committing Genocide in Darfur—Again
The United States has the power to halt ongoing atrocities in El Fasher.
![President of the African National Congress (ANC) and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (C) attends the official announcement of the South African general election results in the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) National Results Center at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, on June 2.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/ramaphosa-2024-election-result-GettyImages-2155150226.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
South Africa’s Era of ANC Dominance Is Over
After a stinging election setback, the long-ruling party is assessing its coalition options.
![Theodor Meron, an elderly man wearing a hat and glasses, is framed between two columns with names etched into them as he stands at a memorial for children killed in Sarajevo.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/thedor-meron-israel-AP18270458449136.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Man Who Tried to Save Israel From Itself
This time, Israel must heed Theodor Meron’s warning.
![A U.S. solderi holding a gun and wearing a helmet provides cover for other soldiers seen behind him out of focus.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/us-war-soldier-middle-east-GettyImages-52000183.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The U.S. Needs a New Purpose in the Middle East
It’s time to ditch both romantic ideals of remaking the region and the policy of retrenchment.
![A U.S. Marine uses a U.S. flag to cover the face of a statue of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in Baghdad.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/saddam-hussein-iraq-GettyImages-939636224.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why Did America Stumble Into a Trap in Iraq?
A new history offers a sharp but limited critique.
![A photo collage illustration shows the Star of David from Israel's flag overlaid atop a WWII-era map of China and a photo of Jewish refugees lined up against the rail of a ship as they attempt to flee Europe.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/China-Israel-Homeland-Yunnan-plan.png?w=800?quality=80)
What if Israel Had Been in China?
How Albert Einstein, a Brooklyn dentist, and pre-World War II Chinese leaders tried to create a Jewish homeland in Yunnan.
![U.S. President Joe Biden is seen from the side as he stands at a podium at the White House as he delivers remarks. Biden is a man in his 80s wearing a black suit and tie. An electric light shaped like a candelabra is visible on the sculpted wall behind him.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/BidenWH.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Biden Outlines Israeli Proposal For Gaza Cease-Fire Deal
Hamas is “no longer capable” of carrying out another major attack against Israel, the U.S. president said.
![U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on May 31 in Washington, DC.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Biden-GettyImages-2155455674.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Is Biden Blowing It in Gaza and Ukraine?
Washington seems to keep moving the goalposts—but it isn’t bringing stability in either conflict, or electoral benefits at home.
![A satellite view of Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands in the Chagos Archipelago, in the Indian Ocean.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/diego-garcia-indian-ocean-us-GettyImages-826357064.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why Diego Garcia Matters
A dispute over a tiny island in the Indian Ocean presents complications for U.S. goals in the Indo-Pacific.
![A banner depicting the late President Ebrahim Raisi hangs above a gathering of women at the Shah Abdol-Azim shrine in Rey, a conservative southern suburb of Tehran, during the funeral of Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Iran-Raisi-death-FP_Tehran_SGlinski6.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Mood From Tehran
As Iran gears up for elections to replace Raisi, the country is divided.
![Syrians wave national flags and carry a large portrait of their president as they celebrate in the streets of the capital Damascus, a day after an election set to give the current President Bashar al-Assad a fourth term, on May 27, 2021.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-1233141093.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Normalizing of Assad Has Been a Disaster
Syria’s president was welcomed back into the fold a year ago—and everything since then has gotten worse.
![U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud as they walk past portraits of the founding leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council at the council’s secretariat in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on April 29.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Blinken-US-Saudi-Faisal-GettyImages-2150164118.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The U.S.-Saudi Agreement Is a Fool’s Errand
For the sake of the international order, Biden must abandon his proposed deal with Riyadh.
![A woman puts her hand over a large stack of secondhand clothes as she stands in a tarp-covered stall surrounded by piles of clothes and clothes hanging around her.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Secondhand-clothes-uganda-IMG_0662.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The End of Secondhand Clothes
A major source of work for women in East Africa is suddenly under threat.
![Arms reach up to sacks of aid as they are unloaded by people atop them on a truck above.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Chad-Sudan-refugee-aid-Ed-ram-photo-24.05.17-CHD-FP-AID-EXP-9.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The World’s Refugee Relief Is Utterly Broken
Millions of Sudanese are fleeing a warzone—and exposing the world’s bankrupt response.
![People wait in line to cast their votes in Alexandra township on May 29 in Johannesburg, South Africa.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/election-day-south-africa-GettyImages-2155113459.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What to Watch in South Africa’s Election
If the ANC doesn’t win a majority, how it chooses to form a coalition will be key.
![A bright yellow electoral poster of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa hangs from a chain-link fence that surrounds a packed-dirt clearing around several low buildings. A few trees are visible in the background beneath a cloudy sky. In the poster, Ramaphosa smiles while wearing a suit. Text beside his face says "Let's do more, together. Vote ANC."](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ANC-SouthAfrica-GettyImages-2154515888.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Will South Africa’s ANC Be Forced to Govern in a Coalition?
The ruling party could still win—but everything from a hard-left coalition to a national unity government is possible.
![Families who have fled from the war in Sudan carry their belongings while arriving at a transit center for refugees in Renk, South Sudan.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Sudan-conflict-Darfur-genocide-risk-humanitarian-crisis-Africa-GettyImages-2016310372.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why Is the World Ignoring a Looming Genocide in Sudan?
Aid workers fear a new disaster as militia forces close in on a major Darfur city.
![Farmers work in a field donated to the Black community in Coligny, South Africa on Apr. 15, 2019.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/land-reform-south-africa-GettyImages-1138594779.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why Land Reform Matters in South Africa’s Election
Even in an urbanized economy, many Black voters care deeply about the government’s unfulfilled promises when it comes to land redistribution.
![Iranians mourn late president Ebrahim Raisi at the Imam Reza shrine during the funeral ceremony in the city of Mashhad on May 23, 2024.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2153696763.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Raisi’s Funeral Has Exposed the Two Irans
The president’s death has shocked a political system that was designed to survive.
![A man in a black t-shirt and dark jeans sits on the ledge of an apartment building roof. Behind him is a tall building and city scene with mountains in the background.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Zackie-Achmat-South-Africa-activist-20221012-Zachie-Achmat_Bhekisisa_JC-032.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Can Zackie Achmat Change South Africa From Inside Parliament?
After decades as a thorn in the side of politicians, one of South Africa’s most celebrated activists is running for office.
![A protester waves a Palestinian flag during a pro-Palestinian “Nakba 76” rally in Washington, D.C.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2153025237.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why the U.S. Should Recognize Palestinian Statehood
Sovereignty would serve America’s interests—and Israel’s.
![A crowd of students in graduation robes protest as they walk out from the George Washington University commencement ceremony and onto the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Three women standing closest to the camera shout, with the two on either side of the woman in the middle holding up a Palestinian flag behind her.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Campus-protest-Gaza-GettyImages-2153194262.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Campus Protests Reflect Impatience With U.S. Foreign Policy
The Biden administration’s disavowal of students’ concerns will only make things worse.
![A story in the front page of a newspaper in Tehran covers the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties on March 11, 2023.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/saudi-iran-china-diplomacy-GettyImages-1248021168.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Democracies Aren’t the Peacemakers Anymore
How Washington can reclaim its diplomatic primacy in an authoritarian age.
![The blue-and-white Israeli flag is projected onto the Brandenburg Gate at night in Berlin. Spectators watch from the street, many holding umbrellas.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/1-germany-israel-middle-east-GettyImages-1712270081.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
How Germany Lost the Middle East
Berlin’s unequivocal support for Israel has eroded its soft-power footprint in the region.
![Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike on the outskirts of the southern Lebanese village of Alma el-Chaab near the Lebanon-Israel border on May 22.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2153544637.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Israel and Hezbollah Inch Closer to War
Skirmishes in Israel’s north heighten risk of a new front in the war.
![William Ruto and Joe Biden sit in suits at a desk flanked by Kenyan and U.S. flags.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ruto-biden-GettyImages-2154196678.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Kenya and the U.S. Need Each Other More Than Ever
Closer ties to emerging economies are an insurance policy for Washington against geopolitical shocks.
![A city power worker removes an illegally connected electrical cable in Johannesburg, South Africa, on June 9, 2022.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/South-Africa-electricity-GettyImages-1241195544.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Can South Africa Keep the Lights On?
Even with the suspension of power cuts, voters remain skeptical ahead of the country's general elections.
![South African President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks at a podium onstage at an ANC rally. Zuma wears a shirt in the green-and-yellow party colors, as do many of the people crowded onstage behind him. He also raises one fist in the air as he speaks into the microphone.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-1922069402.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
South Africa’s Uncertain Election, Explained
The African National Congress risks losing its majority for the first time since 1994.
![Two men, one in a t-shirt, the other in a uniform, beret and sunglasses, hold up a large painted portrait of Jacob Zuma in military garb and holding a spear. The men stand in front of a large stadium, with the crowd seen behind them.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Jacob-Zuma-South-Africa-election-GettyImages-2153572022.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why Jacob Zuma Still Looms Large in South African Politics
South Africa’s controversial former president could end up as the country’s kingmaker—despite being banned from running for office.
![A man in a tank top and shorts carries a sack on his shoulder up a bare mine hillside. Other workers are seen dotting the landscape behind him. In the distance are green hills and houses in a rolling landscape.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DRC-conflict-free-mining-minerals-technology-GettyImages-1258961762.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Problem With ‘Conflict-Free’ Minerals
How traceability schemes have wound up hurting Congo’s people.
![Opposition politician Victoire Ingabire speaks to the media outside the High Court in Kigali on March 13.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/victoire-ingabire-rwanda-election-GettyImages-2074364556.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Rwanda’s Undemocratic Election
An opposition candidate makes the case for letting her name appear on the ballot.
![People wearing black and holding up posters of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi mourn the death of the president at Valiasr Square in Tehran.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Iran-Raisi-Death-GettyImages-2153877425.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Raisi’s Death Represents a Tipping Point for Iran
But it won’t change Tehran’s domestic or foreign policy.
![The top of a protester's head is seen slightly out of focus as they hold up a picket sign that reads “Boycott Israel” during a demonstration in Copenhagen, Denmark. The text is stamped in black block letters on the sign, which is made from bright orange fabric.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2151065703.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Is the War in Gaza Turning Israel Into a Pariah State?
Possible ICC warrants are the latest indicators.
![An Israeli soldier rests his head on the gun barrel of a self-propelled artillery howitzer as Israeli soldiers take positions near the border with Gaza in southern Israel on October 9, 2023.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-1715804996.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why Realists Oppose the War in Gaza
If you’re surprised by the movement’s position, you never really understood it.
![An Iraqi soldier stands guard next candles list by people paying their respects to Iran's late president Ebrahim Raisi outside the Iranian embassy in Baghdad on May 20.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/iran-raisi-crash-mourning-GettyImages-2153330353.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why Iran Believes It’s Winning Against Israel
Tehran has concluded that a regional reordering is underway. The death of the president and foreign minister won’t change that.
![The International Criminal Court’s top prosecutor, Karim Khan, a bald man in a gray suit and red tie, speaks at a podium during a press conference in Bogota. A blue ICC flag hangs behind him in front of a wood-paneled wall.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ICC-arrest-warrant-Israel-Gaza-Netanyahu-Hamas-Sinwar-GettyImages-2149557673.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
ICC Prosecutor Seeks Arrest Warrants for Netanyahu, Hamas Leaders
The announcement ramps up pressure on Israel and puts the United States in a new bind.
![A cat (L) is seen inside the hazmat suit sleeve of a health worker taking swab samples from residents in Shanghai on June 6, 2022.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/covid-pandemic-cat-GettyImages-1241140320.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Blocking a Fair WHO Pandemic Accord Endangers Humanity
Without an equitable agreement, including wealthy nations sharing IP with poorer ones, the world is doomed to repeat its COVID-era mistakes.
![A TV camera is seen behind a man in a robe, hat, and cleric's color. Another man in a dark jacket is at right. They stand in front of a curtain topped with a bank of flowers.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Raisi-Iran-death-GettyImages-1487584727.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What Raisi’s Death Means for Iran’s Future
The president’s sudden death in a helicopter crash creates uncertainty for the country amid regional turmoil.
![A demonstrator holds up the flags of Israel and the United States during a rally in support of Israel outside the Colorado State Capitol Building in Denver on Oct. 15, 2023.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-1726774714.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Rift or Rupture?
What the war in Gaza is doing to U.S.-Israeli relations.
![Josep Borrell arrives for a summit at the EU Parliament in Brussels.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/josep-borrell-eu-GettyImages-1246942097.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
‘We Are Allied, but We Are Not Aligned’
Josep Borrell, Europe’s outgoing foreign-policy chief, on the U.S., China, Ukraine, and Gaza.
![An overview of the court during a hearing at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague on Apr. 8.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/icj-israel-palestine-GettyImages-2140541880.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Genocide Allegations Are Not a Political Football
Why Turkey’s application to join South Africa’s ICJ case trivializes the charges against Israel.
![Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Hassan Firouzabadi, then head of the Iranian military, look through binoculars during the test firing of short- and medium-range missiles.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-1229973083.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Day After Iran Gets the Bomb
Scholars and policymakers are still trying to understand what would happen after Tehran acquires a nuclear weapon.
![A security officer interacts with a driver at the Burkina Faso border with Ghana in Paga, northern Ghana, on Dec. 6, 2022.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ghana-burkina-faso-border-GettyImages-1246835134.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Could Ghana Be Jihadists’ Next Target?
Long seen as an island of stability, the country shares many of the same vulnerabilities that militants have exploited across the Sahel region.
![Relatives and friends bid farewell to the body of Al Jazeera cameraman Samer Abu Daqqa, who was killed in an air strike while working in Khan Younis, Gaza.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-1859268275.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
After Al Jazeera, Will Israel Target Its Own Media?
Rights groups worry the closing of the Qatari network is just the beginning.
![U.S. and Israeli rabbis and rabbinical students, joined by peace activists, march toward the Erez crossing on the border with northern Gaza Strip to call for a permanent cease-fire on April 26.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ISRAEL-PALESTINE-US-GettyImages-2149695562.png?w=800?quality=80)
A Middle East Security Pact Won’t Free Palestine
The Biden administration needs to recognize that the problems lie with Israeli politics.
![Indonesians take part in a pro-Palestinian rally at the National Monument park in Jakarta on December 2, 2023.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/indonesia-israel-gaza-protest-GettyImages-1815430770.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
How Joe Biden Sabotaged the ‘Rules-Based Order’
By denying that Israel has violated international humanitarian law in Gaza, Washington is discrediting itself and the order that it claims to uphold.
![Pro-Palestinian protesters walk from Columbia University down to Hunter College as protests at area universities and colleges continue on May 6, in New York City.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/columbia-protest-gaza-GettyImages-2151810870.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Are Campus Protesters Heroes or Hypocrites?
As universities take center stage in the debate over Israel’s war in Gaza, the unrest could spell trouble for Biden’s reelection campaign.
![U.S. President Joe Biden sits with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the start of the Israeli war cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv on Oct. 18, 2023.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Biden-Israel-military-Gaza-GettyImages-1731162446.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Biden Draws a Red(Ish) Line on Israel
The U.S. president pauses some military aid as tensions with Israel mount.
![A man shows children the debris of an intercepted Iranian missile near Arad, Israel, on April 28.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/israel-iran-missile-iron-dome-GettyImages-2150270017.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Biden’s Escalation Fears Have Dangerous Consequences
Pressuring allies not to retaliate against attacks raises the risk of spiraling conflicts.
![US President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrive for the family photo during the Jeddah Security and Development Summit (GCC+3) at a hotel in Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah on July 16, 2022.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-1241932439.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Saudi Arabia Is on the Way to Becoming the Next Egypt
Washington is brokering a diplomatic deal that could deeply distort its relationship with Riyadh.
![Protesters chant and hold placards against the U.K. deportation flights to Rwanda near Brook House Immigration Removal Centre on June 12, 2022 in London.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/uk-rwanda-protests-GettyImages-1241264577.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
U.K. Begins Rwanda Deportations
After Parliament overruled the Supreme Court and declared Rwanda safe, Sunak’s government is rounding up asylum-seekers.
![Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Khan speaks during a UN Security Council meeting at the United Nations headquarters on July 13, 2023 in New York City.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/icc-karim-khan-GettyImages-1540786732.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Biden Should Not Stand in the Way of the ICC
Washington is wrong to accept the court’s indictment of Russian, but not Israeli, leaders.
![Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a ceremony marking Holocaust Remembrance Day at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Netanyahu-GettyImages-2151059968.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Can the ICC Actually Arrest Netanyahu?
A former ICC president answers questions about the top court's jurisdiction in the Israel-Hamas war.
![Israeli forces patrol a deserted road in Tulkarem during a raid on the occupied West Bank city.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2151190866.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What to Expect from Israel’s Rafah Offensive
Israeli troops would face a battle-hardened enemy while trying to get tens of thousands of civilians out of the way.
![Cars pass a billboard depicting Iranian ballistic missiles on Valiasr Square in central Tehran on April 15.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/iran-israel-attack-GettyImages-2147824202-e1715012366617.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
How Iran’s Attack Could Change Israel’s Strategy
The April 14 missile barrage showed Israel that it cannot prevail against Iran on its own.
![A protester wears the university's disciplinary warning covered over by support for Palestinians in Gaza at Columbia University in New York City.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2150261711.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Columbia Protests and the Economics of Divestment
What would meeting the demands of pro-Palestinian protesters cost the university?
![Two boys sit with empty pots as they queue for aid.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/GettyImages-2082108747-e1714402823910.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
How to Stave Off a Famine in Gaza
Two experts reflect on the impact of international pressure amid a fraught conflict.
![U.S. President Joe Biden boards Air Force One before departing from King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/biden-saudi-arabia-GettyImages-1241935724.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
A U.S.-Saudi Deal Without Israel Is an Illusion
The hype about a bilateral agreement is misplaced. Diplomatic normalization and a Palestinian state are needed to really change the regional playing field.
![A person with a black glove holds up a sign that reads "DECOLONIZE PALESTINE LAND BACK."](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/colonization-palestine-gaza-protest-GettyImages-1870108405.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
No, College Curriculums Aren’t Too Focused on Decolonization
Critics of campus demonstrations are aiming at the wrong target. We need to study more history, not less.
![U.S. Representative Adam Smith, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, speakings during a Congressional hearing on Afghanistan at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Sept. 29, 2021.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Congress-Ukraine-Israel-Democrats-Adam-Smith-GettyImages-12355802071.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Top House Democrat ‘Deeply Worried’ About Israel’s War Strategy in Gaza
Israel is losing the support of Democrats over how it’s prosecuting the war, lawmaker warns.
![A Palestinian man sits on a piece of rubble beneath a blue sky with his head cradled in his hand as he waits for news about his missing daughter. In the background, rescue workers climb a stack of debris from a collapsed building as they search for survivors.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ISRAEL-PALESTINE-BOMBINGS-AI-GettyImages-2147970881.png?w=800?quality=80)
When AI Decides Who Lives and Dies
The Israeli military’s algorithmic targeting has created dangerous new precedents.
![Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi walks down a flight of steps as he exits his plane upon arriving in Sri Lanka. Raisi is a man in his 60s with a white beard and glasses. He wears a black turban and a sheer black robe over an off-white shirt. The side of the plane is white, with stripes in the red and green of the Iranian flag.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/iran-raisi-visit-sri-lanka-GettyImages-2149400475.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Iran Makes a Play in South Asia
President Ebrahim Raisi’s recent trip to the region was an opportunity for Iran to showcase its engagement amid instability in the Middle East.
![Girls walk to class on the first day of school in a Yazidi displacement camp about 9 miles from the city of Dohuk in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq on Nov. 1, 2021.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Yazidi-girls-school-IDP-camp-Iraqi-Kurdistan-GettyImages-1236271229.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Iraqi Kurdistan’s Ethnic Minorities Are Under Attack
A power struggle between Baghdad and Erbil is targeting the country’s most vulnerable.
![A protester wearing glasses and holding a sign screams into the camera. Behind is a crowd of more protesters holding signs and waving Israeli flags.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/israel-hamas-sexual-violence-GettyImages-1978324788.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why Won’t More Feminists Speak Up For Israeli Victims of Sexual Violence?
Israel’s government has promoted misinformation around Oct. 7, but that doesn’t mean victims should be ignored.