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Europe
List of Europe articles
![A flag of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is seen amid others before a flag raising ceremony for Sweden's accession to NATO at the North Atlantic Alliance headquarters in Brussels, on March 11, 2024. Sweden joins NATO at a time when fears of a possible conflict between the alliance and Russia have risen as Moscow's forces push back Ukraine two years into the war there. (Photo by KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / AFP)](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-2067155907.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
NATO Wants Everyone to Help Deter Russia
Every country needs a plan to keep calm and carry on in the event of a Russian attack.
![Volodymyr Zelensky and Joe Biden walking side-by-side with the Ukrainian and U.S. flag in the background](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/zelensky-biden-security-pact-GettyImages-2156793340-2.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
How to Make the U.S.-Ukraine Security Pact Stick
The White House and Congress need to start talking.
![Groundskeepers prepare the baseball field before NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg throws out the ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game between the Washington Nationals and the St. Louis Cardinals in Washington, D.C. on July 8.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/NATO-Summit-Washington-Putin-Russia-Trump-Europe-GettyImages-2160612041.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What to Watch for at NATO’s 75th Birthday Bash
Allies are bickering about whether to give Ukraine a path into NATO and worried about Biden’s fitness for office.
![A man wearing a dark overcoat and red tie smiles as he crosses a street between buildings against a glowing sky.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/David-Lammy-Britain-foreign-secretary-GettyImages-1244103953.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Britain’s New Foreign Secretary Hates Trump and Loves America
David Lammy is determined to stay on message—but he has always had strong opinions.
![NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrive for a joint press conference in Kyiv on April 29.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/zelesnky-stoltenberg-nato-GettyImages-2150169058.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Ukraine’s Opportunity at the NATO Summit
To secure victory, the alliance must now capitalize on progress made by the G-7.
![Britain's new Defense Secretary John Healey leaves 10 Downing Street in London on July 5.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/healey-uk-defense-GettyImages-2160045070.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What Does a Labour Win Mean for U.K. Defense Policy?
An experienced politician has taken over the defense file—and the party has shed much of its old ideological baggage.
![Mark Rutte, who is now NATO's secretary-general, looks on during a press conference at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, on April 17, 2024.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/rutte-nato-GettyImages-2147877407.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Does NATO Have a Future?
As the alliance’s leaders gather in Washington, the prospect of a second Trump administration looms large.
![New British Prime Minister Keir Starmer holds a press conference after his first cabinet meeting at Downing Street, London, on July 6.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/starmer-china-GettyImages-2160180036-e1720428495447.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Keir Starmer Should Rethink Britain’s China Policy
Festering issues—from Beijing’s support for Moscow to domestic interference—fill the Labour government’s inbox.
![A Ukrainian serviceman carries a large drone on the frontlines.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/1-ukraine-drone-production-private-war-russia-GettyImages-1259129626.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
How Ukraine’s Drone Industry Took Flight
A state campaign rolled back red tape and regulation inherited from its Soviet past.
![Biden at 2023 NATO summit in Vilnius](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/biden-nato-GettyImages-1533430284-e1720190298688.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
This NATO Summit Is a Big Win for Biden
The alliance’s resurgence since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a signature achievement.
![Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shakes hands with U.S. President Joe Biden following the announcement of a joint G-7 declaration in support of Ukraine in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 12, 2023.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-1536748728.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
America Is in Denial About NATO’s Future
An alliance that includes Ukraine will require a vastly larger military and economic commitment.
![New electric cars for sale are seen parked at a distribution center of the Changan automobile company in southwestern China's Chongqing municipality on March 24, 2024.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-2102854838.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Fight Over China’s Electric Cars Is Upside-Down
Why Europe’s car companies are against—and environmentalists are for—making Chinese EVs more expensive.
![A photo illustration shows a large Chinese flag drape hangs at left with the silhouette of Joe Biden walking behind it as he holds a binder and small U.S. flag. Three EU flags are seen on stands at right.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/us-grand-strategy-china-europe-GettyImages-1206811779.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Europe Has a New Role as U.S. Strategy Shifts to China
The U.S.-European relationship will have several practical benefits for Washington’s rivalry with Beijing.
![A Ukrainian border guard in a camouflaged uniform faces a yellow and white Ukrzaliznytsia diesel train and a red Polish SKPL transport company train on two sets of railroad tracks in Rava-Ruska, Ukraine.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/ukraine-railways-europe-GettyImages-1730213664.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Ukraine Lays Its Tracks to Europe
By expanding its railways, Kyiv hopes to tie its fate to the rest of the continent.
![The BYD Explorer No. 1 car carrier gets loaded with new-energy vehicles for export at the port of Yantai, Shandong province, China.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/EV-china-eu-GettyImages-1926884696.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
How China Could Retaliate Against the EU’s Looming EV Tariffs
China wants to contain growing trade threats without further alienating Europe.
![From left: Labour leader Keir Starmer and former British Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown arrive ahead of the proclamation of King Charles III in London on Sept. 10, 2022.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-1243089976.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Keir Starmer Is Tony Blair, Minus the Optimism
Britain’s new government is copying the “New Labour” playbook, but the country’s atmosphere has changed in the meantime.
![U.S. President Joe Biden takes a look at his notes during the first presidential debate of the 2024 elections in Atlanta, Georgia.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/biden-debate-world-reaction-GettyImages-2158930823.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Biden’s Debate Performance Has Some U.S. Allies Worried
The U.S. president’s lackluster performance was a wake-up call about the prospects of a second Trump term.
![Polish Foreign Minister Minister Radoslaw Sikorski speaks in Berlin, Germany.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-1972948986-e1719256548175.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What Europe Wants From the NATO Summit
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski: “I hope we show unity.”
![Labour Leader Keir Starmer takes a selfie with supporters.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/1-GettyImages-1426998508.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What a U.K. Labour Win Means for the Global Left
Keir Starmer’s victory will transform Britain’s image—and could reinvigorate social democrats across the globe.
![Finnish reservists of the Guard Jaeger Regiment stand at a shooting range at the Santahamina military base in Helsinki, Finland on March 7, 2023.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/nato-soldiers-russia-GettyImages-1250750693-e1719826922485.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Will Europe’s Front-Line States Have Enough Soldiers to Fight?
Dire demographics and easy emigration pose a serious challenge if Russia attacks.
![A group of political activists bundled up in warm clothing walks along a sidewalk in London while protesting a law in Hong Kong. Some of the demonstrators hold flags and handwritten cardboard signs.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/UK-HONGKONG-ELECTIONS-GettyImages-2100332166.png?w=800?quality=80)
Hong Kong’s Democratic Diaspora Is Embracing British Elections
A recently arrived voting bloc could decide seats in London.
![Marine Le Pen, the former president of the Rassemblement National, gives a speech during the first round of the parliamentary elections in Henin-Beaumont, France.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/france-far-right-le-pen-GettyImages-2159407035-e1719858031906.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Economic Issues Drove France’s Far-Right Win
The Rassemblement National found first-round success, but what is its economic platform?
![A member of NATO-led peacekeepers holds the NATO flag during the change of command ceremony in Pristina, Kosovo, on Sept. 3, 2014.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/nato-flag-soldier-GettyImages-454534252.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
NATO Is Turning 75, but How Much Is There to Celebrate?
Managing the alliance is more difficult now that the United States has new allies and adversaries.
![Europe-EU-NATO-Donald-Trump-US-election-foreign-policy-illustration-doug-chayka-3-2](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Europe-EU-NATO-Donald-Trump-US-election-foreign-policy-illustration-doug-chayka-3-2.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Europe Alone
Nine thinkers on the continent’s future without America’s embrace.
![A man in an orange shirt is shown from the back walking past a metal fence with campaign posters.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/French-election-2024-GettyImages-2158623614.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What to Know as France Goes to the Polls
FP’s essential stories on the French election.
![Juergen-habermas-riccardo-vecchio-illustration-3-2](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Juergen-habermas-riccardo-vecchio-illustration-3-2.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The World Still Needs Habermas
The German philosopher is starting to outlive his liberal legacy.
![The word atrevida is written in script against blue and white tiles](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/atrevida-portugal-gender-decoder-joao-neves-illustration.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
An Atrevida Is Best Avoided
The Portuguese word that exposes the country’s lingering double standards on gender.
![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.
![Belgian Wout van Aert of WorldTeam Visma-Lease a Bike pictured at the team presentation ahead of the 2024 Tour de France cycling race, in Florence, Italy.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-2158903525.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Dreyfus Affair and the Origins of the Tour de France
The grueling cycling competition has a rich political history.
![A pedestrian passes vandalized European Parliament election posters of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella of the National Rally party on a street in Paris on June 27.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/far-right-france-elections-populist-GettyImages-2158907448.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The West Misunderstands Its Own Far Right
The right-wing parties poised to take power aren’t populist. They’re something much worse.
![A person is seen from the back looking at a poster of Macron.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/jewish-voters-le-pen-rn-GettyImages-679852422.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why Are French Jews Supporting the Far Right?
Prominent Jewish figures are publicly entertaining what was once considered unthinkable: voting for Marine Le Pen’s National Rally.
![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.
![Le Pen speaks at a podium.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/le-pen-rn-bardella-GettyImages-2156230322.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What Would a Far-Right Victory Mean for French Foreign Policy?
Cohabitation would test France’s approach toward Ukraine, Israel, NATO, and the EU.
![Illustration of a torn map of Europe revealing Donald Trump](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Europe-EU-trump-US-election-joan-wong-illustration-3-2.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Trump’s Return Would Transform Europe
Without Washington’s embrace, the continent could revert to an anarchic and illiberal past.
![President Joe Biden and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky attend an event with G7 leaders to announce a Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine during the NATO Summit in Vilnius on July 12, 2023.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-1527471408-1.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
NATO’s Trump-Proofing Efforts Are Floundering
Ahead of the U.S. election, the alliance is trying—and failing—to safeguard assistance for Ukraine.
![Leaders in business attire in a row on a golf course look up at the sky.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/g7-summit-day-one-GettyImages-2156775446.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
A New Era of Financial Warfare Has Begun
The West’s latest actions against Russia carry risks for the global system and could provoke China.
![Members of the far-right “Hungarian Self-Defense Movement” hold a banner reading “Sin should not be an object of pride” at the protest against the Pride parade in Budapest, Hungary.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/HUNGARY-HOMOPHOBIA-PRIDE-GettyImages-1533425070.png?w=800?quality=80)
The U.S. Right Is Copying Hungary’s Attack on Adoption
So-called pro-family laws are attempts at annihilating LGBTQ+ people.
![A person in a construction vest and hard hat walks toward the shoreline where a thick cable lies.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/undersea-fiber-optic-cable-GettyImages-695501000.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
NATO Wants to Boost Its Undersea Defenses
Officials fear Russia could cut the undersea cable network that undergirds much of the global economy.
![A man in a white T-shirt sits on the edge of a bed looking out a window, the view outside partly obscured by hazy curtains. A haze of yellow light covers entire scene.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/loneliness-security-risk-iStock-1784065424.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Loneliness Is a National Security Crisis
Internet scams target vulnerable people with powerful access.
![Outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, wearing wire-frame glasses, a suit jacket, and open-collared button-up shirt with no tie, furrows his brow as he looks to his right.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Mark-Rutte-NATO-h_16212302.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
NATO’s New Leader Was Planning This the Whole Time
Mark Rutte, a workaholic obsessed with routine, is about to take over the West’s military alliance.
![German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz chats with Defence Minister Boris Pistorius at the SPD national congress on December 8, 2023 in Berlin.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-1832848464.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Germany Has 1 Year to Replace Olaf Scholz
The chancellor is hugely unpopular—and a popular minister is waiting in the wings.
![A crate with 16 charges in the packaging area of a production line at a powders and explosives plant.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/EXPLOSIVES-EUROPE-WAR-GettyImages-2147050210.png?w=800?quality=80)
It’s Time to Learn How to Blow Things Up Again
A shortage of explosives experts is threatening Europe’s security.
![An area of the Passerelle Mimram pedestrian bridge which connects Kehl, Germany to Strasbourg, France is pictured on April 4, 2009 during the NATO summit.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-85798194.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Ukraine Needs a ‘Wet Gap Crossing’ to NATO
It’s time to use the U.S. military’s playbook for building a wartime bridge to Ukraine.
![A crowd of hundred of people in formal attire fills the floor in an ornate ballroom in Vienna. Others stand in rows of balcony seats climbing up to the ceiling in the vast space.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Opera-Ball-Vienna-csm_Opernball_240208-070KatharinaSchiffl_3286_a544124f9a.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
If Europe Is Lost, Why Not Party?
Vienna’s balls may be more inclusive than ever, but nostalgia hits different with the far right on the ascent.
![The book cover of Look Away by Jacob Kushner](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Look-Away-German-Far-Right-Immigrants-Jacob-Kushner-book-review.png?w=800?quality=80)
Germany’s Far-Right Surge Isn’t New
The country’s failure to confront deadly extremists in the early 2000s should be a warning.
![U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin shakes hands with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet during a meeting at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on June 4.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/lloyd-austin-hun-manet-cambodia-GettyImages-2155358599.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
How the West Embraced Cambodia’s New Prime Minister
Hun Manet may appear more friendly and even-keeled than his father, but political repression continues apace.
![A man walks past a currency exchange office in Moscow.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-2156747006_bb198e.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why Is Russia’s Economy Still Growing?
Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine have had limited impact.
![French Rassemblement National (RN) party leader Marine Le Pen (L) followed by party president Jordan Bardella arrives on stage to address supporters in Paris, on June 9.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/le-pen-bardella-france-election-GettyImages-2156247851.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Is Europe’s Turn to the Right Here to Stay?
Right-wing populists did well in the EU Parliament elections. Now France’s president is testing the public’s appetite for being governed by them.
![Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) and U.S. President Joe Biden shake hands after signing a bilateral security agreement on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in Italy's Apulia region on June 13.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-2156791760.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Biden and the G-7 Seek to Reassure Ukraine
A new security agreement and $50 billion funding deal signal that the West remains united in Kyiv’s defense—but how long will it last?
![Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives to review the honor guards of the presidential regiment following his inauguration ceremony at the Kremlin’s Sobornaya Square in Moscow on May 7.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Putin-Russia-espionage-NATO-Europe-GettyImages-2151346630.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Russia Ramps Up Sabotage Operations in Europe
Western officials struggle to respond to a new wave of “hybrid warfare.”
![French President Emmanuel Macron is seen in profile while delivering an onstage speech. Two bright white lights glare in the background, one on each side of his head. Macron is a man in his mid-40s with dark hair, wearing a black suit.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-1248235918.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Macron Is Destroying His Democracy to Save It
Why France’s president has decided to embrace electoral chaos.
![French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a news conference in Paris.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/macron-far-right-parliament-GettyImages-2157274719.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What Was Macron Thinking?
France’s president is forcing voters to decide if they really want the National Rally in power—and betting that governing could dent the far-right’s popularity before 2027.
![The head of former U.S. President Donald Trump is seen as he peers over a black car door as he exits Trump Tower and enters the vehicle on a Manhattan street.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-2154813003.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Trump’s Case Is the Exception, Not the Rule
White-collar crimes are prosecuted at much lower rates than many other crimes in the United States.
![A worker walks past scorched equipment in a turbine hall at a destroyed power plant in an undisclosed location in Ukraine.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Ukraine-energy-GettyImages-2147953021.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Putin Cuts Ukraine’s Power
With constant assaults on the electricity grid, Moscow is adding an explosive twist to an old playbook.
![Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Joe Biden walk past a Ukrainian flag as they depart following the announcement of the G-7 nations’ joint declaration for the support of Ukraine in Vilnius, Lithuania.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/G7-Summit-Ukraine-Russia-Biden-GettyImages-15450364411.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
G-7 Leaders Meet to Ramp Up New Pressure on Russia
Leaders look to lock in commitments ahead of tumultuous election cycles.
![An oil painting of Whitehaven, England.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/1-england-slavery-barbados-virginia-tobacco-GettyImages-1314701798.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The British Countryside’s Forgotten History of Slavery
Britons tend to downplay the empire’s slave-trading history. But its links to Virginia tobacco are all over the landscape.
![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?
![The BBC headquarters in London.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/BBC-GettyImages-1248026550.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Britain’s Revival Must Start With the BBC
The country’s next government needs to reverse its decline, beginning with its central source of information.
![A cross with a remembrance poppy stands near graves of fallen soldiers at the La Cambe German war cemetery in La Cambe, France.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-2156502068.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Economics of the Normandy Invasion
How industrial power and innovation helped turn the war.
![NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg addresses Ukrainian lawmakers at parliament during his visit to Ukraine amid the Russian invasion in Kyiv.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Ukraine-NATO-Russia-GettyImages-2150176364.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
NATO Looks to Create New Special Envoy Post in Ukraine
The plan comes as Western leaders debate Ukraine’s ambitions to join NATO.
![German politician Sahra Wagenknecht gestures with both hands open, palms facing the ceiling, as she speaks into the microphone at a podium. A sign on the podium has the German name of her new political party, the BSW.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-2154537326.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Party That Could Shake Up German Politics
A new so-called left-conservative party seeks a foothold in the European Parliament elections.
![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.
![Protesters march past a vandalized European Election Banner of the German Social Democratic party SPD with an image of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and party top candidate Katarina Barley on May Day during the "Revolutionärer 1. Mai" demonstration on May 1, 2024 in Berlin.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-2150475091-1.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Politics Is Especially Violent in Germany
All of Europe is struggling with political violence—but Germany most of all.
![Singapore's incoming Prime Minister Lawrence Wong is seen from a distance beyond the crowd of seated attendees at his inauguration. in shows a crowd of people in the foreground and the presidential palace building the back. Wong stands at a table on a stage set up in front of a large official building, holding his right hand up as he is sworn in. The flag of Singapore hangs from a pole in behind the table.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/1-GettyImages-2152495307.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What the West Can Learn From Singapore
Data shows that in key areas, Singapore is better at governing than the U.S. and Britain.
![Lithuanian troops take part in the Lithuanian-Polish joint military exercise "Brave Griffin 24/II" in Lithuania on April 26.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/POLAND-LITHUANIA-NATO-DEFENSES-RUSSIA-GettyImages-2149682178.png?w=800?quality=80)
Europe Needs Forts Again
Building barriers against Russian aggression now can save lives later.
![A French electoral card is laid atop a European Union flag, centered between the circle of yellow stars against the dark blue background. The card is labeled with French text and also shows the colors of the French flag and the national motto: "Liberty, equality, fraternity, or death."](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-2154924463.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why This EU Election Could Be a Referendum on Europe’s Future
Centrists seem increasingly willing to partner with the far right.
![Russia's President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 9.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/putin-speech-may-9-2024-GettyImages-2151583074.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Are Putin’s Nuclear Threats Working?
A new book examines the past and present of Russian thinking on deterrence.
![Residents look on from their flooded house after heavy rainfall in Kaduwela on the outskirts of Colombo.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/CLIMATE-TAX-FUNDING-GettyImages-2155281799.png?w=800?quality=80)
Who Pays for Climate Action?
Small island states are pointing the way on finding innovative funding.
![Ukrainian soldiers drive a tank towards Kherson's frontline on Nov. 18, 2022.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/ukraine-tank-kherson-GettyImages-1244878090.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Now Is Not the Time to Negotiate With Putin
If Ukraine enters peace talks, it must do so from a position of strength.
![President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen delivers her speech during the Green Deal Summit 2023 on September 26, 2023 in Prague, Czech Republic.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-1689524588.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Europe’s Green Moment Is Over
After years of riding high, EU elections are about to send the continent’s green parties back to earth.
![A main in a suit and helmet holds a British flags in each hand as he hangs from a zipline in front of a ferris wheel.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Britain-boris-johnson-GettyImages-1242321373-1.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Is Britain All That Special?
British politics may be bad, but they’re not unusual.
![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.
![Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas wears a military helmet and sunglasses as she leans in to speak with a British military commander in camouflage fatigues beneath the green canopy of trees that line a roadway in Estonia. The British ambassador to Estonia stands beside them, taking off his own helmet as he watches.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Kaja-Kallas-estonia-troops-AP24141655171225.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Putin’s Baltic Provocations Are Raising Western Hackles
From redrawn maritime borders to suspected sabotage, Moscow is trying to exert power in a long-coveted region.
![Russian President Vladimir Putin sits in front of a microphone with his hands clasped, watching the Uzbek president, not seen, deliver a statement. A Russian flag hangs behind Putin, who wears a dark suit and tie.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/PUTIN-LIBERALS-OPPOSITION-GettyImages-2154375749.png?w=800?quality=80)
Putin Is Obsessed With Russian Liberals
Attacks on the movement show how insecure Russia’s dictator feels.
![A woman and child sit among the graves at Lychakiv military cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine, on March 18, 2023.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Ukraine-women-children-GettyImages-1249252101.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Invisible Warriors of Ukraine’s Refugee Crisis
Women's NGOs are leading the charge—but not getting the funding they need.
![A man displays a newspaper article on the attack on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Fico-Slovakia-GettyImages-2153180217.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why Political Assassinations Often Succeed
The attempted killing of the Slovak prime minister is part of a recent wave.
![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.
![Graduating students attend the Columbia University 2016 Commencement ceremony in New York on May 18, 2016.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/columbia-commencement-flags-2016-GettyImages-532101120.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
When Knowledge Stops at the Water’s Edge
Fears about foreign contacts and security clearances are making America’s future diplomats and policymakers less worldly and more insular.
![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.
![A pencil illustration shows Gordon Sondland with his hands folded under his chin.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Gordon-Sondland-Foreign-Policy-interview.png?w=800?quality=80)
The Advocate
Ukraine and the Europeans are vexed about how to deal with Trump. Gordon Sondland has a playbook.
![U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks to reporters alongside Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on the sidelines of the IMF-World Bank spring meetings in Washington, D.C.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/us-ukraine-funding-yellen-2024-05-21T093807Z_1239713597_RC2M87AL86YZ_RTRMADP_3_G7-FINANCE-YELLEN-CHINA.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The U.S. Still Has a Lend-Leash Act for Ukraine
Washington is finding ways to get Kyiv more money—but keeps it hamstrung from actually fighting the war.
![A worker in a reflective vest and hard hat leans against the wheel of a truck used in nickel mining. The vehicle is massive, and the wheel alone is four or feet taller than the worker. The vehicle is parked on an expanse of packed dirt, but rocks and some vegetation are visible in the background.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2037335996.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why a Small Pacific Island Territory Is Upending Nickel Prices
Violent riots in New Caledonia are having an outsized global impact on critical mineral supply chains.
![A man with his face painted in the colours of the EU flag and the Georgian flag stands outside the parliament building as people protest against a draft bill on "foreign influence" that opponents say will undermine Tbilisi's longstanding European aspirations, in Tbilisi on April 18, 2024.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-2147905187.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Europe Is Ready to Play Hardball With Georgia
The EU is willing to put Georgia's candidate status at stake in response to its “foreign agents” law.
![Lithuanian pianist Darius Mazintas plays music by Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov, on Mount Kremyanets in Izyum, Kharkiv region.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ukraine-music-GettyImages-1245599174.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
How Foreign Policy Shapes Music Around the World
From the United States to Ukraine, music has influenced—and been influenced by—international politics.
![A photo collage of historic black-and-white images of Soviet leaders: Nikita Khrushchev, Leonid Brezhnev, and Mikhail Gorbachev, are toward the front, and a larger cutout of Joseph Stalin looms over them in the background. Behind that is a textured red background with the yellow hammer and sickle symbol of the Soviet Union.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/0-Khrushchev-Brezhnev-Gorbachev-soviet-prestige-cold-war-russia.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Putting the Cold War on the Couch
A new psychological analysis of Soviet leaders fundamentally alters 20th-century global history.
![American singer Beyoncé performs onstage at an arena in Sweden, surrounded by background dancers. Beyoncé wears large earrings and a short dress and elaborate jacket made out of the same holographic, silvery fabric. Two backup dancers kneel in bridge poses, and Beyoncé sits on top of them with her microphone as she looks out at the audience with a small smile.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/beyonce-economics-tooze-GettyImages-1488956114.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
How the Beyoncé Bump Affected Sweden
In some markets, the megastar creates her own economic climate system.
![Ukrainian servicemen fire artillery during an anti-drone drill in Chernigiv oblast, Ukraine, on Nov. 11, 2023.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ukraine-war-biden-GettyImages-1782806302-e1715931865917.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Biden’s Catch-22 in Ukraine
Washington’s backing for Kyiv and avoidance of risk are increasingly at odds.
![Italy's Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni welcomes President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen before the Italy-Africa international conference 'A bridge for common growth’ at the Italian Senate in Rome on January 29, 2024.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-1962710376.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Giorgia Meloni Is Europe’s New Kingmaker
Italy’s far-right prime minister has quickly gone from fringe player to EU power broker.
![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.
![A man stands among debris in front of a residential building damaged as a result of a missile attack in Kharkiv.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-1947628495.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Russia Advances on Kharkiv as Ukraine Struggles to Fight Back
Moscow is exploiting Biden’s restrictive rules on U.S. weapons use to make gains, Ukrainian officials say.
![A 23-kiloton nuclear test explosion is seen at the Nevada Test Site near Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 18 1953.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/nuclear-threat-russia-GettyImages-615303604.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Changing Nuclear Mind Game
Russia’s nuclear threats to reach conventional goals in Ukraine mark a new era of brinkmanship.
![A small crowd is silhouetted against a giant blue screen with global gridlines that displays the Gasprom logo.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Nordstream-globalization-russia-europe-gazprom-GettyImages-1235746762.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Gazprom’s Declining Fortunes Spell Trouble for Moscow
The gas giant’s record loss should worry the Kremlin on several fronts.
![A man is seen from his profile behind glass, speaking into a microphone and holding a piece of paper.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Kazakhstan-trial-russia-domestic-violence-AP24127328424244.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Kazakh Murder Trial That Captivated Russia
Putin’s political project rests on normalizing violence—including domestic abuse.
![Workers wearing reflective orange jackets stand on an airport tarmac and sweep a red carpet that extends from the boarding steps of the Chinese president's airplane. The pavement around the carpet is damp with puddles, and the sky overhead is gray and overcast.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/XI-EUROPE-GettyImages-2151387589.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Europeans Need to Trump-Proof China Policy
The United States is an unpredictable ally—but Beijing isn’t a better option.
![A group of American elementary school students stands outside in rows. Most of the students are dressed in winter coats and holding hands with their classmates and raising them in the air.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/US-CHILDREN-FERTILITY-GettyImages-1920697241.png?w=800?quality=80)
The United States Has a Keen Demographic Edge
Competitors of the United States face plunging birthrates and social gloom.
![A head-and-shoulders photo of a man with white hair wearing a suit and tie.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/russian-defense-minister-andrei-belousov-GettyImages-1211398166.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Who Is Russia’s New Defense Minister?
Putin’s appointment of economist Andrei Belousov suggests Moscow is digging in for the long haul.
![A young boy attends people in traditional Bavarian costumes attend a parade on July 8, 2018 in Murnau, Germany.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/GettyImages-993887672.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Europe’s Youth Are Fueling the Far Right
The continent’s radicals are increasingly attractive far beyond their traditional pool of voters.
![A woman wearing mittens, a coat, and a winter hat touches a flag with a soldier's face on it to her face. Behind her is a snowy graveyard scene with flowers and Ukrainian flags.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/1-Ukraine-widows-Alevtina-paulabronstein_widowukraine24.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Resilience of Ukraine’s War Widows
Perhaps tens of thousands of Ukrainian women have lost their partners in the conflict with Russia. They look to rebuild amid precarity and uncertainty.