FOREIGN POLICY

TODAY

Iran’s Survival Is Not Victory

Tehran’s latest rhetoric is reframing its abdication as a self-respecting state.

Iran Has All the Hallmarks of a Forever War

There is a way out of this mess—but not right away.

ASEAN’s Angry Summit

Frustration bubbles with the United States ahead of the leaders’ gathering in Cebu.

YESTERDAY

The Unlikely Alliance That Toppled Romania’s Government

Leftist and hard-right lawmakers passed a no-confidence motion ousting Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan.

Britain Leaves Two-Party Politics Behind

Local elections this week will lay bare growing fragmentation across the United Kingdom.

The New Critical Minerals Map

Fears of Chinese and U. S. trade retaliation have spawned deals that exclude both powers.

Trump’s Gaza Impasse

Experts say Hamas has few incentives to disarm.

North Korea’s Strongwoman-in-Waiting

Kim Jong Un is orchestrating his daughter’s ascent through a campaign of maternal statecraft.

Russia’s African Recruitment Web Is Expanding

Deceptive job schemes and transnational networks are pulling Kenyans into Moscow’s war.

Trump’s Southeast Asia Trade Deals Are in Limbo

Malaysia becomes the first country to cancel its tariff deal with the White House.

MAY 4. 2026

Introducing ‘Project Freedom’

Trump’s latest gambit to reopen the Strait of Hormuz has inflamed the fragile cease-fire with Iran.

U. S. War in Iran Leaves Ukraine’s Air Defense in Limbo

Ukraine and its partners are holding their breath to see what’s next for Patriot air defense missile deliveries.

Mali Is the Key to Understanding Africa’s Trajectory

The West ignores the warning signs in the Sahel at its own peril.

When Rumors of a Drinking Problem Sunk a Cabinet Nomination

The so-called Tower fiasco took place in a very different Washington to today.