FOREIGN POLICY

MAY 18. 2026

What Happened When Trump Met Xi

Historian Rana Mitter on the new balance of power between Washington and Beijing.

G-7 Finance Ministers Discuss Economic Fallout of Iran War

Rising oil prices and growing bond market volatility have raised fears of a global recession.

Iran Is Winning the Vibe War

Disinformation experts need a new framework in the era of AI slop.

Ukraine Has a New War Strategy—and It’s Working

A year ago, the Ukrainian government decided to take the fight directly to Russia. It hasn’t looked back since.

Iran Could Be Trump’s Greatest Failure

A lot of things have gone horribly wrong—and it’s not over yet.

The Gulf’s African Aftershocks

How the Iran war is deepening proxy conflicts around the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa.

How California Politics Set the National Tone

Ronald Reagan honed his right-wing conservatism in the Golden State.

There Is a Solution to the Global Health Care Crisis

Cuts in foreign aid have been devastating. Countries have a window to step in and craft plans for success.

MAY 15. 2026

CIA Director Ratcliffe’s Trip to Havana

The United States is offering to turn Cuba’s lights back on—for a price.

A ‘Lord of the Flies’ for Our Time

This is the perfect project for the creator of ‘Adolescence. ’

The 156,000 and the 1.4 Billion

What Curaçao figured out about World Cup soccer that India still hasn’t.

War Is an International Crime. Why Does It Go Unpunished?

A sweeping legal history reveals how the international community failed to live up to the promises of Nuremberg.

I Was the Russian Commander in a War Game. This Is How I Defeated NATO.

Decision paralysis and divisions among alliance members were easy to exploit.

The Trump-Xi Summit Was Remarkably Banal

A more confident China is happy to downplay presidential visits.