FOREIGN POLICY

MARCH 13. 2026

5 Streaming Movies to Help Understand Iran Now

Many of these filmmakers have found themselves scrutinized by government censors, leading to arrests and imprisonment.

How the Climate Won Paris’s Culture War

Plenty of issues are on the ballot in this month’s mayoral election. The city’s green transition isn’t one of them.

Can Sierra Leone Still Keep Its Mothers Alive?

What foreign aid cuts mean in practice in one African country.

What China’s Five-Year Plan Says About Its Economy

A growth target of 4.5 percent is the lowest in decades.

Trump’s Summit Offers More Deference Than Details

Leaders emerged from the “Shield of the Americas” with few policy specifics.

How the Iran War Could Usher in a New Era of Global Shiite Extremism

Degrading command and control over proxy groups could make them more dangerous and unpredictable.

Why Europe’s Approach to Defending Democracy Is Failing

Bromides about the “center holding” miss the point.

Matthew Kroenig and Trita Parsi Debate the War in Iran

Will the campaign advance U. S. interests in the region or set them back?

MARCH 12. 2026

Iran’s Strait of Hormuz Toolkit: Drones, Missiles, and Mines

A breakdown of the tools Iran has to maintain pressure on Trump.

Iran’s New Supreme Leader Vows to Continue Blocking the Strait of Hormuz

Tehran escalates Gulf strikes and warns of future attacks on U. S. bases in the region.

Trump’s Last-Gasp Foreign Policy

Ill-considered overreach in Iran and elsewhere signals imminent decline.

Trump’s Efforts to Defuse the Oil Spike Aren’t Working

Big reserve releases, promises of escorts, and insurance can’t convince the market that the crisis will be over soon.

A Film of Unimaginable Horror and Unrelenting Humanity

‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ is an indictment of the international system that has failed Gaza.

How to Be a Pacific Power

Washington has yet to recognize that mobility is an essential part of regional security.