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Pedestrians stand next to a New Year's decoration stylized as the "Kremlin Star," bearing a letter "Z," a tactical insignia of Russian troops in Ukraine, in Moscow.
Pedestrians stand next to a New Year's decoration stylized as the "Kremlin Star," bearing a letter "Z," a tactical insignia of Russian troops in Ukraine, in Moscow.

Russia Is Afraid of Western Psychic Attacks

Pseudoscience and mysticism are common among the Moscow elite.

Burmese protesters hold up pictures of detained Burmese civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Burmese protesters hold up pictures of detained Burmese civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Myanmar’s Junta Has No Limits

Harsh sanctions can cut off the dictatorship’s Russian and Chinese support.

Protesters march along a street during a rally for the victims of a deadly fire as well as a protest against China's harsh Covid-19 restrictions on Nov. 28 in Beijing.
Protesters march along a street during a rally for the victims of a deadly fire as well as a protest against China's harsh Covid-19 restrictions on Nov. 28 in Beijing.

5 Top Issues Our Columnists Are Watching in 2023

FP columnists identify key trends and events to look out for in the coming year.

A man holds a Ukrainian flag during a solidarity demonstration in Chicago.
A man holds a Ukrainian flag during a solidarity demonstration in Chicago.
Ukrainian soldiers fire toward Russian positions in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian soldiers fire toward Russian positions in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

10 Conflicts to Watch in 2023

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is still reverberating around the world—and setting the stage for more large-scale violence to come.

1-lead-lucie-wimetz-election-2023-finland-estonia-poland-pakistan-turkey-nigeria
1-lead-lucie-wimetz-election-2023-finland-estonia-poland-pakistan-turkey-nigeria

Elections to Watch in 2023

From Pakistan to Poland, here are this year’s biggest presidential and parliamentary races.

Volunteers label a shipment of humanitarian aid to be sent to Afghanistan at Bahrain International Airport on Muharraq Island on Sept. 4, 2021.
Volunteers label a shipment of humanitarian aid to be sent to Afghanistan at Bahrain International Airport on Muharraq Island on Sept. 4, 2021.

The Taliban Are Abusing Western Aid

Misogyny gets headlines. The pillaging of international aid money goes unnoticed.

Ukrainian soldiers ride a tank in an undisclosed location in eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian soldiers ride a tank in an undisclosed location in eastern Ukraine.

Peace May Be a Long Way Off in Ukraine in 2023

Both sides believe they can win on the battlefield.

Patients with COVID-19 lie in beds at Tangshan Gongren Hospital in China's northeastern city of Tangshan.
Patients with COVID-19 lie in beds at Tangshan Gongren Hospital in China's northeastern city of Tangshan.

The Chinese Public Doesn’t Know Who to Trust Anymore

Amid rampant COVID outbreaks, people are confused and scared.

A black-and-white-photo of soldiers running off of boats with guns.
A black-and-white-photo of soldiers running off of boats with guns.

It’s Time for South Korea to Acknowledge Its Atrocities in Vietnam

Seoul and Hanoi can no longer ignore a fraught part of their history.

A military propaganda image appears on a giant screen in Beijing on May 18, 2021.
A military propaganda image appears on a giant screen in Beijing on May 18, 2021.

5 Ways the U.S.-China Cold War Will Be Different From the Last One

Guardrails and statesmanship will be even more important this time around.

A picture of China's President Xi Jinping with a face mask is displayed as people visit an exhibition about China's fight against Covid in Wuhan on Jan. 15, 2021.
A picture of China's President Xi Jinping with a face mask is displayed as people visit an exhibition about China's fight against Covid in Wuhan on Jan. 15, 2021.

China’s Government Is a Self-Made COVID-19 Victim

The country’s pandemic experience should be remembered as a political, not a public health, catastrophe.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz briefs the press on Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the German Chancellery in Berlin on Feb. 24.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz briefs the press on Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the German Chancellery in Berlin on Feb. 24.

Why Germany Has Learned the Wrong Lessons From History

On Russia and Ukraine, Germans remain wedded to historical and geopolitical delusions.

A helmsman stands in the wheelhouse of a tugboat in the seaport of the city of Berdyansk, Ukraine.
A helmsman stands in the wheelhouse of a tugboat in the seaport of the city of Berdyansk, Ukraine.

Foreign Seafarers Are Stranded in Ukraine for Christmas

Sailors have been trapped on commercial ships by the war for nearly a year.

People hold protest signs and flags standing behind a barricade at night.
People hold protest signs and flags standing behind a barricade at night.

The West Must Act to Avert War in Nagorno-Karabakh

Without a strong-handed referee, Azerbaijan has increasingly moved to resolve its issues by force.

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A Panzerhaubitze 2000 tank howitzer fires during a mission in Ukraine’s Donetsk region in July 2022. Julia Kochetova photo
A Panzerhaubitze 2000 tank howitzer fires during a mission in Ukraine’s Donetsk region in July 2022. Julia Kochetova photo

Lessons for the Next War

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Remember the adage that generals always fight the last war? Of late, we at FP have been wondering: What can Russia’s war in Ukraine teach the world going forward? What have we learned so f...Show more

Afghan internally displaced refugee men stand in a queue to identify themselves and get cash as they return home to the east, at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camp in the outskirts of Kabul on July 28, 2022. - Hundreds of internally displaced Afghans who had taken refuge in the capital left for their homes in the country's eastern provinces Thursday, almost a year after the war that forced them to flee ended. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP) (Photo by WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images)
Afghan internally displaced refugee men stand in a queue to identify themselves and get cash as they return home to the east, at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camp in the outskirts of Kabul on July 28, 2022. - Hundreds of internally displaced Afghans who had taken refuge in the capital left for their homes in the country's eastern provinces Thursday, almost a year after the war that forced them to flee ended. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP) (Photo by WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images)

David Miliband’s job is to anticipate and respond to the world’s worst crises, so his organization—the International Rescue Committee—can figure out how to help people rebuild their ...Show more

StephenWaltPart2-FPLive-site-3-2 – 1
StephenWaltPart2-FPLive-site-3-2 – 1

Geopolitics dominated the world in 2022, with Russia’s war in Ukraine and competition between the United States and China impacting everything from energy to food to semiconductors. What t...Show more