![Africa and the Middle East](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Africa-Middle-East-foreign-policy-regional-landing-page_smaller.png)
Middle East & Africa
List of Middle East & Africa articles
![A small armed drone is seen on the ground between the feet of a soldier.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/fpv-drone-ukraine-GettyImages-2153001703.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Suicide Drones Are Killing Civilians From Syria to Ukraine
Cheap tech has made targeting noncombatants an effective terror tactic.
![Soldiers with the Israel Defense Forces stand near a military vehicle on March 4, 2024 in southern Israel near the border with Gaza.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/GettyImages-2050680103.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
A Cease-Fire in Gaza Wouldn’t End Israel’s Wars
The region’s most bitter conflicts aren’t all linked to one another.
![Children, including refugees from Sudan, are screened for signs of malnutrition inside the Médecins Sans Frontières clinic at the refugee transit camp on April 25, 2024 in Adre, Chad.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/famine-starvation-sudan-GettyImages-2150182270.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Starvation Threatens Sudan
The war has left 25 million people hungry, and 2 million of them could die before the end of the year.
![A soldier in combat gear and a helmet, holding a rifle, is seen in the foreground. Beyond him, two women and two children are seen framed by a doorway set into a stone wall, peering out at the soldier.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/france-mali-conflict-foreign-influence-GettyImages-1237133791.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
How Foreign Intervention Failed Mali
Rival geopolitical actors have only made the country more dangerous.
![U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrive for a meeting in Washington on July 25.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/netanyahu-harris-2-GettyImages-2162820754.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
If Harris Believes in International Law, She Needs to Show It
Talking about a “rules-based order” won’t overcome Washington’s hypocrisy problem.
![Pro-Palestinian supporter hold a flag in the foreground while Jewish students in the background hold sings reading "Bring them home now" and "Let us grieve." Police are shown to the side of the group.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/gaza-columbia-college-protest-palestine-israel-2024-09-03T154140Z_826154584_RC23T9AGSEXP_RTRMADP_3_ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-USA-PROTESTS-COLUMBIA.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
IR Faculty Weigh In on Campus Protests
A new poll shows that scholars disapprove of Israeli action in Gaza, but they are divided over university divestment and student activism.
![Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sits and an outdoor event.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/1-Abiy-Ahmed-Ethiopia-GettyImages-1233341147.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Many Faces of Abiy Ahmed
Ethiopia’s leader is both messianic and Machiavellian—and his reputation as a Nobel-winning peacemaker has been tainted by the brutal Tigray war.
![U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office at the White House on July 25, 2024 in Washington, DC.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/GettyImages-2162794397.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The White House’s Puzzling Optimism Over Prospects for Gaza Cease-Fire Deal
The Biden administration has been saying for months that the Gaza cease-fire deal is almost done.
![Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir speaks to the press as he joins Jewish nationalists, including far-right activists, rallying at Jerusalem's Damascus Gate.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/GettyImages-2155592084.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
How Did a Minority of Israelis Come to Wield So Much Power?
Just 1 in 10 voters support the far right, which shapes key policies.
![A worker stands in front of a section of a cross-border gas pipeline, in Chabahar, Iran.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/pakistan-iran-pipeline-gas-GettyImages-163505560.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Iran Puts Pakistan on Notice
Tehran wants Islamabad to hold up its end of the deal on a much-delayed gas pipeline—but it doesn’t seem likely.
![A Togolese soldier holding a machine gun keeps watch near the northern Togo border post with Burkina Faso, on Feb. 17, 2020.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/togo-soldier-GettyImages-1214277661.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Islamist Extremists Are a Threat to Ghana, Togo, and Benin
Jihadi groups once confined to the Sahel are spreading south and threatening all of coastal West Africa.
![Protesters stand against a wall painted with a mural. They hold a large white banner with black Cyrillic lettering. One holds a cardboard sign.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1-Bulgaria-protest-detention-Abdulrahman-al-Khalidi-KYO_4323.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
A Hunger Strike in the Schengen Zone
On the edge of Europe, a Saudi human rights activist is detained as a threat to national security.
![China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivers a speech at the ministerial conference of the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing, on Sept. 3.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/china-africa-summit-2024-GettyImages-2169404282.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What to Expect From the China-Africa Summit
Leaders from across the continent gather in Beijing, seeking loans and financing deals.
![A woman walks with a Lebanese national flag tucked into her pocket past a broken window amid protests against dire economic conditions in Beirut.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/lebanon-economy-hezbollah-GettyImages-1176552587.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why Hezbollah Is Rich and Lebanon Is Poor
The country’s economy is in free fall, but the group is thriving.
![Four men, three with prosthetic legs, wear bike helmets and t-shirts as they stand in a parking lot, gathered around a bicycle held up by the man second from the right. The sky above is a dim, dark blue; it seems to be either dawn or dusk.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Gaza-Sunbirds-Paralympics-bid-Jonathan-Rashad-01.-DSC08992-0.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Meet the Para-Cyclists Riding for Gaza
The Sunbirds’ story began with tragedy but has evolved into one of resilience.
![A woman at a rally wipes at her eyes behind a pair of sunglasses while holding up a poster at a rally. The poster reads "Bring Hersh home," Hersh being the name of her son.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-2168213039.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
A Way Forward in the Israeli Hostage Crisis
Netanyahu is an obstacle, but Biden has an alternative.
![A UNRWA employee provides polio vaccine and rotavirus vaccines for children in a clinic in Bureij refugee camp in the Gaza Strip on Sept. 9, 2020.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/gaza-polio-2.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Gaza’s Polio Outbreak Won’t Spare Israelis
The country’s unvaccinated ultra-Orthodox population is at risk of contracting the disease, unless Netanyahu agrees to a prolonged cease-fire to allow mass vaccination.
![Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House in Washington on July 25, 2024.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-2163690095-1.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
America Is More Desperate for a Cease-Fire Than Israel and Hamas
How the U.S. election calendar is affecting the Middle East peace talks.
![Sudanese refugees and South Sudanese returnees who have fled from the war in Sudan carry their belongings while arriving at a Transit Centre for refugees in Renk, on Feb. 14.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/sudan-refugees-GettyImages-2016309945.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
To End Sudan’s War, Pressure the UAE
Abu Dhabi is prolonging the war by arming the brutal rebels of the Rapid Support Forces. The international community must stop giving it a pass.
![Libyan security forces stand guard during a handover ceremony in Tripoli on Aug. 26.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/libya-tripoli-security-GettyImages-2167905178.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Libya Power Struggle Spikes Oil Prices
An attempt to replace the central bank governor led to a shutdown of eastern Libyan oil fields.
![Palestinians ride past buildings leveled in previous Israeli military bombardments in northern Gaza on July 29.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-2163792148-e1724780658121.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Salam Fayyad on the ‘Day After’ in Gaza
The former Palestinian Authority prime minister has a plan he thinks could lead to peace—but it’s a political nonstarter.
![(From L to R) President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of China Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pose for a BRICS family photo at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Aug. 23, 2023.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/brics-2023-lula-xi-modi-ramaphosa-GettyImages-1618648398.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Young and the Westless
New centers of power are emerging as a new generation in the global south looks beyond Washington and former European colonizers.
![A large crowd of people reach out with hands extended for food. A hand reaches out from behind the camera, holding some food wrapped in brown paper.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1-india-poverty-world-bank-GettyImages-1247392027.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The World Bank Is Failing and Needs a Restart
Global poverty and income divergence are set to rise again—a brutal indictment of the institution’s work.
![U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris arrives to speak and accept the Democratic presidential nomination during the final day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, on Aug. 22.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Harris-DNC-GettyImages-2167983325.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What Harris’s DNC Speech Reveals About Her Foreign Policy
An FP Live discussion with Anne-Marie Slaughter and Matt Duss.
![Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather outside of the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, on Aug. 11.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/dearborn-palestine-protest-harris-GettyImages-2165899627.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Democrats’ Gaza Policy Is Repelling Arab American Voters
The Uncommitted Movement is putting pressure on Kamala Harris in key swing states, including Michigan.
![Former U.S. President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, delivers remarks on crime and safety at the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office in Howell, Michigan, on Aug. 20. U.S. agencies on Monday officially blamed Iran for the recent hack-and-leak operation against Trump’s campaign.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-2166909692.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why Everyone’s Suddenly Talking About Iranian Election Hacking
America’s Middle Eastern adversary is occupying an arena typically dominated by Russia and China.
![Students wave a Somali flag during a demonstration in support of Somalia's government following the port deal signed between Ethiopia and the breakaway region of Somaliland at Eng Yariisow Stadium in Mogadishu on Jan. 3.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/somalia-ethiopia-somaliland-port-GettyImages-1896856653.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Turkey Tries Diplomacy in Ethiopia-Somalia Dispute
A dispute over a port in Somaliland has raised tensions in the Horn of Africa.
![United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres shakes hands with former U.S. Vice President and climate campaigner Al Gore during the COP27 climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Nov. 9, 2022.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/climate-un-cop-GettyImages-1244630317-e1723804852964.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Aid and Climate Policies Are a World of ‘Let’s Pretend’
Aid to Africa and the climate conference circuit are fundamentally flawed, requiring an overhaul of the international institutions’ missions.
![Smoke billows as an Egyptian farmer burns hay stubbles in Qaliubia, some 40 kilometers north of Cairo on Oct. 23, 2006.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-154143741.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Climate Change Is Making the Middle East Uninhabitable
It’s been a brutal summer for the region—and the effects are spreading to the rest of the world.
![A man rides his moped past a billboard bearing portraits of slain leaders, Ismail Haniyeh of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, Iranian Quds Force chief Qasem Soleimani, and Hezbollah senior commander Fuad Shukr on the main road near the Beirut International Airport on August 3, 2024.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-2164603926.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Can Israel Really Deter Hezbollah?
Even in far-reaching scenarios, Lebanon won’t easily turn on Shia militia.
![Ukrainian servicemen operate an armored military vehicle in the Sumy region, near the border with Russia, on Aug. 12.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ukraine-kursk-russia-incursion-GettyImages-2165990037.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Will Ukraine’s Kursk Offensive Turn the Tide?
Kyiv’s risky incursion could be game-changing—or allow Russia to entrench its gains in Donetsk.
![Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a state memorial ceremony for his late predecessor Golda Meir at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem on November 18, 2018.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-1063171222.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Dangerous Decline in Israeli Strategy
For decades, the Zionist project has been getting worse at defending itself.
![Three figures run through a cloud of tear gas on a city street.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/kenya-tear-gas-GettyImages-2165351120.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Kenyan Protests See Journalists in the Firing Line
A key ally of the United States is cracking down on press freedoms.
![Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks alongside U.S. President Joe Biden during a Ukraine Compact initiative on the sidelines of the NATO Summit at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., on July 11.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-2161013895.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Washington Is Out of Sync With Its Wartime Allies
The White House has been kept out of the loop on several major wartime decisions by Israel and Ukraine.
![The sihouette of Palestinian children overlook a camp for displaced people in Rafah.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1-gazans-egypt-cairo-refugess-GettyImages-2150046627.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
How 100,000 Palestinians Are Surviving in Egypt Without Refugee Status
Even after buying their way out of Gaza, Palestinians remain vulnerable.
![A Ukrainian military vehicle drives past a destroyed border checkpoint amid Ukraine’s surprise incursion into Russia, in the Sumy region, Ukraine, on Aug. 14.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/kursk-russia-ukraine-GettyImages-2166134910-e1723710742195.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Geopolitical Opportunity of Ukraine’s Kursk Offensive
The incursion shows Washington the way to a smarter pivot to Asia.
![U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris waits to speak at a campaign rally in Wayne, Mich., on Aug. 8.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/kamala-harris-GettyImages-2165925544.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
IR Experts Back Kamala Harris
A new poll reveals significant support for the presumptive Democratic nominee—and trust that she could handle an international crisis.
![Israeli soldiers gather during a protest in the town of Beita in the occupied West Bank on July 26.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Israel-West-Bank-occupation-GettyImages-2163003960.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why the U.S. Must Lead Sanctions on Israel’s Illegal Occupation
No multilateral sanctions campaign will be effective unless it is backed by the power of the dollar, which dominates global trade and banking.
![Soldiers from China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia pose for a photo before an exhibition celebrating late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Feb. 14, 2019.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/china-russia-iran-north-korea-GettyImages-1124882625.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The ‘Axis of Evil’ Is Overhyped
The United States’ biggest adversaries are far from a unified threat.
![Brahim Ghali, President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SARD) and Secretary-General of the Polisario front, salutes the flag of the SARD ahead of a Polisario congress at the refugee camp of Dakhla, which lies some 100 miles southeast of the Algerian city of Tindouf, on Jan. 13, 2023.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/france-western-sahara-GettyImages-1246206455.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
France-Algeria Tensions Mount over Western Sahara
Paris’s endorsement of a Moroccan plan that enshrines Moroccan sovereignty is angering Algiers.
![A man clears rubble from a building hit during Israeli bombardment in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-2165920167.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Existential Fears Driving Israel’s Aggressive Military Action
Israelis believed their country’s survival was no longer in question. Not anymore.
![The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln transits the Strait of Hormuz as an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter lifts off from the flight deck on Nov. 19, 2019.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-1183449975.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
America’s Middle East Defense Rests on Aircraft Carriers
They have big guns, fighter jets, and are hard to kill—with Iran’s weapons, at least.
![An Israeli checkpoint near the town of Beita in the West Bank.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/israel-west-bank-icj-GettyImages-2164867572.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
ICJ Opinion on Israeli Settlements, Explained
The top court’s historic declaration is a major boon to the Palestinian solidarity movement.
![A crowd of people are seen from behind, dimly lit, as they watch a speech from a Hezbollah leader delivered via a large screen. The nearest spectator holds a fist in the air toward the bearded man onscreen, who speaks in front of a bright red background.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-2165571331.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Does Israel’s Conflict with Hezbollah Have an Endgame?
The group would remain a threat to Israel even after a war.
![Community volunteers help clean up windows in Peter Anuforo's home, smashed by far-right rioters, as he looks on.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/UK-RIOTS-NIGERIANS-GettyImages-2165337953.png?w=800?quality=80)
U.K. Race Riots Leave Nigerians Living in Fear
Traumatized families hoped they’d left political violence behind.
![Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) greets U.S. President Joe Biden on his arrival at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/netanyahu-biden-embrace-GettyImages-1730514030.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The State Department’s Gaza Policy Has Failed
Two former U.S. officials on how Harris can repair Washington’s image in the Middle East.
![Then-Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu arrives to attend the meeting of Russia’s and Iran’s presidents at the Kremlin in Moscow on Dec. 7, 2023.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-1831341638.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Kremlin Plays Mideast Crisis Broker
Russia doesn’t want Iran to escalate. But it’s also giving Tehran weapons.
![Iranians wave national flags and hold photos of slain Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-2164105684-e1723144976814.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What Iran Might Do Next
As the Middle East braces for further escalation, what are Tehran’s options?
![A May 6, 2020 photo shows Malawi's president, Lazarus Chakwera (L), and his running mate, Saulos Klaus Chilima (R). Chilima dies in a plane crash in June 2024.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/chakwera-chilima-malawi-GettyImages-1211920686.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Is Malawi’s Government Serious About Fighting Corruption?
The sudden death of the country’s vice president soon after charges against him were dropped has called into question the country’s commitment to fighting graft.
![Iranians burn an Israeli flag during the funeral ceremony of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, on Aug. 1.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/israel-iran-flag-burn-haniyeh-GettyImages-2164764402-1.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The U.S. Can Do More to Prevent an Israel-Iran War
Genuine pressure on Israel and Hamas to enact a Gaza cease-fire could dial down tensions across the region.
![Demonstrators gather during the End Bad Governance protest in Lagos, Nigeria on Aug. 1.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/nigeria-protests-GettyImages-2164107758.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Nationwide Protests Rattle Nigeria
A year into Bola Tinubu’s presidency, Nigerians are furious with his economic reforms.
![A new oil export terminal being built as part of China's Belt and Roads Initiative is shown nearing completion in Mombasa, Kenya, on Jan. 6, 2022.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/china-oil-africa-investment-GettyImages-1237565887-e1722967167120.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Washington Needs to Up Its Power Game
The United States needs better tools to bolster global energy security.
![Families and supporters of Israeli hostages held by Hamas protest at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. One holds a sign reading, "Hostage deal now."](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-2162312611.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Israel’s Chances of Getting Hostages Back Are Fading
Most Israelis want a deal, including the generals. Not Netanyahu.
![An Iranian woman holds a poster displaying Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and other figures whose deaths have been blamed on Israel, during a funeral procession for Haniyeh in Tehran on August 1.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/haniyeh-assassination-GettyImages-2164110596-e1722885208591.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Iranian Intelligence Failure Behind the Haniyeh Assassination
Israel’s ability to strike at the heart of the regime will lead to purges and paranoia.
![The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier (left) transits the Strait of Hormuz alongside the USS Farragut and the U.K. Royal Navy's HMS Defender.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GettyImages-1183449974.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Already Stretched U.S. Military Prepares to Defend Israel
“We are not building a military that can handle three theaters simultaneously,” one expert said.
![U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (R) meets with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (L) at the Pentagon in Washington on June 25.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/israel-iran-war-austin-gallant-GettyImages-2158625174.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why Americans and Israelis Don’t See Eye to Eye on Iran
The lack of a formal security pact with the United States encourages Israel to gamble and risk escalation.
![An Israeli Air Force fighter jet flies over the border area of northern Israel with south Lebanon amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Israel-War-risks-Iran-Hezbollah-Hamas-GettyImages-2160451564.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
High-Profile Assassinations Push Iran and Israel to the Brink of War
A tense showdown risks spiraling out of control.
![Iranians attend a funeral ceremony held for Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh on Aug. 1 in Tehran.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/haniyeh-funeral-GettyImages-2164754940.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Is Israel Making Itself Safer?
An assassination in Tehran could restore deterrence—or escalate into a deadly regional war.
![Soldiers of a Russian military convoy and their U.S. counterparts exchange greetings near a town in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province, close to the border with Turkey, on Oct. 8, 2022.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Russia-Syria-Iran-GettyImages-1243811709.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why the West Shouldn’t Celebrate Russia’s Withdrawal From Syria
Increased Iranian and Hezbollah presence in Syria poses new challenges for all players—including Israel and the U.S.
![People hold up a Palestinian flag and a portrait of assassinated Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh during a rally in Tehran.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/IRAN-ISRAEL-PALESTINE-GettyImages-2163987711.png?w=800?quality=80)
Will Iran’s ‘Axis of Resistance’ Hold Together?
Uneasy alliances are being tested by Israeli strikes.
![A vote sign is seen in a polling location as voters check in to cast ballots in Atlanta, Georgia on May 21.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Foreign-interference-US-elections-2024-Russia-Iran-GettyImages-2153450834.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Foreign Interference in U.S. Election Heats Up
Russia and Iran aim to sow discord in the 2024 presidential race, officials warn.
![A billboard shows a picture of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/haniyeh-tehran-GettyImages-2164665687.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Could Iranians Have Been Involved in Haniyeh’s Killing?
The assassination of the Hamas political leader points to public dissatisfaction with the regime in Tehran.
![Hezbollah members attend the funerals of fellow fighters in Aita al-Chaab, Lebanon.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/HEZBOLLAH-ISRAEL-WAR-GettyImages-2159834635.png?w=800?quality=80)
A Hezbollah War Would Be Israel’s Biggest Challenge in Decades
The militant group is experienced, well-armed, and prepared.
![A child in winter clothes with a red hat walks toward the camera in the foreground as other children are seen crossing a dusty road in the distance in front of a large pile of phosphates that look like a hill of dirt.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/1-Tunisia-phosphate-mining-daniela-sala-photo-1-19_Tunisia-Phosphates_NDS_0521-1.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Dark Side of Tunisia’s Phosphate Boom
As Kais Saied’s government tries to capitalize on demand for a critical mineral, the country’s environment and Gafsa Valley residents are suffering.
![Smoke billows from a site targeted by the Israeli military in the southern Lebanese border village of Kafr Kila on July 29.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/israel-lebanon-border-hezbollah-GettyImages-2163744663.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Road to Israel-Hezbollah Peace Runs Through Gaza
The risk of full-scale war in Israel’s north could be vastly reduced by a cease-fire in the south.
![Portraits of children killed in a rocket attack on the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, an attack attributed to Hezbollah, are hung up in Majdal Shams on July 29.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Majdal-Shams.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Israel Weighs Response to Deadly Hezbollah Strike
Experts fear this could be the “nightmare scenario” that leads to all-out war as world leaders work to limit escalation.
![This photo released by the official SANA news agency shows Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (R) greeting Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Damascus on Dec. 6, 2006.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2006-erdogan-assad-GettyImages-925845202.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why Is Turkey Cozying Up to Syria?
After more than a decade of trying to overthrow the Assad regime, Erdogan is now trying to normalize ties.
![A collage illustration shows Kamala Harris atop a world map with arrows pointing in various directions.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Kamala-Harris-foreign-policy-doctrine-Mark-Harris-illustration.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Kamala Harris Doctrine
Everything we know about the Democratic nominee’s foreign-policy views.
![Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint meeting of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-2163505945.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
What Netanyahu Got From His Speech in Congress
The Israeli leader defended the war in Gaza, but his visit was overshadowed by U.S. politics.
![U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris delivers a speech while standing behind a podium at an Israeli Embassy event in Washington, D.C. The seal of the United States is affixed to the podium, and an Israeli flag hangs behind Harris.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-1258491950.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Harris Candidacy Gives Democrats a Chance to Pivot on Gaza
What she can do to right U.S. foreign policy and bring back voters.
![A U.N. armored vehicle drives along the Beni-Kasindi road, stronghold of the ADF (Allied Democratic Forces, an armed group originally from Uganda that pledged allegiance to ISIS in 2019 and operates in eastern DRC), on May 9 in Beni territory, North Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/congo-un-peacekeeping-GettyImages-2153762977.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Will Conflict in Congo Spread?
The country’s neighbors have a history of violent meddling. Other African leaders may need to step up to keep the peace.
![U.S. President Joe Biden sits with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the start of an Israeli war cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv on Oct. 18.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Israel-Democrats-Netanyahu-Gaza-war-Harris-Biden-GettyImages-1731162446.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Netanyahu Speech Sharpens Democrats’ Israel Divide
Some Democratic lawmakers plan to boycott the Israeli leader’s address to Congress.
![Mahmoud Aloul of Fatah, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and Moussa Abu Marzouk of Hamas attend an event at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Beijing-palestine-agreement-GettyImages-2162472273.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
China Tries to Play Power Broker Among Palestinians
But experts say the Hamas-Fatah unity agreement Beijing brokered is unlikely to succeed.
![Iranian President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian smiles as he visit the Khomeini shrine in Tehran.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/iran-nuclear-GettyImages-2160380249.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The U.S. Should Negotiate With Iran on One Issue Right Now
Revisiting the nuclear deal is unlikely before November, but Washington and Iran’s new president must seek to defuse Israel-Hezbollah tensions.
![Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a press conference in Tel Aviv on July 13.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/netanyahu-address-GettyImages-2161307300.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Netanyahu’s Address to Congress Is a Campaign Rally
Republicans want to help him out—but Democratic lawmakers don’t need to provide the crowd.
![Sudanese refugees walk along a dirt path next to a metal fence topped with barbed wire beneath hazy clouds against a blue sky. Many carry belongings with them, including a woman at the front of the pack balancing a large sack on her head as she carries others in her arms. Leaning against the fence are tents and cloths draped to create shade.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Sudan-war-US-peace-talks-effort-GettyImages-2016309945.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
U.S. Works to Revamp Peace Process for War-Torn Sudan
The Biden administration is arranging high-level talks next month aimed at ending the deadly war.
![Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Defense Minister Ehud Barak gesture and smile in Tel Aviv on Nov. 26, 2012.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-156965047.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Israel Is Stuck in the Year 2000
The country’s relationship with Lebanon hasn’t moved beyond decades-old dilemmas.
![Fighters from a coalition of Islamist forces stand on a huge portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on March 29, 2015, in the Syrian city of Idlib.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-468025944.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Another Uprising Has Started in Syria
Years after the country’s civil war supposedly ended, Assad’s control is again coming apart.
![A supporter of same-sex marriage waves an LGBTQI+ pride flag in front of the U.S. Supreme Court Building in Washington on June 26, 2023.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/lgbtqi-GettyImages-1502430453.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Protecting LGBTQI+ Rights Is Good Foreign Policy
The United States has both a moral and strategic imperative to fight for equality globally.
![A woman casts her ballot during the 2024 Rwandan general elections at a polling station in Kigali, on July 15.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/rwanda-election-GettyImages-2161542493.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Paul Kagame Isn’t Going Anywhere
Rwanda’s forever president wins again in a mostly uncontested election.
![U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (2nd L) meets with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy (2nd R) on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Washington on July 10.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/lammy-nato-blinken-GettyImages-2160833301.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Britain Needs a New Middle East Policy
The new U.K. government shouldn’t only pursue a reset with Europe, it also needs to mend its ties throughout the Arab world.
![Demonstrators call for FIFA to expel Israel on May 28, 2015 in Zurich, Switzerland.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/israel-fifa-GettyImages-474943150.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
It’s Time to Sideline Israel from International Sports
A boycott of Israeli soccer could accomplish what other BDS efforts have failed to do: dent the country’s own sense of legitimacy.
![Iran's presidential election candidate and former reformist member of the Iranian parliament, Masoud Pezeshkian (R), and Former foreign minister of Iran, Mohammad Javad Zarif (L), during an electoral campaign rally in Tehran, on June 19.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/pezeshkian-zarif-GettyImages-2157818239.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Will Pezeshkian’s Win Lead to a Thaw in U.S.-Iran Relations?
Although it’s hard to imagine a new nuclear deal, a reformist administration could present some opportunities for de-escalation.
![U.S. Marine Corps recruits from Lima Company complete a 10-mile hike at Camp Pendleton, near San Diego, California, on April 22, 2021.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/recruits-us-marines-GettyImages-1232466443-e1720600128615.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Return of the Military Draft
The wars in Ukraine and Gaza show that technology cannot replace soldiers—on the contrary.
![The head of head of Niger's military government General Abdourahmane Tchiani (R) and Malian Col. Assimi Goita (L) pose for a photo as they arrive in Niamey on July 6.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/mali-niger-burkina-GettyImages-2160365945.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Sahel Military Regimes Cement Break from ECOWAS
Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger ignore calls to remain as they seek to exit the West African bloc.
![Supporters cheer as newly-elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrives at the shrine of the Islamic Republic's founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran on July 6, 2024.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-2160265831.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Iranians Voted for Change. Will They Get It?
Masoud Pezeshkian was elected on an ambitious reformist platform, but it’s not yet clear he can deliver.
![Trucks carrying Syrian refugees and their belongings prepare to leave Lebanon for Syria, in Arsal, Lebanon, on May 14.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Syrian-refugees-Lebanon-deportation-repatriation-GettyImages-2152335504.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Syrians in Lebanon Are Stuck in Limbo
Refugees have become an easy scapegoat for the country’s crisis—and face rising hostility from the government.
![Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid leaves a press conference in Kabul.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/taliban-afghanistan-spokesperson-GettyImages-2159790634.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Engaging With the Taliban Can Only Go So Far
Nearly three years since the group took over in Afghanistan, the Doha process underscores how talking comes with trade-offs.
![Afghan refugees carry their belongings after being deported back from Iran at the Islam Qala Border between Afghanistan and Iran, in the western Herat province, on May 30.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Afghan-refugees-Iran-GettyImages-2154706359.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Afghan Asylum Seekers Face Hostility in Iran
As the country heads to a presidential run-off election, its largest immigrant population has featured prominently in the debate.
![Kenyan youths carry flags during the candle light vigil in memory of dead protesters on June 30, 2024.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/kenya-protests-ruto-tax-bill-july-GettyImages-2159375301.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Can Kenya’s Ruto Survive?
After a deadly crackdown and government backtracking on legislation, young Kenyans are still taking to the streets.
![Israeli army soldiers patrol around a position along Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip on June 13.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/idf-soldiers-GettyImages-2156779335.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Who’s in Charge of the IDF?
Evidence is growing of a command and control problem.
![Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert speaks in New York.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/OlmertAbbas-GettyImages-1200176130.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Ehud Olmert on Israel’s Two-Front War and the Fall of Netanyahu
The former Israeli prime minister calls for a cease-fire in Gaza and the creation of a Palestinian state.
![A Houthi fighter guards the Galaxy Leader vessel on the Red Sea coast off Hudaydah, Yemen.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Houthis-Navy-US-GettyImages-2152899182.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Why Can’t the U.S. Navy and Its Allies Stop the Houthis?
Months of intense Western naval operations have failed to secure the Red Sea.
![Iranian women arrive to cast their votes at a polling station during the presidential election in Tehran on June 28.](https://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.
![Protesters are arrested by the riot police during a demonstration against a proposed finance bill on June 27 in Nairobi, Kenya.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/kenya-protests-ruto-GettyImages-2158907194.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
How Kenya’s President Broke the Social Contract
Faced with economic crisis and mass protests, Washington’s newest non-NATO ally has turned to brutal repression at home.
![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://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.
![U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. C. Q. Brown, Jr. speak during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington on April 26.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/US-military-Africa-counterterrorism-Niger-GettyImages-2150334561.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
U.S. Military Courts New Partners in Africa After Major Setbacks
Top military chief visits Africa to reassess U.S. presence.
![A group of protesters hold their arms up above their heads, crossed at the wrists, as they protest a finance law on the streets of Nairobi.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/kenya-unrest-financial-system-GettyImages-2157587094.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
The Deep Roots of Kenya’s Unrest
A tax bill sparked deadly protests. But a broken financial system has plagued the country for years.
![Supporters of reformist Iranian presidential candidate Massoud Pezeshkian lift his portraits during a rally in Tehran on June 26.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/poster-iran-election-pezeshkian-GettyImages-2158794863.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Can a Reformist President Change Iran?
Masoud Pezeshkian could win the election, but that doesn’t mean he’d have the power to change the country’s direction.
![Protesters hold banners and chant anti-government slogans in front of Kenyan police during a demonstration against tax hikes in Nairobi.](https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Kenya-protests-US-Africa-diplomacy-GettyImages-2158657140.jpg?w=800?quality=80)
Washington Fails to ‘Read the Room’ in Kenya
President Ruto is valued by the White House but much less popular at home.