Foreign Policy in Focus

Foreign Policy in Focus is a “Think Tank Without Walls” connecting the research and action of more than 600 scholars, advocates, and activists seeking to make the United States a more responsible global partner. It is a project of the Institute for Policy Studies. FPIF publishes timely commentaries on U.S. foreign policy, sharp analyses of global issues, and on-the-ground dispatches from around the world. We also are interested in pieces that explore the intersection of foreign policy and culture, and on dispatches from social movements involved in foreign policy.

Plutocracy

Why is the United States Drawn to War?

It’s the Oligarchy, Stupid: The financial kings, the bankers and billionaires

European Union

The Transatlantic Rift over Gaza’s Future

Foreign Policy in Focus

Europe wants to reduce the suffering in Gaza. The U.S. is focused on security. By Imran Khalid | ( Foreign Policy in Focus ) – The fragile ceasefire in Gaza, now in its seventh week, has done little to calm the political tempests surrounding it. What was meant to be a pause in hostilities has […]

Climate Crisis

A Path Away from Fossil Fuels already Exists, COP30 or No

Foreign Policy in Focus

Existing plans to triple renewable energy, double efficiency, and slash methane — coupled with real regulations like the EU’s — offer a way forward. By Daphne Wysham, Trina Chiemi | November 28, 2025 ( Foreign Policy in Focus ) – It appeared to be a grim déjà vu when the final gavel dropped in Belem, […]

Iraq War

Is Venezuela the New Iraq?

Foreign Policy in Focus

By Richard W. Coughlin | November 18, 2025 ( Foreign Policy in Focus ) – Iraq and Venezuela share an obvious trait: they are oil-rich states whose resource nationalism puts them at odds with U.S. geopolitical ambitions. For George W. Bush, Iraqi oil was framed within the “peak oil” panic and U.S. dependence on foreign […]

Donald Trump

Trump Shifts to Monarchy Promotion in Middle East

Foreign Policy in Focus

. By Edward Hunt ( Foreign Policy in Focus ) – The Trump administration is transforming U.S. policy toward the Middle East by promoting monarchy as the ideal form of government. While the president toys with the idea of turning the United States into a monarchy, presenting himself as the country’s king, his administration is […]

China

How China Is Turning Climate Action into Economic Strategy

Foreign Policy in Focus

If the world is to make real progress in Belém, it will need more than pledges. It will need examples. And right now, China is providing one. By Imran Khalid | ( Foreign Policy in Focus )- If global climate diplomacy feels stuck, China’s new 2035 roadmap offers a reminder that ambition and realism can […]

Israel/ Palestine

The State of Palestine Must Exist: An Interview With Gershon Baskin

Foreign Policy in Focus

By Richard McDaniel ( Foreign Policy in Focus ) – “We need to generate a whole new culture of peace within our political systems,” claims Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin. The co-founder and co-director of the Alliance for Two States, Baskin is one of the most well-known figures in the Middle East peace process, especially […]

Israel/ Palestine

Peace in Gaza Depends on Palestinians’ Right to Remain — and Return

Foreign Policy in Focus

Trump’s peace plan includes a promise not to expel any Palestinians from Gaza. Can’t that promise be kept? By David Vine | ( Foreign Policy in Focus ) – Amid some extremely cautious optimism for peace following a tenuous and incomplete ceasefire in Gaza, any hope for Gaza’s future depends significantly on a little-noticed point […]

Arab League

Can the Arab League’s Break with Hamas Shift the Course of History?

Foreign Policy in Focus

The United States must move beyond rhetoric about Hamas’s “bad faith” and offer incentives—such as aid packages or sanctions relief—to bolster moderate Palestinian voices. By Imran Khalid | ( Foreign Policy in Focus ) – In Gaza, where hunger gnaws at children and rubble buries hope, the Arab League issued a rare, unified declaration in […]