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Editors' Picks

A curated selection of FP’s must-read stories.

List of Editors' Picks articles

Protesters react as a man holds up a sign demanding that U.S. soldiers leave Niger without negotiation during a demonstration in Niamey. The sign reads: "U.S. Army: You leave, you move, you vanish. No bonus, no negotiation."
Protesters react as a man holds up a sign demanding that U.S. soldiers leave Niger without negotiation during a demonstration in Niamey. The sign reads: "U.S. Army: You leave, you move, you vanish. No bonus, no negotiation."

The U.S. Military Is Getting Kicked Out of Niger

Although it’s the military’s largest presence in the Sahel, the loss is more symbolic than substantive.

People with Free Palestine posters walk past a campus gate that reads "PRESENTED BY THE CLASS OF 1929"
People with Free Palestine posters walk past a campus gate that reads "PRESENTED BY THE CLASS OF 1929"

What Columbia’s Protests Reveal About America

Some politicians have called student protesters a threat. Instead, they are providing us all with an education in democracy.

A scene from the movie Civil War.
A scene from the movie Civil War.

What a Real Civil War Would Do to the U.S. Economy

A new film focuses on politics, but the economic impact would be huge.

A man stands in the center of a busy ammunition factory packaging workfloor, surrounded by equipment and neatly stacked shells as he grabs a 155 mm howitzer shell from a set stacked vertically. The shells are high enough to come up to the man's waist. He wears a T-shirt, gloves, baseball cap, and protective goggles.
A man stands in the center of a busy ammunition factory packaging workfloor, surrounded by equipment and neatly stacked shells as he grabs a 155 mm howitzer shell from a set stacked vertically. The shells are high enough to come up to the man's waist. He wears a T-shirt, gloves, baseball cap, and protective goggles.

The U.S. Munitions Deficit Is a Political Problem

Just three U.S. states receive one-third of all defense contract awards.

Bank of Japan (BOJ) Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks during a press conference after a two-day meeting at the BOJ headquarters.
Bank of Japan (BOJ) Gov. Kazuo Ueda speaks during a press conference after a two-day meeting at the BOJ headquarters.

Japan’s Big Bet on Interest Rates May Not Pay Off

A vote of confidence in the future may be undercut by a lukewarm economy.

Then-U.S. President Barack Obama, standing with then-Vice President Joe Biden, holds a press conference about the Iran nuclear deal at the White House in Washington on July 14, 2015.
Then-U.S. President Barack Obama, standing with then-Vice President Joe Biden, holds a press conference about the Iran nuclear deal at the White House in Washington on July 14, 2015.

U.S. Fixation on Nuclear Deal Let Iran Loose on the Middle East

Washington’s shortsighted policies enabled Tehran and its proxies to destabilize the region.

Protesters speak with police during a demonstration dubbed 'Fabewoso - Bring it on' to raise awareness about the high rate of corruption in the country, in Accra on May 26, 2017.
Protesters speak with police during a demonstration dubbed 'Fabewoso - Bring it on' to raise awareness about the high rate of corruption in the country, in Accra on May 26, 2017.

What Ghana Can Learn From Taiwan

As vote-buying corrupts the country’s politics, the West African nation could learn from Taipei’s effective crackdown on the practice.

Activists wave Ukrainian flags ahead of a pivotal vote to approve new national security funding, including Ukraine aid, outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Activists wave Ukrainian flags ahead of a pivotal vote to approve new national security funding, including Ukraine aid, outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

U.S. Allies Relieved After Senate Passes Long-Delayed Aid Bill

But the fact it took so long to pass has some worried about future support.

Journalists gather at the courtyard of the Supreme Court of India in New Delhi on Oct. 17, 2023.
Journalists gather at the courtyard of the Supreme Court of India in New Delhi on Oct. 17, 2023.

India’s Courts Must Keep Their Autonomy

A recent ruling on campaign finance reflected a judicial independence that will be key to checking Modi’s power if he wins a third term.

U.S. President Joe Biden, touching his temple with his right hand, delivers remarks at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington.
U.S. President Joe Biden, touching his temple with his right hand, delivers remarks at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington.

Congressional Push for Oil Sanctions Puts Biden in a Bind

New measures to punish Iran, Venezuela, and Russia could raise crude prices and hurt Biden in an election year.

Greenpeace activists pose with placards as they stage a protest seeking to block the oil tanker "Seychelles Pioneer," reportedly carrying Russian oil, in the Port of Antwerp on April 10, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Greenpeace activists pose with placards as they stage a protest seeking to block the oil tanker "Seychelles Pioneer," reportedly carrying Russian oil, in the Port of Antwerp on April 10, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Russia’s Shadow Fleet Could Create Strange Allies

Both Greenpeace and NATO are working against off-book oil tankers.

A man walks past a banner depicting Iranian missiles along a street in Tehran on April 19.
A man walks past a banner depicting Iranian missiles along a street in Tehran on April 19.

The Iran-Israel War Is Just Getting Started

As long as the two countries remain engaged in conflict, they will trade blows—no matter what their allies counsel.

Iranian pro-government supporters shout anti-Israel slogans while waving the Palestine flag at Palestine Square in Tehran, on April 14, 2024, in a celebration of the early morning Iran's IRGC attack on Israel.
Iran fired over 100 drones and ballistic missiles on Saturday, April 14, 2024, in retaliation to an attack on a building attached to the country's consular annex in Damascus that killed seven members of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on April 01, 2024. Iran has blamed Israel for the attack on April 5, 2024 in Tehran. (Photo by Hossein Beris / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by HOSSEIN BERIS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
Iranian pro-government supporters shout anti-Israel slogans while waving the Palestine flag at Palestine Square in Tehran, on April 14, 2024, in a celebration of the early morning Iran's IRGC attack on Israel. Iran fired over 100 drones and ballistic missiles on Saturday, April 14, 2024, in retaliation to an attack on a building attached to the country's consular annex in Damascus that killed seven members of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on April 01, 2024. Iran has blamed Israel for the attack on April 5, 2024 in Tehran. (Photo by Hossein Beris / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by HOSSEIN BERIS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

The Domestic Pressures Impacting Iran and Israel

How to think about an escalating conflict in the Middle East.

Two members of the Iranian navy stand at attention as a truck carries a massive anti-U.S. billboard during a military parade in Tehran, Iran.
Two members of the Iranian navy stand at attention as a truck carries a massive anti-U.S. billboard during a military parade in Tehran, Iran.

Have Israel and the United States Done Enough to Deter Iran?

U.S. allies intercepted hundreds of Iranian drones and missiles, and then Israeli forces counterattacked in a limited strike—but the threat of regional war remains.

People gather for a picnic under a bridge in Iran's central city of Isfahan, after a reported Israeli strike in the area.
People gather for a picnic under a bridge in Iran's central city of Isfahan, after a reported Israeli strike in the area.

Iran Shrugs off Israeli Strike, Allaying Escalation Fears—for Now

Experts say the attack was designed to showcase Israel’s capabilities without further provoking Tehran.

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