"Boxing the compass" is an old nautical term for locating the points on a magnetic compass in order to set a course. With the erratic winds blowing out of Washington these days, countries all over Asia and the Middle East are boxing the compass and re-evaluating...
Nine months after Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico, the Caribbean island faces another potentially devastating hurricane season, while much of its infrastructure and land still remain in tatters. The category-5 hurricane that ripped through the Caribbean...
It's said that you can tell a lot about people by the company they keep. And the shady characters President Trump has surrounded himself with represent a new low even by Washington standards. One thread that ties many of these people together is their deep connection...
This article is a joint publication of Foreign Policy In Focus and In These Times. Mexicans have plenty not to like about Donald Trump: his racism, his wall, his tirades against immigrants. But if there's a disruption provoked by Trump we should actually embrace, it's...
Across the globe, 2017 brought us to new lows. Yet, even as crisis after crisis shook us to the ground, they also inspired many to rise up and take to the streets and other venues of popular power. Donald Trump as president awakened millions, sparked new...
This article is a joint publication of Foreign Policy In Focus and In These Times. The last time Iranians went out onto the streets in large numbers, they were protesting what they thought was a stolen election. It was 2009, and hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had...
Each year Foreign Policy In Focus columnist Conn Hallinan gives awards to individuals, companies, and governments that make reading the news a daily adventure. Here are the awards for 2017. The Reverse WEBBY Award goes to the Colsa Corporation — a Huntsville,...
From its wars in the Middle East to its dangerous escalation with North Korea, the United States is no stranger to flouting international law. However, in no area has it shown its contempt for the rest of the world — and for common human decency, not to mention common...
As I watched coverage of Harvey's flood damage in Houston, Irma's wreckage in the Caribbean, the devastating record monsoons in South Asia, and the fresh nightmares of Hurricane Maria, I thought back to another place: Charlottesville, where racists openly rallied to...
The storm inside the Republican Party has reached Category Four. At the end of August, as Hurricane Harvey tore through Texas and Hurricane Irma was poised to devastate Florida, the hard right was experiencing its own high winds and pelting rain. On the TV show Fox...