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# Foreign Policy Research Institute: A nation must think before it acts.

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## Posts
- [Belarus Post-Election: Political Unrest Intensifies](https://staging.fpri.org/2020/08/belarus-post-election-political-unrest-intensifies/): In Belarus, thousands of protesters have taken to the streets following the August 9th presidential election and its disputed results. President Alexander Lukashenko says that he captured 80% of the vote, a percentage critics say is improbable based on the size of the protests. Lukashenko’s opponent, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, has left the country for neighboring Lithuania following a meeting with security officials. As Belarusians continue to decry the election outcome, police officers have beaten protesters killed at least two people, injured hundreds and arrested nearly 7,000. In this event, FPRI’s Eurasia Program Director Chris Miller will check back in with Katia Glod, an expert based in Minsk, and the former Belarus representative of the European Endowment for Democracy in Minsk.
- [Remembering Samuel J. Savitz](https://staging.fpri.org/2020/07/remembering-samuel-j-savitz/): FPRI mourns the passing of Sam Savitz on July 2, 2020. Sam, who joined our board of trustees in the mid-1980s, was one of our longest serving trustees.  He served as Vice Chairman of the Board, co-chair of the Nominating Committee, a member of our Executive Committee and Finance Committee, and as an active and engaged participant in hundreds of our public and private events.   Over those 35 years, FPRI experienced some difficult times but Sam was always there to help right the ship, making available to us his wisdom and his wit, his devotion and his decency, his good-heartedness and his gracefulness.  Some twenty years ago, we honored Sam at our Annual Dinner, designating him a Senior Fellow of FPRI. As a Philadelphia civic leader, he was active in numerous organizations, and fortunately for FPRI, he often helped foster cooperative relationships between FPRI and other major institutions, such as the National Liberty Museum, the Museum of American Jewish History, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.  When we think about all he did for us, and then multiply that by the number of other organizations he served with equal fervor, it is difficult to contemplate such a volume of good works. More important than everything else, all who came in contact with him were made to feel special; he had a gift and he was the definition of a mensch.  May his memory be a blessing. We extend our condolences to his dear, dear wife of 62 years, Selma, and to all his family.
- [Festschrift for Alan Luxenberg](https://staging.fpri.org/2020/01/festschrift-for-alan-luxenberg/): Introduction
- [We Are Losing](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/12/we-are-losing/): On December 12th, the Jamestown Foundation held the organization’s annual terrorism conference. During the first panel, a member of the audience asked can the U.S. break the stalemate in the ongoing war against salafi-jihadists, al-Qaeda (AQ), and the Islamic State (IS)? The panelist Bruce Hoffman, a renowned terrorism expert, responded with a very real but grim response that the U.S is not in stalemate but instead “we are losing.” The majority of these groups are not only operating in the Middle East and Southeast Asia but, the growing presence and increased terrorist attacks in Africa reveal the jihadists’ increased strength and proliferation. In the last year, the countries in the African Sahel experienced over 377 violent attacks and 895 fatalities due to jihadist groups. As stated by the report from the Africa Center for Strategic studies ,”the continent as a whole, reported violent events linked to militant Islamist groups over the previous 12-month period showed a marginal increase (2,919 vs. 2,767).” The rise of instability due to Islamist militant groups influenced the focus of the Trump administration to deliver a new strategy for Africa.
- [FPRI Mourns the Passing of Gerry Lenfest](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/08/fpri-mourns-gerry-lenfest/): FPRI honors the memory of Gerry Lenfest, a great Philadelphian and a great American.  May his memory be a blessing.     
- [Welcome to our New Website!](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/05/welcome-new-website/): We are proud to announce the launch of our new, redesigned website.  We hope you enjoy the updated look and feel, as well as some of our new, modernizing elements, like a brand new home page, a streamlined site navigation, better search functionality, and the addition of related articles for continued reading on important subjects.
- [Trump’s Summit Cancellation: What It Means, and Where We Go from Here](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/05/trumps-summit-cancellation-what-it-means-and-where-we-go-from-here/): From the beginning, the summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un was slated to be a strange event. What were Kim and Trump to even talk about, given how far U.S. and North Korean positions on nuclear weapons were from each other? Would Trump simply wing it through the negotiations? Overall, the historic magnitude of a sitting U.S. president meeting with a North Korean leader made it difficult to imagine precisely how it would play out and what it would lead to.
- [Winds of War? Tensions between Israel and Iran are at a Boiling Point](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/05/winds-of-war-tensions-between-israel-and-iran-are-at-a-boiling-point/): Yesterday’s exchange of missile and air attacks between Iranian forces stationed in Syria and Israel was the most violent and overt exchange so far between them in their “secret war”. In this shadowy conflict, Tehran is making strenuous efforts to consolidate its military foothold in Syria, gained by being the military savior—along with Russia and with proxy Shiite militias—of the Assad regime, into a permanent presence. The Islamic Republic also hopes to improve its strategic capabilities there, especially surface-to-surface missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, and air defense. Israel is determined to prevent such an eventuality: Since the beginning of the Syrian Civil War, it has carried out, without taking credit until the last few weeks, over one hundred airstrikes against the Hezbollah and Iranian strategic capabilities in Syria.
- [North Korea: Rethinking Assumptions](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/05/north-korea-rethinking-assumptions/): Over recent weeks, events involving North Korea have been dramatic, to say the least. In rapid succession, we have gone from Pyongyang’s surprise participation in the Winter Olympics to a highly choreographed and visually compelling meeting between the leaders of the two Koreas. This is all prelude to an imminent Summit between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump. All of this represents a sudden break in a narrative that began with the Korean War, followed by 70 years of deep hostility and hair-trigger military preparations on both sides of the DMZ, and culminating in Pyongyang’s threats to attack the US mainland.
- [North and South Korea’s Leaders Meet: Why This Time is Different and Why It Isn’t](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/04/north-and-south-koreas-leaders-meet-why-this-time-is-different-and-why-it-isnt/): The astonishing moments were too many to count during the summit on Friday, April 27 between North Korea’s Kim Jong-un and South Korea’s Moon Jae-in. Kim pulling Moon over to the northern side of the border in an unscripted move, Kim and Moon marching down the red carpet to the tune of traditional Korean music, Kim’s team of bodyguards running alongside his Mercedes Benz when he went back into the north—it’s almost impossible to pick out one moment as more astounding than other.
- [Armenia after Sargsyan’s Resignation: A New Hope?](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/04/armenia-after-sargsyans-resignation-a-new-hope/): After 11 consecutive days of peaceful protests dubbed “Merzhir Serzhin” (Reject Serzh), Armenians have finally managed to dethrone Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan. Widespread jubilation across Armenia’s cities followed the announcement of his resignation. Sargsyan’s ouster on April 23 does not mean that democracy or economic prosperity will immediately arrive for the nation in the South Caucasus. However, it does mean that there is a renewed prospect for political openness and growth.
- [Departure of Bossert Reveals “Boltonization” of National Security Council](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/04/departure-of-bossert-reveals-boltonization-of-national-security-council/): Yesterday, Thomas P. Bossert, the President’s Homeland Security Advisor, abruptly resigned from his post. It came as a surprise to homeland security observers and to Bossert himself. Speaking at the Cipher Brief’s 2018 Threat Conference in Sea Island, Georgia, Bossert gave no hint that his departure was mere hours away. What the Bossert exit represents is a rapid move by Bolton to put his own imprimatur upon the National Security Council.
- [FPRI Fellow Vanessa Neumann Quoted by Fox Business](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/04/fpri-fellow-vanessa-neumann-quoted-fox-business/): Fox Business 
- [Collective Security without an Alliance: Finland’s Defense Relationship with Sweden](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/04/collective-security-without-an-alliance-finlands-defense-relationship-with-sweden/): Recent concerns over Russian aggression have led countries all around the Baltic Sea to take their security more seriously. Poland certainly has; Sweden has, too. Those concerns have also driven Sweden closer to Finland. A country well-accustomed to the threat from Russia, Finland fought two major wars against the Soviet Union, Russia’s twentieth-century incarnation. Despite pulling off many incredible battlefield successes, Finland lost both the Winter War (1939-1940) and the Continuation War (1941-1944). And after each Finnish defeat, the Soviet Union annexed territory whose terrain could present natural obstacles to a future Russian invasion, leaving Finland in an ever more vulnerable position.
- [From Poster Child to Pariah: Poland Embraces Illiberalism](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/04/from-poster-child-to-pariah-poland-embraces-illiberalism/): Over the course of the past two years, onlookers have been confounded at the speed with which Poland, a darling of shock therapy economics and liberal institutionalization, has spiraled towards illiberal democracy. Since the 2015 parliamentary election, the country has made a dramatic political U-turn, which has hurt its diplomatic efforts and eroded goodwill as it now faces the possibility of EU sanctions.
- [Comrade Kim Goes to China, but What Does That Really Mean?](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/03/comrade-kim-goes-to-china-but-what-does-that-really-mean/): At a time when “ordinary” doesn’t seem to exist in Korean affairs, Kim Jong-un’s recent visit to China affirmed that for all the change, some fundamentals remain the same on the Korean peninsula. Not that the trip was clearly or easily foreseen. The visit was Kim’s first public one to a foreign country since he came to power in late 2011. The first concrete signs that a high official was travelling from North Korea to China came in the shape of added security along the railway route from Pyongyang to Beijing, at Dandong station in China, across from the North Korean border town of Sinuiju. Both North Korean and Chinese authorities kept the visit secret, and it was only confirmed when the countries’ media outlets reported it after it happened.
- [Collective Defense or Unilateral Action: Poland’s Strategic Dilemma in the Baltics](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/03/collective-defense-or-unilateral-action-polands-strategic-dilemma-in-the-baltics/): In 1999, Poland joined the NATO Alliance. Ever since, collective defense has been at the heart of Poland’s national security strategy. But recent changes in Europe’s strategic environment may be leading Poland to think twice about whether collective defense alone can guarantee its security. The combination of a more aggressive Russia, a less resolute Western Europe, and a growing divergence between the military capabilities of Poland and those of the rest of NATO have made unilateral Polish action a real possibility.
- [Afghanistan Achieves Pyrrhic Success via Chabahar Port](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/03/afghanistan-achieves-pyrrhic-success-via-chabahar-port/): Afghans celebrated the new access that Iran’s Chabahar port provides the country, but this victory may turn out to be a pyrrhic one. As recent as May 2016, India, Iran, and Afghanistan signed their first-ever trilateral partnership agreement allowing Indian goods to reach Afghanistan and Central Asia via Iran, while also inserting new geopolitically competing players into the region. Over one year later, in October 2017, the first shipment of Indian wheat arrived in Zaranj, Afghanistan, via Chabahar port.
- [Preparing for the Worst: Poland’s Military Modernization](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/03/preparing-for-the-worst-polands-military-modernization/): No one needs to remind Poland of the strategic dangers arising from its geography. Often sandwiched between great European powers, Poland has been invaded, carved up, and occupied for over two centuries. During World War II, its mostly flat and open terrain made it particularly vulnerable to the mechanized armies of Germany and the Soviet Union. Today, Poland’s position is less tenuous, but still fraught. While its western and southern borders are anchored by friendly NATO countries, its eastern border abuts Russia’s military stronghold of Kaliningrad, Belarus (a close Russian ally), and Ukraine (a country riven by Russia).
- [What Poker Tells Us about ISIS’s Changing Strategy ](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/03/what-poker-tells-us-about-isiss-changing-strategy/): Discussions concerning the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have lately shifted to when, rather than if, the group will ultimately be defeated. After being pushed out of longtime strongholds in places like Mosul and Raqqa, the group no longer appears to pose the kind of entrenched threat that prompted the intervention of global powers just a few short years ago. Surprisingly, the game of poker offers important lessons about the group’s changing strategy amid its current circumstances. One reason why poker is such a popular game is because it offers players with weak hands the opportunity to turn the tables on stronger opponents. While ISIS undoubtedly weakens with every passing day, the potential threat it poses remains at an all-time high. If the global community no longer takes this threat seriously, or shifts attention to other issues, ISIS could successfully reverse its fortunes.
- [After Russia’s Election, Expect Economy to Putter On as Before](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/03/russias-election-expect-economy-putter/): In the two months between Vladimir Putin’s virtually assured victory on March 18 and the presentation of the new government in mid-May, Russia’s president will need to address three very different economic proposals. He’ll need to oversee enough change to satisfy the public without alienating an elite that has done exceedingly well through corruption and insider access.
- [The Mixed Feelings of Russian Voters](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/03/mixed-feelings-russian-voters/): On March 18, a significant number of Russian voters will go to the polls with mixed feelings. On the one hand, they want to vote for Putin—at least out of habit—but they are not very happy with the idea that Putin’s reelection means nothing will change in their lives for the subsequent six years. On the other hand, they are afraid to vote against Putin because they think that without him everything will come crashing down in Russia.
- [Putin’s Reelection Won’t Fix Poverty and Pensions](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/03/putins-reelection-wont-fix-poverty-pensions/): Russians are growing frustrated with poor healthcare, underfunded schools, and increasing poverty, a recent poll shows. As President Vladimir Putin prepares for his fourth term, he is making promises and boosting pensions. But he has a mixed record delivering enduring social goods. And in the past, benefits like pensions were often reversed soon after the vote.
- [What Do Trump’s Tariffs Mean for the World Trade Organization?](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/03/trumps-tariffs-mean-world-trade-organization/): It's not unusual for U.S. politicians on the campaign trail to decry free trade. Most voters will be happy to hear that they can blame other countries for their own economic problems. And most politicians know that it's safe to talk tough on trade before an election, but then they quietly reverse course once in office. Republicans, of course, usually don't have to distance themselves from market liberalization; their constituencies usually favor free trade and preferential trade agreements.
- [The End of the Power Vertical? Corruption and Stagnation in Putin’s Fourth Term](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/03/end-power-vertical-corruption-stagnation-putins-fourth-term/): Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly promised to tackle corruption. But in his new term, corruption is likely to get worse, not better. The rot of corruption in Russia is no failing of the system – in many ways it is the system working as intended.
- [What Another Six Years of Putin Spells for Russia’s Economy](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/03/another-six-years-putin-spells-russias-economy/): Most Russians would be forgiven for skipping this month’s presidential election. With less than two weeks until polls open, we can say with strong confidence that Vladimir Putin will win his fourth term in office. Officials are taking no chances to ensure turnout isn’t embarrassingly low, however, mobilizing students and workers, plastering the regions with pro-Putin materials, and seemingly handpicking the other candidates allowed to run.
- [What Will Kim and Trump Actually Talk About?](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/03/will-kim-trump-talk/): The news that North Korea’s Kim Jong-un has invited Donald Trump for talks, and that Trump has accepted, is surely a breakthrough given the past months of sky-high tensions over North Korea’s nuclear and missiles program. The two are tentatively set to meet in May of this year, but there is still a long way to go: talks could falter at the planning stage over issues such as what should be on the table, or where the parties should meet (or who should represent the countries). But for now, this is at least a step back from the brink that the world looked to be standing at only a few weeks or months ago.
- [Bear at the Door: Poland Ponders its Strategic Environment](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/03/bear-door-poland-ponders-strategic-environment/): Russian behavior has long influenced how safe Poles feel. Centuries of fending off or being subjugated by Russia (or, its 20th-century incarnation, the Soviet Union) have left them with an abiding mistrust of their big and often unfriendly eastern neighbor. Needless to say, Russia’s recent aggressiveness in Eastern Europe has put many Poles on edge. Adding to their unease have been worries over the reliability of Poland’s principal security partners: NATO and the United States. At times, both have appeared either slow or unprepared to counter Russia’s actions.
- [Excuse Me United States, Your Password is Showing](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/03/excuse-united-states-password-showing/): A recent analysis of a new variant of a widespread ransomware attack illustrated just how sophisticated, yet simple, breaching computer security has become. The attack, known as “Emotet,” hit the Pennsylvania city of Allentown, breaking through firewalls, evading the latest antivirus software, and costing the city more than $1 million at last count. The city cannot process financial transactions, and its police department cannot access key crime databases. Although the city is working to fix its systems, the end is still not in sight.
- [Compete and Cooperate to Make U.S. National Security Strategies Great Again](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/03/compete-cooperate-make-u-s-national-security-strategies-great/): Colleagues at the U.S. Army War College recently published a piece making important arguments that largely echo the competitive approach emphasized in the Trump administration’s new National Defense Strategy (NDS). They correctly argue that U.S. strategy since 9/11 has been obsessively focused on counterterrorism and that U.S. military power has been drained by exhausting and largely unproductive deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their conclusion, however, that this has left the United States at a distinct disadvantage with respect to the revisionist powers of Russia and China, is exaggerated. Moreover, an imbalanced U.S. strategy that is excessively reliant on military force fails to capitalize on America’s significant advantages in the non-military instruments of power. Furthermore, an overemphasis on building ever more offensive military capacity risks provoking even more aggressive counterbalancing by adversaries that will ultimately lead to a self-fulfilling and dangerous security dilemma, in which the international system and the United States will actually be less secure. Finally, a more muscular military strategy will do little to address the central challenges posed by Russia and China as they expressly avoid directly confronting U.S. military strengths and instead seek asymmetric advantages in the “gray zone” below the threshold of open military conflict.
- [North Korea’s Olympics Balance Sheet: Promising Symbolism, but Conflict Positions Remain the Same](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/02/north-koreas-olympics-balance-sheet-promising-symbolism-conflict-positions-remain/): The recently finished 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea took place amidst some of the highest tensions in years around North Korea’s nuclear program. It comes as no surprise that the games would be—and were—about far more than sports, particularly after North Korea’s participation went from lofty goal to reality. The two Korea’s may have marched in under a unified flag at the opening ceremony, but with the Olympics finally over, it’s important to bear in mind that whatever progress the games may have spurred, the real test begins now: will the contacts that the games facilitated actually lead anywhere?
- [History Begins (Again) for the Pentagon](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/02/history-begins-pentagon/): Thanks to a near-myopic obsession with eradicating transnational Islamic terrorism, costly invasions and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq, and a zero-risk approach to homeland security, America’s competitive edge has eroded over the last 16 years relative to China and Russia. That’s the conclusion of the recently released National Defense Strategy (NDS), which recognizes—correctly, in our view—that the United States finds itself behind the curve today when it comes to this inter-state strategic competition and the threats it poses. However, the NDS falls short in identifying how America should best respond to it.
- [A Week of Transitions in Africa: Will Togo be Next?  ](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/02/week-transitions-africa-will-togo-next/): Corruption allegations and political unrest in Africa have too often prompted halfhearted concessions or constitutional tweaking by strongmen bent on staying in power. But the past week’s two notable counterpoints are only the latest in a string of surprising developments around the continent. Deeply unpopular President Jacob Zuma of South Africa, plagued by years of corruption scandals, complied with ruling party orders to step down on Wednesday, February 14. The next day, embattled Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn unexpectedly resigned, citing a desire to allow “reforms that would lead to sustainable peace and democracy.” Not long before this particularly eventful week, José Eduardo dos Santos of Angola and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, two longstanding dictators, left office—the latter in a military coup.
- [What Makes FPRI Different?](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/02/makes-fpri-different/): How is the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) different from other think tanks? In some ways, as Vincent Vega said in Pulp Fiction, “it’s the little differences,” but in other ways, there are more significant dissimilarities. As most know, FPRI was founded at the University of Pennsylvania in 1955. What some may not know is that one of the reasons that it was founded, as related to me in a conversation with the late Harvey Sicherman, who served as president of FPRI from 1993 to 2010, was that it was seen as a way to democratize the analysis of foreign and defense policy. At the time, debate of such topics was largely the domain of communities in Washington, D.C., New York, and Boston, with more limited intrusion from outside voices. FPRI was also a reaction to, and a pushback against, the New Look policies of the Eisenhower administration. Books produced by Institute scholars such as Protracted Conflict discussed fighting the Cold War ideologically among other angles. (While some might fault that particular work for viewing world communism as a monolithic threat rather than as polycentric one, there are still good details to be found there about political warfare, Soviet political thought, and Russian history.)
- [Déjà Vu All Over Again: China Re-Opens Flight Route M503](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/01/deja-vu-china-re-opens-flight-route-m503/): On January 4, the People’s Republic of China announced the opening of four new flight routes over the Taiwan Strait. Instead of giving the region some time to process the announcement, planes began using these routes the same day. Due to the location of the routes and the unilateral nature of the announcement, Taiwan has protested the opening of the routes.
- [The Revolution Will Not Be Streamed—Yet](https://staging.fpri.org/2018/01/revolution-will-not-streamed-yet/): The current protests throughout Iran are unprecedented in its post-revolutionary history. They are driven primarily by a popular sense of economic indignity borne of decades of mismanagement, rampant cronyism, low oil prices, and tough sanctions; in other words, the catalysts are not ideological. The protests are spread across the country, remarkably making their way to the capital, rather emanating from it. They are at present leaderless, unlike 1979 or 2009. And distinct from the latter year’s Green Movement, when perhaps less than one million Iranians possessed smartphones, over 47 million now have them at their disposal. When the revolution eventually comes, it will be streamed.
- [How Sweden’s Anti-Semitism Problem Challenges Its Core Values](https://staging.fpri.org/2017/12/swedens-anti-semitism-problem-challenges-core-values/): Swedish News Channel Coverage of Synagogue Attack
- [Sexual Violence: It’s Everybody’s Problem](https://staging.fpri.org/2017/12/sexual-violence-everybodys-problem/): Whether you get your news online, on the radio, on television, or in print, there is no way to escape the recent spate of revelations of sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, and sexual assault that have taken place in every industry and at every echelon. Powerful politician, billionaire media mogul, tenured professor, it makes no difference; the Harvey Weinstein scandal (rather than the countless sexual disgraces associated with our Commander-in-Chief) provided the watershed moment that now has our country engaged, at least for the time being, in this important, albeit uncomfortable, conversation.
- [What’s in a Name?: Strategy Behind the “Indo-Pacific”](https://staging.fpri.org/2017/12/whats-name-strategy-behind-indo-pacific/): Throughout his tour of Asia in November 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly referred to the region through which he travelled not as the “Asia-Pacific,” but rather as the “Indo-Pacific.” While other American presidents have spoken of the “Indo Pacific” before, they did so infrequently. Trump’s continuous use of the term prompted some to speculate whether it offered a clue to the future of American strategy in the region.
- [Conflicted over Trump’s Jerusalem Announcement](https://staging.fpri.org/2017/12/conflicted-trumps-jerusalem-announcement/): I'm an Israeli, a Zionist and an orthodox Jew. I admit—I am conflicted about the Trump administration’s plan to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. And I shouldn’t be. There is no question that this is a long overdue step. But the timing, and the potential for harsh reactions which may harm U.S., and perhaps even Israeli, interests, while promoting those of our enemies, is problematical.
- [Spared a War: Abe’s Victory and Japan’s Rearmament](https://staging.fpri.org/2017/11/spared-war-abes-victory-japans-rearmament/): I made my genuine Thanksgiving on October 27. The occasion was Mr. Abe’s crushing victory in the Japanese election; the reason was a genuine, though perhaps erroneous, sense that we had been spared a potentially ghastly war in Asia, by the rebalancing of regional power that victory brought.
- [Jamaican Shipwreck: Will Merkel Go Down with the Ship?](https://staging.fpri.org/2017/11/jamaican-shipwreck-will-merkel-go-ship/): For more than a month, representatives of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), have been engaged in preliminary discussions about creating a coalition government with two other smaller parties—the pro-business liberal (in the European sense) Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the environmentalist Greens. Following a long German habit of identifying political parties and their coalitions by traditional colors, the linking of Christian Democrats (Black), Liberals (Yellow), and Greens has been referred to as a “Jamaica” Coalition, reflecting the colors of the Caribbean nation’s flag.
- [What to do During a Coup? Shocked Citizens of Zimbabwe Weigh Their Options](https://staging.fpri.org/2017/11/coup-shocked-citizens-zimbabwe-weigh-options/): A visitor to Zimbabwe's capital city could be forgiven for missing the apparent military coup underway at Harare’s "Blue House." But despite business-as-usual in much of the city, anxiety and confusion are rife beneath the surface.
- [Mugabe Is Out, but Don’t Look Away from Zimbabwe Just Yet](https://staging.fpri.org/2017/11/mugabe-dont-look-away-zimbabwe-just-yet/): Zimbabwe and the rest of the world awoke this morning to an apparent military coup that has so far remained bloodless. After President Robert Mugabe dismissed his vice president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, last week on charges of plotting a takeover, members of the military loyal to Mnangagwa decided the time was ripe to tear open a longstanding rift in the ruling party and publicly challenge the nonagenarian dictator. Change was clearly on the horizon yesterday as tanks neared the capital city: the Twittersphere burst with buoyant visions of how #MyNewZimbabwe would look in a post-Mugabe world.
- [Conflict Escalation: China and India’s Territorial Dispute in the Himalayas](https://staging.fpri.org/2017/11/conflict-escalation-china-indias-territorial-dispute-himalayas/): During the summer of 2017, an unusually volatile territorial spat between China and India erupted in the Himalayan Mountains. For over two months, hundreds of Chinese and Indian troops were locked in an escalating standoff on the Doklam Plateau, a region disputed by China and Bhutan near the Indian border.
- [Trump’s Seoul Speech: All the Right Points, Still No Way Forward](https://staging.fpri.org/2017/11/trumps-seoul-speech-right-points-still-no-way-forward/): President Trump’s speech in South Korea’s National Assembly on Wednesday, November 8, 2017 was likely the best foreign policy speech he has ever given. And that is not only because expectations were low. It would be more accurate, perhaps, to say that fears were high. After months of unpredictable diplomacy-by-Twitter—calling Kim Jong-un names, making seemingly off-the-cuff-threats, undermining diplomatic efforts by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson—many feared that Trump’s speech would be yet another moment of this sort.
- [There Is Still Room for Compromise in Catalonia](https://staging.fpri.org/2017/11/still-room-compromise-catalonia/): The Catalan independence crisis feels intractable. Ministers who defied the Spanish Constitutional Court to organize an independence referendum on October 1 have been jailed. The government in Madrid has dissolved the regional administration after the administration claimed the referendum as a mandate to break away. Carles Puigdemont, the Catalan president, has fled to Belgium.
- [Riyadh’s Great Leap Forward?](https://staging.fpri.org/2017/11/riyadhs-great-leap-forward/): One of the clear analytical distinctions that could be made about the “Arab Spring” (2011-2014) was the marked stability of monarchial regimes—as opposed to “dynastic republics” (gumrukiyah) like Egypt, Syria, and Libya—in the Arab world. Eddies of the wave of rebellion that swept many of the Arab republics touched on Jordan and Morocco, but gained little traction (except in Bahrain, the newest Arab kingdom, whose challenges from its majority Shia population are different in kind).
- [Sweden’s Foreign Policy: Nonaligned, But Not Entirely Neutral](https://staging.fpri.org/2017/11/swedens-foreign-policy-nonaligned-not-entirely-neutral/): In late 2014, Swedish authorities spotted what many suspected was a Russian submarine lurking off Stockholm. The incident set off alarm bells among Swedes. It reminded them of a similar incident in 1981, when a nuclear-armed Soviet Whiskey-class submarine ran aground a few kilometers outside Sweden’s main naval base. Following Russia’s invasion of Georgia, annexation of Crimea, and intervention in eastern Ukraine, the recent submarine scare served to underline the threat that a resurgent Russia could pose to Sweden.
- [The USA Rights Act: What’s In There?](https://staging.fpri.org/2017/11/usa-right-act-what-in-there/): There are now at least three bills pending in Congress to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA §702). Last week, George Croner presented a summary of the provisions of the USA Liberty Act Of 2017, authored by Representative Bob Goodlatte. This article presents a similar summary for another recently-presented bill, the Uniting and Strengthening America by Reforming and Improving the Government’s High-Tech Surveillance Act of 2017. Mr. Croner concluded that the Goodlatte bill was seriously flawed. I agree, but perhaps for reasons entirely opposed to those of Mr. Croner.

## Pages
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- [Changing Tides in the Black Sea Region](https://staging.fpri.org/research/eurasia/black-sea-initiative/changingtides/): On June 28-29, 2023 FPRI’s Eurasia Program partnered with Ilia State University in Tbilisi, Georgia, to hold a two day conference on Black Sea geopolitics, security, strategic connectivity, and resilience. 
- [International Crisis Management Course – Fall 2023](https://staging.fpri.org/research/eurasia/international-crisis-management-course-fall-2023/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) and partners are excited to announce the upcoming International Crisis Management certificate course for Ukrainian university students. Others may join by separate arrangements. 
- [International Crisis Management Course – Fall 2022](https://staging.fpri.org/research/eurasia/international-crisis-management-course-fall-2022/): Dan Whitman, PhD, Foreign Service Officer (ret.)
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- [Resources](https://staging.fpri.org/research/nationalsecurity/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence-and-nontraditional-warfare/resources/): FPRI Terminology:  Intelligence Activities: In essence, intelligence is knowledge and analysis designed to assist action. Intelligence activities consist of both foreign intelligence and counterintelligence. Foreign intelligence means information relating to the capabilities, intentions, or activities of foreign governments or elements thereof, foreign organizations, foreign persons, or international terrorists. Counterintelligence is described as information gathered and activities conducted to identify, deceive, exploit, disrupt, or protect against espionage, other intelligence activities, sabotage, or assassinations conducted for or on behalf of foreign powers, organizations, or persons, or their agents, or international terrorist organizations or activities. Nontraditional Warfare: The combination of irregular and political warfare to achieve political goals short of declared war or to serve as force multipliers in the event of a declared war. Irregular Warfare: A form of warfare by state or non-state groups in which one side fights another to achieve political goals via indirect methods such as insurgency, subversion, and terrorism and the methods used by the other side to defeat that effort. Political Warfare: the overt or covert employment of elements of national power including cyber, economic, financial, informational, paramilitary, and political statecraft tools short of declared war against a hostile state or non-state Intelligence Documents:  Executive Order 12333 National Security Act of 1947 (dni.gov) The Intelligence Community: Home (odni.gov) We are the Nation's first line of defense - CIA Center for the Study of Intelligence - CIA National Security Agency | Central Security Service (nsa.gov) Defense Intelligence Agency > Home (dia.mil) U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command | INSCOM Intelligence Division Home (marines.mil) Home (navy.mil) Home (spaceforce.mil) Home | National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (nga.mil) Home (nro.gov) Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence | Department of Energy Office of Intelligence and Analysis | Homeland Security (dhs.gov) U.S. Coast Guard Intelligence (CG-2) (uscg.mil) Bureau of Intelligence and Research - United States Department of State Office of Intelligence and Analysis | U.S. Department of the Treasury Intelligence (dea.gov) Intelligence — FBI Intelligence Oversight:  The Permanent Select Committee On Intelligence (house.gov) U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Covert Action and Clandestine Activities of the Intelligence Community: Selected Congressional Notification Requirements Nontraditional Warfare: USSOCOM Center on Irregular Warfare & Armed Groups (CIWAG) (usnwc.edu) Home - Irregular Warfare Initiative ARIS Studies (soc.mil)  
- [Center for the Study of Intelligence and Nontraditional Warfare](https://staging.fpri.org/research/nationalsecurity/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence-and-nontraditional-warfare/): Mission: To facilitate the study of intelligence activities and nontraditional warfare to help educate and explore how they best support national security.
- [Publications](https://staging.fpri.org/research/eurasia/black-sea-initiative/blacksea-publications/)
- [Report in Short](https://staging.fpri.org/research/eurasia/report-in-short/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to introduce a special Chain Reaction podcast series: Report in Short.
- [The 1st Draft](https://staging.fpri.org/the-1st-draft/): The 1st Draft is a new podcast from the Foreign Policy Research Institute in which Robert D. Kaplan and Dominic Green examine ideas emanating from world affairs. New episodes released monthly.  
- [2021 Annual Report](https://staging.fpri.org/about/annual-reports/2021-annual-report/): 2021 Annual Report 
- [International Crisis Management Course](https://staging.fpri.org/research/eurasia/international-crisis-management-course/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) and partners are excited to announce the upcoming International Crisis Management certificate course for Ukrainian university students. Others may join by separate arrangements.
- [The Continent](https://staging.fpri.org/research/european-security-initiative/the-continent-podcast/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to introduce a special Chain Reaction podcast series: The Continent.
- [NATO](https://staging.fpri.org/topic/nato/)
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- [Events](https://staging.fpri.org/research/china-center/events/):    
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- [Technology Initiative](https://staging.fpri.org/research/china-center/technology-initiative/): The China Center's Technology Initiative studies China's activity in the technology domain. From international standards-setting to domestic civil-military fusion policies, China's government has shown great interest in exerting control over the development of technology both in China and abroad. This initiative examines the strategic ramifications of China's technology policies and the challenges surrounding new technologies. 
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- [The Global Demons Podcast](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/global-demons-podcast/): Hosted by best-selling author Robert D. Kaplan, this 13-episode bi-weekly podcast features interviews with preeminent foreign policy experts discussing the critical issues and challenges facing the U.S. and its allies in this new era of great power rivalry. Each episode will cover how pandemics, climate change, massive cyber-attacks, and other terrors of a global media age will affect potential conflicts between the United States and China, and the United States and Russia.
- [Advisory Council](https://staging.fpri.org/research/africa-program/advisory-council/): Amb. Charles A. Ray is a member of the Board of Trustees at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, served as U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Republic of Zimbabwe. In addition, he was the first U.S. Consul General to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, opening the Consulate General there in 1998.
- [Fellows](https://staging.fpri.org/research/africa-program/scholars/): Ambassador Charles A. Ray, a member of the Board of Trustees at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, served as U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Republic of Zimbabwe. In addition, he was the first U.S. Consul General to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, opening the Consulate General there in 1998.
- [Publications](https://staging.fpri.org/publications-africa/)

## Events
- [The Future of US Relations with the Alliance of Sahel States](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2026/the-future-of-us-relations-with-the-alliance-of-sahel-states/): The Libyan civil war seriously impacted the countries of the Sahel. The overthrow of former Prime Minister Muammar Gaddafi led to the mass migration of fighters and weapons into the region, leaving the Sahel states to contend with heavily armed non-state actors committed to extremist agendas. Unfortunately, despite significant security assistance from NATO member states, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger struggled to rein in these extremist groups, leading to frustration on all sides. Eventually, a series of military coups across the region led to these three states withdrawing from security partnerships with NATO states. In recent months, reports have surfaced that members of the Alliance of Sahel States are exploring ways to improve relations with the United States.
- [America at 250: The Enduring Power and Purpose of the United States](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2026/america-at-250-the-enduring-power-and-purpose-of-the-united-states/): What does America’s founding vision demand of us today? And what will it take to sustain U.S. leadership in the decades ahead?
- [Germany’s Defense Strategy: Economics and the Future of European Security](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2026/german-defense-strategy-economics-and-the-future-of-european-security/): The German government has released a transformational national defense strategy, underpinned by a longer-term commitment to address Russia's growing challenge to European defense, modernize the bureaucracy, and equip the German armed forces for future combat. The new strategy is designed with Europe in mind, positioning Berlin at the center of a continent-wide defense.    FPRI and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation were pleased to host a panel discussion with Mr. Roderich Kiesewetter, a member of the German Bundestag (CDU), and Walter Landgraf, Commentary Editor at War on the Rocks and FPRI Senior Fellow, about this new strategy and dive deeper on the economics needed to sustain it. 
- [Small State Foreign Policy: Latvia and Taiwan in Focus](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2026/small-state-foreign-policy-latvia-and-taiwan-in-focus/): In 2022, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine transformed everyday life and politics for Latvia and the Baltic states. That same year, Chinese military aggression against Taiwan intensified following a US diplomatic visit and, later on, the election of Lai-Ching Te. As US attention shifts away from these conflicts and the world faces global tectonic shifts, Latvia and Taiwan must find a way to secure their political independence and future.
- [(Re)Introducing Orbis: The Spring 2026 Issue](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2026/reintroducing-orbis-the-spring-2026-issue/): After a brief hiatus, the Orbis Journal of World Affairs is back with a new website, new team, and a new issue.    Editors Nikolas Gvosdev and Lawrence Rubin hosted an open discussion about the future of the journal, the Shifting Ground podcast, and the Spring 2026 issue. 
- [Illiberal Hungary: Outcomes of the Parliamentary Election](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2026/hungarys-contentious-parliamentary-election/): Hungary’s strongman, Viktor Orbán, has trailed his main challenger in the polls for months. Whether he wins or loses, the election results will carry significant implications for liberal democracy, Europe’s internal fault lines, European security at a moment of profound global change, and transatlantic relations between the United States and Europe.
- [A Chip Odyssey: Panel Discussion and Film Screening](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2026/a-chip-odyssey-panel-discussion-and-film-screening/): A Chip Odyssey is an epic documentary directed by Hsiao Chu-Chen, detailing the 5-year, 80-interview journey of Taiwan's semiconductor industry rise. It highlights key figures like TSMC and focuses on Taiwan’s "Silicon Shield" amidst geopolitical tensions.
- [The Trump-Xi Summit in Beijing](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2026/the-trump-xi-summit-in-beijing-the-road-ahead-for-us-china-relations/): The White House has announced that President Trump will visit Beijing May 14-15 for a long anticipated summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. What can we reasonably expect from this high-level meeting, amidst geopolitical turbulence generally, and what is the likely road ahead for US-China relations in particular?
- [Ambassador Bozell: The Impact on US-South Africa Relations](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2026/ambassador-bozell-the-impact-on-us-south-africa-relations/): The Government of South Africa faces a complex set of domestic security challenges while, at the same time, having to navigate an increasingly turbulent and uncertain international political system. In an era of renewed major power competition, South Africa continues to strengthen its security partnerships with adversaries of the United States, which has often drawn the ire of the US Government. Now that US Ambassador Leo Brent Bozell III has arrived in South Africa, it will be interesting to see what is next for US-South Africa relations.
- [Iraq as a Frontline: Militias and the Risks to Iraq’s Stability in a Regional War](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2026/iraq-as-a-frontline-militias-and-the-risks-to-iraqs-stability-in-a-regional-war/): Since the onset of the US-Israel-Iran war on February 28, Iraq has become a central front in the conflict. This has occurred primarily as a result of attacks by Shia militant groups targeting a wide range of sites, including US military and diplomatic facilities across the country; Kurdish civilian, military, and energy infrastructure; Iranian Kurdish opposition groups; European forces; Iraqi security and intelligence institutions; and even targets in neighboring countries. Based on media reporting, around 500 such attacks have been launched so far, mostly by Shia armed factions, and in some cases directly by Iran itself.
- [Israel’s Recognition of Somaliland: What Are the Implications for US Foreign Policy?](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2026/israels-recognition-of-somaliland-what-are-the-implications-for-us-foreign-policy/): Israel’s recent recognition of Somaliland’s status as an independent state represents a major inflection point in the Somaliland struggle for independence. In the aftermath of this landmark decision, there have been calls for the United States, NATO Allies, Major Non-NATO Allies, and Arab partners (e.g., United Arab Emirates) to follow suit. Some argue that it would provide Western Governments with a reliable democratic ally in the Horn of Africa. Others argue that it would provide a better location than Djibouti for Western military bases. With the midterm elections fast approaching, there is a major push to get the Trump Administration to recognize Somaliland’s independence. Foreign Policy Research Institute’s hosted a panel discussion on the prospect and implications of the United States following Israel’s example. Moderator Ambassador (ret) Charles Ray was joined by Bashir Goth, head of the Somaliland Delegation to the US, along with two Africa studies experts, Joshua Meservey of the Hudson Institute and Michael Walsh of the University of Alaska.
- [From Life Itself: Turkey, Istanbul, and a Neighborhood in the Age of Erdoğan](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2026/from-life-itself-turkey-istanbul-and-a-neighborhood-in-the-age-of-erdogan/): Nick Danforth, deputy editor at Foreign Policy sat down with author Suzy Hansen to discuss her latest book, From Life Itself: Turkey, Istanbul, and a Neighborhood in the Age of Erdoğan.
- [Europe’s Nuclear Future: Rethinking Transatlantic Deterrence](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2026/europes-nuclear-future-rethinking-transatlantic-deterrence/): On March 2, French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a landmark update to France’s nuclear strategy announcing that France would increase its nuclear arsenal and deepen cooperation with Germany and other European states to deter attacks. The updated nuclear doctrine includes joint exercises between French nuclear forces and the forces of other European states and temporarily moving some nuclear warheads outside of France. While Macron did not explicitly commit itself to extended deterrence, a pledge to extend a nuclear umbrella over its allies, this represents a significant doctrinal change to French nuclear policy. This announcement reflects dramatic shifts in the Transatlantic security relationship as the United States continues to retreat from its role as Europe’s primary security provider and Europe moves towards “strategic autonomy.” Join FPRI's Eurasia program for a conversation with Astrid Chevreuil and Dr. Alex Bollfrass on the implications of this announcement for France, Germany, and European and transatlantic security.
- [Assessing the Situation: Israel and the Gulf States](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2026/how-do-the-results-of-the-action-look-from-israel/): How are the Gulf States responding to being dragged into the war, and what are the economic consequences we see already and will see in the coming weeks? In this private briefing, Aaron Stein will sit down with Joshua Krasna and Nikolas Gvosdev to discuss the complex interplay of military action and politics in Israel.
- [A Region at War: The Impact of the Conflict for the GCC](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2026/a-region-at-war-the-impact-of-the-conflict-for-the-gcc/): War continues in the Middle East. The US and Israel has killed Iranian senior leaders. Iran has responded, hitting US bases throughout the Gulf. The region has changed. But how will the conflict impact the Gulf Arab states?
- [Renewed Conflict in Iran](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2026/renewed-conflict-in-iran/): After a brief respite, conflict has returned to the Middle East. American and Israeli air strikes began on February 28th in an operation President Trump has indicated is aimed at toppling the Iranian regime and ending its nuclear and missile programs. What are the implications of this conflict for Iran, the Middle East, and for the United States? What are the possible outcomes?
- [Russian Interests in the Arctic: The Northern Sea Route](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2026/russian-interests-in-the-arctic-the-northern-sea-route/): Mariia Vladymyrova (University of Copenhagen) discusses the Northern Sea Route (NSR) legal regime as an exemplary instance of Russia's use of lawfare as a tool of coercive signaling in the Arctic. In this discussion and Q&A with Dr. Emily Holland, we discussed Russia’s 2022 restriction on foreign warships and government vessel navigation along the NSR and within Russia’s newly announced Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor (TATC). The TATC is designed to create alternative shipping routes for Russian energy beyond the reach of Western sanctions. While the NSR is presented as commercial development initiative, the project reveals a deeper military-strategic logic: the NSR serves as the critical connector within the TATC, integrating Siberia's major riverways into a unified network that supports the forward naval deterrence posture of Russia's Northern and Pacific Fleets. Mariia argues that for NATO, understanding Russia's legal strategy in the Arctic is not merely about preserving the rule of law in global oceans, but an imperative of credible deterrence posture today.
- [Will US Military Deployment Reduce Nigerian Political Violence?](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2026/will-us-military-deployment-reduce-nigerian-political-violence/): As Nigeria grapples with escalating insecurity, the US Government is deploying military forces to the country—ostensibly in a training role—to assist the Nigerian government in dealing with extremist violence. FPRI Africa Program chair, Charles A. Ray, is joined by Cheta Nwanze, founder of SBM Intelligence; Dr. Kabir Adamu, managing director of Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited; James Barnett, a research fellow at Hudson Institute; and Michael Walsh, a senior research consultant on US foreign policy, all experts in their fields, to discuss whether US military intervention is the correct response in the context of the complex security challenges facing Nigeria, from democratic backsliding to conflicts between farmers and herders over access to land to fundamentalist Islamic terrorist activities.
- [Havana Syndrome: What We Know Now](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2026/havana-syndrome-what-we-know-now-2/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI)'s Center for the Study of Intelligence and Nontraditional Warfare hosted a special one-day conference dedicated to unraveling the truth and implications of the Havana Syndrome.
- [Command of Commerce: America’s Enduring Economic Power Advantage over China](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2026/command-of-commerce-americas-enduring-economic-power-advantage-over-china/): Join the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Asia Program for a timely virtual conversation with Professor Stephen G. Brooks, a leading scholar of US foreign policy, international security, and international political economy. Drawing on decades of research at the intersection of economics and grand strategy, Professor Brooks will discuss his new book, co-authored by Ben A. Vagle, Command of Commerce: America’s Enduring Economic Power Advantage over China (Oxford University Press, 2025).
- [Revitalizing US Maritime Power: The Way Forward](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2026/revitalizing-us-maritime-power-the-way-forward/): The erosion of US shipbuilding, port infrastructure, and maritime workforce has become a strategic vulnerability amid growing uncertainties in the global order. The stakes to restore US maritime strength have never been higher, as it plays a key role not only to counter adversarial dominance at sea, but also to secure critical supply chains to enhance economic resilience. Join us for a discussion on the way forward to revitalize US maritime power as an integral part of the national defense and economic security agenda.
- [Iran on the Brink](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2026/iran-on-the-brink/): Economic misery has sparked mass protests in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The protests have led to severe repression and reasonable questions about the future of the current government in power. President Trump appears to be preparing military options to aid with the uprising, raising questions about the efficacy of American-led military strikes for broader national security goals. Where is the protest headed? Is the Islamic Republic on the verge of revolution, or will the state manage to retain control of the instruments of power?   Dr. Aaron Stein, FPRI president, will sit down with Dr. Afshon Osotovar, FPRI non-resident senior fellow and Associate Professor of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey.   
- [The Future of The Mediterranean: Views from the Region](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2026/the-future-of-the-mediterranean-views-from-the-region/): The Mediterranean Sea connects Europe with Africa and Asia and is a critical geopolitical area in a rapidly changing world. The United States has considerable interests in the region and has strong relations with Greece, a key regional ally. To discuss the regional dynamics at play, FPRI will host HE Alexandra Papadopoulou, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Hellenic Republic for a 1- hour discussion.
- [Germany Rearms: Understanding Berlin’s Security Environment](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2026/germany-rearms-understanding-berlins-security-environment/): The security situation in Europe has changed considerably, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, concerns about the war spilling over the border, and seismic shifts in how the United States views its role as the guarantor of European security. How is the German government responding to these changes? How does Berlin view its future security environment? And how is Germany going about rearming? 
- [Greenland and Arctic Security: Separating Fact from Fiction](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2026/greenland-and-arctic-security-separating-fact-from-fiction/): Greenland is at the center of major American and European news. President Trump wants to own the ice island. Denmark is the administrative power. Greenlanders want to be independent, but with close ties with both Washington and Copenhagen. Trump's demands for the island are at odds with all of Europe and with the wishes of the island's inhabitants.  What are the security realities in the Arctic? What is America's role in protecting the island? How does Denmark fit in? Are Russian and Chinese ships actually a menacing threat, or is the reality a bit more nuanced?    Join FPRI for a private, members-only briefing with Dr. Rebecca Pincus, FPRI Senior Fellow, and Dr. Aaron Stein, FPRI's President. Becca was previously the Director of the Polar Institute at the Wilson Center, and served on the faculty at the US Naval War College, in the Center for Naval Warfare Studies, where her research focused on Arctic security and geopolitics.    She also worked in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy, as Arctic and Climate Strategy Advisor. In 2015, she was a Fulbright Fellow in Iceland, conducting research on Arctic small states and security. She also worked on polar strategy and policy issues for the US Coast Guard, at its Center for Arctic Study and Policy, and served on the faculty at the US Coast Guard Academy.
- [The State of the Status Quo: Prospects for Stability in the Taiwan Strait](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2025/the-state-of-the-status-quo-prospects-for-stability-in-the-taiwan-strait/): For decades, the United States has urged both the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan to maintain the "status quo" in the Taiwan Strait. In practice, this has meant calling on Taiwan to refrain from declaring independence and for the PRC to not use force to bring the island under its control. Polls show that a plurality of Taiwanese citizens support maintaining the status quo indefinitely. But recent developments, including more aggressive Chinese demonstrations of power, have called into question whether such a position can hold. Some observers call for the United States and other countries to do more to preserve the status quo by reassuring Beijing, while others suggest that growing Chinese assertiveness renders the idea of the status quo obsolete. This discussion will assess what the status quo currently looks like in the Taiwan Strait, what it would mean to preserve it, and whether a commitment to it is still the best strategy for maintaining regional peace.
- [Understanding the Russo-Ukrainian Ceasefire Negotiations](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2025/understanding-the-russo-ukrainian-ceasefire-negotiations/): The Trump administration is pushing both Ukraine and Russia to reach agreement on a ceasefire and to kick-off formal talks on ending the war. The discussions have been mired in controversy, beginning with claims that the American draft was too favorable to Moscow and that it iced European leaders out of the discussions. Ukraine has pushed back, reportedly modifying the draft in ways that meet the government's minimum security aims, and engaging with key European allies who may be called upon to guarantee a peace settlement with some level of US support. The Zelensky administration also remains mired in a corruption scandal and Ukrainian forces are losing ground near the town of Pokrovsk, prompting intense and serious discussions within the country about the need for a ceasefire and an agreement with Russia to recuperate from the bruising war.    What is the latest news? What does it all mean for Europe and the United States? Aaron will sit down with Dr. Emily Holland, FPRI's Eurasia program director, to discuss the latest news, the future of European security, and the prospects for a durable ceasefire to take hold.
- [Spotlight on Moldova | A Conversation with Amb. Vladislav Kulminski](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2025/a-conversation-with-ambassador-vladislav-kulminski/): Join us for a reception and conversation with Ambassador Vladislav Kulminski, and FPRI President Aaron Stein as they discuss Moldova’s recent elections, continuing fight against Russian disinformation, and the country's role in the geopolitics of the region.
- [Post-election violence in Tanzania](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2025/post-election-violence-in-tanzania/): Tanzania has long been a model of representative government and stability in East Africa. Recent elections have sparked public discontent, demonstrations, and violent reactions from government security forces.
- [After AGOA – What Are Africa’s Next Steps?](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2025/after-agoa-what-are-africas-next-steps/): The US government shut down on September 30, 2025, and the US Congress failed to extend the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Despite expressing support for extending AGOA, the administration took executive action. What has been the impact so far of this failure on Africa-US trade? What are the complexities of reauthorizing AGOA, particularly in the intensely partisan environment that exists currently in the US? Those African nations that benefited from AGOA but no longer have preferential access to the American market, and in many cases face punishing tariffs on their imports, must now seek alternate ways to improve their national economies.  Join FPRI Trustee and Chair of the Africa Program, Ambassador (ret) Charles Ray, for a virtual discussion on these and other questions, and the way forward for African economies in the new non-AGOA reality.
- [Minorities in the New Syria: Threats, Opportunities, and Future Prospects](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2025/minorities-in-the-new-syria-threats-opportunities-and-future-prospects/): Since the 2011 uprising and subsequent civil war, Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities have borne heavy costs amid threats from multiple warring actors. The fate of these communities has come under sharp focus following recent massacres targeting Druze and Alawite groups since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime last December. Smaller religious minorities, including Christians and Yezidis, have also suffered deeply over the past decade and a half, primarily due to attacks by radical jihadi groups.
- [Assessing Air and Missile Defenses During the Israel-Iran War](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2025/assessing-air-and-missile-defenses-during-the-israel-iran-war/): After years of tension, Iran and Israel went to war. The battles were largely fought in the air, with Israeli aircraft striking targets throughout Iran, followed by Iranian missile and drone salvos designed to exhaust Israeli society and defenses. How did Israeli air and missile defenses perform during the war? What did we learn about Iranian air defenses? Sam Lair, a Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI), used open source tools to document the firing rates of key American and Israeli-made missiles to defend Israeli society. FPRI President Aaron Stein will sit down with Sam to discuss his recent report on the role of air and missile defense in modern conflict and how the lessons from the 12-day war should impact American defense industrial policy. 
- [Strategy with a Historian’s Mind: A Conversation with Frank Gavin](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2025/strategy-with-a-historians-mind-a-conversation-with-frank-gavin/): Join us for a conversation with Frank Gavin on his new book, Thinking Historically: A Guide for Strategy and Statecraft—a compelling call to restore history’s rightful place in policymaking and grand strategy. In an era when decision-makers often chase immediacy and certainty, Gavin argues that true strategic wisdom comes from cultivating a historical sensibility: the ability to see complexity, question assumptions, and understand others on their own terms. Blending insights from history, political science, and international affairs, he shows how “thinking historically” equips leaders to navigate uncertainty with perspective rather than prediction.
- [How Will Xi Handle the Succession Process?](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2025/how-will-xi-handle-the-succession-process/): Xi Jinping has ruled China for well over a decade now, making him the longest serving official leader of China since Mao Zedong. As the prospect sharpens for his fourth and perhaps even fifth term as China’s leader, what challenges might he face? Would those challenges and ways to resolve them be similar to those faced by Mao in the latter years of his rule? Also have recent personnel patterns given observers any clues on the types of leadership and policy processes we will see in the coming decades?
- [Middle East Briefing with Joshua Krasna](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2025/middle-east-briefing-with-joshua-krasna/): It has been 5 years since the Abraham Accords, which seemed to herald the possibility of a regional dynamic of cooperation rather than competition. It has been 2 years since the Hamas surprise attack on Israel, which led to the re-insertion of the Palestinian issue at the center of world politics, a bloody war in Gaza, dramatic shifts in the regional balance of power, and a rapid reversal of Israel's international and regional status.   The regional crisis has been globalized by the Houthis' expensive dislocation of world trade, by the US becoming directly involved in hostilities against Iran, and by the attacks by both Iran and Israel against Qatar, a Major Non-NATO ally of the US. The re-arrival of a disruptive, mercantilist, non-internationalist US Administration has also significantly impacted the region.    Join FPRI's Joshua Krasna and Dr. Aaron Stein as they discuss the current situation and possible future scenarios regarding Israeli politics, Israel's relations with it's region, regional power politics, and the role of the US.  
- [Will the G-20 Summit Become a Battle for US-South Africa Relations?](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2025/will-the-g-20-summit-become-a-battle-for-us-south-africa-relations/): In November 2025, South Africa will host the G-20 Summit in Johannesburg. There is a serious risk that the event will become a platform for a new round of confrontation between the Ramaphosa administration and the African National Congress on one side and the Trump administration on the other. For that reason, the public must have a better understanding of South Africa and the United States to the precipice of a breakdown in bilateral relations. Joining FPRI trustee and Africa Program Chair Ambassador Charles Ray, who will moderate a discussion on the issue, is a distinguished group of individuals with extensive knowledge of South African affairs. The panel will be composed of Judd Devermont of CSIS, Joshua Meservey of the Hudson Institute, Joel Pollak of Breitbart News Network, and  Michael Walsh a senior fellow of FPRI.
- [Lessons From Ukraine’s ‘First World Drone War’ ](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2025/lessons-from-ukraines-first-world-drone-war/): Against the backdrop of summits and stalled peace talks, the Russo-Ukrainian continues to grind on. The rapid evolution of drones and deployment at the front has come to define the conflict. Join FPRI President Aaron Stein for a conversation with the Philadelphia Inquirer's Worldview columnist Trudy Rubin, who has recently returned from a trip to the Ukrainian front. The two will discuss Trudy's recent article on what Western allies need to learn from Kyiv's experience to counter AI-driven weapons of the future.   
- [By Air and by Sea: PRC Coercion of Taiwan from Trump I to Trump II](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2025/by-air-and-by-sea-prc-coercion-of-taiwan-from-trump-i-to-trump-ii/): In 2020, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense began publishing daily maps to track an alarming new reality: near-constant military pressure from China’s People’s Liberation Army. What started with a spike in activity after senior Trump administration visits to Taipei has hardened into Beijing’s campaign to erase the Taiwan Strait’s centerline, encircle the island with air and naval patrols, and dispatch Coast Guard forces to Taiwan’s outlying islands.
- [Stabilizing US-China Relations: Perspectives from China](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2025/stabilizing-us-china-relations-perspectives-in-china/): After considerable fluctuation over the past 6 months, the US - China trade relationship appears to be stabilizing for the moment, following negotiations in Geneva and London, with another round now scheduled in Stockholm. The prospect that President Trump may visit China later this year for a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping also appears to be growing by the day. What are the range of possibilities for the bilateral relationship in the near future, what might a trade deal (or “truce”) accomplish, and what areas of friction would likely remain?
- [America’s Future on the Global Stage](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2025/americas-future-on-the-global-stage/)
- [AUKUS Under the Microscope: Successes, Setbacks, and Strategic Stakes](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2025/aukus-under-the-microscope-successes-setbacks-and-strategic-stakes/): Join the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Asia Program for a timely virtual discussion evaluating the AUKUS security partnership. This event will explore the foundational goals of AUKUS, assess its progress since launch, and examine both its successes—such as advancing undersea capabilities and defense innovation—and its ongoing challenges, including industrial capacity constraints and alliance coordination. Featuring leading experts, the conversation will provide a balanced analysis of what AUKUS has achieved so far and what lies ahead for this landmark trilateral partnership.
- [Israel, Iran, and What Comes Next for the Region](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2025/israel-iran-and-what-comes-next-for-the-region/): Israel struck Iranian nuclear facilities this week, killing senior Iranian leaders, and raising questions about the future of the Middle East. How much damage is Israel doing? How stable is Iran? And what is the role of the United States in mitigating tension or defending Israel.
- [Partners or Rivals? Areas of Convergence and Divergence of Interests in the Indo-Pacific](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2025/partners-or-rivals-areas-of-convergence-and-divergence-of-interests-in-the-indo-pacific/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute’s report series for the US European Command’s Russia Strategic Initiative has utilized the instruments of statecraft to analyze the interests, influence, and relationships of Moscow and Beijing across the vast Indo-Pacific region. The first report provided a general overview of the strengthening of the bilateral relationship and specific and joint interests in the region. The second report focused specifically on China’s diplomatic, military, and economic interests across the Indo-Pacific region and gave Moscow’s perspectives on these interests. The third report homed in on the two countries’ relationship with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the prospect of the three forming a trilateral axis, concluding that such an arrangement is unlikely to occur. The fourth report analyzed Russia’s use of diplomatic, military, and economic instruments of statecraft to advance its interests in the Indo-Pacific region and examined how China perceived it.
- [The New Nuclear Age – Ankit Panda](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2025/the-new-nuclear-age-ankit-panda/): Join FPRI for a reception and conversation with Ankit Panda, Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, about his recent book, The New Nuclear Age: At the Precipice of Armageddon (Polity, 2025), and the changing landscape of nuclear security and strategy.
- [Report Launch: Russia’s Use of the Instruments of Statecraft in the Indo-Pacific](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2025/report-launch-russias-use-of-the-instruments-of-statecraft-in-the-indo-pacific/): Join the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) for an event marking the release of a new report, Russia’s Use of the Instruments of Statecraft in the Indo-Pacific: Systemic Balancing and Regional Hedging, the fourth installment of a five-part series examining Chinese and Russian influence and interests in the Indo-Pacific region.
- [Preparing for the Long Game: US Strategy in a Protracted China Conflict](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2025/preparing-for-the-long-game-us-strategy-in-a-protracted-china-conflict/): FPRI Asia Program Director Michael Beckley is joined by Dr. Sheena Chestnut Greitens do discuss her recent article in The Washington Quarterly. The discussion will explore how a US-China conflict could unfold not as a short, decisive clash but as a prolonged, multi-domain struggle—spanning Taiwan, the South China Sea, cyberspace, and more. Together, they will examine why current US defense planning is unprepared for such a scenario and what strategic shifts are needed to better anticipate and manage the risks of a long war.    
- [People, Politics and Prose: Gems of American History ft. Walter McDougall](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2025/people-politics-and-prose-the-lecturers-art-ft-walter-mcdougall/): In this month's People, Politics, and Prose, FPRI's Walter McDougall joins Ron Granieri to discuss his latest book The Lecturer's Art: Gems of American History (Encounter Books).   For decades, in books, articles, and spellbinding lectures, Walter McDougall has helped students and audiences of all ages better understand the people and forces that have shaped the history of the United States and its role in the world. With his keen eye for the telling anecdote and his understanding of the big picture, McDougall has taken readers from the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles to the Bering Strait, from Independence Hall to the Moon.   In his latest book, a collection of twelve essays on a range of topics, McDougall examines some of the most pivotal events and figures of American history, dissecting with skill and wit how this extraordinary republic came to be—and what is required to preserve its legacy of liberty.   People, Politics, and Prose with Ron Granieri features in-depth conversations with authors of recent books on international affairs and national security. Each session will build on the book’s contents to discuss the author’s influences and motivations, relating everything to current events to elicit a broader understanding of the geographical, political, and historical context of our contemporary world.    
- [US-Spain Relations: The North African Dimension](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2025/us-spain-relations-the-north-african-dimension/): Since the September 11th attacks, the strategic partnership between Spain and the United States has been driven mainly by shared counter-terrorism concerns. This has led to significant intelligence sharing and defense security cooperation on the African continent, particularly in East Africa and the Sahel. It has also reinforced the importance of the US overseas military footprint in Spain (e.g., Naval Station Rota). 
- [Aid to Ukraine: Lessons Learned and Future Needs](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2025/aid-to-ukraine-lessons-learned-and-future-needs/): Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, foreign aid has played a major role in boosting defense capabilities and supporting the day-to-day functioning of the war-afflicted country. Support has flowed and continues to flow from many directions, but one vital element of it was the US aid. Can Ukraine continue to count on it? Can Europe alone continue to help Ukraine? How are international aid organizations handling the situation in this difficult environment? What impact might a reduction of the US aid have on Poland, Ukraine's direct neighbor and one of its biggest supporters?
- [China in the Middle East After Assad](https://staging.fpri.org/event/2025/china-in-the-middle-east-after-assad/): Join FPRI for a virtual discussion of China’s evolving engagement in a rapidly shifting Middle East. What does the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria and the ongoing struggle to stabilize and unite the country under the new transitional government mean for Beijing and its interests in the region? How will China navigate shifting regional geopolitics defined by a debilitated Iran, diminished Russia, and an emboldened Israel and Turkey, as well as an increasingly unpredictable United States?

## venues
- [Location will be provided upon RSVP to cdatesman@fpri.org.](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/location-will-be-provided-upon-rsvp-to-cdatesmanfpri-org/)
- [U.S. Naval Institute (USNI), Jack C. Taylor Conference Center](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/u-s-naval-institute-usni-jack-c-taylor-conference-center/): 91 Wood Rd., Naval Academy, MD 21402
- [Heim Center for Cultural and Civic Engagement – Parkway Central Library   ](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/heim-center-for-cultural-and-civic-engagement/)
- [University of Pennsylvania – Middle East Center](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/university-of-pennsylvania-middle-east-center/)
- [The William & Mary Washington Center](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/the-william-mary-washington-center/)
- [Comcast Technology Center, Ralph J. Roberts Forum](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/comcast-technology-center-rjr-forum/): Named after Comcast founder, the Ralph J. Roberts Forum is a two floor, 500-seat amphitheater located in the heart of the new Comcast Technology Center. With 56,000 square feet of production space and full broadcast capabilities, the Ralph J. Roberts Forum is a unique venue for our campus and city to come together to share stories, be inspired, and collaborate. It is also the only multi-use Dolby (Atmos+Vision) event space in the world.
- [Princeton New Jersey](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/princeton-new-jersey/)
- [The Racquet Club of Philadelphia](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/the-racquet-club-of-philadelphia/)
- [Perelman Center for Political Science and Economics](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/perelman-center-for-political-science-and-economics/)
- [University of Deleware- DENIN 467 ISE LAB](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/university-of-deleware/)
- [Historical Society of Pennsylvania](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/historical-society-of-pennsylvania/)
- [University of Pennsylvania Law School](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/university-of-pennsylvania-law-school/)
- [Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO)](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/taipei-economic-and-cultural-office-teco/)
- [University of Pennsylvania – Center for Political Science and Economics](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/university-of-pennsylvania/)
- [Haverford School](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/haverford-school/): Parking: The Green Lot
- [Union League of Philadelphia, Lenfest Myer Theater](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/union-league-of-philadelphia-grant-room/)
- [National Press Club](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/national-press-club/)
- [City University of New York](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/city-university-of-new-york/)
- [Johns Hopkins University: School of Advanced International Studies – Rome Building](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/johns-hopkins-university-school-of-advanced-international-studies-rome-building/)
- [The Harriman Institute Columbia University](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/harriman-institute-columbia-university/)
- [Museum of the American Revolution](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/museum-american-revolution/)
- [Gladfelter Hall](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/gladfelter-hall/)
- [Congregation Adath Jeshurun](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/congregation-adath-jeshurun/)
- [The Atlantic Council](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/the-atlantic-council/)
- [Perry World House](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/perry-world-house/)
- [National Museum of American Jewish History](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/national-museum-american-jewish-history/)
- [Gratz College](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/gratz-college/)
- [Gregg Conference Center](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/gregg-conference-center/): Gregg Conference Center Hotel
- [National Constitution Center](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/national-constitution-center/): 525 Arch St Philadelphia, PA 19106
- [Union League Club of Chicago](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/union-league-club-chicago/)
- [Brookings Institution](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/brookings-institution/)
- [International House Philadelphia](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/international-house-philadelphia/)
- [Center for the Study of Contemporary China](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/center-for-the-study-of-contemporary-china-345-fisher-bennett-hall-school/)
- [Boeing Ridley Park](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/boeing-ridley-park/)
- [Independence Visitor Center](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/independence-visitor-center/)
- [Sonesta Hotel – Philadelphia](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/sonesta-hotel-philadelphia/)
- [The Nassau Club](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/the-nassau-club/)
- [Princeton University](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/princeton-university/)
- [Colonial Penn Center Auditorium](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/colonial-penn-center-auditorium/)
- [Merion Cricket Club](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/merion-cricket-club/)
- [Wilson Center](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/woodrow-wilson-center/)
- [Hotel Palomar](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/hotel-palomar/)
- [The Armory at the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/the-armory-at-the-first-troop-philadelphia-city-cavalry/)
- [Philadelphia](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/philadelphia/)
- [American Enterprise Institute](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/american-enterprise-institute/)
- [BNY Mellon Wealth Management](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/bny-mellon-wealth-management/)
- [The Residences at Palmer Square](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/the-residences-at-palmer-square/)
- [Palmer Square](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/palmer-square/)
- [Meyerson Conference Room, Van Pelt Library – University of Pennsylvania](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/meyerson-conference-room-van-pelt-library-university-of-pennsylvania/)
- [Pepper Hamilton – Pepper Conference Center](https://staging.fpri.org/venue/pepper-hamilton-pepper-conference-center/)

## News
- [FPRI Welcomes New Fellows](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2026/05/fpri-welcomes-new-fellows-may/): Philadelphia, PA
- [Introducing the Spring 2026 Issue of Orbis](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2026/04/introducing-the-spring-2026-issue-of-orbis/):   The Foreign Policy Research Institute and the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs are pleased to introduce the Spring Issue of the Orbis Journal of World Affairs.    The mission of the relaunched Orbis is to the bridge the gap between scholarship and policy by asking strategic questions, interpreting technological change, and examining emerging geopolitical competition. Yet, the purpose of Orbis remains what it was in 1957: to help scholars, policymakers, and practitioners understand a world where power, technology, and political order are constantly being reshaped.   This issue contains two sections that relate closely to the vast changes taking place in the international system and America’s role in it—in keeping with Strausz-Hupé’s charge. Explore the Spring Issue Editor's Corner by Nikolas Gvosdev and Lawrence Rubin  The Fragility of Governance  The World's Hidden Accelerants: Technology, Trust, and System Fragility  by Hon. Stacey Dixon The Principle Challenge: Arresting the Decline of the Global Operating System by Adm. James Alexander Winnefeld, Jr. (ret) Governing Emerging Technologies by Daniel Byman  Past Insights, Present Stakes  The Death of the International Order? by Janine Davidson  Can America Rebuild International Trust?  by Kori Schake  Preparing for Simultaneity by Dov S. Zakheim    Explore the full issue here.
- [FPRI Welcomes New Fellows](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2026/03/fpri-welcomes-new-fellows/): Philadelphia, PA
- [(Re) Introducing the Orbis Journal of World Affairs](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2026/03/re-introducing-the-orbis-journal-of-world-affairs/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) and the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) are pleased to introduce orbisjournal.org, the new home of the Orbis Journal of World Affairs.    First published in 1957, Orbis is a forum for policymakers, scholars, and the informed public to publish scholarly articles focused on geopolitics, foreign affairs, and global security. Over half a century later, the FPRI-Nunn School collaboration continues the mission of the journal’s first editor, Robert Strausz-Hupé. Hupé believed that the contours of global affairs would be shaped both by geopolitical competition and technological change.    Orbisjournal.org relaunches this legacy publication in an open access format that features both peer-reviewed scholarly research and commentary from policymakers and practitioners. The partnership between FPRI and the Nunn School, combining a blend of rigorous academic scholarship with timely policy insight, ensures that Orbis will continue to deliver informative and insightful articles about foreign policy, national security, and geopolitics, with a particular focus on how emerging technologies are reshaping these fields.   What to expect in 2026 Open access to all new Orbis articles and archives (volumes 37-68) Bimonthly episodes of Shifting Ground, the journal’s flagship podcast Monthly commentaries with leading policymakers and practitioners Peer reviewed articles (coming in Fall 2026) Virtual events with journal contributors 4 quarterly issues Monthly Orbis In Brief newsletter Editorial Team  Editors  Dr. Nikolas Gvosdev, Senior Fellow, FPRI, Captain Jerome E. Levy Chair, US Naval War College Dr. Lawrence Rubin, co-director of the Georgia Tech DC Program: Pathways to Policy, associate professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs. Associate Editor  Dr. Rachel Whitlark, associate professor of international affairs, Georgia Tech. Managing Editors  Eric Koob, Program and Operations Manager, Center for Research on International Strategy and Policy, Georgia Tech.  Natalia Kopytnik, Director of Communications, FPRI. Explore orbisjournal.org
- [FPRI Welcomes New Trustees](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2026/02/fpri-welcomes-new-trustees/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to welcome six members to our Board of Trustees.
- [FPRI Launches Private Space Industry Dialogue Series](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2026/01/fpri-launches-private-space-industry-dialogue-series/): PHILADELPHIA - January 13, 2026    The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) announced today it is launching a two year project to assess the risks to private assets in space. The project will bring together private sector actors and leading researchers from FPRI and Middlebury College to develop an action plan for the sustainable use of outer space. The project is generously supported by a $320,000 grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.    The new space industry is worth about $600 billion today, with projections for it to grow to more than $1 trillion in the 2030s. This industry is heavily oriented toward communications, but also has an important presence in markets for navigation, remote sensing for agriculture, and national defense. These assets are a critical infrastructure upon which power grids, financial markets, public transport, aircraft, hospitals and farms all depend. The total value of on-orbit assets today is between $50-100 billion. These assets are largely uninsured from acts of war.    The goals of the project are threefold: First, begin a discussion among new space entrepreneurs and their insurers about the changing risk profile in space.  Second, develop a roadmap for new space stakeholders to minimize risk and increase transparency. Third, widely promote these recommendations to key stakeholders and national governments.    “We will be directly engaging with the private space companies that the government contracts with to build the next generation of privately owned and operated satellites that this nation – and its allies – have come to depend on for communication, sensing, and global connectivity. The discussion will help us work together with the private sector in space to think about how to protect private assets in orbit,” said Aaron Stein, President of FPRI.    “The new space entrepreneurs have real skin in the game. We want to help them start a dialogue about how to protect the assets they’ve put in orbit that create so much value down here on earth,” said Jeffrey Lewis, a Distinguished Scholar of Global Security at Middlebury College and a Distinguished Fellow at FPRI.   FPRI – with the generous support from the Carnegie Corporation –  will work with the private sector to think through the future risks to private assets and what actions could be taken to limit the risks to these privately held assets.   For media inquiries, please contact Leah Pedro at lpedro@fpri.org.
- [FPRI Welcomes Mirna Galic, David Marsh, and Jon Metzler as Fellows](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2025/12/fpri-welcomes-mirna-galic-david-marsh-and-jon-metzler-as-fellows/): Philadelphia, PA
- [FPRI Appoints Emily Holland Director of the Eurasia Program](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2025/11/fpri-appoints-emily-holland-director-of-the-eurasia-program/): “Emily is a wonderful addition to our growing team at FPRI. She brings expertise and excellence to the role and we have big plans for our future work, ranging from a continued focus on our core strengths to doing more work on war gaming and scenario modelling. I can't wait to get to work,” said Aaron Stein, FPRI President.
- [Announcing The Ties that Bind: NATO Allies in Action](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2025/10/announcing-the-ties-that-bind-nato-allies-in-action/): The Ties that Bind examines how NATO shapes the transatlantic relationship and its role in the global security landscape. The project features a limited podcast series, interviews, and analysis.
- [Foreign Policy Research Institute and Georgia Tech Announce a Collaboration to Publish the Orbis Journal of World Affairs](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2025/10/foreign-policy-research-institute-and-georgia-tech-announce-a-collaboration-to-publish-the-orbis-journal-of-world-affairs/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) and the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) announce the relaunch of the Orbis Journal of World Affairs.
- [FPRI Appoints Shihoko Goto as Vice President of Programs](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2025/10/fpri-appoints-shihoko-goto-as-vice-president-of-programs/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to welcome Shihoko Goto as the Vice President of Programs and Director of the Asia Program.
- [FPRI Welcomes Dr. Jeffrey Lewis and Sam Lair as National Security Program Fellows](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2025/09/fpri-welcomes-dr-jeffrey-lewis-and-sam-lair-as-national-security-program-fellows/): Philadelphia, PA
- [Introducing FPRI’s Young Professionals Advisory Board](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2025/08/introducing-fpris-young-professionals-advisory-board/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to welcome four new members to the Young Professionals Advisory Board (YPAB). The YPAB is a group of supporters who bring a new perspective to the organization’s mission. With a diverse mix of young professionals, YPAB is the vehicle for FPRI to plan for its future and engage with the next generation of leaders.
- [General CQ Brown, Jr. to Headline FPRI’s 70th Anniversary Celebration](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2025/06/general-cq-brown-jr-to-headline-fpris-70th-anniversary-celebration/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) will present its 19th Annual Benjamin Franklin Award for Public Service to General CQ Brown, Jr. during its 70th Anniversary Celebration on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, in Philadelphia. 
- [Announcing New Asia Program Fellows](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2025/05/announcing-new-asia-program-fellows-4/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to welcome the appointment of three Asia Program Fellows.
- [Announcing New Asia Program Fellows](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2025/04/announcing-new-asia-program-fellows-3/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to welcome the appointment of three Asia Program Fellows. These scholars will pursue research projects in Taiwan studies.
- [Announcing New Asia Program Fellows](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2025/03/announcing-new-asia-program-fellows-2/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to welcome the appointment of five new Asia Program Fellows. These scholars will enhance our research agenda, focusing on key issues such as security, strategic technologies, geoeconomics, and applied history. Through their original research, they will contribute valuable insights through policy-relevant analyses.
- [Announcing New Eurasia Program Fellows](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2025/03/announcing-new-eurasia-program-fellows-2/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to announce the appointment of five new Eurasia Program Fellows. These scholars will work across the program's research initiatives, focusing primarily on the Black Sea Initiative and European Security Initiative.
- [FPRI to Host a Joint Conference with the Irregular Warfare Center](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2024/08/fpri-to-host-a-joint-conference-with-the-irregular-warfare-center/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to announce a joint conference with the Irregular Warfare Center (IWC) to discuss irregular warfare lessons learned since 9/11 on September 17-18 at the US Naval Institute Jack C. Taylor Conference Center in Annapolis, Maryland.
- [Announcing a New Asia Program Fellow](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2024/07/announcing-a-new-asia-program-fellow/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Tanner Greer as a Non-Resident Fellow with the Asia Program.
- [Introducing Behind the Front](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2024/07/introducing-behind-the-front/): As the world was in the throes of World War I, H.G. Wells reluctantly sat down to write War and the Future, a work of war propaganda, wherein he called stridently for “the Allies fight for a permanent world peace.” Wells was a pacifist, but he believed that it was in the world’s best interest for the Allies to prevail and that despite their faults as nation states, “they do not make war but resist war.”
- [Introducing The Ties That Bind: NATO at 75 and Beyond](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2024/06/introducing-the-ties-that-bind-nato-at-75-and-beyond/): On July 9-11, the thirty-two allies of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will convene in Washington, DC to discuss the most pressing issues facing the alliance today and provide strategic guidance for its future activities.
- [Announcing New Asia Program Fellows](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2024/06/announcing-new-asia-program-fellows/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to announce the appointments of Jaehan Park as a Non-Resident Fellow and Neysun A. Mahboubi as a Non-Resident Senior Fellow with the Asia Program.
- [Announcing the 2024 Templeton Fellows](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2024/04/announcing-the-2024-templeton-fellows/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to announce the appointment of its 2024 Templeton Fellows. Recipients of the Templeton Fellowship work across FPRI’s research programs on a variety of projects throughout the year.
- [Aaron Stein Elected President of the Foreign Policy Research Institute](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2024/04/aaron-stein-elected-president-fpri/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to announce the election of Dr. Aaron Stein as its President commencing on April 15, 2024.
- [Phebe N. Novakovic to Receive FPRI’s 17th Benjamin Franklin Award](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2023/10/phebe-n-novakovic-to-receive-fpris-17th-benjamin-franklin-award/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to announce the 17th Benjamin Franklin Award recipient, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of General Dynamics Phebe N. Novakovic. LTG (ret.) H.R. McMaster, former US national security advisor, will discuss with Ms. Novakovic this year’s theme, “The Future of Technology and National Security,” on December 13, 2023, for a noon luncheon at the Westin Hotel in Philadelphia. 
- [Announcing the Eurasia Program’s First US Army Fellow](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2023/09/announcing-the-eurasia-programs-first-us-army-fellow/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Walter "Rick" Landgraf as the first US Army Fellow in the Eurasia Program. LTC Landgraf's research focuses on transatlantic relations, Euro-Atlantic and European integration, and US defense and intelligence issues. His FPRI fellowship is part of the Department of Defense's SkillBridge Program.
- [Announcing New Middle East Program Fellows](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2023/09/announcing-new-middle-east-program-fellows/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to announce the appointment of two new Middle East Program Fellows. 
- [Announcing New Eurasia Program Fellows](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2023/09/announcing-new-eurasia-program-fellows/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to announce the appointment of four new Eurasia Program Fellows. These scholars will work across the program's research initiatives, focusing primarily on the Black Sea Initiative and European Security Initiative.
- [FPRI Appoints Nikolas K. Gvosdev as Director of the National Security Program](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2023/08/fpri-appoints-nikolas-k-gvosdev-as-director-of-the-national-security-program/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Nikolas K. Gvosdev as the Director of the National Security Program. A longtime Senior Fellow of both FPRI’s National Security and Eurasia Programs, Gvosdev also serves as the Editor of Orbis: FPRI’s Journal of World Affairs. Gvosdev is a Professor of National Security Affairs, holding the Captain Jerome E. Levy Chair in Economic Geography and National Security at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. He was formerly the Editor of The National Interest magazine and a Senior Fellow at The Nixon Center in Washington, D.C.
- [FPRI Welcomes Mohamed Amersi to its Board of Trustees ](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2023/06/fpri-welcomes-mohamed-amersi-to-its-board-of-trustees/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to announce Mohamed Amersi as the newest member of the Board of Trustees. 
- [Announcing the Center for the Study of Intelligence and Nontraditional Warfare](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2023/06/announcing-the-center-for-the-study-of-intelligence-and-nontraditional-warfare/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to announce the establishment of the Center for the Study of Intelligence and Nontraditional Warfare, a new National Security Program initiative led by Philip Wasielewski.
- [FPRI Appoints Michael Beckley as Director of the Asia Program and Jacques deLisle as Chair of the Asia Program](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2023/05/fpri-appoints-michael-beckley-as-director-of-the-asia-program-and-jacques-delisle-as-chair-of-the-asia-program/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to announce the appointments of Dr. Michael Beckley as the Director of the Asia Program and Jacques deLisle as Chair of the Asia Program and Member of the Board of Advisors. 
- [Announcing the 2023 Templeton Fellows ](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2023/05/announcing-the-2023-templeton-fellows/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to announce the appointment of its 2023 Templeton Fellows. Recipients of the Templeton Fellowship work across FPRI’s research programs on a variety of projects throughout the year.
- [FPRI Appoints Maia Otarashvili as Eurasia Program Director and Robert E. Hamilton Head of Eurasia Research](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2023/04/fpri-appoints-maia-otarashvili-as-eurasia-program-director-and-robert-e-hamilton-head-of-eurasia-research/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Maia Otarashvili as the Director of the Eurasia Program and Colonel (Retired) Robert E. Hamilton as Head of Eurasia Research. 
- [FPRI Welcomes New Senior Fellows Lonnie Henley and Dominic Green](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2023/03/fpri-welcomes-new-senior-fellows-lonnie-henley-and-dominic-green/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dominic Green and Lonnie Henley as Senior Fellows. 
- [Foreign Policy Research Institute Announces New Members of Its Board of Trustees](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2023/02/foreign-policy-research-institute-announces-new-members-of-its-board-of-trustees-2/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute is very pleased to announce the election in 2022 of four new members to its Board of Trustees.
- [Call for Papers: Orbis Special Issue on China](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2023/01/call-for-papers-orbis-special-issue-on-china/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to announce that it is soliciting academic articles for a Fall 2023 special issue of Orbis focused on China and geoeconomics. FPRI is especially interested in academic articles that contribute new information about China’s economic statecraft, the Belt and Road Initiative, and other overseas Chinese economic activity.
- [Foreign Policy Research Institute Appoints James Ryan as Director of Research ](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2022/09/foreign-policy-research-institute-appoints-james-ryan-as-director-of-research/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. James Ryan as Director of Research and Director of the Middle East Program.  In this capacity, Dr. Ryan will oversee all research and analysis at FPRI.  
- [Introducing a Town Hall Event Series in Collaboration with Comcast NBCUniversal](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2022/09/introducing-a-town-hall-event-series-in-collaboration-with-comcast-nbcuniversal/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to announce a new series of town hall events in collaboration with Comcast NBCUniversal. The series will host speakers from FPRI’s vast network of experts and feature discussions on pressing issues in global affairs. 
- [Announcing the International Crisis Management Course for Ukrainian Students, in partnership with George Washington University](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2022/08/announcing-the-international-crisis-management-course-for-ukrainian-students-in-partnership-with-george-washington-university/): The online course, led by Dan Whitman, in partnership with Maia Otarashvili (FPRI) and Marlene Laruelle (IERES), will help provide intellectual stimulation, career continuity, and opportunities for academic engagement to Ukrainian university students whose lives and careers have been derailed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 
- [Announcing the 2022 Templeton Fellows](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2022/04/announcing-the-2022-templeton-fellows/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to announce the appointment of its 2022 Templeton Fellows. Templeton Fellows work across FPRI’s research programs on a variety of projects throughout the year.
- [Announcing the Samuel J. Savitz Memorial Lecture on Cultural Diplomacy](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2022/04/announcing-the-samuel-j-savitz-memorial-lecture-on-cultural-diplomacy/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute announces the first annual Samuel J. Savitz Memorial Lecture on Cultural Diplomacy, which will honor the memory of Samuel J. Savitz, a longtime FPRI Fellow and Vice Chairman of the FPRI’s Board of Trustees.  This annual lecture will focus on how cultural diplomacy can serve as a tool to enhance diplomatic relations and advance the interests of the United States. The first lecture will feature Professor Joseph Nye, the former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, and Robert D. Kaplan, FPRI’s Robert Strausz-Hupé Chair in Geopolitics, discussing the concept of soft power and American foreign policy. The event will take place on April 21 at 5:00pm at the Museum of the American Revolution's Lenfest Myer Theater.  For those who cannot attend in person, this event will also be available on Zoom.
- [Rob Lee Joins FPRI’s Eurasia Program as a Senior Fellow](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2022/02/rob-lee-joins-fpris-eurasia-program-as-a-senior-fellow/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Rob Lee as a Senior Fellow in FPRI's Eurasia Program. 
- [Announcing the New FPRI China Center](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2022/01/foreign-policy-research-institute-announces-new-china-center/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to announce the launch of the FPRI China Center. This new research center will feature a dedicated team of experts focused exclusively on China's impact on geoeconomics and great power competition in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.  The China Center was made possible through the generous support of James and Janet Averill.  
- [Thomas J. Shattuck Appeared on Deutschlandfunk Kultur to Discuss TSMC and U.S. China Policy](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2021/10/thomas-j-shattuck-appeared-on-deutschlandfunk-kultur-to-discuss-tsmc-and-u-s-china-policy/): Click here to listen to the report on Deutschlandfunk Kultur .
- [Thomas J. Shattuck appeared on ABC’s Rear Vision to discuss Taiwan and the United Nations](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2021/10/thomas-j-shattuck-appeared-on-abcs-rear-vision-to-discuss-taiwan-and-the-united-nations/): Taiwan—isolated but not alone
- [Announcing the Baltic Ways Podcast](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2021/10/announcing-the-baltic-ways-podcast/): Baltic Ways provides listeners insights and interviews about the Baltic states. It is hosted by Dr. Indra Ekmanis, Baltic Sea Fellow and Editor of Baltic Bulletin at FPRI. The podcast explores the past, present, and future of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—and the many ways that these three countries impact the politics, history, and culture of the region and beyond.   
- [Announcing The Global Demons Podcast](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2021/07/announcing-the-global-demons-podcast/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute is pleased to announce the upcoming release of the Global Demons Podcast. Hosted by best-selling author Robert D. Kaplan, this 13-episode bi-weekly podcast features interviews with preeminent foreign policy experts discussing the critical issues and challenges facing the U.S. and its allies in this new era of great power rivalry.
- [Announcing the Bernard Lewis Fellowship](https://staging.fpri.org/news/2021/06/announcing-the-bernard-lewis-fellowship/): The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to announce the establishment of the Bernard Lewis Fellowship. Senior Fellow Wolfgang G. Schwanitz will serve as the inaugural holder of this fellowship.

## Contributors
- [Prashanth Parameswaran](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/prashanth-parameswaran/)
- [Kyle Marcrum](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/kyle-marcrum/)
- [Roger Motaze](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/roger-motaze/)
- [Gabriel Cyrille Nguijoi](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/gabriel-cyrille-nguijoi/)
- [Aïssatou Clémence Baré](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/aissatou-clemence-bare/)
- [Sékou Berthé](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/sekou-berthe/)
- [Kassoum Coulibaly](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/kassoum-coulibaly/)
- [Ene Kõresaar](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/ene-koresaar/)
- [Violeta Davoliūtė](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/violeta-davoliute/)
- [Kirsti Jõesalu](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/kirsti-joesalu/)
- [Jessica C. Liao](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/jessica-c-liao/)
- [James Swartout](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/james-swartout/)
- [Ayse Kaya](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/ayse-kaya/)
- [Maximilian Reiterer](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/maximilian-reiterer/)
- [Roderich Kiesewetter](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/roderich-kiesewetter/)
- [Dmytro Putiata](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/dmytro-putiata/)
- [Zsolt Enyedi](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/zsolt-enyedi/)
- [James Brady](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/james-brady/)
- [Adm. Rob Bauer](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/adm-rob-bauer/)
- [Eleonora Russell](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/eleonora-russell/)
- [Robert Lipiński](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/robert-lipinski/)
- [Matt Turpin](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/matt-turpin/)
- [Phillip Smyth](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/phillip-smyth/)
- [Yerevan Saeed](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/yerevan-saeed/)
- [Greg Pollock](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/greg-pollock/)
- [Joshua Busby](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/joshua-busby/)
- [Christopher Isike](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/christopher-isike/)
- [David Monyae](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/david-monyae/)
- [Hsiao Chu-chen](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/hsiao-chu-chen/)
- [Ben Chen](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/ben-chen/)
- [Ben Tsiang](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/ben-tsiang/)
- [Henry Large](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/henry-large/)
- [Hadas Aron](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/hadas-aron/)
- [Dean Chen](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/dean-chen/)
- [Yeh-chung Lu](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/yeh-chung-lu/)
- [Guy Plopsky](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/guy-plopsky/)
- [Alexander Bollfrass](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/alexander-bollfrass/)
- [Astrid Chevreuil](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/astrid-chevreuil/)
- [Suzy Hansen](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/suzy-hansen/)
- [Bashir Goth](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/bashir-goth/)
- [Mariia Vladymyrova](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/mariia-vladymyrova/)
- [James Barnett](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/james-barnett/)
- [Kabir Adamu](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/kabir-adamu/)
- [Cheta Nwanze](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/cheta-nwanze/)
- [Ayumi Teraoka](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/ayumi-teraoka/)
- [Stephen G. Brooks](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/stephen-g-brooks/)
- [Jesse R. Humpal](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/jesse-r-humpal/)
- [Gregory Otto](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/gregory-otto/)
- [Alexandra Papadopoulou](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/alexandra-papadopoulou/)
- [William Cahill](https://staging.fpri.org/contributor/william-cahill/)

## Articles
- [Can the Victoria Falls Stock Exchange (VFEX) Revitalize Zimbabwe’s Economy?](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/05/can-the-victoria-falls-stock-exchange-vfex-revitalize-zimbabwes-economy/):  Zimbabwe created a US dollar-denominated exchange in Victoria Falls, the Victoria Falls Stock Exchange (VFEX), to offer issuers and investors a rules-based “hard currency land” for capital raising and secondary trading, in an environment where domestic currency instability and exchange controls have historically deterred long-term investment. VFEX has the potential to become a credible conduit for hard currency capital into Zimbabwe and regional firms, particularly exporters and mining/tourism firms, but only if the country sustains a predictable exchange control regime, deepens market liquidity, and builds a governance framework that global investors can trust. Its relationship to the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE) in Harare is both complementary and competitive. It could modernize market infrastructure and widen investor choice, but it could also drain liquidity and “best issuers” from the domestic equity board, entrenching a two-track financial system, unless domestic currency credibility improves.
- [Scaling Patriot Production: The Industrial Base Crisis Explained](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/05/scaling-patriot-production-the-industrial-base-crisis-explained/): On April 10, after coalition forces had fired at least 1,700 Patriots in just five weeks, the Pentagon announced a $4.76 billion contract to accelerate production. While a seemingly forceful response, the move only highlighted the core problem. At the current build rate of 600 missiles per year, it would take three years to replace what was used in a little over a month. Replenishment runs on an industrial clock, and that clock is measured in years, not days.
- [FPRI Experts React | Trump-Xi Summit](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/05/fpri-experts-react-trump-xi-summit/): The much-anticipated meeting in Beijing between Donld Trump and Xi Jinping ended without any significant tangible breakthrough in relations between the United States and China. Behind the facade of cordial relations between the leaders, the differences between Washington and Beijing over trade, Taiwan, and Iran became apparent at the end of the two days. 
- [Decoding China’s 15th Five-Year Plan](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/05/decoding-chinas-15th-five-year-plan/): China’s latest Five-Year Plan signals that it has become more pessimistic about the global environment, seeing it as uncertain and unstable. However, the Chinese Communist Party sees opportunity in that instability to promote the Community of Common Destiny, their new model of global governance. The Five-Year Plan also signals that the Chinese will continue to use the United Nations to advance this new global governance system.
- [A Growing Rift: The Decline of Russian-Central Asian Ties](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/05/a-growing-rift-the-decline-of-russian-central-asian-ties/): Central Asia, particularly Kazakhstan, has been targeted in these remarks with increasing frequency since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022. Oddly, this irredentism comes as Russian xenophobia has focused on Central Asian migrant laborers working in Russia.
- [Bulgaria’s Difficult Road to Political Stability      ](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/05/bulgarias-difficult-road-to-political-stability/): As many in Central and Eastern Europe were emerging from the buoyant aftermath of Hungary’s mid-April 2026 elections, less than 500 miles southeast of Budapest another consequential national plebiscite transpired. On April 19, a mere week after the watershed Hungarian polls, Rumen Radev—until recently Bulgaria’s long-serving president—and his nascent Progressive Bulgaria party swept to power in parliamentary elections in that oft-forgotten Balkan land. This analysis will highlight Bulgaria’s fundamental historical, geographic, and demographic challenges, explain the recent political instability in the country, and suggest some likely consequences of Radev’s victory for Bulgaria’s relations with its allies to the west and its traditional Slavic brethren to the northeast.
- [Reordering Central Asia: China’s Emerging Economic Hierarchy](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/05/reordering-central-asia-chinas-emerging-economic-hierarchy/): For much of the post–Cold War period, Central Asia was framed as a space of Sino-Russian coordination, institutionalized through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and underwritten by a tacit division of labor: Russia provided security, and China delivered mutually beneficial capital.That division, which was an oversimplification of their roles, has nonetheless been rapidly eroding since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Since then, Beijing has accelerated a strategy of economic and technological consolidation that increasingly sidelines Moscow—not through confrontation, but through structural redundancy. Rather than co-managing the region with Russia, China is now building parallel corridors, technological dependencies, and trade architectures that make Central Asia progressively less reliant on Moscow.
- [Why Niger Can Seize Uranium but Cannot Sell It](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/04/why-niger-can-seize-uranium-but-cannot-sell-it/): More than 1,000 metric tons of yellowcake uranium sit at Airbase 101 adjacent to Niamey’s international airport, loaded onto trucks that have not moved in weeks, a convoy that has become a defining image of a world order in transition. By every conventional understanding of territorial sovereignty, this asset is Niger’s to do with as it pleases. The junta seized the Somair mine outside Arlit, nationalized it, expelled the French operator Orano, and declared it would sell the uranium on international markets under its own terms. It has a buyer which is almost certainly Russia. It has soldiers, trucks, and a head of state willing to defy international arbitration tribunals, a French criminal investigation, and international nonproliferation obligations.
- [Shifting Power Dynamics in Kyrgyzstan: The End of the Japarov-Tashiyev Era](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/04/shifting-power-dynamics-in-kyrgyzstan-the-end-of-the-japarov-tashiyev-era/): Kyrgyzstan was once viewed as the “island of democracy “in Central Asia. That changed in the last five years due to the tandem of President Sadyr Japarov and head of the State Committee for National Security (GKNB) Kamchybek Tashiyev. They greatly weakened the roles of opposition political organizations, civil society, and independent media, the three areas that for decades had distinguished Kyrgyzstan from its authoritarian neighbors.
- [Russia After Putin](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/04/russia-after-putin/): Vladimir Putin, 73, has been Russia’s leader for over a quarter of a century and the driving force behind Moscow’s efforts to reassert control over its former Soviet and Tsarist empire. His eventual departure from the world stage will bring hope that a new Russian leader will end these imperial impulses and behavior. However, a review of Russian history, political culture, and elite and public opinion provides a clear warning that such hopes are unlikely to be realized. Russia after Putin is likely to be very similar to Russia under Putin.
- [Hungarian Elections: Ramifications for Central Europe](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/04/hungarian-elections-ramifications-for-central-europe/): As the dust settles and the euphoria ebbs on the historic mid-April 2026 elections in Hungary, the consequences of Tisza’s resounding victory over Victor Orban’s Fidesz party will start to manifest to the north of Budapest, specifically in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, the three other members of the Visegrád Four. While Peter Magyar will undoubtedly reorient his country’s foreign policy with respect to Ukraine, Russia, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and the European Union (EU), Budapest’s relations with Warsaw, Prague, and Bratislava will also evolve, in the process changing the geopolitical dynamic at the center of the continent.
- [FPRI Experts React | The US Blockade of the Strait of Hormuz](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/04/fpri-experts-react-the-us-blockade-of-the-strait-of-hormuz/): On Monday, April 13th, the United States announced that the US Navy would block Iranian ships entering or exiting the Strait of Hormuz. The announcement came after the first-round of negotiations to formally end the conflict concluded in Islamabad, Pakistan without agreement. 
- [Japan and the Quest for Its New Normal](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/04/japans-and-the-quest-for-its-new-normal/): Japan’s hands have been tied militarily since it embraced a pacifist constitution in 1947, and the national debate to reassess its defense capabilities is intensifying amid the sweeping shifts in the global security landscape. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took further steps toward unshackling Japan’s defense capabilities when she did not shy away from asserting Japan’s national interest in case of a Taiwan contingency. The question is whether her March 19 summit with President Donald Trump fit into Japan’s longstanding quest for normalcy. The answer depended not only on Takaichi but also on Trump’s handling of their meeting.
- [How War with Iran Undermines Deterrence in the Indo-Pacific](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/04/how-war-with-iran-undermines/): Some argue that the goals of the attacks on Iran are ambitious: to eliminate the Iranian threat, delegate Middle Eastern security to regional partners, and redirect strategic bandwidth to the Indo-Pacific. At the same time, the demonstration of sheer US military power could deter Beijing from taking action regarding its own ambitions for Taiwan. In short, the ultimate goal of the Iran attacks could be seen as part of a broader grand strategy so that the United States can ultimately focus on the Indo-Pacific and the China threat.
- [In Conversation with Adm. Rob Bauer and Eleonora Russell | If You Want Peace, Prepare for War](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/04/in-conversation-with-adm-rob-bauer-and-eleonora-russell-if-you-want-peace-prepare-for-war/): The following conversation was recorded on March 19, 2026 and has been edited for clarity. You can listen to the conversation here.
- [The UAV-Enabled Anti-Air Defense Campaign in the Third Gulf War](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/04/the-uav-enabled-anti-air-defense-campaign-in-the-third-gulf-war/): This piece is part of Behind the Front, an FPRI project on the future of US and allied national defense.
- [Russia’s Drone Line Experiment](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/04/russias-drone-line-experiment/): The following analysis was originally published on Two Marines, a newsletter on Russia's war in Ukraine, defense technology, and modern warfare, on April 3, 2026. 
- [Pathways for the War with Iran](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/04/pathways-for-the-war-with-iran/): After a month of combat operations, the United States and Israel have made it clear that they will not allow Iran to become a nuclear power. Based on Iran’s history of domestic repression and foreign terrorism, this is a positive development. However, an unexpected consequence is that Iran may emerge from this conflict with increased international influence due to its demonstrated ability to close the Strait of Hormuz. How Iran will use this newfound leverage remains to be seen and could depend on the length of the conflict and how it ends. The world could soon see an agreement that prevents a major international economic crisis and gives each side some claim to victory. The other possibility is a long conflict in which one or all of the parties try to achieve maximalist goals, resulting in worldwide economic distress, yet no guarantee that military force will give any party a final advantage over the other.
- [False Promises: Russian Military Trafficking in Africa](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/04/false-promises-russian-military-trafficking-in-africa/): In November of 2025, Decree No. 821 was quietly signed into law. The measure forces foreigners already living in Russia to choose between conscription and leaving the country, mandating at least one year of military service to apply for permanent residency. Unnaturalized foreigners seeking citizenship must present proof of service with the military or the Emergency Situations Ministry, or a certificate of excuse. Decree No. 821 canceled out the former status quo, Decree No. 10, which simplified the path for military recruits—as well as citizens of post-Soviet countries—to obtain Russian citizenship, but did not mandate military service. In conjunction with the decree, the state also began to target migrants with new laws labeling certain activities as “extremism” or “threats to security,” for which the punishment is expulsion, increasing pressure on them to find legal security through military service. Some of these activities include using uncertified websites and databases or holding religious services in private residences. These legal amendments came into play at a time when Russia’s death toll from its war in Ukraine reached 325,000 men, and casualties totaled 1.2 million. Notably, the updated citizenship guidelines do not apply to Belarus, Russia’s close ally. 
- [Experts React | Iran Energy and Indo-Pacific Realignment](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/04/experts-react-iran-energy-and-indo-pacific-realignment/): The surge in global oil prices following the attacks on Iran has materially weakened global growth prospects. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development now estimates that disruptions linked to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz will push inflation to approximately 4 percent this year—1.2 percentage points above earlier projections—as a direct result of higher oil and gas costs. The impact has been most immediate and acute across the Indo-Pacific. Despite decades of diversification efforts since the 1970s energy crises, Asian economies have remained structurally dependent on Middle Eastern energy supplies. In 2024, nearly 80 percent of the twenty-one million barrels per day transiting the Strait of Hormuz were destined for markets across the Indo-Pacific.
- [How War in Iran is Impacting the Baltic States](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/03/how-war-in-iran-is-impacting-the-baltic-states/): Each month, Dr. Indra Ekmanis writes a monthly roundup highlighting major political, cultural, and economic events in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Her commentary on the Baltic response to war in Iran is featured below, originally published in the March Baltic Roundup on Substack.
- [The Royal Navy in the Gulf](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/03/the-royal-navy-in-the-gulf/): The Royal Navy is set to take a leading role in a multinational “Hormuz Coalition” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and ensure safe passage for merchant vessels. Britain brings considerable expertise to the table, particularly in the mine countermeasures capabilities that the US Navy currently lacks. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has cautioned, however, that reopening the strait is “not a simple task” and that any sustained effort would require broad coalition support given the narrow geography and residual threats from mines, drones, fast boats, and missiles. Crucially, any such plan would likely not be enacted until a cessation in hostilities.
- [Medicine for Minerals: US Foreign Assistance in Africa](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/03/medicine-for-minerals-us-foreign-assistance-in-africa/): In a March 16, 2026 article, The New York Times reported that it had obtained the draft of a memo indicating that the State Department is considering “withholding lifesaving assistance to people with HIV in Zambia as a negotiating tactic to force the government of the southern African country to sign a deal giving the United States more access to its critical minerals.” The memo reportedly says the Trump administration is considering “significantly cutting assistance” as soon as May to increase pressure on Zambia. Responding to a query from the newspaper, the State Department press office, in an unsigned email, said that it would not comment on purportedly leaked documents or on deliberative diplomatic discussions, falling short of a denial of the alleged memo’s existence. The Zambian minister of information and government spokesperson also declined to comment on the issue. There has also been no official US reaction to African media coverage, which predates the article, alleging that proposed US health funding for some African countries was tied to granting Washington greater access to mineral resources and sensitive health data of citizens in participating countries. There are reportedly 16 such agreements signed with African countries, including Nigeria, Uganda, and Kenya, although the Kenya deal has been suspended pending resolution of a court case challenging it. While this is an issue that, because of all the other problems they face, most people in the United States will pay scant attention to, for the 1.3 million people in Zambia who rely on a daily HIV treatment provided by the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), as well as medications to treat tuberculosis and malaria, it is literally a life and death matter.
- [Militias and Iraq’s Role in a Multifaceted Regional War](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/03/militias-and-iraqs-role-in-regional-conflict/): Amid the escalating Iran-US-Israel war, Iraq is increasingly becoming one of its central fronts, bringing back into sharp focus a chronic structural dilemma: the role of militias embedded within the state and the consequences of their conduct for Iraqi sovereignty and stability. At the core of this dynamic is a deep contradiction: state-affiliated forces operating in alignment with an external agenda, effectively shaping Iraq’s war and peace decisions beyond the government’s control.
- [Why Africa Is Key to New Delhi’s Strategic Autonomy](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/03/why-africa-is-key-to-new-delhis-strategic-autonomy/): India’s strategic choices, therefore, can be understood by the interaction of identity, ideas, interests, and institutions. India’s identity as a civilizational state—historically shaped by pluralism, dialogue, and intercultural exchange—provides an intellectual foundation for its engagement with diverse regions and cultures. The guiding ideas of India's foreign policy draw on civilizational principles of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and Madhyamā Mārga, which emphasize coexistence, moderation, and shared responsibility. New Delhi’s interests involve balancing strategic autonomy with pragmatic cooperation and collaboration with like-minded partners, particularly in areas such as energy security, economic growth, regional stability, and connectivity across the Indo-Pacific and beyond. Institutions serve as the platforms through which these identities, ideas, and interests are operationalized. In this context India actively participates in a range of multilateral, minilateral, trilateral, and bilateral frameworks—including the G20, Quad, IMEC, I2U2, India–France–UAE, and Global South platforms such as BRICS, IBSA, the India–Africa Forum Summit (IAFS), the India–Africa Defence Dialogue (IADD), and the Asia–Africa Growth Corridor—alongside its calibrated engagement with the Gulf states, Israel, and Iran—reflect a strategy of flexible coalition-building to promote cooperative approaches to global governance. Such engagement reflects a preference for horizontal multilateralism, aiming to create a multipolar world where cooperation is structured through horizontal networks of partnerships rather than hierarchical power arrangements dominated by a few major powers. Thus, the call for multipolarity alone is insufficient without depolarization, which is a necessary precursor for creating the conditions for “equitable interdependence,” moving away from a complex web of dependence.
- [FPRI Experts React | The Cost of a Win-Win for US-Japan Relations](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/03/fpri-experts-react-the-cost-of-a-win-win-for-us-japan-relations/): As the first G7 leader to meet with President Donald Trump in the White House since the US attacks on Iran, Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s ability to manage relations with the United States without sacrificing her country’s own national interests was closely watched by other US allies in the Indo-Pacific and in Europe. Takaichi faced the challenge of balancing two seemingly contradictory goals. On the one hand, she was tasked with maintaining her strong personal ties to Trump and ensuring continued US commitment to security in the Indo-Pacific through the US-Japan alliance even as Washington’s immediate focus remains on the Middle East and Ukraine. On the other hand, Takaichi needed to avoid embroiling Japan into a conflict that has come under severe criticism from Japanese voters. 
- [Experts React | Effects of the Iran War on Energy Markets](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/03/experts-react-effects-of-the-iran-war-on-energy-markets/): With the world still reeling from the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately one fifth of global oil is shipped, Iran’s ballistic missile attacks on Qatar’s LNG infrastructure have sent global energy markets into turmoil. Prior to this attack, the effect of the war in Iran on energy markets was largely determined by the duration of the conflict. A short-term closure to the Strait would spike prices but was unlikely to cause the stagflation that occurred after the 1973 oil crisis because the world’s energy systems are far more diversified and resilient than they were then.
- [FPRI Experts React | Options in the Strait of Hormuz](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/03/fpri-experts-react-options-in-the-strait-of-hormuz/): After weeks of war, pressure is mounting on the Trump administration to deploy sea and ground forces on an open-ended mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway connecting Asia with the Arabian Sea. The options for the United States are fraught with risk and will require further extending the war and risking Navy ships in the narrow and crowded Arabian Gulf. 
- [Would You Fight For Your Country? The Most and Least Willing Among NATO Allies](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/03/would-you-fight-for-your-country-the-most-and-least-willing-among-nato-allies/): This piece is part of The Ties That Bind, a project on NATO’s role in the global security landscape.
- [Canada and Africa: Bridging the Gap Between Potential and Policy](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/03/canada-and-africa-bridging-the-gap-between-potential-and-policy/): Does Canada neglect the African continent? This question was raised in a 2026 interview with Radio-Canada by Amina Gerba, a Quebec senator and business leader whose public work has long emphasized the strategic importance of Canada’s engagement with Africa. Beyond the notion of neglect, the senator pointed to Canada’s difficulty in establishing itself as a sustained and credible long-term partner on the continent, at a time when several global powers are rapidly expanding their presence across Africa. Canada’s new government has emphasized its intention to diversify the country’s international partnerships amid growing geopolitical tensions. Yet, speaking at the 2025 G20 summit in Johannesburg, Prime Minister Mark Carney noted that while Africa is part of Canada’s diversification strategy, it does not currently rank among Ottawa’s short-term investment priorities—highlighting a potential gap between Canada’s stated ambitions and the practical hierarchy of its foreign policy priorities.
- [China’s Political Warfare: Challenges to Taiwan and the United States in Latin America](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/03/chinas-political-warfare-challenges-to-taiwan-and-the-united-states-in-latin-america/): Throughout Latin America, China is engaging in a unique form of political warfare—employing, per FPRI’s definition, “elements of national power including cyber, economic, financial, informational, paramilitary, and political statecraft tools short of declared war... to achieve political goals.” While building soft power through economic exchanges, Beijing has also advanced political goals in the region through overt and covert activities. These goals can be generally classified into isolating Taiwan diplomatically and challenging US interests in the Western Hemisphere.
- [The Mine Gap: America Forgot How to Sweep the Sea](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/03/the-mine-gap-america-forgot-how-to-sweep-the-sea/): On the morning of April 14, 1988, the USS Samuel B. Roberts, an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate cruising through the Persian Gulf, struck a mine. The explosion tore a hole 15 feet wide in her hull, flooded her engine room, and nearly broke her keel in two. Ten sailors were injured. By some miracle, none were killed. The ship had hit an Iranian M-08 contact mine, a weapon whose design dated all the way back to World War I. America’s response was Operation Praying Mantis, the largest surface naval engagement since World War II. It destroyed or disabled half the operational Iranian Navy in a single day. It was, militarily, a success. But it did not solve the mine problem. Nearly four decades later, the US Navy is confronting that same problem again—with far fewer tools than it once possessed to solve it.
- [Over 5,000 Munitions Shot in the First 96 Hours of the Iran War](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/03/over-5000-munitions-shot-in-the-first-96-hours-of-the-iran-war/): In the first 96 hours, the US-led coalition expended approximately 5,197 munitions across 35 types (see Figure 1). This carries a munitions-only replacement bill of $10–$16 billion in four days. This represents a significant industrial burden for replacing some munitions that cannot be replenished in 4 days, 4 weeks, or even 4 months. Worse, those estimates do not include combat losses of warfighting assets or damage to bases and the high-end air defense enabling architecture. Critical sensing assets that have been lost to Iranian missile strikes and drone attacks, as of March 10, 2026, include the AN/FPS-132 early warning radar in Qatar; multiple AN/TPY-2 THAAD radars across Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE); and the AN/TPS-59 tactical radar in Bahrain. The friendly-fire incident in which a Kuwaiti F-18 shot down three US F-15-E Strike Eagles and Iran downing 11 MQ-9 Reaper drones adds further costs. When munitions, sensor losses, and aircraft attrition are combined, the total coalition bill reaches roughly $20 billion—and our calculation does not include munition expenditures after day four and other operational costs such as jet fuel, expeditionary costs (food, lodging, etc.) for forces, and other outsourced support functions.
- [Targeting the Russian Rear Zone in a Hypothetical Baltic War](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/03/targeting-the-russian-rear-zone-in-a-hypothetical-baltic-war/): If Russia were ever to bring war to the Baltic, certainly the Baltic States themselves would not permit war to remain confined to their lands alone. Such has been a repeated message from the Baltic States, Estonia being especially vocal on this point. Expanding the hypothetical ground warfare into Russia would not necessarily solve the strategic problems inherent in Baltic defense; rather, it would simply alter them. Strikes by air power or ground-based missile forces, however, are different and altogether much more sensible operational actions regardless of the ground defense posture.
- [2025 Year in Review](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/03/2025-year-in-review/): FPRI had an exceptional year. We published cutting-edge research on the challenges Russia and China pose to American interests in the Indo-Pacific region, examined the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, and expanded our research on the threats posed by the militarization of space.
- [Rising Lion’s Air Offensive: Part I](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/03/rising-lions-air-offensive-part-i/): Operation Rising Lion, initiated in response to the potentially existential threat posed by the Islamic Republic of Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs, constitutes the most complex and ambitious air offensive ever undertaken by the state of Israel. Executed to great effect by the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF’s) Air and Space Arm (popularly known as simply the Israeli Air Force or IAF), Aman (the IDF’s Military Intelligence Directorate), and Mossad (the Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations), the meticulously planned offensive highlighted Israel’s continued qualitative edge in manpower and technology over its enemies. Within a period of less than two weeks in June 2025, and without suffering any combat or operational losses of manned aircraft, Israel was able to rapidly establish air superiority and supremacy over relevant parts of Iran, heavily degrade the Iranian regime’s ballistic missile capabilities, and significantly set back its nuclear program. These accomplishments—and the execution of Rising Lion more broadly—have been the subject of much international attention. While information is necessarily fragmentary, the current chapter represents an attempt at providing an operational account of the Israeli air offensive.
- [From Tehran to Donbas: What the Iran War Means for Russia and Ukraine](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/03/from-tehran-to-donbas-what-the-iran-war-means-for-russia-and-ukraine/): Those systems and a limited supply of Patriot interceptor missiles will now be tied up for as long as Tehran continues or threatens further attacks. Every Patriot battery committed to defending Gulf cities is a battery that cannot be redeployed to protect Odesa or Kharkiv from Russian salvos. And every interceptor missile used over Riyadh or Abu Dhabi is one fewer available to intercept the next Russian ballistic barrage against Ukraine’s power grid. If the war in Iran drags on, it will almost certainly worsen Ukraine’s already precarious air-defense problem, especially if Russia continues to lean more heavily on ballistic missiles, forcing Ukraine to use up its vanishing supply of Patriot interceptors.
- [FPRI Experts React | Understanding the Third Gulf War](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/03/fpri-experts-react-understanding-the-third-gulf-war/): The third Gulf War began with an assassination on February 28, 2026, in broad daylight in central Iran. The war has engulfed the region in conflict, extending from neighboring Gulf Arab countries to the waters just off Sri Lanka. The end date of the air campaign remains uncertain, with estimates ranging from weeks to months, and the war has spilled over into the Gulf Arab States and into the Eastern Mediterranean. 
- [Better Late Than Never, US and Allies Race toward Ukrainian Counter-Shahed Tech](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/03/better-late-than-never-us-and-allies-race-toward-ukrainian-counter-shahed-tech/): The idea that an Iranian Shahed drone could strike the US Navy’s nerve center in Bahrain during daylight hours, despite decades of preparedness for such an event, seems absurd to most military planners. However, this is exactly what occurred in the early stages of the ongoing conflict with Iran.
- [Czech President, New Government in Early Power Struggle](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/03/czech-president-new-government-in-early-power-struggle/): In an interview on Feb. 1, 2026 on the popular Czech television political commentary series “Questions with Vaclav Moravec,” Petr Macinka, the Czech foreign minister and head of the government’s junior coalition party Motorists for Themselves (Motoristé sobě), declared that his ministry would simply ignore the country’s president, Petr Pavel. On the same day upwards of 90,000 Czechs filled the streets of Prague in a show of support for the president. The rupture in relations between Pavel and Macinka, after a mere two months of the latter taking office, highlights more deep-seated conflicts between the new government and the popular Czech head of state. How the situation deteriorated so rapidly, what it means for Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, and what the possible ramifications will be for Prague’s status as a valued member in the heart of Europe of the European Union (EU) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are the focuses of this analysis.
- [FPRI Experts React | Renewed Conflict in Iran](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/02/fpri-experts-react-renewed-conflict-in-iran/): After declaring Iran’s nuclear program obliterated after Operation Midnight Hammer, the US has returned to finish the job. The backdrop for this renewed air campaign is complicated, but worth fleshing out to understand the implications for US forces. The USS Ford participated in the Maduro operation and has had its deployment extended, taxing everything from sailor morale to on-board plumbing. US missile defenses remain stretched, but are now stacked up in Saudi Arabia and Jordan — and perhaps elsewhere. The Air Force has deployed two-thirds of its available F-15Es, an aging airframe in constant demand. And the F-35 inventory was already under strain, stemming from spare part shortages linked to their diversion to help Israel after the 12-day war. 
- [Four Years of War in Ukraine and Baltic Solidarity](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/02/four-years-of-war-in-ukraine-and-baltic-solidarity/): Each month, Dr. Indra Ekmanis writes a monthly roundup highlighting major political, cultural, and economic events in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Her commentary on the Baltic response to Russia’s war in Ukraine is featured below, originally featured in the February Baltic Roundup on Substack.
- [In Conversation with Roland Theis | Germany Rearms](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/02/in-conversation-with-roland-theis-germany-rearms/): AS: It's nice to actually have you up in Philadelphia. I know you started in Washington, and you're on your way to Boston. And I imagine that on your trip, people keep asking how things are changing in Germany. I think it's fair to say as we in the US look at the future of Europe, and we look at the future of defense in Europe,
- [A Conundrum: Strategic Minerals and a Peripheral Africa](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/02/a-conundrum-strategic-minerals-and-a-peripheral-africa/): The Trump administration’s National Security Strategy (NSS), publicly issued in early December 2025, focused primarily on the survival of the United States as a “sovereign republic, rejecting international obligations and alliances, other than restoration of American hegemony in the Western Hemisphere.” The NSS also emphasized expansion of American access to critical minerals and materials, while at the same time positing two conditions that seemingly contradict this access: independent and reliable access to goods needed for national defense, and changing the relationship with Africa from a “foreign aid paradigm to an investment and growth paradigm.” Africa, peripheral to American security interests, is seen as a source of raw materials and a market for US goods and services. Africa is then seen as a “battleground for resource competition with China,” with a focus on critical minerals essential to the energy transition and the defense-industrial base.
- [Latvia at the UN Security Council](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/02/latvia-at-the-un-security-council/): Starting in 2026, Latvia will serve as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC) for a two-year term. This will be a first in the country’s history. Latvia was elected to the UN Security Council on June 3, 2025, with 178 votes. However, the path to this seat began in 2011, when the Latvian government officially approved its candidacy for a seat on the UNSC.
- [FPRI Experts React | Sanae Takaichi’s Victory in Japanese Election](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/02/fpri-experts-react-sanae-takaichis-victory-in-japanese-election/): Image Credit: Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), speaks during a press conference at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, 09 February, 2026. Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party secured more than two-thirds of the seats in the House of Representatives in a historic landslide, giving Prime Minister Takaichi a strong mandate to advance her conservative policy agenda. (Franck Robichon | Pool via Reuters)
- [The US Is Not Built For War Or Peace: America’s Industrial Resilience Gap](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/02/the-us-is-not-built-for-war-or-peace-americas-industrial-resilience-gap/): That episode is a stark warning for military logistics. The same cascading failure that paralyzed civilian mobility could halt the movement of forces from fort to port. Friction emerges not from a single event, but from interdependent systems degrading in unison. Yet, American policymakers assume the industrial base is resilient, when it is actually brittle, optimized for just-in-time supply chains and just-enough capacity. When shocks hit (e.g., pandemics, wars, political instability, cyber incidents, or weaponized supply chains), Washington responds with emergency authorities and surge funding, confusing endurance with readiness. A system that merely limps through disruption is optimized for continuity, not crisis.
- [The Origin of the US-UK Intelligence “Special Relationship”](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/01/the-origin-of-the-us-uk-intelligence-special-relationship/): From the beginning of World War II in Europe in 1939, a formal, albeit limited, liaison relationship existed between the intelligence and security services of the United Kingdom and their American counterparts—the Army and Navy intelligence staffs and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Like many modern liaison relationships, the US-UK relationship at the time was problematic, limited by suspicion and, at times, outright hostility. This changed in the 1940 when US presidential envoy William J. Donovan travelled to the United Kingdom with instructions to report back to President Franklin Roosevelt on the likelihood of its survival. The president’s decision to go outside normal bureaucratic channels and send a civilian to answer his questions would change the nature of the intelligence relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom forever.
- [Leveraging the Kurdish National Council and Roj Peshmerga to Break the Deadlock in Syria](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/01/leveraging-the-kurdish-national-council-and-roj-peshmerga-to-break-the-deadlock-in-syria/): Northeast Syria, for long the most stable corner of the country, has been plunged into turmoil following a military campaign by the government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Following days of fighting, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have now retreated to the Kurdish-majority portions of northeast Syria in Hasakah province and Kobani, in Aleppo province.
- [The US AI Acceleration Plan vs China’s Diffusion Model](https://staging.fpri.org/article/2026/01/the-us-ai-acceleration-plan-vs-chinas-diffusion-model/): From the perspective of US-China competition, the significance is not simply that Washington wants more AI. It is that the department is now treating AI adoption as an operational race in which the decisive variable is diffusion—how quickly a promising capability moves from experiment to trusted, fielded use across the services, commands, and enabling enterprise that actually fights.

## Multimedia
- [Slow Memory, Slow Conflict](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2026/05/slow-memory-slow-conflict/): In this episode of Baltic Ways, Dr. Indra Ekmanis speaks with Professors Violeta Davoliūtė and Ene Kõresaar about their contributions to a special issue of Slovak Ethnology. Co-edited by Davoliūtė, the issue focuses on slow memory. Kõresaar, together with colleague Kristi Jõesalu (who contributed to this episode outside of the recording), brought comparative research on slow conflict in Baltic history museums and the representation of Russophone minorities to the issue. The discussion also explores the academic value of slowing down in research and how this contrasts with the broader pressures to publish quick results.  
- [The Strategy for Affordable Missiles: A Conversation with Ursa Major](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2026/05/the-strategy-for-affordable-missiles-a-conversation-with-ursa-major/): Aaron Stein, President of the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI), talks with James Swartout, VP of Strategy at Ursa Major Technologies, about his career in national security and how his company is revolutionizing aerospace and defense.
- [A Blueprint for Deterrence with Adm. Rob Bauer and Eleonora Russell](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2026/04/a-blueprint-for-deterrence-with-adm-rob-bauer-and-eleonora-russell/): We often assume our safety is a “government problem,” but guests Admiral Rob Bauer, the former Chair of the NATO Military Committee, and Strategic Communications Advisor Eleonora Russell argue that this mindset is our greatest vulnerability. Drawing from their 2025 book, If You Want Peace, Prepare for War: A Blueprint for Deterrence, they challenge the idea that military strength alone is enough to protect our future.
- [The Motivation of Memory in Estonian Politics](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2026/03/the-motivation-of-memory-in-estonian-politics/): On June 14, 1941, the Soviet Union deported more than 10,000 people from Estonia to Siberia. Eight years later, Soviet authorities deported 20,000 more. These deportations have left a lasting legacy on Estonian society, though the majority of the population today was not alive to experience them. Decades later, behind the Iron Curtain, those in northern Estonia got a peek of freedom, and the West, through Finnish TV. In this episode of Baltic Ways, we examine how historical experiences impact political views and participation.  
- [Understanding Berlin’s Security Environment](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2026/02/understanding-berlins-security-environment/): Understanding Berlin's Security Environment by FPRI Eurasia Program
- [The Islamic Republic Teeters](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2026/01/iran-the-islamic-republic-teeters/): The Islamic Republic Teeters by FPRI
- [Minority Identity in Baltic Literature and Film](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2026/01/minority-identity-in-baltic-literature-and-film/): This episode of the Baltic Ways podcast welcomes Dr. Liina-Ly Roos, assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the German, Nordic, Slavic+ department. The discussion centers on Liina-Ly's recent book: The Not-Quite Child: Colonial Histories, Racialization, and Swedish Exceptionalism (University of Washington Press, 2025), in which she analyzes films and literature that portray Indigenous Sámi, Tornedalian, and Finnish-speaking children and how these figures disrupt the normative understanding of growing up in Sweden. These cultural texts are filled with tensions of assimilation, invisibility, and the struggle to grow in a society that demands conformity to a specific “Swedishness.” The discussion also considers parallels to the Baltic context. Dr. Roos is a graduate of the University of Washington and a grant recipient from the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies. 
- [What Actually Happened in Russia This Year?](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/12/what-actually-happened-in-russia-this-year/): In which the current editor in chief of the Bear Market Brief talks to a former one about an important question: in the big picture what actually happened in Russia this year? Also, how do you go about making a news brief?
- [What Is Irregular Warfare?](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/12/what-is-irregular-warfare/): What is Irregular Warfare and why in the Pentagon is it traditionally a subject of cyclical phases of either great enthusiasm or inattention over the decades? Phil Wasielewski talks with retired Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel Mark Grdovic, author of the recent book Those Who Face Death: The Untold Story of Special Forces and the Iraqi Kurdish Resistance, as well as a just released FPRI article, Breaking the Glass Ceiling of Irregular Warfare. They will discuss the different definitions for Irregular Warfare that exist even within the Pentagon, the consequences of getting definitions wrong, and recommendations for a better understanding of what Irregular Warfare is, and possibly, what it is not. 
- [Russia Above Ground, Russia Below Ground](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/12/russia-above-ground-russia-below-ground/): Howard Amos and Nina Zakharkina-Berezner join host Aaron Schwartzbaum to discuss the lived reality of modern Russians in the country’s periphery and informal, dissident spaces that exist under the radar.
- [Never Again Alone | Finland in NATO](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/12/never-again-alone-finland-in-nato/): Welcome back to the Ties That Bind. This week, we go even further north, to Finland, one of the alliance’s newest members.
- [Integration Through Art: Documentary and Dance in Estonia](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/12/integration-through-art-documentary-and-dance-in-estonia/): Over 100,000 Ukrainian refugees have come to Estonia at some point since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Of those, tens of thousands remain in the country, building their own communities and integrating with local Estonians. For many, art is an important assertion of Ukrainian identity, but also a bridge to their new neighbors. Scholar and filmmaker Parker Watt set out to document these stories and embarked on an integration journey of his own during a year spent in Estonia, finding meaning at each step, proverbial and literal, along the way.
- [Understanding Unmanned Naval Systems](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/12/understanding-unmanned-naval-systems/): We have spent a lot of time talking about Combat Collaborative Aircraft, or CCA. On this episode, Aaron sat down with Billy Byrne, the Director of Strategy for Defense at Saildrone. The two talked about the future of unmanned naval systems, the lessons learned from Ukraine’s operations in the Black Sea, the challenges of operating in the Indo-Pacific, and the need to have both endurance and to “pack a punch” in naval combat.
- [Windows of Opportunity | Latvia in NATO](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/11/windows-of-opportunity-perspectives-from-latvia/): Welcome back to the Ties that Bind. This week, we go back North to the shores of the Baltic Sea for a perspective from Latvia.
- [Lessons in History and Communications from NATO’s Principal Spokesperson](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/11/lessons-in-history-and-communications-from-natos-principal-spokesperson/): Welcome back to The Ties that Bind, a project of the Foreign Policy Research Institute that examines how NATO shapes the transatlantic relationship and its role in the global security landscape.
- [The Multipolar, the Merrier: US Foreign Policy in a Brave New World](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/11/us-foreign-policy-in-a-brave-new-world/): In a rapidly evolving world where Washington might not have the same sway it used to, how should the US best position itself? Who are the "schools" or "camps" contesting the direction of foreign policy. In this episode of The Continent, Emma Ashford joins Aaron Schwartzbaum to talk about American grand strategy and her recent book First Among Equals: US Foreign Policy in a Multipolar World. 
- [On the Coasts of Conflict | Romania in NATO](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/10/on-the-coasts-of-conflict-romania-in-nato/): This week, we are looking further south along NATO’s eastern flank at Romania.
- [The Battle for Memory: Populism vs. Pluralism in Public History](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/10/the-battle-for-memory-populism-vs-pluralism-in-public-history/): Baltic Ways presents a bonus episode from our partners at the EUROPAST podcast. The EUROPAST podcast explores Europe's most pressing challenges of public history, investigating the complex and contested spaces of public memory, memory activism, and best practices for engaging the public in a dialogue about the past.  
- [For Our Freedom and Yours | Poland in NATO](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/10/for-our-freedom-and-yours-poland-in-nato/): This week, we are looking at Poland, a country that has completely transformed its military and defense capacity over the last two decades. Periods of transition are not always painless, and we’ll hear what challenges Poland has faced and what opportunities lie ahead as it looks to become a leading voice within the alliance and on the world stage. Featured guests for this episode are: Anna Fotyga, former Polish Foreign Minister, 2006-2007, Tomasz Szatkowski, former Deputy Defense Minister, 2015-2019, and Ambassador to NATO, 2019-2024, and Jakub Romaniuk, Programme Director, Foundation Institute for Eastern Studies.
- [Al Qaeda and the Islamic State: Still Alive and Fighting in the Sahel](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/10/al-qaeda-and-the-islamic-state-still-alive-and-fighting-in-the-sahel/): Listen in to Overheard as Mike DeAngelo discusses with Phil Wasielewski how militant Islamic terrorist groups are waging parallel insurgencies across western Africa, the motivations fueling these conflicts, how  local African government responses sometimes just add more fuel to the fire, and why Americans should care about this little known but deadly irregular war. 
- [The State of Baltic Studies](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/09/the-state-of-baltic-studies/): What is the ongoing relevance of Baltic Studies? As the new academic year gets underway, we speak with three scholars in the field about what it means to study the Baltic region today. What challenges is the field facing, and what might the future look like? What does the broadening of Baltic Studies beyond the three Baltic states mean for the field?
- [Continued Conversation About Collaborative Combat Aircraft](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/09/continued-conversation-about-collaborative-combat-aircraft/): Aaron sat down with Scott “FUG” Gilloon, who currently serves as the Sector Vice President of Air Force Strategic Development and Capability Assessments at GA-ASI. The two talked about General Atomics’ CCA, its origin story, how these aircraft may be used in combat, and what the future of air combat may entail.
- [Bear Market Brief | Kyiv Dispatch](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/09/bear-market-brief-kyiv-dispatch/): A flurry of back-and-forth diplomacy, a renewed Russian offensive, and a rare outburst of protest in Ukraine. The Kyiv Dispatch with Fabrice Deprez returns to break down what's actually happening and most importantly, how people on the ground are feeling about it.
- [Hybrid Warfare: A Conversation with Dr. Frank Hoffman](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/08/hybrid-warfare-a-conversation-with-dr-frank-hoffman/): Almost two decades ago,  Frank Hoffman's writings and scholarship were instrumental in popularizing the term Hybrid Warfare. Join him in a conversation with Phil Wasielewski as the two discuss the origins of this term and concept and debate how valid both are today.
- [Drones and the Future of War](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/08/drones-and-the-future-of-war/):     Are drones the future of war? What lessons can be learned from Ukraine for the Taiwan contingency? To discuss these topics and more, FPRI President Aaron Stein sat down with Lorenz Meier, CEO of Auterion, to discuss drones and the future of war.      Explore more from the Chain Reaction podcast. 
- [Whither Strong? Exploring Conceptions of Russian Power](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/07/whither-strong-exploring-conceptions-of-russian-power/): Why does Russia play such an important role in geopolitics? If it's because of 'strength'... what does strength even mean? And why do conceptions of Russia's strength vary so extremely? Seva Gunitsky joins Aaron Schwartzbaum on this week’s Bear Market Brief podcast.
- [Future of Collaborative Combat Aircraft](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/07/future-of-collaborative-combat-aircraft/): How might combat collaborative aircraft be used to fight a war in Europe? Or the Indo-Pacific? To discuss these questions, and the latest from the YFQ-44A, President Aaron Stein sat down with Andrew Van Timmeren, the director of air dominance systems at Anduril Industries, about what he and the company is working on.
- [From Russia with Risk](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/07/from-russia-with-risk/): Here on the Bear Market Brief, a lot of what we focus on is, simply put, risk: what might happen, and what might it mean?
- [Russian Political Warfare Operations in the Balkans](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/06/russian-political-warfare-operations-in-the-balkans/): The western Balkans, including Bosnia and Kosovo, were the scene of some of the bloodiest warfare and atrocities in Europe post-World War Two until Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Approximately twenty-five years after the last of the fighting in the region, tensions still simmer and some predict that the region could see a renewal of violence. Whereas the previous Balkan Wars were the result of the breakup of the former Yugoslavia, a future Balkan war could be ignited by Serbian irredentism and spread by Russia. Will Russia's political warfare operations in the Balkans fuel the next war?
- [Part 2 | Surviving Two Years in Russian Captivity](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/06/part-2-surviving-two-years-in-russian-captivity/): In this special two part episode of Chain Reaction, Senior Fellow Rob Lee interviews Yevgeniy Malik, a squad leader in Ukraine's 36th Marine Brigade. Malik fought in Mariupol during the beginning of the war and defended the Illich Iron and Steel Works. He spent more than two years in captivity in Russia as a prisoner of war from April 2022 to September 2024.
- [Part 1 | Surviving Two Years in Russian Captivity](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/06/surviving-two-years-in-russian-captivity/): During this time Malik faced daily beatings and torture. In Part 1, Yevgeniy explains what it was like to be a prisoner of war in Russian prisons, and what the thousands of Ukrainian prisoners of war still face every day.
- [What E-Estonia Can Teach the US](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/05/what-e-estonia-can-teach-the-us/):  Technologist Joel Burke is the author of the recently published Rebooting a Nation: The Incredible Rise of Estonia, E-Government and the Startup Revolution. He shares his insight into the country’s rise as a leader in e-government, technological exports in a globalized world, and what the US has to learn from Estonia in a moment of disruption. This episode was recorded on April 18, 2025.
- [Gradually, Then Suddenly: Georgia’s Slide Into Authoritarianism](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/05/gradually-then-suddenly-georgias-slide-into-authoritarianism/): Since November of last year, the small country of Georgia has seen daily protests against its increasingly authoritarian government. For over 150 straight days Georgians have been in the streets demanding that their country return to the path of European integration, and halt what they describe as its slide toward becoming a Russian client state. But the Georgian government has not budged, cracking down on the protests, sometimes with violence, and refusing to consider the protestors’ demand for new elections.
- [Report in Short | The War’s Impact On Russia’s Regional Power Dynamics](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/05/report-in-short-the-wars-impact-on-russias-regional-power-dynamics/): In this episode of Report in Short Aaron Schwartzbaum speaks with András Tóth-Czifra about his recent report, “The Kremlin’s Balancing Act: The War’s Impact On Regional Power Dynamics.” In the report, Tóth-Czifra explains the shift of government control, highlights instances of pushback, and identifies limitations on the Kremlin's strategy going forward.
- [You Don’t Know Until You Go: Views of the US From European Capitals](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/05/you-dont-know-until-you-go-views-of-the-us-from-european-capitals/):   Persistent reports indicate that the Trump Administration will de-emphasize the US commitment to European security in favor of an emphasis on defending the US homeland and shifting resources to the Indo-Pacific. This follows a long-running critique of America’s European allies for investing too little in their own defense, a critique that predates both Trump Administrations, but one that has gotten louder, especially in the second Trump Administration.   But what is the view in European capitals of the emerging US policy toward Europe, and what might its effects be on Transatlantic relations? To discuss these questions, Dr. Michael Neiberg of the US Army War College, recently returned from a visit to Estonia and Germany, joins Bob Hamilton on Chain Reaction.      
- [The Feminists Defending Ukraine](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/04/the-feminists-defending-ukraine/): Ukrainians have resisted Russia’s aggression for years. Since the full-scale invasion of their country in 2022, Ukrainian women in particular have taken on important roles on the frontlines, in civil society, and at home. Gražina Bielousova’s research examines how Ukrainian leftist feminists advocate for their causes at home and abroad, facing distinct sets of challenges as they attempt to defend their country. The Ukrainian case is also distinct in comparison to Latvia and Lithuania, whose organizing takes on different shapes for the same cause. Bielousova joins Ben Gardner-Gill to explain these interactions and discuss the ongoing process of decolonization in Baltic Studies.
- [After the Collapse: Tragedy in Serbia Sparks a Movement](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/04/after-the-collapse-tragedy-in-serbia-sparks-a-movement/): On November 1 2024, the roof of a newly €55 million renovated railway station in Novi Sad, Serbia’s second biggest city, collapsed and killed 15 people. The deaths sparked Serbia’s largest wave of student-led anti-government protests since Yugoslavia’s disintegration in 2000.
- [Tariff Tiff or Trade Tragedy?](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/04/tariff-tiff-or-trade-tragedy/): The Trump Administration has thrown global financial markets into chaos with its massive but on-again, off-again tariffs against America's trading partners, both large and small. The White House has at times framed the tariffs as a revenue generation scheme, at other times framed them as an attempt to return manufacturing to the US, and at still other times has said they are an attempt to gain concessions from other countries on non-economic issues.
- [Where and Why to Spy?](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/04/where-and-why-to-spy/): How does the Intelligence Community focus its collection and analysis? Retired CIA officers Norman Roule and Yong Suk Lee discuss how intelligence collection among America's 18 separate intelligence agencies is planned and coordinated and how that collection is analyzed and presented to policymakers. Join in to learn how the intelligence collection process works and the role of policymakers from two former senior CIA officials with a combined half-century of experience in the intelligence field.
- [Trump 2.0 and the Baltic States](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/04/trump-2-0-and-the-baltic-states/): The Baltic Ways podcast welcomes back professors Margarita Šešelgytė (Vilnius University), Daunis Auers (University of Latvia), and Andres Kasekamp (University of Toronto) for a roundtable discussion on the first two months of Donald Trump’s second term and the US administration’s impact on the Baltic countries and broader Europe. This episode was recorded on March 14, 2025.
- [Rumble in the Oval: Strategy or Spectacle?](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/03/rumble-in-the-oval-strategy-or-spectacle/): The two weeks after Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky’s Oval Office clash have precipitated drastic shifts in transatlantic relations and the potential trajectory of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Now a possible ceasefire is on the horizon.
- [Historical Justice in the Baltic States](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/03/historical-justice-in-the-baltic-states/): Since restoring their independence, the Baltic states have focused on pursuing historical justice related to Soviet crimes, which included widespread repressions and mass deportations. Under the influence of international actors, the Baltic states have also engaged in political processes associated with Holocaust justice. Political scientist Dovilė Budrytė and anthropologist Neringa Klumbytė explain how their interdisciplinary approach has revealed new findings, exposed gaps in existing scholarship, and may influence policy in years to come.
- [NATO’s Past, Present, and Very Uncertain Future](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/03/natos-past-present-and-very-uncertain-future/): Although NATO has survived - and even thrived - for over 75 years, its future looks more uncertain now than at perhaps any other time. The Alliance confronts not only a resurgent Russia, but serious questions over the US commitment to European security and the ability of European Allies to fill the gap a US withdrawal from Europe would leave. To discuss these and many other issues surrounding NATO's role in European security, Dr. Rick Landgraf joins host Bob Hamilton on Chain Reaction. A retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel with extensive scholarly and policy experience on NATO, Rick is also the host of a recent FPRI podcast series on the Alliance.
- [An Inflection Point: The Military Situation in Ukraine](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/03/an-inflection-point-the-military-situation-in-ukraine/): While the military situation in Ukraine continues apace, with grinding Russian assaults gaining ground daily, but at a reduced pace and increasing rate of casualties, the diplomatic situation is changing rapidly. A flurry of US diplomatic activity aimed at ending the war has unnerved Ukrainians and America's allies, who fear the US is preparing to cut a deal with Russia over their heads.
- [Understanding Russian Narratives on the West, Ukraine, Russia, and the World](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/02/understanding-russian-narratives-on-the-west-ukraine-russia-and-the-world/): Sometimes lost among analysis of Russian malign actions around the world - from invasions of its neighbors, to sowing chaos in democratic societies, manipulating democratic elections, and weaponizing corruption - is analysis of why Russia does what it does. In other words, what is it about the Russian model of how the world works that causes it to engage in these types of activities, and what narrative justification does it advance?
- [Local Forces and Counterinsurgency Campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/02/local-forces-and-counterinsurgency-campaigns-in-afghanistan-and-iraq/): In this edition of Overheard, Phil Wasielewski talks to Dr. Arturo Munoz and Dr. Diane Zorri about the academic papers they presented at last year's FPRI-sponsored conference on Lessons Learned from post-9/11 Irregular Wars. The three will discuss how America used or improperly used local police and militia forces in counterinsurgency campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq and now to do better in the future. 
- [Report in Short: Russian Strategic Culture and the War in Ukraine](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/01/report-in-short-russian-strategic-culture-and-the-war-in-ukraine/): In this episode of Report in Short, Aaron Schwartzbaum speaks with Lieutenant Colonel Denys Yurchenko about his recent FPRI report, “Russian Strategic Culture and the War in Ukraine."
- [Destigmatizing the Roma: The Most Forgotten Community in Lithuania](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/01/destigmatizing-the-roma-the-most-forgotten-community-in-lithuania/): In this episode of the EUROPAST Podcast, project researcher Rūta Vyšniauskaitė sat down with Agnieška Avin, a PhD candidate at the Institute of Sociology at the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences. Avin is also an activist for Roma integration, working as an educator at the integrative children’s day-care center “Padėk Pritapti.” 
- [The Art of the Alliance: Trump, Ukraine, and NATO Beyond 75](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/01/the-art-of-the-alliance-trump-ukraine-and-nato-beyond-75/):  
- [Trump, Russia, and the Strategic Context](https://staging.fpri.org/multimedia/2025/01/trump-russia-and-the-strategic-context/): Where does the US stand in the world as Trump (re)assumes office? How is his approach towards Ukraine shaping up? Stephen Wertheim, Senior Fellow in the American Statecraft Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, joins Aaron Schwartzbaum to explore the broader context and drivers of how policy towards Russia will, and will not, be made.

## Publication Issues
- [Orbis Fall 2024](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-fall-2024/): Guest Editor’s Corner - Janine Davidson 
- [Orbis Summer 2024](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-summer-2024/): Editor’s Corner - Nikolas K. Gvosdev 
- [Orbis Spring 2024](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-spring-2024/): Spring 2024, Vol.68, No.2 
- [Orbis Winter 2024](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-winter-2024/): Winter 2024 Vol. 68, No.1 
- [Orbis Fall 2023](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-fall-2023/): Fall 2023, Vol. 67, No. 4
- [Orbis Summer 2023](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-summer-2023/)
- [Orbis Spring 2023](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-spring-2023/)
- [Orbis Winter 2023](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-winter-2023/)
- [Orbis Fall 2022](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-fall-2022/)
- [Orbis Summer 2022](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-summer-2022/)
- [Orbis Spring 2022](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-spring-2022/)
- [Orbis Winter 2022](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-winter-2022/)
- [Orbis Fall 2021](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-fall-2021/)
- [Orbis Summer 2021](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-summer-2021/)
- [Orbis Spring 2021](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-spring-2021/)
- [Orbis Winter 2021](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-winter-2021/)
- [Orbis Fall 2020](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-fall-2020/)
- [Orbis Summer 2020](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-summer-2020/)
- [Orbis Spring 2020](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-spring-2020/)
- [Orbis Winter 2020](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-winter-2020/)
- [Orbis Fall 2019](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-fall-2019/)
- [Orbis Summer 2019](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-summer-2019/)
- [Orbis Spring 2019](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-spring-2019/)
- [Orbis Winter 2019](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-winter-2019/)
- [Orbis Fall 2018](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-fall-2018/)
- [Orbis Summer 2018](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-summer-2018/)
- [Orbis Spring 2018](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-spring-2018/)
- [Orbis Winter 2018](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-winter-2018/):  
- [Orbis Fall 2017](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-fall-2017/)
- [Orbis Summer 2017](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-summer-2017/): All articles from Orbis are available at the Orbis website on Elsevier’s Science Direct.
- [Orbis Spring 2017](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-spring-2017/): All articles from Orbis are available at the Orbis website on Elsevier’s Science Direct.
- [Orbis Winter 2017](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-winter-2017/): All articles from Orbis are available at the Orbis website on Elsevier's Science Direct.
- [Orbis Fall 2016](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-fall-2016/): All articles from Orbis are available at the Orbis website on Elsevier's Science Direct.
- [The American Review of Books, Blogs, and Bull – Issue 7](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/american-review-books-blogs-bull-issue-7/): https://issuu.com/fpri/docs/the_american_review_08012016?e=23311798/37825121
- [Orbis Summer 2016](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-summer-2016/): All articles from Orbis are available at the Orbis website on Elsevier's Science Direct.
- [The American Review of Books, Blogs, and Bull – Issue 6](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/american-review-books-blogs-bull-issue-6/):  
- [The American Review of Books, Blogs, and Bull – Issue 5](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/american-review-books-blogs-bull-issue-5/):  
- [The American Review of Books, Blogs, and Bull – Issue 4](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/american-review-books-blogs-bull-issue-4/):  
- [Orbis Spring 2016](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-spring-2016/): All articles from Orbis are available at the Orbis website on Elsevier's Science Direct.
- [The American Review of Books, Blogs, and Bull – Issue 3](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/american-review-issue-3/): The American Review hopes to enrich our understanding of American political life by linking politics to larger trends in American culture society. This month’s two essays serve that mission by examining the often-chaotic intersection between politics and moral principle. FPRI Associate Scholar Darryl Hart offers an analysis of the attraction between American Evangelical Christians and Donald Trump. The (dis-) connection between policy and morality also attracts the analytical gaze of FPRI Fox Fellow Adam Garfinkle, who has penned a review of a recent work on “the benefits and pitfalls of America’s alliances with authoritarian regimes” to reflect on how Americans think about the compromises inherent in making foreign policy.
- [The American Review of Books, Blogs, and Bull – Issue 2](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/the-american-review-of-books-blogs-and-bull-issue-2/): This month's American Review opens the conversation on the future of the West. Editor Ron Granieri contemplates the challenges and opportunities ahead, while guest contributor Mark Brennan reviews the latest book from AEI President Arthur Brooks.
- [Orbis Winter 2016](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-winter-2016/): All articles from Orbis are available at the Orbis website on Elsevier's Science Direct.
- [Orbis Fall 2015](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-fall-2015/): All articles from Orbis are available at the Orbis website on Elsevier's Science Direct.
- [Orbis Summer 2015](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-summer-2015/): All articles from Orbis are available at the Orbis website on Elsevier's Science Direct.
- [Orbis Spring 2015](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-spring-2015/): All articles from Orbis are available at the Orbis website on Elsevier's Science Direct.
- [Orbis Winter 2015](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-winter-2015/): All articles from Orbis are available at the Orbis website on Elsevier's Science Direct.
- [Orbis Fall 2014](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-fall-2014/): All articles from Orbis are available at the Orbis website on Elsevier's Science Direct.
- [Orbis Summer 2014](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-summer-2014/): All articles from Orbis are available at the Orbis website on Elsevier's Science Direct.
- [Orbis Spring 2014](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-spring-2014/): All articles from Orbis are available at the Orbis website on Elsevier's Science Direct.
- [Orbis Winter 2014](https://staging.fpri.org/issues/orbis-winter-2014/): All articles from Orbis are available at the Orbis website on Elsevier's Science Direct.

## Books
- [Turkey’s New Foreign Policy: Davutoglu, the AKP and the Pursuit of Regional Order](https://staging.fpri.org/books/turkeys-new-foreign-policy-davutoglu-the-akp-and-the-pursuit-of-regional-order/): Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP), after coming to power in 2002, sought to play a larger diplomatic role in the Middle East. The AKP adopted a proactive foreign policy to create ‘strategic depth’ by expanding Turkey’s zone of influence in the region, drawing on the opportunities of geography, economic power and imperial history to reconnect the country with its historical hinterland. Yet despite early promise, this policy came undone after the Arab upheavals of 2011 and has seen Turkey increasingly at odds with its neighbours and the West.
- [The US War Against ISIS: How America and its Allies Defeated the Caliphate](https://staging.fpri.org/books/the-us-war-against-isis-how-america-and-its-allies-defeated-the-caliphate/): The war against ISIS is often explained through the group's own rise to power. The American side of the story has not yet been told. This book records how the United States and its allies chose to fight the group, what the consequences have been for transatlantic relations, and how these factors may shape future wars the West decides to pursue.
- [Irregular Soldiers and Rebellious States](https://staging.fpri.org/books/irregular-soldiers-and-rebellious-states/): With the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq seemingly drawing down, and with new calls to focus on the threats of great power competition posed by states such as China and Russia on the rise, what will happen to U.S. capabilities for dealing with conflicts that occur in messy political-military environments? Irregular Soldiers and Rebellious States offers, for both expert and non-expert audiences, a useful typology and background for examining interventions where U.S. advisors and forces operating on a small-scale basis will either work with a foreign government to help defend it from threats of subversion or insurgency (known as Foreign Internal Defense) or to assist insurgents or guerrilla forces in countering a hostile regime (known as Unconventional Warfare). It uses nine examples to illustrate how the U.S.—and the British in one case—used such capabilities in either limited or assertive ways to defend (El Salvador, Philippines, Sahel, and Dhofar) or counter (Angola, Nicaragua, northern Iraq, and Afghanistan) foreign governments. Placing such interventions within the broader contexts of American military history and the cultures of the armed forces, it offers three key findings and six policy prescriptions for wisely and judiciously using these capabilities in the present and future.
- [China’s Political System: Modernization and Tradition (10th Edition)](https://staging.fpri.org/books/chinas-political-system-modernization-and-tradition-10th-edition/): Purchase the book here.
- [The Societies of the Middle East and North Africa: Structures, Vulnerabilities, and Forces](https://staging.fpri.org/books/the-societies-of-the-middle-east-and-north-africa-structures-vulnerabilities-and-forces/): This new textbook explores the societies and populations of the Middle East and North Africa. Presenting original chapters written by the world’s leading Middle East scholars, it analyzes the social fabric of the region’s varied countries to uncover the organizing structures, human vulnerabilities, and dynamic forces that shape everyday lives. The volume can be used in conjunction with The Government and Politics of the Middle East and North Africa textbook for a comprehensive overview of the region.
- [Government and Politics of the Middle East and North Africa](https://staging.fpri.org/books/government-and-politics-of-the-middle-east-and-north-africa/): The latest edition of this renowned textbook explores the states and regimes of the Middle East and North Africa. Presenting heavily revised, fully updated chapters contributed by the world’s leading experts, it analyzes the historical trajectory, political institutions, economic development, and foreign policies of the region’s nearly two dozen countries. The volume can be used in conjunction with its sister volume, The Societies of the Middle East and North Africa, for a comprehensive overview of the region.
- [The Targeter: My Life in the CIA, Hunting Terrorists and Challenging the White House](https://staging.fpri.org/books/the-targeter-my-life-in-the-cia-hunting-terrorists-and-challenging-the-white-house/): In 1999, 30-year-old Nada Bakos moved from her lifelong home in Montana to Washington, DC, to join the CIA. Quickly realizing her affinity for intelligence work, Nada was determined to rise through the ranks of the agency first as an analyst and then as a Targeting Officer, eventually finding herself on the frontline of America's War against Islamic extremists. In this role, Nada was charged with determining if Iraq had a relationship with 9/11 and Al-Qaida, and finding the mastermind behind this terrorist activity: Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Her team's analysis stood the test of time, but it was not satisfactory for some members of the Administration.
- [The Lands in Between: Russia vs. the West and the New Politics of Hybrid War](https://staging.fpri.org/books/the-lands-in-between-russia-vs-the-west-and-the-new-politics-of-hybrid-war/): Russia's stealth invasion of Ukraine and its assault on the US elections in 2016 forced a reluctant West to grapple with the effects of hybrid war. While most citizens in the West are new to the problems of election hacking, state-sponsored disinformation campaigns, influence operations by foreign security services, and frozen conflicts, citizens of the frontline states between Russia and the European Union have been dealing with these issues for years.
- [From Triumph to Crisis: Neoliberal Economic Reform in Postcommunist Countries](https://staging.fpri.org/books/from-triumph-to-crisis-neoliberal-economic-reform-in-postcommunist-countries/): The postcommunist countries were amongst the most fervent and committed adopters of neoliberal economic reforms. Not only did they manage to overcome the anticipated domestic opposition to 'shock therapy' and Washington Consensus reforms, but many fulfilled the membership requirements of the European Union and even adopted avant-garde neoliberal reforms like the flat tax and pension privatization. Neoliberalism in the postcommunist countries went farther and lasted longer than expected, but why? Unlike pre-existing theories based on domestic political-economic struggles, this book focuses on the imperatives of re-insertion into the international economy. Appel and Orenstein show how countries engaged in 'competitive signaling', enacting reforms in order to attract foreign investment. This signaling process explains the endurance and intensification of neoliberal reform in these countries for almost two decades, from 1989–2008, and its decline thereafter, when inflows of capital into the region suddenly dried up. This book will interest students of political economy and Eastern European and Eurasian politics.
- [Against Anti-Semitism: An Anthology of Twentieth-Century Polish Writings](https://staging.fpri.org/books/against-anti-semitism-an-anthology-of-twentieth-century-polish-writings/): Poland's relationship with its Jewish population has long been a subject of often agonizing debate. In September 1939, there were approximately 3.3 million Jews living in Poland, the largest population in Europe. In May 1945, between 40,000 and 60,000 remained. Most of the Nazi death camps had been located on Polish soil. The intertwined issues of wartime complicity and victimhood haunt Poland to this day, complicated by the unavoidable fact that anti-Semitism in Poland existed well before the outbreak of the Second World War, and has existed long after it. The deadly Kielce Pogrom in July 1946 appalled the world, since its victims were precisely those Jews who had miraculously survived annihilation. And while with the years physical violence against Jews diminished-if only because there were not many at whom to direct it-anti-Semitism has remained no less virulent, emerging as a force in Polish politics, religious life, and in society at large. A study undertaken in 2002 determined that one in nine Poles believed the Jews collectively responsible for the crucifixion of Christ. One in four claimed that Jews were secretly plotting to rule the world.
- [Jihadism Constrained](https://staging.fpri.org/books/jihadism-constrained/): How threatening are al-Qaeda and the Islamic State? In Jihadism Constrained, Barak Mendelsohn suggests that although jihadi terrorism is a serious challenge, it must not be exaggerated. This book explains the three central challenges that transnational terrorist organizations and jihadi transnational groups in particular face.
- [Haunted by Chaos: China’s Grand Strategy from Mao Zedong to Xi Jinping](https://staging.fpri.org/books/haunted-by-chaos-chinas-grand-strategy-from-mao-zedong-to-xi-jinping/): Before the Chinese Communist Party came to power, China lay broken and fragmented. Today it is a force on the global stage, and yet its leaders have continued to be haunted by the past. Drawing on an array of sources, Sulmaan Wasif Khan chronicles the grand strategies that have sought not only to protect China from aggression but also to ensure it would never again experience the powerlessness of the late Qing and Republican eras.
- [Before the Age of Prejudice: A Muslim Woman’s National Security Work with Three American Presidents](https://staging.fpri.org/books/before-the-age-of-prejudice-a-muslim-womans-national-security-work-with-three-american-presidents/): This book offers a fascinating insider's perspective from one who happens to be a Muslim woman on U.S. foreign policy making during three Republican presidential administrations. Shirin Tahir-Kheli's life story is a testament to the promise and delivery of the American dream in another era and is a must read for scholars and policy makers. 
- [Our Woman in Havana: A Diplomat’s Chronicle of America’s Long Struggle with Castro’s Cuba](https://staging.fpri.org/books/our-woman-in-havana-a-diplomats-chronicle-of-americas-long-struggle-with-castros-cuba/): Our Woman in Havana chronicles the past several decades of US-Cuba relations from the bird’s-eye view of State Department veteran and longtime Cuba hand Vicki Huddleston, our top diplomat in Havana under Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush.
- [Orders to Kill: The Putin Regime and Political Murder](https://staging.fpri.org/books/orders-to-kill-the-putin-regime-and-political-murder/): Ever since Vladimir Putin came to power in Russia, his critics have turned up dead on a regular basis. According to Amy Knight, this is no coincidence. In Orders to Kill, the KGB scholar ties dozens of victims together to expose a campaign of political murder during Putin’s reign that even includes terrorist attacks such as the Boston Marathon Bombing.
- [Oceans Ventured: Winning the Cold War at Sea](https://staging.fpri.org/books/oceans-ventured-winning-the-cold-war-at-sea/): When Ronald Reagan took office in January 1981, the United States and NATO were losing the Cold War. The USSR had superiority in conventional weapons and manpower in Europe, and had embarked on a massive program to gain naval preeminence. But Reagan already had a plan to end the Cold War without armed conflict.
- [Spain Betrayed: The Soviet Union in the Spanish Civil War](https://staging.fpri.org/books/spain-betrayed-the-soviet-union-in-the-spanish-civil-war/): The Spanish Civil War has long been the stuff of legend. Thousands of brave young men from all over the Western world, most of them organised by their local Communist parties, rushed to Spain to support the democratic Republic against right-wing forces led by rebellious generals in the Spanish officer corps. Although the Republic was eventually defeated, some observers believed that the effort to defend it was a selfless undertaking of the international Communist movement and the Soviet Union - a noble crusade against Hitler, Mussolini, and their Spanish puppet Franco. This book presents a very different view of the role of the Soviet Union in this war. Based on previously unavailable Moscow archives, it provides the first full documentation of that country's duplicitous and self-serving activities. Documents in the book reveal that the Soviet Union not only swindled the Spanish Republic out of millions of dollars through arms deals but also sought to take over and run the Spanish economy, government, and armed forces in order to make Spain a Soviet possession, thereby effectively destroying the foundations of authentic Spanish antifascism. The documents also shed light on many other disputed episodes of the war: the timing of the Republican request for assistance from the Soviet Union; the rise and fall of the International Brigades; the internal workings of the Comintern and its influence on Spain; and much more. Authoritative and startling in the new information it offers, the book is essential reading for anyone interested in Soviet foreign policy or the Spanish Civil War.
- [Storm of Steel: The Development of Armor Doctrine in Germany and the Soviet Union, 1919–1939](https://staging.fpri.org/books/storm-of-steel-the-development-of-armor-doctrine-in-germany-and-the-soviet-union-1919-1939/): In this fascinating account of the battle tanks that saw combat in the European Theater of World War II, Mary R. Habeck traces the strategies developed between the wars for the use of armored vehicles in battle. Only in Germany and the Soviet Union were truly original armor doctrines (generally known as "blitzkreig" and "deep battle") fully implemented. Storm of Steel relates how the German and Soviet armies formulated and chose to put into practice doctrines that were innovative for the time, yet in many respects identical to one another.
- [Knowing the Enemy: Jihadist Ideology and the War on Terror](https://staging.fpri.org/books/knowing-the-enemy-jihadist-ideology-and-the-war-on-terror/): After September 11, Americans agonized over why nineteen men hated the United States enough to kill three thousand civilians in an unprovoked assault. Analysts have offered a wide variety of explanations for the attack, but the one voice missing is that of the terrorists themselves. This penetrating book is the first to present the inner logic of al-Qa’ida and like-minded extremist groups by which they justify September 11 and other terrorist attacks.
- [Decisive Force: The New American Way of War](https://staging.fpri.org/books/decisive-force-the-new-american-way-of-war/): The existence of a national style of warfare, an American Way of War, has been used to characterize fundamental elements of American military strategy. During his tenure as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Colin Powell became the proponent for a strategic framework to guide the consideration of how military forces should be used to support national policy objectives. His framework was reflected in the Chairman's National Military Strategy published in early 1992 after Desert Storm under a concept titled Decisive Force. This book traces the development and evaluates the merits of a New American Way of War embodied in the Decisive Force concept. Military attitudes and lessons about the utility of force are drawn from four recent conflicts.
- [After Clausewitz: German Military Thinkers Before the Great War](https://staging.fpri.org/books/after-clausewitz-german-military-thinkers-before-the-great-war/): The writings of Carl von Clausewitz loom so large in the annals of military theory that they obscure the substantial contributions of thinkers who came after him. This is especially true for those German theorists who wrote during the half century preceding World War I. However, as Antulio Echevarria argues, although none of those thinkers approached Clausewitz's stature, they were nonetheless theorists of considerable vision.
- [Clausewitz and Contemporary War](https://staging.fpri.org/books/clausewitz-and-contemporary-war/): While many scholars agree that Clausewitz's On War is frequently misunderstood, almost none have explored his methodology to see whether it might enhance our understanding of his concepts. This book lays out Clausewitz's methodology in a brisk and straightforward style. It then uses that as a basis for understanding his contributions to the ever growing body of knowledge of war. The specific contributions this study addresses are Clausewitz's theories concerning the nature of war, the relationship between war and politics, and several of the major principles of strategy he examined.
- [Reconsidering the American Way of War: US Military Practice from the Revolution to Afghanistan](https://staging.fpri.org/books/reconsidering-the-american-way-of-war-us-military-practice-from-the-revolution-to-afghanistan/): Challenging several longstanding notions about the American way of war, this book examines US strategic and operational practice from 1775 to 2014. It surveys all major US wars from the War of Independence to the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as most smaller US conflicts to determine what patterns, if any, existed in American uses of force. Contrary to many popular sentiments, Echevarria finds that the American way of war is not astrategic, apolitical, or defined by the use of overwhelming force. Instead, the American way of war was driven more by political considerations than military ones, and the amount of force employed was rarely overwhelming or decisive.
- [Military Strategy: A Very Short Introduction](https://staging.fpri.org/books/military-strategy-a-very-short-introduction/): Distilling the ideas of the greatest military theoreticians of history, including Sun Tzu, Niccolò Machiavelli, and Carl von Clausewitz, Antulio J. Echevarria II presents a fascinating account of the "art of the general." Drawing on historical examples, from Hannibal's war against Rome to Napoleon's victory at Austerlitz, from the Allies' campaign to overwhelm Hitler's fortress to the terror attacks of September 11, Echevarria vividly describes the major types of military strategy and their advantages and disadvantages.
- [Civil-Military Relations in Russia and Eastern Europe](https://staging.fpri.org/books/civil-military-relations-in-russia-and-eastern-europe-2/): This book examines how civil-military relations have been transformed in Russia, Poland, Hungary and Ukraine since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact in 1991. It shows how these countries have worked to reform their obsolete armed forces, and bring them into line with the new economic and strategic realities of the post-Cold War world, with new bureaucratic structures in which civilians play the key policy-making roles, and with strengthened democratic political institutions which have the right to oversee the armed forces.
- [Cyberspace and the State: Towards a Strategy for Cyber-Power](https://staging.fpri.org/books/cyberspace-and-the-state-towards-a-strategy-for-cyber-power/): The major aim of Cyberspace and the State is to provide conceptual orientation on the new strategic environment of the Information Age. It seeks to restore the equilibrium of policy-makers which has been disturbed by recent cyber scares, as well as to bring clarity to academic debate on the subject particularly in the fields of politics and international relations, war and strategic studies. Its main chapters explore the impact of cyberspace upon the most central aspects of statehood and the state system―power, sovereignty, war, and dominion. It is concerned equally with practice as with theory and may be read in that sense as having two halves.
- [Carnage and Connectivity: Landmarks in the Decline of Conventional Military Power](https://staging.fpri.org/books/carnage-and-connectivity-landmarks-in-the-decline-of-conventional-military-power/): The burgeoning of global connectivity in recent decades is without historical parallel and the 'wiring up' of the world continues apace, even in the poorest regions. Flux and ever-quickening change are the leitmotifs of the 'information age' across a swathe of human enterprise from industry and commerce through to politics and social relations. This is no less the case for the patterns of war, where change has been disorientating for soldiers and statesmen whose confidence in the old, the traditional, and the known has been shaken.
- [Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam](https://staging.fpri.org/books/learning-to-eat-soup-with-a-knife-counterinsurgency-lessons-from-malaya-and-vietnam/): Invariably, armies are accused of preparing to fight the previous war. In Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife, Lieutenant Colonel John A. Nagl—a veteran of both Operation Desert Storm and the current conflict in Iraq—considers the now-crucial question of how armies adapt to changing circumstances during the course of conflicts for which they are initially unprepared. Through the use of archival sources and interviews with participants in both engagements, Nagl compares the development of counterinsurgency doctrine and practice in the Malayan Emergency from 1948 to 1960 with what developed in the Vietnam War from 1950 to 1975. 
- [Knife Fights: A Memoir of Modern War in Theory and Practice](https://staging.fpri.org/books/knife-fights-a-memoir-of-modern-war-in-theory-and-practice/): From one of the most important Army officers of his generation, a memoir of the military’s revolution in counterinsurgency warfare
- [Messing with the Enemy: Surviving in a Social Media World of Hackers, Terrorists, Russians, and Fake News](https://staging.fpri.org/books/messing-with-the-enemy-surviving-in-a-social-media-world-of-hackers-terrorists-russians-and-fake-news/): The author, FPRI's Clint Watts, has been at the forefront in exposing Russian influence operations in social media -- after spending a decade tracking jihadis online. He now sums up his work in this new book, Messing with the Enemy, while offering recommendations on how best to defeat our adversaries. His testimony on Capitol Hill in March 2017 electrified the country and overnight he became a regular commentator on MSNBC. He is a former FBI Special Agent who served on a Joint Terrorism Task Force.
- [The Routledge Handbook of Religion and Security](https://staging.fpri.org/books/the-routledge-handbook-of-religion-and-security/): This Handbook breaks new ground by addressing global security through the lens of religion and examining the role religion plays in both war and peace.
- [The U.S. military/NGO relationship in humanitarian interventions](https://staging.fpri.org/books/the-u-s-military-ngo-relationship-in-humanitarian-interventions/)
- [Treasury’s War: The Unleashing of a New Era of Financial Warfare](https://staging.fpri.org/books/treasurys-war-the-unleashing-of-a-new-era-of-financial-warfare/): For more than a decade, America has been waging a new kind of war against the financial networks of rogue regimes, proliferators, terrorist groups, and criminal syndicates. Juan Zarate, a chief architect of modern financial warfare and a former senior Treasury and White House official, pulls back the curtain on this shadowy world. In this gripping story, he explains in unprecedented detail how a small, dedicated group of officials redefined the Treasury's role and used its unique powers, relationships, and reputation to apply financial pressure against America's enemies.
- [China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know](https://staging.fpri.org/books/china-21st-century-everyone-needs-know/): The need to understand this global giant has never been more pressing: China is constantly in the news, yet conflicting impressions abound. Within one generation, China has transformed from an impoverished, repressive state into an economic and political powerhouse. In the fully revised and updated second edition of China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know, China expert Jeffrey Wasserstrom provides cogent answers to the most urgent questions regarding the newest superpower, and offers a framework for understanding its meteoric rise.
- [The Return of Marco Polo’s World](https://staging.fpri.org/books/return-marco-polos-world/): In the late thirteenth century, Marco Polo began a decades-long trek from Venice to China. The strength of that Silk Road—the trade route between Europe and Asia—was a foundation of Kublai Khan’s sprawling empire. Now, in the early twenty-first century, the Chinese regime has proposed a land-and-maritime Silk Road that duplicates exactly the route Marco Polo traveled.
- [Compulsion in Religion: Saddam Hussein, Islam, and the Roots of Insurgencies in Iraq](https://staging.fpri.org/books/compulsion-religion-saddam-hussein-islam-roots-insurgencies-iraq/): Samuel Helfont draws on extensive research with Ba'thist archives to investigate the roots of the religious insurgencies that erupted in Iraq following the American-led invasion in 2003. In looking at Saddam Hussein's policies in the 1990s, many have interpreted his support for state-sponsored religion as evidence of a dramatic shift away from Arab nationalism toward political Islam. While Islam did play a greater role in the regime's symbols and Saddam's statements in the 1990s than it had in earlier decades, the regime's internal documents challenge this theory. 
- [President Carter: The White House Years](https://staging.fpri.org/books/president-carter-white-house-years/): The definitive history of the Carter Administration from the man who participated in its surprising number of accomplishments—drawing on his extensive and never-before-seen notes.
- [Broadcasting Change: Arabic Media as a Catalyst for Liberalism](https://staging.fpri.org/books/broadcasting-change-arabic-media-catalyst-liberalism/): Amid civil war, failing states, and terrorism, Arab liberals are growing in numbers and influence. Advocating a culture of equity, tolerance, good governance, and the rule of law, they work through some of the region’s largest media outlets to spread their ideals within the culture. Broadcasting Change analyzes this trend by portraying the intersection of media and politics in two Arab countries with seismic impact on the region and beyond. In Saudi Arabia, where hardline clerics silenced their opponents for generations, liberals now dominate the airwaves. Their success in weakening clerics’ grip over the public space would not only help develop the country; it would ensure that the birthplace of the prophet Muhammad exports a constructive understanding of Islam. In Egypt, home to a brutal government crackdown on Islamists and a bloodsport of attacks on Coptic Christians, local liberals are acting with courage on the ground and over the airwaves. Through TV talk shows, drama, and comedy, they play off the government’s anti-Islamist agenda to more thoughtfully advocate religious reform.
- [American Grand Strategy in the Age of Trump](https://staging.fpri.org/books/american-grand-strategy-age-trump/): American foreign policy is in a state of upheaval. The rise of Donald Trump and his “America First” platform have created more uncertainty about America’s role in the world than at any time in recent decades. From the South China Sea, to the Middle East, to the Baltics and Eastern Europe, the geopolitical challenges to U.S. power and influence seem increasingly severe—and America’s responses to those challenges seem increasingly unsure. Questions that once had widely accepted answers are now up for debate. What role should the United States play in the world? Can, and should, America continue to pursue an engaged an assertive strategy in global affairs?In this book, a leading scholar of grand strategy helps to make sense of the headlines and the upheaval by providing sharp yet nuanced assessments of the most critical issues in American grand strategy today. Hal Brands asks, and answers, such questions as: Has America really blundered aimlessly in the world since the end of the Cold War, or has its grand strategy actually been mostly sensible and effective? Is America in terminal decline, or can it maintain its edge in a harsher and more competitive environment? Did the Obama administration pursue a policy of disastrous retrenchment, or did it execute a shrewd grand strategy focused on maximizing U.S. power for the long term? Does Donald Trump’s presidency mean that American internationalism is dead? What type of grand strategy might America pursue in the age of Trump and after? What would happen if the United States radically pulled back from the world, as many leading academics—and, at certain moments, the current president—have advocated? How much military power does America need in the current international environment? Grappling with these kinds of issues is essential to understanding the state of America’s foreign relations today and what path the country might take in the years ahead. At a time when American grand strategy often seems consumed by crisis, this collection of essays provides an invaluable guide to thinking about both the recent past and the future of America’s role in the world. 
- [The Sovereignty Wars: Reconciling America with the World](https://staging.fpri.org/books/sovereignty-wars-reconciling-america-world/): Protecting sovereignty while advancing American interests in the global age
- [Blood Profits: How American Consumers Unwittingly Fund Terrorists](https://staging.fpri.org/books/blood-profits-american-consumers-unwittingly-fund-terrorists/): International smuggling has exploded, deepening and accelerating the collaboration of transnational organized crime and terrorist groups. Attacks like the Charlie Hebdo and Bataclan shootings in Paris, the kidnappings and murders by Boko Haram in Nigeria, and the San Bernardino shooting were partially funded by seemingly harmless illegal goods such as cheap cigarettes, smuggled oil, prostitution, fake Viagra, fake designer bags, and even bootleg DVDs.
- [Combined Operations A Global History of Amphibious and Airborne Warfare](https://staging.fpri.org/books/combined-operations-global-history-amphibious-airborne-warfare/): This compelling book provides the first global history of the evolution of combined operations since Antiquity. Beginning with amphibious warfare in the ancient world of the Romans, Vikings, and Mongols, Jeremy Black advances through the Gunpowder Revolution, the rise of maritime empires and the formation of nation-states, the early Industrial Revolution and the adaptation of modern technology to warfare, the twentieth-century world wars, the Cold War, and concluding with the modern age of irregular and asymmetric conflict. 
- [Privatizing Pensions: The Transnational Campaign for Social Security Reform](https://staging.fpri.org/books/privatizing-pensions-transnational-campaign-social-security-reform/): To what extent do international organizations, global policy networks, and transnational policy entrepreneurs influence domestic policy makers? Have we entered a new phase of globalization that, unbeknownst to most citizens, shapes policies that used to be the sole domain of domestic politics? Privatizing Pensions reveals how international institutions--such as the World Bank, USAID, and other transnational policy actors--have played a seminal role in the development, diffusion, and implementation of new pension reforms that are transforming the postwar social contract in more than thirty countries worldwide, including the United States.
- [Out of the Red : Building Capitalism and Democracy in Postcommunist Europe](https://staging.fpri.org/books/red-building-capitalism-democracy-postcommunist-europe/): After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the countries of East-Central Europe embarked on a journey to transform themselves into democratic capitalist societies. Their governments searched for strategies that would allow them to pursue radical market reforms within the context of nascent democratic politics. Poland adopted a neoliberal strategy that attempted to push through as much reform as possible before an antireform backlash could occur. In the Czech Republic, a social liberal strategy for transformation attempted to combine neoliberal macro-economic policies with social democratic measures designed to avert such a backlash.   A detailed analysis of Poland and the Czech Republic suggests that alternation between strategies has been the secret to the success of East-Central European countries.   This comparative case analysis identifies the significance of reform mistakes during transition and the corrective benefits of policy alternation, its claims illustrated with an in-depth study of privatization policy in the two countries. Mitchell A. Orenstein delves into the historic struggle to build capitalism and democracy during a decade of post- communist transition in East-Central Europe and develops a model that explains why democratic policy alternation may accelerate policy learning under conditions of uncertainty and constraint.   Out of the Red is accessible to a general audience and as such is suitable for both graduate and undergraduate courses on political economy. It will be of particular interest to economists, political scientists, sociologists, students of postcommunism, and anyone interested in the relations between capitalism and democracy in the contemporary world.
- [Calvinism: A History](https://staging.fpri.org/books/calvinism-a-history/): This briskly told history of Reformed Protestantism takes these churches through their entire 500-year history—from sixteenth-century Zurich and Geneva to modern locations as far flung as Seoul and São Paulo. D. G. Hart explores specifically the social and political developments that enabled Calvinism to establish a global presence.   Hart’s approach features significant episodes in the institutional history of Calvinism that are responsible for its contemporary profile. He traces the political and religious circumstances that first created space for Reformed churches in Europe and later contributed to Calvinism’s expansion around the world. He discusses the effects of the American and French Revolutions on ecclesiastical establishments as well as nineteenth- and twentieth-century communions, particularly in Scotland, the Netherlands, the United States, and Germany, that directly challenged church dependence on the state. Raising important questions about secularization, religious freedom, privatization of faith, and the place of religion in public life, this book will appeal not only to readers with interests in the history of religion but also in the role of religion in political and social life today.
- [The World of James Bond: The Lives and Times of 007](https://staging.fpri.org/books/world-james-bond-lives-times-007/): This book presents an insightful and thoroughly entertaining exploration of the political context of the Bond books and films. Jeremy Black offers a historian’s interpretation from the perspective of the late 2010s, assessing James Bond in terms of the greatly changing world order of the Bond years—a lifetime that stretches from 1953, when the first novel appeared, to the present. Black argues that the Bond novels—the Fleming books as well as the often-neglected novels authored by others after Fleming died in 1964—and films drew on current fears in order to reduce the implausibility of the villains and their villainy.
- [Turning to Political Violence: The Emergence of Terrorism](https://staging.fpri.org/books/turning-political-violence-emergence-terrorism/): What motivates those who commit violence in the name of political beliefs? Terrorism today is not solely the preserve of Islam, nor is it a new phenomenon. It emerges from social processes and conditions common to societies throughout modern history, and the story of its origins spans centuries, encompassing numerous radical and revolutionary movements.
- [False Dawn: Protest, Democracy, and Violence in the New Middle East](https://staging.fpri.org/books/false-dawn-protest-democracy-violence-new-middle-east/): Half a decade after Arabs across the Middle East poured into the streets to demand change, hopes for democracy have disappeared in a maelstrom of violence and renewed state repression. Egypt remains an authoritarian state, Syria and Yemen are in the midst of devastating civil wars, Libya has descended into anarchy, and the self-declared Islamic State rules a large swath of territory. Even Turkey, which also experienced large-scale protests, has abandoned its earlier shift toward openness and democracy and now more closely resembles an autocracy. 
- [Stalin, Vol. II: Waiting for Hitler, 1928-1941](https://staging.fpri.org/books/stalin-vol-ii-waiting-hitler-1928-1941/): Stalin: Waiting for Hitler, 1929–1941 is available for purchase on Amazon.
- [Nexus of Global Jihad: Understanding Cooperation Among Terrorists](https://staging.fpri.org/books/nexus-global-jihad-understanding-cooperation-among-terrorists/): Leading jihadist groups such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State dominate through cooperation in the form of knowledge sharing, resource sharing, joint training exercises, and operational collaboration. They build alliances and lesser partnerships with other formal and informal terrorist actors to recruit foreign fighters and spread their message worldwide, raising the aggregate threat level for their declared enemies. Whether they consist of friends or foes, whether they are connected locally or online, these networks create a wellspring of support for jihadist organizations that may fluctuate in strength or change in character but never runs dry. Nexus of Global Jihad identifies types of terrorist actors, the nature of their partnerships, and the environments in which they prosper to explain global jihadist terrorism's ongoing success and resilience.

## Conference
- [Politics and Policy of East Asia’s Economic Future (DC)](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/politics-and-policy-of-east-asias-economic-future-dc/): The Trans-Pacific Partnership is the most recent, and a highly ambitious, step along a familiar road of international economic liberalization and integration through multilateral trade-plus pacts.  It promised to deepen and extend openness through commitments on trade in goods and services, investment, harmonization of national regulation on a wide range of economics-related matters labor and the environment, and robust protections for intellectual property and processes for transnational dispute resolution.
- [Politics and Policy of East Asia’s Economic Future (Philadelphia)](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/politics-and-policy-of-east-asias-economic-future-philadelphia/): The Trans-Pacific Partnership is the most recent, and a highly ambitious, step along a familiar road of international economic liberalization and integration through multilateral trade-plus pacts.  It promised to deepen and extend openness through commitments on trade in goods and services, investment, harmonization of national regulation on a wide range of economics-related matters labor and the environment, and robust protections for intellectual property and processes for transnational dispute resolution.
- [Understanding the Many Missions of the American Military](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/understanding-many-missions-american-military-post-vietnam/): Application Deadline: January 30, 2018
- [Russia and North Korean Nuclear Weapons](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/russia-north-korean-nuclear-weapons/): Russia’s relations with North Korea are often ignored in the West, being overshadowed by China. Yet Russia has been a major player on the Korean Peninsula since the late 19th century. It was directly responsible for the creation of the North Korean state (the DPRK) and it still maintains a range of political, economic and social links. Indeed, Russia is now the only major country on more or less friendly terms with Pyongyang. We will therefore examine whether Russia can be engaged as a broker of negotiations over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, especially as our failure to restrain North Korea’s nuclear and missile program to date suggests it is time for a new strategy.
- [The New Eurasia Energy Landscape](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/new-eurasia-energy-landscape-2/): The New Eurasia Energy Landscape
- [Non-Traditional Security in Asia: Disaster Response and Cybersecurity in a Time of Rising Challenges and Constrained Resources](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/non-traditional-security-asia-disaster-response-cybersecurity-time-rising-challenges-constrained-resources/): Nontraditional security issues loom increasingly large in Asia and in U.S. interactions with the region. Natural disasters – exacerbated by climate change and dense populations in vulnerable areas – have brought much greater need for disaster assistance and humanitarian relief. Ever-growing reliance on digital technology in sectors ranging from militaries to government operations, to civilian infrastructure, to economically important businesses, have transformed cybersecurity threats – emanating from ever more numerous and sophisticated foreign states and non-state actors – into vital matters of national security and national economic security.
- [Does Democracy Matter? The United States and Global Democracy Support](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/democracy-matter-united-states-global-democracy-support/): Liberal democracy is under siege globally, and the traditional U.S. policy of defending democracy abroad is very much in question. This half-day conference is inspired by FPRI’s new book, which explores the issues in the debate over whether the support of democracy abroad should remain a significant component of American foreign policy – or not. These issues have taken on sharp new relevance with the Trump administration’s downgrading of democracy support. Does democracy abroad still matter to U.S. security interests? Do democracies make safer neighbors and better allies? Does democracy promote peace, security, and economic prosperity? How should the U.S. deal with the democratic recession of the past decade and the authoritarian counter-offensive that has reversed some of the spectacular democracy gains of the 15 years following the fall of the Berlin Wall? Where and how can U.S. democracy assistance be delivered effectively? These are the issues that will be discussed with prominent experts in the field.
- [What is Eurasia? And Why Does it Matter?](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/what-is-eurasia-and-why-does-it-matter/): December 2016 marked the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Soviet Union. 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of Soviet Russia. Both dates give reason to reexamine the history of Eurasia, a vast region with many ethnic groups and multiple religions, at times united under authoritarian governments, at other times divided between dozens of countries.
- [US Policy toward East Asia under the Trump Administration](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/us-policy-toward-east-asia-trump-administration/): With conflicting or unclear signals during the campaign, transition and first months of the new administration, and with key positions on East Asia policy almost entirely unfilled as the new presidency passes its hundred day point, what have been the patterns and what are the likely or possible trajectories of Trump-era US policies toward East Asia?  How are events in the region, including reactions to US actions and statements, likely to shape US policy?  What are the implications for regional stability and security, regional economic integration, and US interests, and the US’s role, in East Asia?
- [25 Years since the Fall of the USSR: Where is Eurasia Headed?](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/25-years-since-fall-ussr-eurasia-headed/): December 2016 marks the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Soviet Union. Yet we face a region that is more unsettled than at any time since the Soviet collapse. The Kremlin’s aggressive behavior in Ukraine and military tactics in the Baltic Sea are causing increasing concern among Western defense officials. The region’s economies, many of which are tied to the price of oil or depend on Russia, are in deep recessions. With only several exceptions, most governments in the region have slumped into sclerotic authoritarianism. Much like a quarter century ago, the uncertainties in the Eurasia region today pose steep challenges—and offer compelling opportunities—to the United States and its European allies.  This half-day event will feature FPRI’s own Eurasia scholars, showcasing their expertise on security, energy, economics, culture, and geopolitics of post-communist Europe and Eurasia.
- [Why Does America Go To War?](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/america-go-war/): For a compilation of essays drawn from previous history weekends, be sure to see: American Military History: A Resource for Teachers and Students, edited by Paul Herbert and Michael Noonan (FPRI and First Division Museum, 2013).
- [New Dawn: Russia and the West after the US Presidential Elections](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/new-dawn-russia-west-us-presidential-elections/): Cosponsored by:
- [The Future of U.S. Policy Toward Asia: Implications of the 2016 Elections for Economic and Security Issues](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/future-of-us-policy-toward-asia/): With the 2016 Presidential Election right around the corner, FPRI’s and the Wilson Center’s respective Asia Programs will join forces to discuss the impact of a possible Clinton or Trump presidency on the major issues of U.S. policy toward Asia.
- [What Students Need to Know About America’s Wars, Part I: 1622-1919](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/students-need-know-americas-wars-part-1622-1919/): FPRI’s Wachman Center, in association with the Cantigny First Division Foundation, was proud to present a two-part series on What Students Need To Know about America’s Wars. The first part, in July 2008, covered the colonial wars through World War I; the second part, May 2–3, 2009, covered World War II through the present.
- [Experiencing Japanese History, Politics, Foreign Relations, Economics, and Culture](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/experiencing-japanese-history-politics-foreign-relations-economics-culture/): Japan has been the world’s second largest economy for most of the previous three decades. Since the end of World War II Japan has been protected militarily by the United States, and as a result focused its attention on the economy and other matters. However, the times are changing. China is now the world’s second largest economy, and it and North Korea have also assumed aggressive postures towards Japan. Many in Japan now wonder if U.S. protection is sufficient. Japan’s commitment to peace since 1945 is self-evident, but should its constitution be changed to reflect the realities of the present uncertain times? Politics and economics are heavily intertwined as we look at Japan in the late 21st century. Yet, as modern a country as Japan is, one must be carefully grounded in Japanese culture and tradition to comprehend the manner in which political and economic changes unfold. FPRI was pleased to offer teachers an opportunity to participate in a comprehensive educational program that included a two-week study tour and a series of online lectures in advance of the tour.
- [Taiwan’s 2016 Election and Prospects for the Tsai Administration](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/taiwans-2016-election-prospects-tsai-administration/): On May 20, 2016, Taiwan inaugurated its first female president, Tsai Ing-wen. Along with the executive office, the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) gained a majority in the Legislative Yuan for the first time. The challenges facing the new administration, which President Tsai laid out in her inauguration address, are vast and complex ranging from pension reforms, environmental protection and unemployment concerns to regional economic integration and cross-Strait stability. 
- [America’s Entry into World War I](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/americas-entry-world-war/): Taking advantage of the flood of new work unleashed by the centenary of the outbreak of the war, this Butcher History Institute introduced teachers to the most current scholarly discussions in order to help them prepare lesson plans to teach the upcoming centenary of American entry into the war in 2017. Each topic offered a crucial case study in understanding the larger context of the war, its impact on the United States, and the relationship of the United States to shaping the postwar world.
- [Russian Foreign Policy in the Putin Era](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/russian-foreign-policy-putin-era/): Penn Slavic Symposium:
- [Contested Terrain: China’s Periphery and International Relations in Asia](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/contested-terrain-chinas-periphery-and-international-relations-in-asia/): China’s long-term rise and its recent international assertiveness have made long-standing and recently emerging issues of relations along China’s periphery matters of pressing international concern. The rapid development that has provided the material underpinnings for China’s rapid rise as a regional power has been fueled partly by economic integration along China’s periphery. Foreign investment flows, integration in a regional supply chain that feeds global markets and burgeoning intraregional trade have made Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan and other states in East Asia key participants in China’s rise and eroded the economic significance of political borders in the region.
- [China and India: Ancient Civilizations, Rising Powers, Giant Societies, and Contrasting Models of Development](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/china-and-india-ancient-civilizations-rising-powers-giant-societies-and-contrasting-models-of-development/): China and India are homes to two of the great ancient civilizations and retain distinctive cultures to this day. Especially during the last two decades, both have achieved extraordinary economic growth. As two of the four “BRIC” members (the group of large emerging economies that also includes Brazil and Russia) and with China becoming the world’s third-largest economy and India more recently achieving growth on a scale and pace to rival China’s recent history, China and India have emerged as major actors in the world economy. Their sheer size and sharply increased material resources have made both countries rising and major powers in their often-troubled regions as well as potential adversaries with a modern history of tense relations (including over territorial disputes, Tibet policy and other matters) between themselves.
- [Civilian Control of the Military and American Democracy](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/civilian-control-of-the-military-and-american-democracy/): FPRI’s Wachman Center, in association with the Cantigny First Division Foundation, is proud to be presenting their sixth weekend-long conference for teachers on subjects in military history. On April 2–3, we will be focusing on the history and philosophy of civil-military relations in the United States. As FPRI Senior Fellow Mackubin Owens writes in his new book on the subject, "The United States has been fortunate in that its military has successfully defended the Republic on the battlefield while avoiding threats to civilian control… But tensions have always existed…." The recent episode involving Gen. Stanely McChrystal is but the latest instance. FPRI and the Cantigny First Division Foundation are proud to feature the leading scholars and practitioners on the subject.
- [The Role of the Military in America’s (Domestic) History](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/the-role-of-the-military-in-americas-domestic-history/): FPRI’s Wachman Center, in association with the Cantigny First Division Foundation, was proud to present a two-part series on What Students Need To Know about America’s Wars. The first part, in July 2008, covered the colonial wars through World War I; the second part, May 2–3, 2009, covered World War II through the present.
- [Great Battles and How They Have Shaped American History](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/great-battles-and-how-they-have-shaped-american-history/): FPRI’s Wachman Center, in association with the First Division Museum at Cantigny, was proud to present their seventh weekend-long conference for teachers on subjects in military history. During this conference, held April 21-22, 2012, we focused on great battles and how they have shaped American history.
- [Blurring Borders: National, Subnational, and Regional Orders in East Asia](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/blurring-borders-national-subnational-and-regional-orders-in-east-asia-2/): Part 1:
- [Understanding the Modern Middle East: History, Identity, and Politics](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/understanding-the-modern-middle-east-history-identity-and-politics/): Sonesta Hotel - Philadelphia, 1800 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
- [U.S. Foreign Policy and the Modern Middle East](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/u-s-foreign-policy-and-the-modern-middle-east/)
- [Iran and the Geopolitics of the Middle East](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/iran-and-the-geopolitics-of-the-middle-east/): The 17th largest country in the world, the Islamic Republic of Iran commands attention not just because of its burgeoning nuclear program but because of its many roles in world affairs -- as the most important state sponsor of terrorism, as leader of the “rejectionist front” vis-á-vis the Israel-Palestine conflict, as the inspiration for radical Islam elsewhere in the Muslim world. There is also the matter of its suppression of the Green Movement in 2009 and ever since. In this intensive weekend-long conference for high school teachers, we looked at Iran in its larger historical, cultural, and geopolitical context, with lectures by the best scholars in the country. Teachers completed the weekend with a much deeper appreciation and understanding of the country and its role in the world.
- [Energy, Environment and Security in Asia](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/energy-environment-and-security-in-asia/): The quest for energy security and the environmental impact of energy development and use have become vital concerns with major implications for foreign policy in Asia and the U.S.’s relations with the region. What does the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster mean for Japan and its international role? How does China’s quest for energy resources abroad affect target states and their relations with China and others? Is U.S.-China cooperation on clean energy possible and what does it portend for bilateral relations? How do issues of climate change, energy policy and regional security interact in South Asia and shape relations among India, Pakistan, China and the U.S.? What are the likely consequences of Asian states’ ranging further afield—even to an increasingly exploitable Arctic—in pursuit of energy resources? This full-day conference brings together leading scholars in the field to address these questions.
- [Teaching The Middle East: Between Authoritarianism and Reform](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/teaching-the-middle-east-between-authoritarianism-and-reform/): The turmoil that began in Tunisia in December 2010 has spread throughout the region. The big question is whether the Arab Spring will pave the way for a transition to democratic regimes or to a different form of dictatorship. At this historic moment in the Middle East, the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Wachman Center will bring together leading academic experts in relevant fields—including Middle East specialists from the fields of history, cultural studies, economics, political science and international relations—to place these events in historical perspective, enabling secondary school teachers to help their students connect the headlines of the day with an understanding of the region’s history.
- [Building Global Competency Skills Across the Curriculum](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/building-global-competency-skills-across-the-curriculum/): Using innovation and globalization as its themes, this one-and-a half-day workshop will provide teachers with the skills and tools needed to integrate global knowledge into their curriculum. We will focus on new pedagogical approaches specifically aimed at enhancing students’ capacity to responsibly and effectively understand and engage with the world.
- [The Creation of Liberal Democracy: Did It Happen in Philadelphia by Accident?](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/the-creation-of-liberal-democracy-did-it-happen-in-philadelphia-by-accident/): Cosponsored by Carthage College
- [The Great Captains in American History](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/the-great-captains-in-american-history/): Building on our successful history weekend in 2012 on “Great Battles in American History,” this program will cover those American military leaders who made great marks on U.S. history through their generalship.The distinguished scholars David Eisenhower, Jim Lacey, Edward G. Lengel, Peter Mansoor, Allen Peskin, Jean Edward Smith, Lewis Sorley, and Samuel Watson will cover great military leaders from General George Washington to General David Petraeus. This program is sponsored by the Foreign Policy Research Institute's Madeleine and W. W. Keen Butcher History Institute in cooperation with the First Division Museum at Cantigny, a division of the Robert R. McCormick Foundation. This is the eighth in a series of weekends devoted to Teaching Military History.
- [The Invention of the Middle East, Post-World War One, and the Reinvention of the Middle East, Post-Arab Spring](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/the-invention-of-the-middle-east-post-world-war-one-and-the-reinvention-of-the-middle-east-post-arab-spring/): The modern Middle East, as we knew it, was formed in the aftermath of World War I; yet we are now facing a region-wide upheaval on possibly the same scale of that seminal period in history. In this intensive weekend-long conference for high school teachers, we will explore the historic developments of our time in the larger historical context of another era -- with lectures by the best scholars in the country. Teachers will complete the weekend with a much deeper appreciation and understanding of the Middle East and the implications for US foreign policy.
- [The Great Divergence? Economic Integration and Political Conflict in Asia](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/the-great-divergence-economic-integration-and-political-conflict-in-asia/): Economic integration has become extensive within Asia and between Asia and other regions, including the United States. But the political-security side of the story has been very different. PRC trade initiatives have faced skepticism for their possibly political motives, including cultivating economic dependence that can be used for political leverage on many issues. The United States has pursued the Trans-Pacific Partnership as a means to promote trade agreements among a group that includes mostly market democracies. China has been excluded, in large part on “values” grounds and views the TPP as potentially a U.S.-led device for containment and a means to counter China’s growing dominance in an economically integrated East Asian Region.
- [Strategic Rebalancing and the Trans-Pacific Partnership: Assessing U.S. Security and Trade Policy toward Asia under Obama](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/strategic-rebalancing-and-the-trans-pacific-partnership-assessing-u-s-security-and-trade-policy-toward-asia-under-obama/): Centerpieces of United States policy toward Asia—especially East and Southeast Asia—during the Obama presidency have included the “pivot” or “rebalancing” on the security side and seeking a massive Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement on the economic side.  With midterm congressional elections looming and the Obama administration beset by foreign policy challenges from outside the East and Southeast Asian region, this full-day conference will assess the progress, problems and prospects of “rebalancing” and the TPP. Is rebalancing reassuring the U.S.’s treaty allies and less formal partners and friends in the region and addressing their concerns about the implications of China’s rise and assertiveness and their possible doubts about U.S. will and commitment? On what terms and in what timeframe might the long-developing and much criticized TPP move forward, and how is its potential impact affected by China and other states’ pursuit of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership? What implications do developments and difficulties with U.S. rebalancing and the TPP have for each other?
- [Does Democracy Matter?](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/does-democracy-matter/): Negative experiences from state-building projects in Iraq and Afghanistan, the mixed record of the post-communist revolutions and the aftermath of Arab Spring have led many to question the efficacy of democracy promotion. Some argue that Western democracy support is ineffective at its best and counterproductive at its worst. Domestic support for international involvement, including democracy assistance is waning, and there is increasing focus on "pragmatic" short-term interests.
- [Teaching About Israel and Palestine](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/teaching-about-israel-and-palestine/): Perhaps one of the more polarizing subjects in academia, the Israel-Palestine conflict is a difficult issue for teachers to teach, shrouded as it is in myths, calumnies, and mis-apprehensions.  In this weekend-long program, FPRI’s Butcher History Institute offers diverse scholarly perspectives on the historical roots of the conflict and the possible solutions, while grappling with the complexities of teaching the subject.  A full compilation of the videos from this riveting History Institute can be found here.  
- [America and Modern War:  The American Military Post-Vietnam](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/america-and-modern-war-the-american-military-post-vietnam/): On April 26-27, 2014, FPRI held its 9th Annual Teaching Military History Weekend in conjunction with the First Division Museum at Cantigny and Carthage College of Kenosha, Wisconsin. As part of its nationally renowned Butcher History Institute,  FPRI brought in leading scholars to address secondary school teachers from across the nation about American foreign policy, defense policy, military technology, societal-military relations, and uses of force from the post-Vietnam era up through today. Teachers were provided with free room and board, assistance designing curriculum, stipends for well-written lesson plans based on the weekend, partial travel reimbursement, a certificate of participation in a program offering 12 hours of instruction, and - where requested - college credit from Carthage College.
- [Islam in the West](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/islam-in-the-west/): Secondary school teachers and community college faculty from the greater Princeton area are invited to apply for participation in this excellent one-day educational workshop. (20 slots available). The recent attacks in France by Islamists, who were French nationals, have accentuated a long-standing debate about Islam in Europe, and in the West more broadly. This workshop placed in historical and comparative perspective the current debate over immigration and integration, with particular attention to the differences among countries and between Europe and the United States. It also explored the differences between Islam - a religion, and Islamism - a political ideology; the concept of national identity in a rapidly globalizing world; and finally, the growing phenomenon of foreign fighters and their return to the West.
- [Ethical Dilemmas in American Warfare](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/ethical-dilemmas-in-american-warfare/): We are pleased to offer our 11th weekend-long conference for teachers on American military history. In this program, we offer diverse scholarly perspectives on ethical dilemmas and the reasoning behind them in American military history. Each topic will offer a crucial case study in understanding the tension between executive power and legislative prerogative, and also between security and liberty in a free society – issues that resonate with the dilemmas we face today.
- [Experiencing South Korea](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/experiencing-south-korea/): FPRI was pleased to offer a special one-week study program for a group of 30 secondary social studies teachers — 7 days in South Korea. Teachers experienced South Korea through a combination of academic study and travel within the country, and studied the Korean War and the sixty-plus years since the war. Participants also toured historic sites and gained a better understanding of Korean culture.  From Seoul in the northwest to Gyeongju in the southeast, participants experienced a real immersion into life in Korea. From the DMZ to Buddhist Temples to early historical sites, participants got an intimate view of Korea. 
- [Does Democracy Matter?](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/does-democracy-matter-2/): Negative experiences from state-building projects in Iraq and Afghanistan, the mixed record of the post-communist revolutions and the aftermath of Arab Spring have led many to question the efficacy of democracy promotion. Some argue that Western democracy support is ineffective at its best and counterproductive at its worst. Domestic support for international involvement, including democracy assistance is waning, and there is increasing focus on "pragmatic" short-term interests.
- [US Foreign Policy and the Modern Middle East](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/us-foreign-policy-modern-middle-east/)
- [The Invention and Development of Rotorcraft](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/invention-development-rotorcraft/): The story of rotary wing flight is one of innovation and heroism, in equal measure. At a time when airplanes were spanning the globe as luxury liners of the air, a small group of visionary engineers set out to develop aircraft for a variety of demanding missions requiring precision control far beyond anything ever envisioned. These pioneering innovators overcame technical challenges with breakthrough designs, careful (and fearless) testing, and sometimes, many times, being willing to try things when others knew that they would fail.
- [What Students Need to Know About America’s Wars, Part II: 1920–Present](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/what-students-need-to-know-about-americas-wars-part-ii-1920-present/): FPRI’s Wachman Center, in association with the Cantigny First Division Foundation, was proud to present a two-part series on What Students Need To Know about America’s Wars. The first part, in July 2008, covered the colonial wars through World War I; the second part, May 2–3, 2009, covered World War II through the present.
- [Teaching the Nuclear Age](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/teaching-the-nuclear-age/): Over 60 years ago, the nuclear age began with weapons that could destroy a city in a single strike. Although nuclear weapons have not been used since their first and only use in 1945, the prospect that nuclear weapons will find their way into the hands of terrorists or rogue regimes is arguably the greatest threat to the world today. This weekend-long program will enable teachers to understand— and teach— the nuclear age with historical perspective.
- [Defense Showstoppers: National Security Challenges for the Obama Administration](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/defense-showstoppers-national-security-challenges-for-the-obama-administration/): The Obama Administration will face numerous challenges to U.S. national security. Among these, several stand out for their potential as “showstoppers,” where, if the challenge is not met, the U.S. may suffer a strategic loss of capability:
- [Teaching the History of Innovation](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/teaching-the-history-of-innovation-a-history-institute-for-teachers/): The teaching of U.S. and world history is incomplete if it does not address the history of innovation from economic, scientific/technological, and sociological perspectives. We feel it important for students to be encouraged both to explore the role of innovation in U.S. and world history and to develop their own sense of innovation and creativity.
- [Teaching America in the Civil War Era, 1829-77](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/america-civil-war-era-1829-77/): This year sees the publication of a wealth of important new literature on America in the 19th century, including History Institute co-chair Walter McDougall’s Throes of Democracy: America in the Civil War Era, 1829-77. This abundance of excellent new contributions to the scholarship on these important years is an exciting opportunity to revisit what we all think we know about America in the 19th century, and to rethink what our students need to know.
- [China’s Encounter with the West](https://staging.fpri.org/conference/chinas-encounter-with-the-west/): China’s rapid economic development — made possible in part by institutions and policies it implemented based on its two-century encounter with the West — has led to its emergence as a great power. The PRC’s interaction with the West — and the U.S. especially — has become and will remain a central concern of international relations. FPRI’s Wachman Center is therefore pleased to cooperate with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Asia Program in sponsoring a weekend-long History Institute for Teachers that will provide teachers cutting-edge scholarship on the origins and current state of China’s encounter with the West.

## Lesson Plans
- [War Power in American Politics: An FPRI Primer](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/war-power-in-american-politics-an-fpri-primer/)
- [The Bill of Rights and Amending the Constitution: An FPRI Primer](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/the-bill-of-rights-and-amending-the-constitution-an-fpri-primer/)
- [The Geogrpahy of Post-Soviet Conflicts](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/the-geogrpahy-of-post-soviet-conflicts/)
- [“A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Ainu and other Indigenous People”](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/a-cross-cultural-comparison-of-ainu-and-other-indigenous-people/)
- [Cultural and historical influences on abortion views and practices in Japan](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/cultural-and-historical-influences-on-abortion-views-and-practices-in-japan/)
- [Buddhism and it’s Impact on East Asian Culture](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/buddhism-and-its-impact-on-east-asian-culture/)
- [Causation in History–Gender Equality in Japan](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/causation-in-history-gender-equality-in-japan/)
- [Two Religions of Japan](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/two-religions-of-japan/)
- [The Jomon People in a Neolithic World](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/the-jomon-people-in-a-neolithic-world/)
- [Power of Place: Seeing Connections Between Community and the World](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/power-of-place-seeing-connections-between-community-and-the-world/)
- [America’s Wild West vs. Japan’s Wild North: Comparing and Contrasting Methods of Expansionism and Settler Colonialism](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/lesson-title-americas-wild-west-vs-japans-wild-north-comparing-and-contrasting-methods-of-expansionism-and-settler-colonialism/)
- [Negotiating the Narrative:  Japan’s History Textbooks, Wartime Atrocities, and the Conservative Agenda](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/negotiating-the-narrative-japans-history-textbooks-wartime-atrocities-and-the-conservative-agenda/)
- [Labor, Workforce, and Immigration – A Study of Japan](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/labor-workforce-and-immigration-a-study-of-japan/)
- [Modern Transportation and Communication in Japan](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/modern-transportation-and-communication-in-japan/)
- [Analyzing Insurgencies Throughout American History](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/analyzing-insurgencies-throughout-american-history/)
- [Exploring the Jomon – Paleolithic Culture or Early Agricultural Society?](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/exploring-the-jomon-paleolithic-culture-or-early-agricultural-society/)
- [Japan, the United States, and North Korea: A Media Literacy Approach to Understanding the Current Nuclear Crisis](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/japan-the-united-states-and-north-korea-a-media-literacy-approach-to-understanding-the-current-nuclear-crisis/)
- [The Ainu People of Hokkaido](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/the-ainu-people-of-hokkaido/)
- [Geopolitical strategies – American Bases in Germany: An Example](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/geopolitical-strategies-american-bases-in-germany-an-example/)
- [NATO: An FPRI Primer](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/nato-an-fpri-primer/)
- [Types of States](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/types-of-states/)
- [Causes of the Russian Revolution](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/causes-of-the-russian-revolution/)
- [To what extent do modern extremist groups follow the policies of Mao Zedong?](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/to-what-extent-do-modern-extremist-groups-follow-the-policies-of-mao-zedong/)
- [The Birth of the Constitution: An FPRI Primer](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/the-birth-of-the-constitution-an-fpri-primer/)
- [Free Market and Command Economies Sovkhozy, Kolkhozy, and a Houston Supermarket](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/free-market-and-command-economies-sovkhozy-kolkhozy-and-a-houston-supermarket/)
- [Deterrence and Conflict:  Deterrence: what it can (and cannot) do](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/deterrence-and-conflict-deterrence-what-it-can-and-cannot-do/)
- [Spatially Examining Democracy in Eastern Europe and Former Soviet Republics: Freedom House Exercise](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/spatially-examining-democracy-in-eastern-europe-and-former-soviet-republics-freedom-house-exercise/)
- [The Declaration of Independence: An FPRI Primer](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/declaration-independence-fpri-primer/)
- [The National Security Council: An FPRI Primer](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/national-security-council-fpri-primer/)
- [5 Themes of Geography – Persian Gulf War](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/5-themes-geography-persian-gulf-war/)
- [Assessing the Impact of the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf War](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/assessing-impact-1990-1991-persian-gulf-war/)
- [Why did America Go to War in the 20th Century?](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/america-go-war-20th-century/)
- [Comparing Canadian and American Memory of the War of 1812](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/comparing-canadian-american-memory-war-1812/)
- [Clausewitz : Seven “Cs” Analysis: States and Other Institutions of Power](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/clausewitz-seven-cs-analysis-states-institutions-power/)
- [Contextualization of the Spanish-American War](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/contextualization-spanish-american-war/)
- [A Match Without a Fuse](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/match-without-fuse/)
- [Manifest Destiny and the Transcendentalists: A Crossover Lesson](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/fpri-america-goes-war-manifest-destiny-transcendentalists-crossover-lesson/)
- [Finding the Lost Doughboys of World War I](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/finding-lost-doughboys-world-war/)
- [Article 9: Continuing to Shape Modern Japan](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/article-9-continuing-shape-modern-japan/)
- [The Development of Feudalism in Japan and its Presence in Japan Today](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/development-feudalism-japan-presence-japan-today/)
- [TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership):  What Do You Think?](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/tpp-trans-pacific-partnership-think/)
- [Reforming the Japanese Constitution: Is it time to change article 9?](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/reforming-japanese-constitution-time-change-article-9/)
- [The Korean War- Changing the Face of Our Military](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/korean-war-changing-face-military/)
- [Korean Defection](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/korean-defection/)
- [Confucianism/Neo-Confucianism](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/confucianismneo-confucianism/)
- [Korea:  An Ancient Kingdom embracing the Modern World](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/korea-ancient-kingdom-embracing-modern-world/)
- [Year of Impossible Goodbyes](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/year-impossible-goodbyes/)
- [Hangul](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/hangul/)
- [The Road to Independence and Constitutional America](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/road-independence-constitutional-america/)
- [US Foreign Policy of the 1990s – Peacekeeping and Nation-building](https://staging.fpri.org/education/lesson-plans/us-foreign-policy-1990s-peacekeeping-nation-building/)

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