Diplomacy
Rich Countries Have Finally Accepted the Principle of Paying for Climate Damage. Now Comes the Difficult Part.
After negotiations extending beyond the conference’s scheduled conclusion, governments at COP27 in Egypt reached an agreement early today that developing countries have demanded for decades: the creation of a dedicated fund to address loss and…
Iraq Finally Has a President. It Took an Entire Year After the Election.
Abdul Latif Rashid defeated incumbent President Barham Salih in a parliamentary vote and was sworn into office. He then nominated Mohammed Shia al-Sudani as prime minister-designate, giving Sudani the task of assembling a cabinet capable…
Pelosi Went to Taiwan. China Responded With Missiles. Was the Visit Worth It?
The Speaker of the US House of Representatives arrived in Taipei on Tuesday despite repeated warnings from Beijing that her visit would provoke a serious response. She met President Tsai Ing-wen, addressed Taiwanese officials and…
Iraq Held an Election Nine Months Ago. It Still Doesn’t Have a Government.
It was the second time this week that Sadr’s supporters had breached the heavily fortified area containing parliament, government buildings and foreign embassies. On Wednesday, demonstrators entered the parliamentary building before eventually withdrawing. Yesterday they…
The G7 Still Has Enormous Power. It No Longer Represents Most of the World.
Seven of the world’s wealthiest democracies met in the Bavarian Alps this week trying to demonstrate that the Western coalition assembled after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine remains capable of shaping international politics. The leaders of…
France Re-elected Macron. Then It Took Away His Parliamentary Majority.
Two months ago, Emmanuel Macron won re-election with 58.55% of the valid vote. Last Sunday, French voters gave his political coalition only 245 of the 577 seats in the National Assembly, leaving it 44 seats…
France Elected Macron President. It May Not Want Him to Govern Alone.
Less than two months ago, Emmanuel Macron defeated Marine Le Pen by more than seventeen percentage points and became the first French president in twenty years to win re-election while still in office. Tonight, France…
Finland and Sweden Want to Join NATO. Turkey Has Just Reminded Everyone That Alliances Are Not Democracies.
Only a few months ago, that would have seemed almost unimaginable. Both countries had spent decades outside the alliance, maintaining military non-alignment while cooperating closely with Western institutions. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine changed that calculation…
Russia Wanted Less NATO Near Its Borders. Finland Has Just Decided to Join It.
For years, one of Vladimir Putin’s most persistent complaints has been that NATO expanded too far eastwards and too close to Russia. Russian officials have repeatedly described the alliance’s enlargement as a threat to Russian…
Sinn Féin Just Became Northern Ireland’s Largest Party. That Does Not Mean Ireland Is About to Reunify.
For the first time since Northern Ireland was created a century ago, an Irish nationalist party has won the largest number of seats in its devolved legislature. Sinn Féin emerged from Thursday’s Assembly election with…
Imran Khan May Lose Power. The More Important Question Is Whether Pakistan’s Institutions Can Win.
Pakistan has spent the last week approaching what should, in principle, be a fairly ordinary event in a parliamentary democracy: a prime minister may no longer possess the confidence of parliament. The reality has become…
Myanmar’s Military Says It Will Not Negotiate. That May Be the Problem.
Myanmar’s military marked Armed Forces Day today with a parade in Naypyitaw and a message that was much more politically important than the ceremony itself. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who led the military coup…
