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An exterior view of the U.S. State Department building in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood in Washington on April 15.
An exterior view of the U.S. State Department building in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood in Washington on April 15.

The State Department Overhaul Is Long Overdue

Severe mission creep has distracted U.S. diplomacy from its core purpose.

Superman carries a woman through an explosion.
Superman carries a woman through an explosion.

Superman the Interventionist

The new movie chafes against Trump-era politics.

Nehru leands back to consult with another seated delegate in a crowd of people sitting in rows.
Nehru leands back to consult with another seated delegate in a crowd of people sitting in rows.

Bring Back the Spirit of Bandung

The 1955 conference’s value-based approach to international affairs offers a model for middle powers today.

The cover of Foreign Policy's Summer 2025 issue shows Donald Trump walking into a time portal of historical picture frames.
The cover of Foreign Policy's Summer 2025 issue shows Donald Trump walking into a time portal of historical picture frames.
An illustration depicts historical moments from the past in the curtains of the Oval Office: Julius Caesar, the Cultural Revolution in China, and three American presidents. The room shows an empty chair at the Resolute Desk and a presidential seal on the rug.
An illustration depicts historical moments from the past in the curtains of the Oval Office: Julius Caesar, the Cultural Revolution in China, and three American presidents. The room shows an empty chair at the Resolute Desk and a presidential seal on the rug.

Why Compare the Present to the Past?

Thinking via historical analogy has become the preferred way to confront our anxieties.

A woodcut style illustration depicts Donald Trump as Julius Caesar
A woodcut style illustration depicts Donald Trump as Julius Caesar

An American Caesar

Comparing two leaders, two millennia apart.

China

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend the Victory Day military parade in Red Square in central Moscow on May 9.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend the Victory Day military parade in Red Square in central Moscow on May 9.

China Should Invite Trump to Its Military Parade

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Shadow-government-democrats-blue-cutout-3-2

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An illustration shows a hand holding up a head-shaped hourglass in a Hamlet-esque pose. Inside the hourglass are sands enveloping the statue of liberty and other monuments.
An illustration shows a hand holding up a head-shaped hourglass in a Hamlet-esque pose. Inside the hourglass are sands enveloping the statue of liberty and other monuments.

The End of Modernity

A crisis is unfolding before our eyes—and also in our heads.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a handover ceremony for the new Israeli chief of staff on January 15, 2019 at the Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a handover ceremony for the new Israeli chief of staff on January 15, 2019 at the Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv.

Israel’s War on Iran Backfired

Despite what it claims, Israel failed to achieve its goals in its latest war.

The cover of Foreign Policy's Summer 2025 issue shows Donald Trump walking into a time portal of historical picture frames.
The cover of Foreign Policy's Summer 2025 issue shows Donald Trump walking into a time portal of historical picture frames.

The Historical Presidency

Essays on what the global past reveals about our confounding present.

People use their phones to take a photo of the empty space on a wall of portraits.
People use their phones to take a photo of the empty space on a wall of portraits.

How Trump Will Be Remembered

No other president has made his time in office so nakedly about himself and his legacy.

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