John Feffer is director of Foreign Policy In Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies.

He is the author, most recently, of Aftershock: A Journey into Eastern Europe’s Broken Dreams (Zed Books). He is also the author of the dystopian novel Splinterlands (Dispatch Books) and its soon-to-be-released sequel Frostlands. He is the author of several other books, and his articles have appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, USAToday, Los Angeles Review of Books, Salon, and many other publications.

He has been an Open Society fellow, a PanTech fellow in Korean Studies at Stanford University, a Herbert W. Scoville fellow, a writing fellow at Provisions Library in Washington, DC, and a writer in residence at Blue Mountain Center and the Wurlitzer Foundation.

He is a former associate editor of World Policy Journal. He has worked as an international affairs representative in Eastern Europe and East Asia for the American Friends Service Committee. He has studied in England and Russia, lived in Poland and Japan, and traveled widely throughout Europe and Asia.

John has been widely interviewed in print, on radio, and TV.

Learn more about him on his website.

Latest

The Threat of Bolton Has Receded — But Not the Threat of War

Bolton’s bellicose worldview is the basic operating system of the Trump administration.

Hong Kong and the Future of China

Hong Kong’s protests are unlikely to spur major changes in the territory, much less on the mainland — but there is a way forward.

Burning Down the House

Far-right governments in the U.S., UK, and Brazil are laying bare their nihilistic roots and full destructive potential.

‘Slowbalization’: Is the Slowing Global Economy a Boon or Bane?

Some economists worry the world has passed “peak globalization.” But that could be good for the planet.

Mass Shootings, Economic Inequality, and a Racist President

Three mass shootings in one week, homelessness abound, and a liar who hurls racist rhetoric from the White House stoop. America needs a course correction.

The Escalating Trade War and the Renewed Nuclear Arms Race Overshadow Ending the War in Afghanistan

Even if Trump manages to end the war in Afghanistan, he’s fueling other wars that will be even more devastating.

The GOP’s Sinister New Nationalism

The party’s assault on “globalists” and “cosmopolitans” pushes against internationalism when it’s needed most.

How to Decide the Fate of the Planet

Is China or the Green New Deal the Answer to Climate Change?

Boris Johnson and the New Battle of Britain

As hard Brexiteer Boris Johnson takes over, Labour is finally coming down on the side of Remain. Will it be too late?

Trump’s Send-Them-Back Doctrine

Trump’s war on immigrants recalls the absurdity of Stalin’s purges — and a few of his supporters, at least, are starting to notice.

Pyongyang on the Potomac

Trump and Kim getting along is better than the alternative, but there’s no denying troubling similarities in the two men’s political styles.

Trump’s Bluster Diplomacy

Don’t expect Trump to do a North Korean-style pivot in his relations with Iran.

On Iran, It’s Trump vs. Trump

Trump is the only one who can talk himself out of war with Iran.

Will a ‘Deepfake’ Swing the 2020 Election?

Deepfake technology undermines any hope of once again conducting national conversations on the basis of observable reality.

Democracy Desperately Needs a Reboot

Democracy faces a global crisis. And this crisis couldn’t be coming at a worse time.

The Misadventures of ‘Tariff Man’

For Donald Trump, tariffs are a substitute for diplomacy, just as harassment in his personal life is a substitute for normal human interaction

The Kremlin’s Backing of Noxious Reactionaries Worldwide

Viktor Orban, Mario Salvini, Heinz-Christian Strache, Marine Le Pen. Oh, yes, and Trump too.

Trump, Bolton in Tug of War for Command of Foreign Policy

The only upside to Bolton’s dangerous aggression toward Iran is that it may put him too far out in front of Trump.

The Rising Tide of the Populist Right

The rise of the populist right is like climate change — a profound transformation of the political landscape, not just a temporary oscillation in the political temperature.

The Global Game of Thrones

At a time of declining faith in democracy, the institution of royalty is looking surprisingly resilient.

Project Director and Associate Fellow

Epicenter, Foreign Policy in Focus

    Asia/Pacific, Military/Peace, NATO, North Korea, Northeast Asia, South Korea

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