Foreign Policy in Focus

Foreign Policy in Focus (FPIF) is a “think tank without walls” connecting the research and action of more than 600 scholars, advocates, and activists seeking to make the United States a more responsible global partner.

FPIF provides timely analysis of U.S. foreign policy and international affairs and recommends policy alternatives. We believe U.S. security and world stability are best advanced through a commitment to peace, justice, and environmental protection, as well as economic, political, and social rights. We advocate that diplomatic solutions, global cooperation, and grassroots participation guide foreign policy.

FPIF aims to amplify the voice of progressives and to build links with social movements in the U.S. and around the world. Through these connections, we advance and influence debate and discussion among academics, activists, policy-makers, and the general public.

Latest Work

Germans Shocked That Obama Allowed NSA Free Rein

The former East Germany’s Stasi used similar justifications as the U.S. for total surveillance.

Surveillance State Is Only New to Whites

Foreigners and non-white Americans have been under surveillance for decades.

Syria and the Monarchs: A Perfect Storm

Obama’s decision to arm the Syrian rebels will likely escalate the conflict and torpedo any possibility for a political solution.

“World War Z”: Israel’s Best Foot Forward?

Are zombies the key to peace between Israel and Palestine?

Brazilians’ Demands: From Lower Bus Fares to a Fair Society

With a million people demonstrating in the streets of Brazil, everyone’s scrambling to understand how a 20-cent bus fare hike turned into a social revolt.

Russia and China Fail to Meet Minimum Standards in Human Trafficking

They had been on the State Department’s watch list, but were further downgraded in this years’s Trafficking in Persons report.

Hydrofluorocarbons: Finally, Something the U.S. and China Can Agree On

China’s about-face on HFCs at the Sunnylands summit is a really big deal.

Finally — Pride of Place for Drug Policy at the OAS General Assembly Meeting

Drug policy reforms in Latin America will come from below.

U.S. Ordered to Halt Linking Aid to Anti-Prostitution Oath

The Supreme Court overturned a mandate that certain organizations receiving HIV/AIDS funding state their opposition to prostitution.

On the Brink of Another War

Let’s resist the temptation to intervene in Syria. This time, let’s say ‘lesson learned.’

The Empire’s New Clothes: “Humanitarian Intervention” Stripped Bare

Is it just a propaganda tool that affords the U.S. cover under which to continue its role as global policeman?

Finding a Normal Path in Serbia

Many ethnic Serbs fled — or were expelled from — Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosovo during those conflicts of the 1990s.

The Oxygen Trade: Leaving Hondurans Gasping for Air

The carbon trade doesn’t just fail to address climate change. In countries like Honduras, it funnels cash to notorious human rights abusers and threatens vital resources.

Republicans Perpetuate Myths About Missile Defense to Keep Cold War Alive

Republicans oppose U.S. cooperation with Russia on NATO missile defense.

Iranians Vote for Hope and a Change of Course

Iran’s June 14 presidential election results, announced the day after voting was held, were nothing less than a political earthquake.

Military Sexual Violence: From Frontline to Fenceline

The root of the sexual assault crisis plaguing the military lies in militarism itself.

Iran’s Election Nuclear, But Not Nuked

Iran has to be the only country where one nuclear negotiator defeated another for the presidency.

Has Intervention by the United States Become, by Definition, a Mistake?

Is reflexive resistance to intervention in Syria the right reaction by progressives?

A Voter’s Guide to Iran’s Presidential Race

What you need to know if you’re voting in the Iran presidential election — or viewing it from afar.

What’s Not on the Ballot in Iran

As they go to the polls, ordinary Iranians understand that one of the most salient facts of life in Iran–the international sanctions regime–will not be on the ballot.