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

With Bus Segregation Israeli Apartheid Becomes More Blatant

Israel seems to have fewer and fewer qualms about being branded apartheid.

Emphasis Added: The Foreign Policy Week in Pieces (3/8/13)

Nuke “option” in response to a cyberattack, the UN Temperance League.

Obama’s Chance to Renew the Peace Process

If Obama wants a say in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, he needs to be prepared to back up his words with actions.

Why Women Must End the Korean War

The road to peace in Korea runs through Washington, but women must steward it along the way.

Ability of Nuclear Deterrence to Defuse Crises Exaggerated

During the Cold War, nuclear deterrence failed to thwart crises, which were subsequently solved with good, old politics.

I’ll Miss Hugo

Hugo Chavez put an end to the reign of neoliberal IMF policies that had impoverished the masses of Latin America.

Will the Next Pope Embrace Liberation Theology?

How can a candidate, such as Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana or Cardinal Claudio Hummes of Brazil, be considered conservative but still produce statements critical of neoliberal capitalism?

GM Seeds and the Militarization of Food (And Everything Else)

Dr. Vandana Shiva talks about GMOs, the militarization of agriculture, the politics of occupation, and the primacy of biodiversity.

Nuclear Weapons Have Outlived Their Usefulness — if They Ever Had Any

Historian Ward Wilson pokes holes in the mythology of nuclear weapons.

What Went Right at Almaty

Iran and the P5+1 powers are finally negotiating instead of just talking.

Reconciling Displaced Libyans and Their Neighbors

Thousands of Libyans remain internally displaced by ethnic tensions unleashed by the revolution.

Climate Change as History’s Deal-Breaker

Climate change, global warming, extreme weather — call it what you will — is the obvious deal-breaker in human, if not planetary, history.

Ahead of March Iran Talks, U.S. Urged to Back Possible Israeli Strike

The U.S. risks rupturing tenuous diplomatic talks with Iran in a new resolution introduced to Congress that vouches U.S. support for Israel.

President Suu Kyi?

Aung San Suu Kyi’s tremendous skills as an opposition leader don’t necessarily translate to presidential politics.

Bulgaria: The Next Generation

Bulgaria’s younger generation is distinguished from those who lived during the communist era by an awareness of the rest of the world — and how it perceives Bulgaria.

Defense Braces for a Bad Decade

Rather than just sitting on the sidelines, watching in anxiety and frustration as this Washington catfight proceeds, defense-dependent communities and workers should get going on the proverbial Plan B.

Did Arafat Jaradat Die Under Interrogation?

A case of the conflicting autopsies: Palestinian and Israeli.

Emphasis Added: The Foreign Policy Week in Pieces

DC credibility, Netanyahu’s red line, and shame about nuclear disarmament.

Italy’s Election: Lighting the Lamp

After years of brutal austerity, collapsing economies, widespread unemployment, and shredding of the social safety net, Italians said “basta!” Enough!

Camel Wrestling on the Aegean Coast

Camel wrestling is an ancient Anatolian sport originating among Turkic tribes well over 2,000 years ago, a tradition still seen along Turkey’s Aegean coast.