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

Iran Sanctions: War by Other Means

In a sense, we are already at war with Iran.

Attacking Syria Is a No-Win Situation for Turkey

Negotiating with the various factions in Syria would infuse Turkey with national pride and international prestige.

South Korea: Stuck in the 20th Century?

South Korea is cutting-edge in so many ways, except its foreign policy.

Coups Return to Latin America

The removal of Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo is the latest in a series of actions against progressive governments in Latin America.

Why Did Russian Officials Withhold News of Flooding From Krymsk?

Victims of the devastating coastal Black Sea flooding are quick to blame the authorities.

Mexico’s Ruling Party Rebound

Judging by the vast street protests against his election, Mexicans aren’t buying their new president-elect’s claims to reform.

Palestinian Demonstrators Underscore the Palestinian Authority’s Legitimacy Problem

The PA has total control over neither its own funds nor its security forces.

A Bomb-Free Future for Laos

Forty years later, unexploded bombs from America’s secret war in Laos continue to kill dozens each year.

No Wonder So Many Drone Strikes Gang Aft Aglay

Drone operators aren’t seeing their targets in real time.

Islamist Militias More Popular — or Less Unpopular — in Mali Than Native Tuaregs

Islamist militias have defeated Tuaregs struggling to establish a homeland in Mali.

The Honduran Military Shouldn’t Police

The Honduran military not only ousted a president. It has militarized society by elbowing aside the police.

What Vets Are Not Talking About When They’re Not Talking About Their War Experiences

Silence on the part of veterans is often a symptom of “moral injury.”

Syria, the United States, and the El Salvador Option (Part Two)

The United States, NATO, and Israel have long sought the destabilization of Syria.

Base Closures: How to Reap Savings from Base Realignment and Closure This Time

As we enter a new period of postwar downsizing, a new BRAC can achieve substantial savings that Congress professes to crave.

New U.S.-Pakistani Supply Accord Seen as Tenuous

This article examines the troubled relations between the U.S. and Pakistan in light of events which occurred throughout recent years.

Largest Demonstrations in Half a Century Protest the Restart of Japanese Nuclear Power Plants

This article examines the protests held in Japan on June 29, 2012 in response to the government’s call for resumption of nuclear energy after Fukishima.

We are all 132! Mexico’s Student Movement for Defense of the Vote

This article examines #Yo Soy 123, a vibrant Mexican youth organization that fights for social justice, democracy and transparency through non-violent means.

Iran’s Parchin Clean-up a “Tease”

The United States and the IAEA are grasping at straws to prove Iran is developing nuclear weapons.

Will the Burma Road End in Democracy?

Walden Bello journeys through Burma’s changing political landscape.

Why Couldn’t the Left Prevail in Mexico?

Why hasn’t Mexico joined much of the rest of Latin America and elected a left-leaning leader?