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

West’s Idea of No Nukes Doesn’t Include Itself (Part 4)

The West insists on nuclear nonproliferation, but refuses to reciprocate with meaningful disarmament.

Syria’s Sectarian Echoes in Turkey

The radicalization and internationalization of Syria’s armed opposition have exacerbated the fears of Turkey’s minority communities.

West’s Idea of No Nukes Doesn’t Include Itself (Part 3)

The West insists on nuclear nonproliferation, but refuses to reciprocate with meaningful disarmament.

How We Can Replace Defense Jobs

As the post-9-11 wars finally begin to end, we can shrink the Pentagon budget. Here is a three-part strategy for replacing the jobs currently dependent on military production we don’t need.

Japan’s Katrina Moment

In the cargo-container communities of Japan’s disaster areas, one finds echoes of post-Katrina New Orleans.

West’s Idea of No Nukes Doesn’t Include Itself (Part 2)

The West insists on nuclear nonproliferation, but refuses to reciprocate with meaningful disarmament.

Sectarian Jihad in Syria: Made in the USA?

What has been largely been reported as a civil war in Syria is, in fact, no such thing.

West’s Idea of No Nukes Doesn’t Include Itself (Part 1)

The West insists on nuclear nonproliferation, but refuses to reciprocate with meaningful disarmament.

Freedom and Bondage in North Korea

Researcher David Hawk explains how people escape North Korea — and what happens to those who don’t.

Weapons for the Weak in the Climate Struggle

This is the dilemma of most countries in the South: we are victims of climate change, and our weapons are few and limited.

Leave It to Bibi

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has got an attack on Iran all figured out.

Review: The Invisible Arab

A new book tears down the Western media’s narrative of the Arab awakening.

What Next? Will Somali Pirates Issue an IPO?

Though still deadly, Somali pirates have become business-like.

Feminism as Counterterrorism?

Is feminism being used as a prop for imperial foreign policies?

Oak Ridge Activists Challenge Disarmament Advocates to Step up Their Games

Achieving nuclear disarmament protest requires more than the baby steps that arms control advocates seem content to take today.

Global Problems for the New Gilded Age

Many critics of the New Gilded Age might be surprised to find that they have much in common with the protectionist Republican Party of yesteryear.

Former Algerian Defense Minister’s Indictment for War Crimes in Switzerland (Part 1)

Khaled Nezzar imprudently chose to treat his smoking addiction at a clinic in Geneva, where he was arrested on the street.

Hunger Striking for Labor Rights in Colombia

GM gave its disabled Colombian workers a choice: to die of starvation or to die waiting for a solution.

Hillary Clinton in Laos, Where Our Past Lies Buried

Knowledge about matters such as the U.S. bombing of Laos is a maladaptive trait in her line of work.

Review: Cultures of Resistance

A beautiful new film charts the course of nonviolent resistance the world over.