Foreign Policy
June 2026
Washington’s Cuba Policy Is Self-Sabotage
The U.S. blockade is destroying Havana’s chances of becoming stable and democratic
Doomsday Climate Scenarios Were Wrong. That Doesn’t Help Europe.
Recent scientific reassessments strengthen the case for rapid climate action rather than weaken it
The climate apocalypse isn’t around the corner after all.”
Israel Has a Hezbollah Drone Problem
It’s one of the most surprising things of this conflict that the Israelis weren’t more prepared for this eventuality. It was pretty clear that Hezbollah would have been following extremely closely the conflict in Ukraine and learning lessons from it,
From a personal point of view, yes, it hurts. But from a national point of view, I can say that I’m more worried about the potential of what may happen if we [do] not stop the rehabilitation of Hezbollah, and the FPV [drones] are part of that, of course,
In the previous round, 2023-2024, Hezbollah was using drones but mainly the fixed-wing drones for attacks into Israel and against the Israeli positions. But this time around, they’re using FPV drones in large numbers,
You could put a bunch of these things in the back of a car. You don’t even need a pickup truck. So it’s a really good guerrilla weapon,
These are really small drawbacks, though. Obviously, for Hezbollah, they’ve realized pretty quickly that this is a really good capability to have,
He was killed by an FPV on the Israeli side of the border,
We’re talking 30 solid days of training, in some cases, to make a good pilot,
Because of drones launched against us, we had to move the yellow line,
Fiber-optic gives you stable, high-quality video feed. Over a long distance, it’s like there’s no latency. Drone pilots who manage to fly 15 kilometers [about 9 miles], they’ve got to factor in latency with radio frequency video feed. And it might not be much. But again, it could impact the accuracy of the device,
My short answer is ‘yes.’ My longer answer is that Israel did not sit on its hands for the past two and a half years. We had so many situations and threats to deal with. We could have been better prepared if the situation was different.”
Britain’s New 'King' Will Decide Its Fate
Andy Burnham is on the verge of taking power—and of being confronted with his own limitations
For Israel, the Oct. 7 War Is Effectively Over
In 984 days of fighting, “total victory” eluded Netanyahu on all fronts
Iranian Elites Are Not in Agreement About What to Do Next
If the United States wants the cease-fire to last, it needs to take Tehran’s politics seriously
Is Washington Endorsing Family Rule in Libya?
The United States should heed its own track record of backing individuals in conflict-affected states
Our plan is to have one unified government and to unify all the institutions,
U.S., Iran Prepare for Talks on Strait of Hormuz
Several commercial vessels, including a cargo ship, is seen anchored in the Gulf of Oman
This is internationally forbidden, and we are abiding by these rules,
Right now 150 million people are living under extreme heat, hundreds have died, schools are shut, grids are buckling,
Finally, some hope again,
I am going to give Britain the circuit breaker it needs by building a more collaborative politics in Westminster, by taking power out of the center and putting it in the hands of the people and places who can use it best,
The Supreme Court Pushes Back on Trump’s Fed Assault
Not only the fact of independence but also the appearance of independence is key to the Federal Reserve’s design,
We see no reason to leave the public in limbo, or to sow doubt as to the status of one of our Nation’s (and the world’s) most important financial institutions. Although we appreciate that others may see matters differently, we would not so quickly unsettle this ‘special arrangement’ sanctioned by history,
Even temporary uncertainty about the status of the Federal Reserve could spark political upheaval, including confusion about whether the President could immediately remove multiple Governors at will, as well as turmoil in the U. S. and world economies. I would not go down that road,
The protection from removal enjoyed by Governors of the Federal Reserve is consistent with the Constitution. The Founders knew from experience the calamities that could arise from even the ‘suspicion’ of political manipulation of monetary policy,
Farmers Worldwide Brace for El Niño
This is a particularly challenging year because you already have farmers who are affected by higher fertilizer prices, higher energy prices, and that is potentially compounded now by El Niño,
We’re seeing increased effects of both climate and conflict on food security at a time when national governments have reduced their support for food assistance, and it’s not just the U.S.—other governments have reduced their support as well,
El Niño always hits the most vulnerable farmers the hardest,
We know that regions of the world that are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity and facing food crises are some of the areas with the highest levels of risk,
It doesn’t generally have a negative effect on us [in the United States],
Because of the stocks we have at a global level, the market seems not as concerned,
Each El Niño event is different with regards to strength, structure, and timing, so that you never receive exactly the same impacts around the world,
The key thing is seeing this coming and understanding where we might see failures in the future, particularly southern Africa,... and how important trade is here in getting food to where it needs to be in advance of any crop failure.”
Can NATO Pull Off a Dull Summit?
With America in Retreat, Europe Now Depends on Ukraine
And in many such scenarios that European planners are now gaming out, Ukraine emerges as the linchpin of the continent’s defense
Not all the leaders love such [a] format—fast track—because they want very understandable, clear steps for everybody. But we are not everybody, with all respect. … We are [at] war, and we need more creative steps.”
Europe Will Never Be an AI Superpower
But it’s not too late for the continent to claim some technological independence for itself
The Cost of America Abandoning the Military Draft
A black-and-white photo shows dozens of military recruits with shaved or very short hair doing push-ups outdoors on a sandy ground
Ending the draft gives us breathing space in Vietnam,
For eight years,... Democrats talked about draft reform; we have done something about draft reform.”
Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs?”
U.S. Strikes Iran Over Attack on Hormuz Ship
The unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces clearly violated the ceasefire,
[F... F]ree, unconditional, and unrestricted navigation, including the right of transit passage as guaranteed under international law, remains essential to regional and global security,
What in the World?
The Geopolitics of SpaceX and Elon Musk
Colombia Swings to the Right
It’s the latest Latin American country to elect a Trump-backed leader
The United States Is Now a Guarantor of Last Resort
The Gulf region has shown it’s ready to carry the diplomatic burden of managing Iran
The Geopolitics of SpaceX and Elon Musk
Be quiet, small man.”
How sovereign are you, if you’re buying all of your chips from an American company completely reliant on Taiwanese fabrication?”
Restocking the Pentagon
Trump urges defense manufacturers to speed up weapons production after the Iran war
You’re seeing us trying to innovate as quickly as we possibly can [and] try different tactics to see what works,
Allies are investing a whole lot more. The budgets are there,... but the assets we need, the capabilities to deter and defend, simply aren’t available at the scale or speed that our security requires.”
These are some very big, hard systems and hard problems to solve,
He raised his voice. I lost my temper. That’s not appropriate,
We’re really in a big, strong economic push to do the weapons, and some of the car companies, if they have any excess capacity, they’re making a deal to build missiles,
Now, we need supply to meet demand,
As the Tide Turns Against Putin, Beware the Drowning Man
The wavy water is divided horizontally into three color bands that mimic a flag: white foam at the very top peaks, a deep blue middle section filled with bubbles, and a red lower section covering his neck and suit jacket
[T]here is a growing realisation that utterly senseless, self-destructive decisions keep being made. People who once defended Putin no longer do. Any sense of a future has disappeared.”
We are on the verge of dramatic events,... Are we heading towards something like 1917?”
Venezuela Reels From Twin Deadly Earthquakes
The state of La Guaira is facing a true tragedy and has become a disaster zone,
Only two out of 10 families whose children were shot that day near Parliament have been compensated, and we are wondering what criteria the government is using,
We will be there for our new and great friends.”
Significant disruption to daily life is likely, and the public should take every effort to adapt their daily routines to cope with these levels of heat, which up to now have been extremely rare for the U.K.,
As we know, the English historically struggle here in Massachusetts,
Every decent, common-sense person knows that the quarrel between Poland and Ukraine is the greatest gift for the Russian president,
Israel and Iran Should Both Leave Lebanon
We welcome any assistance to end the war, but we distinguish between assistance and interference in internal affairs because we are a sovereign country and no one negotiates on our behalf.”... It’s not your country, it’s our country. … It’s not your job to interfere into our country.”
We have no one to blame but ourselves. Instead of extending a hand to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun out of an understanding that there is no military solution to the situation in Lebanon, and that Israel will not disarm Hezbollah of its weapons through force alone, we chose to wait … we preferred to rely on military might rather than translating military achievements into a diplomatic move.”
This is about regional peace. We expect Hezbollah will not fire rockets at the Israelis and we also expect Israelis to not go wild on Lebanon.”
This Industrial Revolution Is Not Like the Last One
Policymakers’ approach to automation won’t work for AI