Turkey’s downing of a Russian jet complicates an already complicated conflict
If the past four years of conflict in Syria show anything, it’s that the worst-possible scenario is always a distinct possibility.
Foreign Concept
Foreign Concept provides international affairs coverage by Mark Porubcansky, a foreign correspondent and editor for 30 years, who, until recently, served as foreign editor of the Los Angeles Times.
Anonymous declares ‘war’ on ISIS. Here’s why it matters
The hacker collective aims to fight fire with fire.
In the wake of the Paris attacks, a rethinking of modern Europe’s most cherished ideals
The events in Paris signaled a dramatic shift for the Islamic State, a strategy that looks a lot like Al Qaeda’s old efforts to sow terror.
Why it matters who built the bomb that brought down the Russian passenger jet
If it turns out that a bomb planted by Islamic State loyalists brought down a Russian passenger jet over the Sinai Peninsula, the attack would constitute a game-changing tactic.
How a peace deal in Syria might play out
Is it possible to come up with a solution to the Syrian conflict that is both achievable and more or less acceptable?
Why Somalia is seeing a growing number of refugees returning home
The numbers in all cases have been limited, but are also starting to increase. There won’t be a flood anytime soon, but there might be a slow stream.
The big winner in the Canadian election: Obama
The Obama administration is likely to find common ground with the new Canadian leadership on many of its priorities.
The complicated end to Colombia’s half-century of civil war
Any effort to negotiate an end to half a century of fighting is going to be very, very difficult.
The Jeremy Corbyn experiment isn’t going very well
Corbyn is off to a rocky start as Labour leader, illustrating the kind of problems almost any candidate — right or left — from outside the political mainstream is likely to face.
Is accepting Assad — for a time — the West’s way forward in Syria?
Did Syria’s president just draw the beleaguered tyrant’s equivalent of a get-out-of-jail-free card?
The pope, the Chinese and rethinking America’s place as a world power
Is America on the decline? For leaders such as Pope Francis and Xi Jinping, how long will the road lead through Washington?
Just what is Putin up to in Syria?
The phone lines between Washington and Moscow have been humming in the last couple of weeks as Russia builds its military presence near Syria’s Mediterranean coast.
The European immigration crisis: how we got here
As urgent as it has become, this crisis has been brewing for some time, the result of long-running disasters, and compounded by disarray in Europe.
How Brazil blew it
We should be witnessing a moment of triumph for Brazil. Instead, it’s crashing. Hard.
What’s really at stake in the Chinese economic turmoil
Chinese leaders know they need economic reform; they just don’t want to pay the democratic price that comes with it.
Is China’s economy in trouble? Yes. No. Maybe.
Some varying – at times contradictory – analyses.
What a nuclear deal with the U.S. could mean for Iran’s Khamenei
Imagine for a moment that you’re Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran. What are you thinking?
The problem with Germany
Germany finds itself in a familiar rut: too powerful to be just another European country, but not big enough that it can simply call the shots.
When it comes to cutting emissions, what about China?
While there are many in China deeply concerned about the effects of pollution and climate change, China’s role in all of this will be influenced by a healthy dose of practical politics.
Cecil the lion had a better life than most people in Zimbabwe
Unless I’ve missed it, no one seems outraged – or particularly aware, for that matter – of the misery surrounding this story. Zimbabwe is one of the worst places to live on Earth.
