Central Asia

The Afghan Bag Man

The foiled arrest that explains America’s failure in Afghanistan.

BY SARAH CHAYES | MAY 4, 2013

Tea Leaves in Tashkent

Who will follow Uzbekistan’s aging dictator?

BY PHILIP SHISHKIN | MAY 2, 2013

Displaced

What happened to the people who fled the terror in Chechnya.

BY JOSHUA FOUST | APRIL 19, 2013

The Gilded Cage of Asia

Why is the dictatorship of Kazakhstan getting such good PR?

BY JOSHUA FOUST | APRIL 11, 2013

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Democracy is in retreat. And there's a surprising culprit.

BY JOSHUA KURLANTZICK | MARCH 4, 2013

The Curse of Stability in Central Asia

The autocrats of Central Asia like to tout the virtues of stability. But they're really making excuses for decay.

BY SARAH KENDZIOR | FEBRUARY 19, 2013

The League of Authoritarian Gentlemen

It used to be that it was mainly the liberal democracies who banded together in defense of their values. No longer.

BY ALEXANDER COOLEY | JANUARY 30, 2013

Turkey's Deal With the Devil

For decades, Turks have vilified Abdullah Ocalan as a terrorist. But he may be the only man who can bring an end to their country's bloody conflict with the Kurds.

BY PIOTR ZALEWSKI | JANUARY 11, 2013

Talking to the Taliban

With Obama and Karzai meeting in Washington, and peace negotiations back on the table in Afghanistan, here's what to watch out for when sitting down with Islamic fundamentalists.

BY MICHAEL SEMPLE | JANUARY 10, 2013

Saving Afghanistan

It can be done, but only if the international community truly invests in democracy.

BY ABDULLAH ABDULLAH | JANUARY 8, 2013

Stowaway

A reporter travels the treacherous Pakistan-Afghanistan border by truck.

BY MATTHIEU AIKINS | JANUARY 2, 2013

Is It Over Yet?

Haunting photos of a year in the life of the war America is still fighting.

DECEMBER 27, 2012

10 Conflicts to Watch in 2013

From Turkey to Congo, next year's wars threaten global stability.

BY LOUISE ARBOUR | DECEMBER 27, 2012

The World War on Christmas

Five places where Santa really does have to watch his back.

BY ELIZABETH F. RALPH | DECEMBER 24, 2012

Dynasty

Why are so many Asian countries run by families?

BY ISAAC STONE FISH | DECEMBER 20, 2012

The Migrant Money Machine

The developed world could make a big difference to the global economy simply by helping migrants to do what comes naturally: send money home.

BY PETER PASSELL | DECEMBER 4, 2012

Stop Talking About Civil Society

Using terms like "civil society" is a distraction from the real problems in authoritarian countries. 

BY SARAH KENDZIOR | DECEMBER 3, 2012

Can You Save Diplomacy From Itself?

Carne Ross's quixotic crusade to help emerging nations get their seat at the table.

BY CRISTINA ODONE | NOVEMBER 26, 2012

The Cult

Afghanistan's national hero has started a craze on the streets of Kabul.

NOVEMBER 23, 2012

What You Missed While You Were Refreshing Drudge and FiveThirtyEight

A guide to the world news you should get caught up on now that the election is over.

NOVEMBER 7, 2012

Letting Go of 'Loose Nukes'

Relax. It's okay if Russia wants to pay for its own security.

BY DOUGLAS BIRCH | OCTOBER 31, 2012

Afghanistan's Gray Future

It's Hamid Karzai's country now, and not everything is black and white.

BY HASEEB HUMAYOON | OCTOBER 18, 2012

Bar Nunn

The U.S. and Russia never really cured their nuclear mistrust. And now it's come back.

BY JEFFREY LEWIS | OCTOBER 17, 2012

Unsung Heroes

Some of the world's bravest dissidents are pursuing their fight against injustice with little attention from the outside world. But that doesn't mean they aren't worth knowing about. Here's a list of remarkable people who rarely make it into the headlines.

BY TOM MALINOWSKI | OCTOBER 3, 2012

The Fifty-Megaton Elephant in the Room

Why aren't America and China talking about their nukes?

BY JEFFREY LEWIS | SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

Paul Krugman's Baltic Problem

Why is the Nobel Prize-winning economist mocking the countries that have escaped the eurocrisis?

BY ANDERS ÅSLUND | SEPTEMBER 13, 2012

Why China Will Never Have a Wall Street

In good times and bad, Chinese stock markets don’t work. And that's just the way Beijing wants it.

BY CARL WALTER, FRASER HOWIE | SEPTEMBER 11, 2012

Corruptistan

Meet the oil barons, fashion divas, and ruling families of Central Asia.

BY KATHERIN MACHALEK | SEPTEMBER 4, 2012

Militant Reaffirms Role of Pakistan in Mumbai Attacks

U.S. and Indian officials say weeks of interrogating Zabiuddin Ansari yielded new evidence that Pakistani intelligence officers helped plan and direct the 2008 terror onslaught that cost six Americans and 160 others their lives.

BY SEBASTIAN ROTELLA | AUGUST 9, 2012

The Teddy Bear Bombers

Foreign Policy speaks with the Swedish activists who dropped a planeload of stuffed animals into Belarus, Europe's last dictatorship.

INTERVIEW BY ELIAS GROLL | AUGUST 2, 2012