The hottest Foreign Policy Substack posts right now

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Transparency International accepted $1.3 million from Trump's Pentagon and narc-diplomacy agency, including for 'sponsored research'

All-Source Intelligence Fusion • 956 implied HN points • 28 Dec 25
🌍 World Politics Foreign Policy
  1. Transparency International’s UK and Brazil branches received about $1.3 million in September from U.S. agencies, including a $580,000 DSCA "sponsored research" grant to TI UK and an $800,000 INL grant to TI Brazil to combat illegal gold trafficking in the Amazon.
  2. Transparency International and partner organizations like OCCRP have recurring funding and program links with U.S. security agencies and defense-linked contractors, and they collaborate on initiatives that support enforcement of U.S. sanctions and related policy actions.
  3. Several TI branches have accepted funding from military, intelligence-linked, or corporate actors and have not always fully disclosed those ties, which raises concerns about conflicts of interest and the organisation’s independence.

Let's Have a War

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 8233 implied HN points • 17 Jun 25
🌍 World Politics Foreign Policy
  1. The author is traveling to London for a free speech forum, indicating the importance of discussing free speech issues.
  2. There are emerging tensions in the Middle East that might lead to chaos, which raises concerns for many.
  3. Updates on current events will continue to be shared, emphasizing the need to stay informed.

Why on Earth does Trump want to cancel the CHIPS Act??

Noahpinion • 23823 implied HN points • 04 Nov 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign Policy
  1. The CHIPS Act is important because it helps the U.S. regain its manufacturing capacity in the semiconductor industry, crucial for technology and defense.
  2. If Trump cancels the CHIPS Act, it could weaken America's ability to compete with China, especially as China grows its manufacturing and military power.
  3. Many people are worried that this move would create greater risks for the U.S. in a time when it needs strong alliances and manufacturing capabilities to face external threats.

The Stranger King of Venezuela

Altered States of Monetary Consciousness • 581 implied HN points • 12 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Foreign Policy
  1. A “Stranger King” is a recurring mythic pattern where an outsized outsider gains legitimacy by seeming above the rules, forming alliances with local elites, and being domesticated through social contracts rather than simple conquest.
  2. The US intervention in Venezuela reads like a Stranger King scenario: an overt grab for resources framed as overthrowing a despot, with some Venezuelan elites or exiles potentially treating it as a useful usurpation rather than a straightforward invasion.
  3. Trump projects a Stranger King persona at home by posing as an estranged outsider above norms, which helps followers ignore his faults but also risks alienating supporters and creating political instability.

Will Trump Win Greenland or Lose Europe? Plus. . .

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 533 implied HN points • 20 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Foreign Policy
  1. The president’s push to claim Greenland has alarmed European leaders and could seriously damage U.S.–Europe relations and trade ties.
  2. Smuggled Starlink terminals are helping Iranian protesters bypass internet shutdowns and letting images and videos of the crackdown reach the world.
  3. The spread of legal sports betting has hurt sports and fans by fueling addiction, debt, and game-rigging scandals, and its cultural damage is hard to reverse.
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"The Israel Lobby" after 20 Years

John’s Substack • 18 implied HN points • 15 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign Policy
  1. A 2006 academic essay about the Israel lobby produced intense controversy and had a lasting impact on debates over US foreign policy.
  2. Twenty years later, the argument was revisited to evaluate how the lobby's influence and the surrounding debate have changed.
  3. A recent interview with outspoken commentators shows the issue still generates heated discussion and remains a live topic in public discourse.

The Privatization of Everything

Anima Mundi • 370 implied HN points • 25 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Foreign Policy
  1. Public authority is retreating and private power is filling the vacuums, so things that used to be public are increasingly controlled by wealthy individuals, corporations, and paid private bodies.
  2. That privatization creates unaccountable two‑tier systems—family banks, paid “boards,” philanthropic exits, and corporate control of key technologies—and produces real harms like preventable deaths, deeper inequality, and weakened global cooperation.
  3. With institutions weakening, the practical response is to bear witness, grieve, and sustain community integrity while trying to build new collective forms; naming the change and acting with integrity is itself a form of resistance.

March 9, 2026

Letters from an American • 31 implied HN points • 10 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign Policy
  1. Trump pursued a rapid strike-and-regime-change approach toward Iran without a clear long-term plan, and the attack backfired as Iran named a harder-line successor and the administration even discussed targeting him.
  2. The conflict has snarled shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, driven oil to near-record highs, and threatened global energy and fertilizer supplies, prompting investors and tech companies to rethink Gulf investments.
  3. Domestically, the war and other scandals have weakened Trump politically as he pressures Congress to pass restrictive voting laws, while a fragile Republican majority and legal and budget tools in Congress could constrain his actions.

Open Thread 409

Astral Codex Ten • 1720 implied HN points • 24 Nov 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign Policy
  1. There's a new blog post about the war in Gaza, which might become relevant again in the future. It took some time to gather thoughts for it.
  2. The ClusterFree initiative is working to research treatments for cluster headaches using psychedelics. They aim to help get these treatments recognized for medical use.
  3. Coefficient Giving wants to give out about $10 million for projects that use AI for forecasting or reasoning. If you have a related idea, check their website to apply for funding.

An Uncomfortable, But Justified, Column About War

QTR’s Fringe Finance • 74 implied HN points • 03 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign Policy
  1. Open discourse is essential: pressure-test ideas by listening to opposing views so you don’t get stuck in an echo chamber.
  2. Think independently: say what you really believe instead of tailoring opinions to please others, and focus on a consistent process rather than always siding with one tribe.
  3. Seek counterarguments: actively find the strongest challenges to your views to expose blind spots, reduce risk, and make better decisions in politics, relationships, and investing.

Upcoming | Two Sessions Policy Briefing on March 17

Pekingnology • 49 implied HN points • 10 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Foreign Policy
  1. The seminar will decode China’s 2026 Two Sessions, focusing on the Government Work Report and the 15th Five-Year Plan to clarify Beijing’s policy priorities and strategic direction.
  2. It’s an English-language lunch briefing in Beijing on March 17 aimed at multinational executives, international organization representatives, and diplomats, and it requires paid registration.
  3. A panel of former officials and trade experts will give a forward-looking assessment of macro targets, industrial upgrading, technological innovation, high‑standard opening-up, and what these developments mean for business and diplomacy.

Europe's Final Fate

Diane Francis • 839 implied HN points • 18 Jul 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign Policy
  1. The upcoming U.S. presidential election will impact Europe's future, especially regarding NATO and the Ukraine war. The choice between an internationalist or an isolationist president affects how the U.S. supports Europe.
  2. If the U.S. reduces its role in NATO, Europe might need to increase its military spending and support Ukraine on its own. This could lead to economic instability in Europe as they face ongoing conflicts.
  3. European leaders feel frustrated about U.S. politics but recognize they must adapt regardless of who wins in America. Cooperation will be essential, regardless of the situation.

Party Time! Jon Czin on US-China 2025 and 2026

ChinaTalk • 326 implied HN points • 27 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Foreign Policy
  1. The apparent calm in US-China relations is a deliberate lull: China has prepared responses and is using measured escalations like rare-earth export controls to gain leverage, especially timed around the US midterms.
  2. US policy is inconsistent and personality-driven: frequent personnel churn and a president who acts as his own China desk produce seesaws between confrontation and mollification, leaving allies undercut and pushing a sector-by-sector "whack-a-mole" approach instead of a coherent strategy.
  3. The real stakes are long-term and allied: flashy moves in places like Venezuela or Iran won't change Beijing's calculus, so the US needs to double down on alliances (especially Japan) and strategy, because continued risky gambles that have worked so far could eventually backfire.

Imperial Boomerang [VIDEO]

The Chris Hedges Report • 370 implied HN points • 26 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign Policy
  1. When a state perfects brutal control abroad, those same tactics often come home and are used against its own people.
  2. Many people tolerated or even celebrated harsh tactics when they were used on occupied populations or marginalized communities, making society complicit in that violence.
  3. That learned machinery of terror drives unaccountable killings and erodes civil liberties, so if it isn’t checked it puts everyone’s safety and democracy at risk.

Zohran Mamdani's Magnificent First Two Weeks

JoeWrote • 582 implied HN points • 16 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign Policy
  1. Zohran Mamdani has moved quickly to prove a leftist can govern by using executive actions and bold appointments to deliver immediate results. He prioritized tenant protections, worker support, and a state-backed childcare pilot to show practical wins.
  2. The administration emphasizes concrete, everyday improvements—like public restrooms, suing exploitative gig apps, canceling harmful orders, and pro-worker commissions—to improve people’s lives rather than just talk.
  3. Significant pushback and legal hurdles already exist, from political attacks to court setbacks and policing questions, so governing will involve learning, tradeoffs, and managed growing pains.

Why Tump's Venezuela Invasion is "Good"

Erik Examines • 716 implied HN points • 04 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Foreign Policy
  1. The US kidnapping of Venezuela's leader is a blatant violation of international law and sets a dangerous precedent, even if it also exposes and weakens Trump’s political support.
  2. Venezuela has an existing opposition and some democratic traditions, so a US intervention might avoid the chaos seen in Iraq, but heavy-handed control or an attempt to seize oil could unite Venezuelans and spark violent resistance.
  3. Europe and other democracies need to stop appeasing the US and act together with coordinated, legal measures like sanctions and diplomacy to defend the rules-based order and deter further aggression.

Do Those Dominating a Situation Truly Bluff & Then Back Down?: Misreadings from Melos to Davos, & Beyond

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality • 330 implied HN points • 26 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Foreign Policy
  1. To 'dominate' a space is to be at home in it and set its rules, not just to make a loud show; threatening and then backing down at Davos looks like improvisation and fragility, not genuine control.
  2. Reading Davos as a clever bluff ignores the institutional and ritual constraints at play; European pushback and coordinated expectations turned theatrics into a retreat rather than a strategic win.
  3. Using the Melian Dialogue to justify "might makes right" is a misreading of Thucydides; history shows that imperial arrogance often drives rivals to form alliances that undercut overreaching powers.

This Week in Canada: Carney Wins Because We Have So Much to Lose

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 366 implied HN points • 27 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Foreign Policy
  1. Mark Carney’s Davos speech argued that the old world order is breaking down and it earned a strong standing ovation, which will likely boost his political standing at home.
  2. He used Václav Havel’s greengrocer story to warn that systems survive when ordinary people go along, so complacency lets harmful norms persist.
  3. Canada’s geography and close economic ties, especially with China, make the country particularly exposed, so warnings about defending the rules-based order resonate domestically.

Trump Helps Putin Kill Ukrainians: A Case Study

Phillips’s Newsletter • 329 implied HN points • 03 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign Policy
  1. Russia launched a massive missile and drone strike targeting Ukraine’s power and heating systems during an extreme cold snap, a deliberate move to maximize civilian suffering.
  2. The U.S. president publicly claimed he had secured a week-long pledge from Putin not to strike energy targets, but strikes continued, which undermines that claim and spread misleading information that aided Russia.
  3. There is urgent pressure for the U.S. to impose sanctions and restart military aid to Ukraine, since inaction or the spread of disinformation enables further attacks on civilians.

After Attacking Iran, The World Must Boycott, Divest, & Sanction The United States of America

JoeWrote • 80 implied HN points • 03 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Foreign Policy
  1. The U.S. government is accused of running an aggressive, lawless foreign policy that kills civilians and destabilizes regions, with media and elite institutions enabling those actions.
  2. Domestic repression is rising too, with state violence, detention practices, and a failure to hold powerful actors accountable eroding civil liberties at home.
  3. The proposed remedy is international pressure—boycotts, divestment from U.S. financial instruments, and targeted sanctions—until the U.S. accepts international legal accountability and changes its behavior.

104 murders in 107 days

The Watch • 973 implied HN points • 19 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign Policy
  1. The administration has carried out repeated lethal strikes on alleged drug boats, killing scores of people without due process; those attacks are morally wrong and likely illegal.
  2. These strikes won’t stop the overdose crisis or fentanyl flow — fentanyl mainly comes through Mexico and the boats were often not headed to the U.S. — and the administration is also cutting harm-reduction programs while pardoning major traffickers.
  3. The policy and rhetoric normalize extrajudicial violence and expand unchecked executive power, undermining the rule of law, alienating allies, and threatening civil liberties and international norms.

“Compromised” Congressional Commission Is Undermining Trump’s Ukraine Peace Efforts, Says Whistleblower

Public • 306 implied HN points • 02 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign Policy
  1. A former senior official alleges the Helsinki Commission chaired by Senator Roger Wicker has been compromised by foreign influence and is undermining the Trump administration’s Ukraine peace efforts.
  2. The whistleblower accuses Commission staff, especially Kyle Parker, of working with ex‑Russian MP Ilya Ponomarev, handling undeclared cash and possibly violating FARA rules, and says financier Bill Browder paid lavish gifts that influenced Commission activity.
  3. The whistleblower has handed over documents and is urging independent investigations by the DNI, federal counterintelligence, and FARA authorities, warning that pending congressional funding could cement the Commission’s compromised status.

Why Does A Narcissist Accept Humiliation? Epstein Might Be The Answer.

Phillips’s Newsletter • 295 implied HN points • 05 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign Policy
  1. A narcissist normally lashes out at insults, but in this case a prominent narcissistic leader repeatedly accepts public humiliation from a foreign leader and even defends them, which is highly unusual.
  2. Recent releases from the Jeffrey Epstein files suggest Epstein had ties to Russian intelligence, raising the possibility that compromising material (kompromat) was collected and passed to influence others.
  3. Because narcissists fear shame above almost everything, the real or even possible existence of kompromat could silently coerce them to comply with humiliators to avoid exposure.

Troublemaking Dissent

Heterodox STEM • 213 implied HN points • 08 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign Policy
  1. Non-conformist, truth-seeking dissent is socially valuable because it corrects consensus errors and spurs innovation, even though it often brings ridicule and personal cost.
  2. People with lived experience under repressive leftist regimes often flip the usual political associations of dissent and lean right, showing that dissent’s political direction depends on history and context.
  3. Many contemporary academic spaces favor identity and power narratives over open debate, which undermines the principle of defending dissent; truth-seeking dissent should be protected regardless of political label.

March 8, 2026

Letters from an American • 30 implied HN points • 09 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign Policy
  1. The current leadership is treating military action like a staged performance, using merch and movie-style media and downplaying solemn moments. That approach looks disrespectful and suggests there wasn't a serious plan for what comes next.
  2. The strikes have produced deadly, real-world consequences — U.S. service members and many civilians have died, and incidents like attacks on ships and a school show the conflict is widening. Those actions are also hurting the economy at home through higher oil and gas prices.
  3. This behavior reflects a long-standing 'cowboy' individualist ideology that favors unilateral, rule-breaking force and sidelines legal or moral constraints. It also exposes a political choice to fund war heavily while cutting domestic programs, showing a troubling mismatch in priorities.

The Man Behind Trump’s Attack on the Fed. Plus. . .

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 412 implied HN points • 21 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign Policy
  1. A relatively unknown official at the Federal Housing Finance Agency is using his position to push the president’s agenda, targeting Federal Reserve officials and digging into mortgages of political opponents.
  2. Pro-regime editors are manipulating Wikipedia to soften or rewrite Iran’s recent crackdowns, risking a distorted public record of atrocities.
  3. Digital platforms are rapidly reshaping personal and legal life: young influencers are moving to adult subscription sites when they turn 18, migrants are using apps and forums to navigate or evade enforcement, and AI and tech debates are changing how societies plan for jobs and justice.

Trump’s Dangerous Greenland Game. Plus. . .

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 435 implied HN points • 19 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign Policy
  1. The president has ramped up demands to buy Greenland and threatened big tariffs on several European countries, risking a major diplomatic and economic backlash that could undercut foreign-policy wins.
  2. Prediction markets like Polymarket look vulnerable to insider manipulation, with reports of people making huge, suspicious bets right before major global events.
  3. Justice Department probes and talk of deploying federal troops signal a growing legal and political clash over sanctuary policies, putting local leaders and the federal government on a collision course.

Three Significant Military Powers on the European Continent?: Muscovy 'Rus, But Also an "Inner Europe" and the "Viking Alliance"

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality • 261 implied HN points • 30 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Foreign Policy
  1. Russia punches above its economic weight militarily and has nuclear weapons, so Europe can no longer assume outside guarantees will always hold. Europe must prepare credible independent defense options.
  2. Two mini-lateral coalitions — an "Inner Europe" core (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Netherlands) and a "Viking Alliance" of northern states plus the UK, Baltics, and Ukraine — could form the main conventional balance to Russia. If they build real command structures, budgets, and production, they would outweigh Russia in conventional resources.
  3. Emergent European military coalitions would change deterrence and U.S. politics by making any presidential tilt toward Russia more visible and politically costly. They would normalize forward deployments, bilateral guarantees, and industrial cooperation that strengthen collective defense.

People Are Still Not Getting Trump Right

Phillips’s Newsletter • 472 implied HN points • 20 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Foreign Policy
  1. The Greenland letter wasn’t a random tantrum but a deliberate move in a longer-term campaign to pressure Europe and push for US control of Greenland.
  2. European leaders have repeatedly flattered and conceded to him, making themselves look weak and leaving them vulnerable to unequal deals and further pressure.
  3. The Greenland drama distracts from Ukraine, undermining support and giving Russia time to attack and consolidate while global attention shifts away.

The MAGA Crack-up. Plus. . .

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 482 implied HN points • 15 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign Policy
  1. The MAGA coalition is fracturing as internal fights among high-profile figures are reshaping the movement. That split makes Trump look powerful abroad but more contested and weaker at home.
  2. Britain’s fertility rate has dropped to a record low and births may soon be outnumbered by deaths, risking population shrinkage without immigration. This decline points to deep social and economic shifts influencing family decisions.
  3. A meme cryptocurrency tied to Eric Adams raised millions and then saw a $2.5 million withdrawal, suggesting a likely rug pull and highlighting how easily crypto can become political spectacle or scam. The episode underscores the real risks in novelty political fundraising via tokenized assets.

Trump’s Voters Will Back an Iran Strike

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 241 implied HN points • 05 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign Policy
  1. MAGA leaders push a noninterventionist line, but many of their voters don't actually share that view.
  2. Recent polls show large support among Trump voters for military action: about half would back action in Iran, 61% of 'MAGA Republicans' favored intervention there, and 65% supported military action in at least one country.
  3. American attitudes toward foreign intervention shift with events, so the political right can be isolationist at times and interventionist at others, surprising its ideologues.

In which Marco Rubio receives a standing ovation from the Eurotards for his speech attacking mass migration, "the climate cult" and liberal universalism

eugyppius: a plague chronicle • 178 implied HN points • 15 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign Policy
  1. Marco Rubio attacked mass migration, what he called the “climate cult,” and liberal universalism, and his speech at the Munich Security Conference drew a standing ovation.
  2. His remarks indicate that nationalist and right-populist critiques of migration, climate policy, and liberal norms are finding sympathy among some European elites.
  3. That applause signals shifting transatlantic dynamics, where alliances and domestic leaders may face harder choices about migration, climate policy, and the limits of liberal universalism.

How Trump/USA Is Helping Putin Kill Ukrainians

Phillips’s Newsletter • 147 implied HN points • 20 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign Policy
  1. Some U.S. actions under Trump are effectively aiding Putin and are argued to be contributing to Ukrainian casualties.
  2. Patriot anti‑air systems are presented as the single most important, advanced, and expensive layer of Ukraine’s integrated air defenses and are combat‑tested.
  3. Ukrainians and analysts are increasingly saying they were ‘played’ by the U.S., showing how political and arms decisions can undermine Ukraine’s defense.

The Precipice

QTR’s Fringe Finance • 42 implied HN points • 07 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Foreign Policy
  1. Direct US military action has made World War III less likely right now because rivals like Russia and China look less willing or able to take on American forces.
  2. Private US defense innovation—like quickly building improved kamikaze drones—shows America's industrial advantage and makes adversaries think twice about engaging.
  3. The campaign's outcome matters for global power: success could reinforce the dollar and US dominance, while failure could cause heavy domestic fallout and enable rivals to reshape the world order.

Why Iran’s Kurds Want Trump to Strike

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 180 implied HN points • 12 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign Policy
  1. Kurds in Iran largely avoided joining the protests because they saw security forces were heavily armed and ready to shoot, fearing a deadly crackdown.
  2. Kurdish opposition leaders are explicitly calling for international, especially American, support or strikes to help overthrow the Iranian regime.
  3. The regime proved more resilient than some outsiders suggested, since its security forces prepared in advance to suppress mass demonstrations after the economic crisis triggered unrest.

We Can Make Nuclear Cheap Again Now Downloadable

Gordian Knot News • 197 implied HN points • 12 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign Policy
  1. A book proposing a Nuclear Reorganization Act sold very poorly, so its PDF was released for free to try to spread the ideas more widely.
  2. About 100 free hard copies were sent to potentially influential people but produced virtually no engagement — only one polite response.
  3. The Trump administration has favored politically chosen but economically weak nuclear projects, wasted taxpayer money, and hampered better competitive options versus Russia and China, increasing the likelihood of a crisis that could finally force reform.

The Dossier's State Of The Union Preview

The Dossier • 66 implied HN points • 24 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign Policy
  1. The economy and affordability will be front and center, with the president trying to reassure voters because economic concerns could sway the midterm elections.
  2. Tariffs and a recent Supreme Court ruling are driving policy moves, prompting plans for new 10% global tariffs and other workarounds to limit the court’s impact.
  3. Foreign policy will be a major theme, focusing on Iran (from negotiations to possible limited strikes) along with a ‘peace through strength’ message and updates on the Ukraine war and hemispheric actions.

LEAKED: Keir Starmer’s Memos Responding to Trump’s Request for Help Opening the Strait of Hormuz

I Might Be Wrong • 6 implied HN points • 18 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Foreign Policy
  1. European leaders largely rebuffed President Trump’s request for help reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
  2. There’s a clear rift between President Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with Trump publicly singling him out for criticism.
  3. Leaked drafts show Starmer personally wrote and revised multiple memos in response, and only the final version was officially transmitted with timestamps documenting the edits.

China’s Stealth War Has Already Begun

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 881 implied HN points • 16 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign Policy
  1. China is running a coordinated, stealth campaign to weaken the U.S. across economic, technological, informational, diplomatic, and gray-zone military areas while avoiding open warfare.
  2. The Chinese state uses subsidies, forced technology transfers, and state-directed investments to seize control of critical supply chains and strategic industries like rare earths, batteries, pharmaceuticals, and advanced sensors.
  3. Beijing also manipulates international institutions, pressures allies, and exploits platforms and algorithms to shape global opinion and keep the U.S. divided and unsure how to respond.