Foreign Affairs

It’s foolish to make policy based on fears about credibility — as some are urging President Obama to do in Syria today. Both history and logic show those fears to be misplaced. Read more.

In a few hours, President Obama will nominate Chuck Hagel to lead the Pentagon. You’ll hear a lot of debate about the former senator’s record, but here you can read his foreign policy vision in his own words.

What Happened in Libya

A trove of essays from the last year examine NATO’s intervention in Libya, the fall of Muammar al-Qaddafi, the security mess that followed, and what lies ahead for the powder keg that the North African state has become. Read the full collection from Foreign Affairs.

The September/October issue of Foreign Affairs is now online!

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Stuck in the Mud: The Logistics of Getting Out of Afghanistan

To get all its extra supplies out of Afghanistan, NATO needs to send one container over the Afghan border every seven minutes from now until 2015. With the Pakistan-Afghanistan border open again, much of that will travel southward. About a third, however, will make the even more perilous journey North, toward Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Given the conditions on these routes, NATO might not be leaving on time. Read more.

Libya’s Militia Menace: The Challenge After the Elections

Libya’s elections passed peacefully, but observers should have no illusions about the momentous challenges ahead, especially the task of rebuilding and formalizing the country’s security services. During its 16 months in power, the outgoing transitional government walked a fine line between trying to dismantle the country’s regional militias and making use of them as hired guns. The strategy sowed the seeds for the country’s descent into warlordism.

Wrong Way Down the Danube: How Hungary’s Democratic Backsliding Threatens Europe

Greece’s economic peril has raised fears about the end of the eurozone. But Hungary’s autocratic turn under Prime Minister Viktor Orban presents a more fundamental challenge to the European project.

How Obama Lost Canada

The White House’s decision last November to delay the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline running from Canada to the United States put campaign tactics above pragmatism and diplomacy. Yet it was hardly the first time the Obama administration has fumbled relations with its northern neighbor, and Ottawa is starting to look to Asia for more reliable economic partners. Read the full article.

The July/August 2012 issue is now live!