Putin Sees Little Need to Negotiate; How Washington’s Lack of Clarity Leads to Escalation; Washington Dismisses NATO’s Value at Its Own Peril
Foreign Affairs Today

July 31, 2026 | View in Browser

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Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting in Moscow, July 2026

Why a Weaker Russia Keeps Fighting

Putin Sees Little Need to Negotiate

By Alexander Gabuev, Alexandra Prokopenko, and Tatiana Stanovaya

 

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An Iranian missile system in Tehran, July 2026 

The Ambiguity Spiral in Iran

How Washington’s Lack of Clarity Leads to Escalation

By Erik Lin-Greenberg

 
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Brussels, June 2026

The Transatlantic Alliance Can’t Survive Without Trust

Washington Dismisses NATO’s Value at Its Own Peril

By Wolfgang Ischinger

 

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Guns Are Not Enough: Foreign Aid in the National Interest

Can U.S. foreign aid truly advance development, diplomacy, and national interests? Guns Are Not Enough examines the five critical “clashes of development” that shape aid effectiveness—from bureaucracy and politics to defense and diplomacy. Discover why aid often falls short, what can be improved, and why it still matters in an America First era.

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Cover Image of “Guns Are Not Enough”

Guns Are Not Enough: Foreign Aid in the National Interest

Cover Image of “Guns Are Not Enough”
Pre-order Now

Can U.S. foreign aid truly advance development, diplomacy, and national interests? Guns Are Not Enough examines the five critical “clashes of development” that shape aid effectiveness—from bureaucracy and politics to defense and diplomacy. Discover why aid often falls short, what can be improved, and why it still matters in an America First era.

 

The Strong Do What They Can—and Suffer What They Must

What Thucydides Really Thought About Power

By Jonathan Kirshner

Foreign Affairs Summer Reads: Celebrate the United States’ 250th birthday with archival essays on American statecraft and power, and the history that shapes both. Delivered on Sundays, July through Labor Day. Sign Up Now
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