Essential reading to understand the Israel-Hamas war

What’s the one book Stephen Walt recommends to understand the deeper origins of the Israel-Hamas war? We asked him and other Foreign Policy contributors, and staffers, for their recommendations , and their answers range from Nathan Thrall’s intricate look at one day on the outskirts of Jerusalem in 2012 that left a permanent scar on the Palestinian psyche, to The Accidental Empire, which looks at the growth of religious settlements on occupied Palestinian land while Washington looked the other way.?

Speaking of Washington: U.S. President Joe Biden gave a speech from the Oval Office last Thursday to rally Americans around their role as the “indispensable nation.” For FP’s Michael Hirsh, the address didn’t land . “To succeed,” Hirsh writes, Biden “needed to achieve two things: to make the case that the wars in Israel and Ukraine were part of the same grand, global struggle; and to persuade Americans that engagement in that struggle was in their national interest.” Read on for why Hirsh argues the president didn’t do a very good job on either point—and what that failure means for the American place in the world more generally.—The editors

More Israel-Hamas War Coverage

• Why Erdogan Is Unlikely to Cut Ties With Hamas : It seems that the Turkish president is once again ready to burn bridges with Israel. By Sinan Ciddi
• Cairo Needs Cash and Gazans Need Shelter. Can a Deal Be Brokered? : The war has put Egypt in the spotlight—but taking in Palestinian refugees is fraught. By Adam Tooze and Cameron Abadi
• Israel’s Hostage Families Feel Abandoned by Israel : They feel trapped in a nightmare—and ignored by their government. By Yardena Schwartz
• Biden’s Unquestioning Support for Israel Could Be a Costly Error : Washington’s tunnel vision risks eroding U.S. standing in the global south. By Howard W. French
• What the Use of White Phosphorus Means in Warfare : Israel’s use of the deadly chemical would violate international norms. By Alexandra Sharp and and Jack Detsch

New and Noteworthy

• Countdown to Her Power: Women’s rights are the agenda tomorrow at FP's Her Power Summit in Washington, D.C. Register now to hear from women who are challenging norms, reforming institutions, and leveraging technology to elevate marginalized voices. Find the full list of speakers, from Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, to Ashley Judd, U.N. Population Fund goodwill ambassador, and more details on our event page . Join us in person or tune in via live stream.
• China’s Economic Future: Last Tuesday, the Biden administration fortified existing restrictions on semiconductor sales to Chinese companies. While China has retaliated to curbs in the past, some believe that it can only do so much now as it faces an economic downturn. Is China on a definitive path to harder times? Do analysts “overestimate China’s slowdown”? Read the optimists’ take on these questions in an analysis for Foreign Policy.?
• The Bigger Picture on Ukraine: Coverage on Ukraine’s counteroffensive—especially from the Western press—has continued to focus on the stalled land war. Some encourage a broader narrative on what’s going on. In an analysis for Foreign Policy, Oz Katerji and Vladislav Davidzon highlight successes that not only support Kyiv’s long-term objectives but also “must be put into the same context as the other developments in this multifront conflict.”

FP Live

David Petraeus: Why 9/11 Is a Cautionary Tale for Israel

On Demand

David Petraeus, retired U.S. general and former CIA director, says that military action in times of crisis can be necessary—but not sufficient. In a conversation with FP’s Ravi Agrawal, Petraeus reflected on lessons from Iraq, Afghanistan, and other conflicts that he believes should inform Israel’s approach to the Israel-Hamas War. Watch the on-demand video or read the Q&A .?

Fiona Hill on the Latest From Russia and Ukraine

Oct. 26 | 11 a.m. EDT

It’s never easy to guess what Russian President Vladimir Putin might be thinking, but it’s always useful to learn how Fiona Hill views the state of play. Hill is one of the world’s foremost experts on Russian affairs and served as a senior director for Europe and Russia on the U.S. National Security Council. She will join FP Live to discuss the latest on the war and the world’s efforts to constrain Putin. Register here .

Ehud Barak on the Israel-Hamas War

Oct. 31 | 10:30 a.m. EDT

As Israel pounds Gaza with aerial strikes, and amid a growing humanitarian crisis there, an Israeli ground invasion into Gaza is expected any day. But beyond hurting Hamas, what should Israel’s objective be???Ehud Barak?is a former Israeli prime minister and the country’s most decorated soldier. He is also a former defense minister and army chief. Barak will join FP Live for a discussion about how to navigate one of the biggest crises in Israel’s 75-year history. Register here .

Defining Features That Shape Graduate Programs

Selecting which graduate school to attend is an important step that helps professionals build a meaningful career in international relations. Learn directly from top-tier graduate programs about course offerings, interdisciplinary approaches, experiential learning, and external partnerships to find a program that aligns with your career goals. Click here to access FP’s special graduate guide and request information from the featured schools.

The Latest from FP Studios

• Global Reboot Season 3: A new season of FP’s Global Reboot podcast debuts on Oct. 27. In continuing to explore how to rebuild a world upended by disruptive international events, this season, FP editor in chief Ravi Agrawal will speak to science journalist and author Angela Saini on resetting gender norms; Kelly T. Clements, UNHCR deputy high commissioner, on rebooting the global refugee crisis; and more. Subscribe now on Apple , Spotify , or wherever you listen to revisit seasons 1 and 2 before new episodes start Friday. Global Reboot is produced in partnership with the Doha Forum.
• The Catch returns on Nov. 14: After two critically acclaimed seasons tracking the current state of global fishing, FP’s The Catch , produced in partnership with the Walton Family Foundation, returns with a new season next month. This year, Ruxandra Guidi traveled to Norway to learn about the cod industry, after previously exploring the squid industry for Season 1 and efforts to achieve sustainable balance in the upper Gulf of California for Season 2. Catch up now on Apple , Spotify , or wherever you listen, and look out for new episodes next month.
• FP wins at the Signal Awards: FP shows took home three accolades at the recent Signal Awards, which seek to “honor and celebrate the people and content that raise the bar for podcasting.” The Negotiators won a gold award for Best News and Politics Episode, The Catch won a gold award for Best Documentary Series, and The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women (HERO) won a silver award for Best Activism, Public Service, and Social Impact Episode. Learn more and listen to all these shows and more from FP studios.

AI Will First Come for Women

According to Kweilin Ellingrud, a director at the McKinsey Global Institute, 85 percent of jobs impacted by generative artificial intelligence will be concentrated in job categories that are dominated globally by women. In a feature produced in partnership with The Fuller Project, Allan Olingo and Muktadir Rashid reported from Kenya and Bangladesh on the impact automation is already having .

Rose Nyunja was just 18 when she began working in the tea plantations of Kericho, Kenya’s biggest tea-growing region and a major source of employment for poor women in the country. For decades, she toiled away in the tea gardens, picking the leaves by hand.

Then came the harvesting machinery. Women like Nyunja started to lose their jobs by the thousands to machines that could each replace more than 100 workers.

One evening in 2020, Nyunja returned to the staff quarters to find her front door barricaded. She’d been fired. Nyunja pleaded with her supervisor to save her job—and her home. Instead, company security ejected her from the compound.

“My 26 years of service meant nothing to them,” she said, fighting back tears. “I was given one hour to remove my household items and leave. I have never experienced such humiliation and embarrassment in my life. I worked diligently for over two decades, and what have I got? Nothing.”

Read their full report , and then revisit FP’s summer issue, which explores the scramble to understand AI and the new age of geopolitics it has created.

More FP Analysis