The Stories that Defined the Geopolitical Landscape in 2022

Welcome to this year’s last edition of FP This Week, where we’ll be taking stock of the stories that defined the year’s geopolitical landscape. We’ve started with the event that upended global politics: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, about which we’ve compiled five of our top stories. Don’t miss others in this series that have already been published, including a look back on how America’s hawks beat China’s wolf warriors and what Qatar’s World Cup meant off the field. Check our site for more roundups of the year’s biggest stories—and our very best analysis of them—every day this week.

We also have two long reads to start your holidays right. First, FP’s Michael Hirsh makes an argument for 2022 as the year “the good guys struck back,” looking at all the ways in which democracy made a resurgence worldwide over the last 12 months. And Blake Smith considers the secret postmodern radicalism of Francis Fukayama. Fukayama cheerleads for liberal democracy in public, but as Smith recounts, he isn’t so sure of its strength.?

If you’re traveling at all, you won’t want to miss the FP gift guide, where you can learn about the backpacks, books, and power banks that keep our team happy while on the road. Thank you for reading along this year, and happy holidays to all our readers. We hope your December is merry and bright. FP This Week returns on Jan. 9, 2023.

?—The Editors

P.S. If you’re in need of a last-minute gift, FP gift subscriptions will remain on sale through the end of the year. Giving the gift of FP is an excellent way to support the work of our journalists while helping the people in your life gain a deeper understanding of the world. Give six months or one year of access.

New and Noteworthy

• Ones and Tooze: On the latest episode of FP’s economics podcast, our hosts ask if Qatar always be rich. Read a lightly edited transcript of the conversation or find Ones and Tooze wherever you listen.?
• 2023 Forecast: One country we all want to know more about is China. FP gathered a panel of experts for an FP Live conversation last week to discuss the main trends in trade, foreign policy, and technology that the world can expect from Beijing in 2023. Access the on-demand recording of the conversation here.?
• Subscriber Exclusive: Look out for our first of a two-part conversation with FP columnist and Harvard University professor Stephen M. Walt, where we look back at the stories and trends that dominated the world in 2022. Submit your questions today.

FP Live

Solving the World’s Worst Crises

Jan. 3, 2023 | 12 p.m. ET

How will the various crises in the world play out in 2023, and what can the international community do to mitigate the catastrophe? What are world leaders doing wrong? And how can populations in need receive proper aid? There’s no one better to ask for answers to these questions than David Miliband, president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, who will be in conversation with FP’s Ravi Agrawal. Enter the new year better informed and equipped to help solve humanity’s biggest problems.

Register here.

Lessons for the Next War

Jan. 9, 2023 | 11 a.m. ET

Remember the adage that generals always fight the last war? Of late, we at FP have been wondering: What can Russia’s war in Ukraine teach the world going forward? What have we learned so far, and how can we apply those lessons to make sure we don’t sleepwalk into yet another war? FP’s Winter 2023 print issue brings together 12 experts to help us answer those questions. Join FP’s Ravi Agrawal in conversation with two of the contributors to the magazine’s cover story: Anne-Marie Slaughter and David Petraeus.

Register here.

The Best Books We Read in 2022

Even while keeping up with the nonstop torrent of news headlines from around the world, FP columnists and contributors somehow found time this year to read a lot of books, and many helped contextualize events happening in the real world. From a historically precise but fictionalized account of political turmoil in Guatemala in the 1950s to a provocative, revisionist account of Western and American expansion, our experts share their top book recommendations for you to devour over the holidays and into the new year.?

Read the full list of book recommendations.?

Exercise Your Mind

Which Turkish opposition leader was sentenced to more than two years in prison for “insulting public officials” last Wednesday??

1. Good Party leader Meral Aksener
2. Republican People’s Party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu
3. Turkish physician and politician Canan Kaftancioglu
4. ?Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu?

You can find the answer to this question at the end of this email. Click here to take the rest of our weekly news quiz, and sign up to get notified when new editions are available.

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In Case You Missed It

This month, Foreign Policy hosted its annual fourth Food+ Summit in Washington, in partnership with the Walton Family Foundation, Chemonics International, and the Open Society Foundations. A high-powered lineup of speakers included U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, European Union Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield. Conversations explored how the global community can collaboratively combat the “three C’s” of conflict, COVID-19, and climate change to create a food-secure future for all. A video recording of the day’s conversation is now available online.

Are you interested in learning more about FP Analytics’ cutting-edge research services, hosting an FP Virtual Dialogue event, or building a podcast with FP Studios? Explore partnership opportunities.?

Answer: 4.) Imamoglu, a member of the Republican People’s Party, was seen as a potential contender in Turkey’s presidential election next year. Erin O’Brien argues that incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking to quell dissent ahead of the vote.