Editor’s note: This Week in Foreign Policy will be off next week, you can look for our next newsletter in your inbox on December 6. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
"We are likely witnessing the end of Hong Kong as we know it," writes Richard Bush. He evaluates why the test of coexistence between a free city and a Leninist state failed.
Suzanne Maloney reflects on "the latest salvo in the Iranian struggle for accountable government that stretches back more than a century" and the economic and political stresses making the Islamic Republic vulnerable.
New policy briefs on China's approaches to North Korea, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and the South China Sea — from Evans J.R. Revere, Richard Bush, Jonathan Stromseth, and Lynn Kuok — are the latest from Brookings' Global China project.
In addition, Ryan Hass examines how strategies for responding to China’s rise might play as an issue in the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
Quote of the week
"Today the whole world was able to see in action what we at Brookings have long been privileged to know first-hand: that Dr. Hill's formidable intellect, integrity, and patriotism make our world safer and more informed."
The indictment of Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli attorney general's decision to indict the prime minister on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust caps a tumultuous year in the country's politics, Natan Sachs and Kevin Huggard explain.
Lebanon's protests. Jeffrey Feltman provides testimony to Congress on the situation in Lebanon and how its evolution could affect U.S. interests positively or negatively.
Salvaging Syria. Michael O'Hanlon argues that the United States should clarify the purpose of its mission in Syria and use its remaining leverage to pursue a deal to end the war and stabilize the country and region.
Algeria's protests. Seven months after the ouster of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Algerians are still in the streets. With the help of an online survey, Sharan Grewal assesses their motivations, goals, and changing tactics.
Latin America
Violence in Mexico. Arturo Sarukhan describes how violence unleashed by criminal organizations is challenging rule of law and how the United States and Mexico need to work together to fix the problem.
Good news from Chile. Richard Feinberg hails Chile's accord to discard the Pinochet-era constitution and draft a new charter after weeks of protests, arguing that the political system and leadership have passed a monumental test.
International affairs
The impeachment inquiry. Robert Kagan argues that Republicans risk normalizing foreign interference in U.S. politics if they don't hold President Trump to account for his Ukraine dealings.
Elizabeth Warren's foreign policy math. Thomas Wright writes that the Democratic presidential candidate's details on how she would pay for Medicare for All hint that she may have to reduce America's global role to pay for her domestic agenda.
Ending the war in Ukraine. Steven Pifer advocates for an American peace plan for the Donbas, including a U.N.-authorized peacekeeping mission and an interim international administration, if European efforts falter.
Turkey and the United States. Ömer Taşpınar argues that the "facade of good relations" presented by Presidents Trump and Erdoğan in their White House meeting last week hides antagonism between two allies that are wide apart on substantive issues.
