This Week: Happy New Year From FP

Our favorite profiles, podcasts, and pieces from 2021. [Read this email in your browser]( [FP-This-Week-tighter]( Welcome to This Week. During the last year, Foreign Policy’s writers, researchers, and podcasters tackled the world’s biggest problems, from the politics of a warming climate to the economic impacts of a changing global landscape. Through [profiles]( of those making policy decisions to [podcast]( series, FP helps readers like you dig deep into an issue and uncover the background behind complex topics—all while telling a compelling and powerful story. From Belarus’s leader-in-exile to Japan’s newest prime minister, FP’s profiles show how personality and policymaking intertwine. Some of our favorite profiles from the year include [Liz Truss]( [Fumio Kishida]( [Angela Merkel]( [Qin Gang]( and [Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya](. In many of FP’s podcasts this year, we tackled issues like climate change the same way we tackle most things: by telling stories of individuals whose lives intersect with the biggest issues of our time. To recap the year, we asked our podcast team to choose [five episodes]( they liked the most. Finally, for a global gathering that is portrayed as unifying, this year’s Olympics proved remarkably polarizing. As we continue to chronicle our analysis from the year’s headlines, you can read FP’s [best pieces]( chronicling how the tumultuous Tokyo Olympics moved from would-be COVID-19 catastrophe to an inflection point on the role of nationalism in sports. To thank you for being an avid reader of This Week, we are offering you 35 percent off using the discount code HOLIDAY21 at [checkout](. Thank you for reading. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Liz-Truss-G7-Britain-London-Redux-Pictures-h_10.04137815]( [Our Favorite Profiles of the Year]( By [Amelia Lester]( Here at FP, we don’t cover a lot of celebrities, but we do recognize that in the political realm, it’s impossible to separate people from the policies they make. Belarusian activist Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya spent her childhood fearing nuclear radiation in Belarus; British foreign secretary Liz Truss remembers her parents taking her to protests against nuclear proliferation in Glasgow, Scotland. [Read on]( to see how each experience shaped their worldview—alongside profiles of the new Chinese ambassador to Washington, the new Japanese prime minister, and Germany’s outgoing chancellor. [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [i-spy-podcast-frank-snepp-vietnam-hp] [Around the World in Five Half-Hour Listens]( By [Dan Ephron]( Looking for the perfect podcast to listen to this week? We asked our podcast team to choose five episodes they liked the most in 2021. They selected episodes covering everything from hostage negotiations to the Great Resignation. [Listen Here]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [tokyo-olympics-1330253288]( [The Inevitably Awkward Tokyo Olympics]( By [Allison Meakem]( The fact that the Tokyo Olympics actually happened in 2021 was—depending on one’s point of view—either a miracle or a disgrace. It often seemed as though there was no in between. Athletes rebuked competitive norms as COVID-19 became the most normal part of the Tokyo Games. You can read the best FP pieces chronicling how the tumultuous Tokyo Olympics moved from a would-be COVID-19 catastrophe to an inflection point on the role of nationalism in sports. [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Partner With Us 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? Would you like to enable organization-wide access to Foreign Policy to maximize your savings? Contact Andrew Sollinger at andrew.sollinger@foreignpolicy.com today. --------------------------------------------------------------- FOLLOW FP ON This email was sent to {EMAIL} because you are subscribed to FP communications. Want to receive FP newsletters? [Manage]( your FP newsletter preferences. [unsubscribe]( | [privacy policy]( | [contact us]( | [advertise]( Foreign Policy magazine is a division of Graham Holdings Company. All contents © 2020 The Slate Group, LLC. All rights reserved. Foreign Policy, 1750 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20006. [Link](