Flash Points: The year the good guys struck back

Plus, more of the week's best long reads. [Foreign Policy Logo]( [Foreign Policy Flashpoints]( December 21, 2022 | [View in browser]( To read unlimited articles featured in Flash Points, [sign in]( or [subscribe today](. [2022: The Year the Good Guys Struck Back]( After years of rising authoritarianism and xenophobic populism, democracy is strengthening. But a long struggle lies ahead. By Michael Hirsh --------------------------------------------------------------- [The Secret Postmodern Radicalism of Francis Fukuyama]( He cheerleads for liberal democracy in public—but quietly admits he’s unsure of its true strength. By Blake Smith --------------------------------------------------------------- [How China’s Appetite for Rosewood Fuels Illegal Logging in Ghana]( Soaring demand for luxury furniture in Asia is decimating Ghana’s forests while creating a lucrative but environmentally destructive industry. By Nosmot Gbadamosi --------------------------------------------------------------- [How Greenland’s Mineral Wealth Made It a Geopolitical Battleground]( Denmark’s semi-autonomous territory is coveted by China, the United States, and global mining companies. By Regin Winther Poulsen --------------------------------------------------------------- [What the World Cup Means Off the Field]( Beneath the fanfare, Qatar 2022 had plenty of geopolitical subplots. By Sasha Polakow-Suransky Foreign Policy illustration / Getty Images --------------------------------------------------------------- [
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