Accessibility links
diplomacy diplomacy
Stories About

diplomacy

Friday

Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu hold signs as he addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Friday.

Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu hold signs as he addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Friday. Pamela Smith/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Pamela Smith/AP

Middle East crisis — explained

Netanyahu defies calls for a cease-fire at the U.N., as Israel strikes Lebanon

In a fiery speech at the United Nations General Assembly, the Israeli prime minister said his country would is "winning" and would attack Iran and its proxies anywhere in the Middle East.

Wednesday

A vendor holds a portrait of Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto at a market in Jakarta, Indonesia, April 24.

A vendor holds a portrait of Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto at a market in Jakarta, Indonesia, April 24. Achmad Ibrahim/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Achmad Ibrahim/AP

Year of Global Elections

Indonesia's next president has a complicated history with the U.S.

President-elect Prabowo Subianto was once banned by the U.S. for rights violations. But the U.S. earlier gave him military training. How will both countries deal with each other once he takes office?

Indonesia's next president has a complicated history with the U.S.

Listen · 4:26
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1248663743/1250052876" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Wednesday

Colombia will break relations with Israel over its actions in Gaza, Petro says

Colombian President Gustavo Petro (center right) attends an International Workers' Day rally in Bogotá, Colombia, on Wednesday. Jair F. Coll/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Jair F. Coll/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Middle East crisis — explained

Colombia will break relations with Israel over its actions in Gaza, Petro says

President Gustavo Petro announced his country will break diplomatic ties with Israel Thursday over its actions in Gaza. "If Palestine dies, humanity dies, and we are not going to let it die," he said.

Tuesday

Biden and China's Xi make first contact since November with a 'check-in' call

President Joe Biden greets China's leader Xi Jinping at the Filoli Estate in Woodside, Calif., Nov, 15, 2023, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperative conference. Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool hide caption

toggle caption
Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool

World

Biden and China's Xi make first contact since November with a 'check-in' call

Tuesday's call between the two leaders followed through on a pledge they made in November for more frequent contact to try to help stabilize the U.S.-China relationship.

Friday

A State Department official warns Israel of 'major' reputational damage in Gaza war

This picture taken from Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip shows an Israeli army tank moving along the border with the Palestinian territory on March 20. Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images

Middle East crisis — explained

A State Department official warns Israel of 'major' reputational damage in Gaza war

Assistant Secretary of State Bill Russo told Israeli officials last week the Gaza war is damaging Israel's global reputation, potentially lasting a generation, according to a readout obtained by NPR.

Wednesday

Why North Korea wants another chance with Donald Trump

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un walks to a meeting with then-President Donald Trump in the Demilitarized Zone that straddles the Koreas on June 30, 2019. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Perspective

Why North Korea wants another chance with Donald Trump

Germany's former ambassador to North Korea provides insights from his time in the country, and explains why the regime would prefer a Trump win in 2024.

Wednesday

Thursday

What North Korea's shift toward Russia means for its global strategy

A man watches a television screen showing a news broadcast with a picture of North Korea's latest satellite-carrying rocket launch, at a railway station in Seoul on Nov. 22. Jung Yeon-Je/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Jung Yeon-Je/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

World

What North Korea's shift toward Russia means for its global strategy

Since the collapse of nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington in 2019, analysts see a major shift in North Korea's foreign relations. It has turned increasingly to Moscow.

What North Korea's shift toward Russia means for its global strategy

Listen · 3:40
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1214799117/1217370534" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Thursday

Lots of U.S. presidents have pushed for Middle East peace. Progress has been elusive

President Joe Biden speaks as he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participate in an expanded bilateral meeting with Israeli and U.S. government officials, Wednesday in Tel Aviv. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Evan Vucci/AP

Middle East crisis — explained

Lots of U.S. presidents have pushed for Middle East peace. Progress has been elusive

President Biden is the latest in a long line of presidents to place himself in the middle of a Middle East conflict. U.S. efforts have seen failed starts, wrong turns and dead ends, but some progress.

Thursday

Thursday

Iraq expels Sweden's ambassador over Quran burning, after protests at Swedish Embassy

Protesters scale a wall at the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad Thursday. Protesters angered by the planned burning of a copy of the Quran stormed the Embassy early Thursday, breaking into the compound and lighting a small fire. Ali Jabar/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Ali Jabar/AP

World

Iraq expels Sweden's ambassador over Quran burning, after protests at Swedish Embassy

Iraq expelled Sweden's ambassador and recalled its diplomat from Sweden, hours after protesters attacked the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad, setting fire to part of the building.

Tuesday

Thursday

In this photo provided by Saudi Press Agency, SPA, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives at Jeddah airport, Saudi Arabia, Friday, where leaders are gathered for the Arab League Summit.

In this photo provided by Saudi Press Agency, SPA, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives at Jeddah airport, Saudi Arabia, Friday, where leaders are gathered for the Arab League Summit. Saudi Press Agency via AP hide caption

toggle caption
Saudi Press Agency via AP

Middle East

Zelenskyy arrives at Arab League summit, as Saudi Arabia flexes diplomatic muscle

With the Ukrainian president's visit, Syria's president returning to the fold and Saudi Arabia's recent detente with Iran, this year's Arab League summit reflects a changing region.

Zelenskyy arrives at Arab League summit, as Saudi Arabia flexes diplomatic muscle

Listen · 3:36
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1176833267/1177206224" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Monday

Thursday