Science and Technology

List of Science and Technology articles

1-lead-Foreign-policy-gift guide
1-lead-Foreign-policy-gift guide

FP’s 2024 Holiday Gift Guide

Global goodies for foodies, jet-setters, and nerds.

Employees work on a production line at a factory.
Employees work on a production line at a factory.

Washington Is Getting Economic Security Wrong

Competition with China is based on false premises.

A campaign sign for Donald Trump in the Capitol Reflecting Pool in Washington on Jan. 9, 2021.
A campaign sign for Donald Trump in the Capitol Reflecting Pool in Washington on Jan. 9, 2021.
U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

What an Even More Hawkish China Policy Could Look Like

A new report lays out recommendations on artificial intelligence, trade, and investment as Trump prepares to take office. 

A long dock stretches into the water at a port in Peru. Massive blue cranes are perched along its length, and one behind the camera has lifted a metal shipping container, so it hangs at the top of the image against a pale gray sky.
A long dock stretches into the water at a port in Peru. Massive blue cranes are perched along its length, and one behind the camera has lifted a metal shipping container, so it hangs at the top of the image against a pale gray sky.

The Belt and Road Isn’t Dead. It’s Evolving.

In Latin America, China is saying goodbye to big bets and bridges in favor of a new approach.

Sam Altman speaks into a microphone onstage at an event, flanked on either side by a group of five men and one woman in suits. A screen behind him shows the Open AI logo.
Sam Altman speaks into a microphone onstage at an event, flanked on either side by a group of five men and one woman in suits. A screen behind him shows the Open AI logo.

How Technology Ruined Democracy

Two new books issue fresh warnings about Silicon Valley ahead of the U.S. election.

GettyImages-1246713265 (1)
GettyImages-1246713265 (1)

Europe’s Big Climate Plan Isn’t Working

The continent has put the world’s strictest environmental standards into law—and is failing to meet them.

An election worker processes a stack of 2024 general election ballots with the tabulation machine in front of observers.
An election worker processes a stack of 2024 general election ballots with the tabulation machine in front of observers.

How America’s Fourth-Largest County Is Preparing for Election Interference

Maricopa County in Arizona has been a lightning rod for election deniers since 2020. Officials there say they’re prepared this time around.

An illustration shows a semiconductor chip as a table with small figures gathered around it. Around it is an electric grid connecting to data centers.
An illustration shows a semiconductor chip as a table with small figures gathered around it. Around it is an electric grid connecting to data centers.

The Next AI Debate Is About Geopolitics

Data might be the “new oil,” but nations—not nature—will decide where to build data centers.

Akon, wearing a light blue suit and holding a microphone gestures and looks down as he sings agains a blue and purple background.
Akon, wearing a light blue suit and holding a microphone gestures and looks down as he sings agains a blue and purple background.

Senegal’s Cryptocurrency City Has Evaporated

Singer Akon wanted to help his childhood country—but tokens were a dead end.

A worker sitting at a desk with several computer monitors is seen from behind and across a room in a facility in Shanghai. Other monitors hang above nearby work desks, and a walkway or scaffolding stretches overhead. A Chinese flag hangs from high up on a nearby wall.
A worker sitting at a desk with several computer monitors is seen from behind and across a room in a facility in Shanghai. Other monitors hang above nearby work desks, and a walkway or scaffolding stretches overhead. A Chinese flag hangs from high up on a nearby wall.

America Needs Clear Standards for China Tech Decoupling

A new Washington consensus risks improvised and chaotic policy.

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan delivers a speech at the Brookings Institution.
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan delivers a speech at the Brookings Institution.

Jake Sullivan’s Closing Argument on Biden’s Global Economic Agenda

The U.S. national security advisor defended the administration’s approach to allies and adversaries alike.

A view of multiple buildings in Queen Square in London, circa 1910.
A view of multiple buildings in Queen Square in London, circa 1910.

The United States Owes Its Edge in AI to a London Landmark

Innovation happens through international networks like the one running through Queen Square.

A man wearing a baby in a carrier holds an umbrella as he walks by a missile system. Other people mill about in the distance.
A man wearing a baby in a carrier holds an umbrella as he walks by a missile system. Other people mill about in the distance.

Taiwanese Missile Units Are Giving Away Their Positions to China

Taiwan’s military hasn’t adjusted to the age of open-source intelligence.

A factory worker stands near car batteries for Xinwangda Electric Vehicle Battery Company in Nanjing, China, on March 12, 2021.
A factory worker stands near car batteries for Xinwangda Electric Vehicle Battery Company in Nanjing, China, on March 12, 2021.

How the United States Can Win the Battery Race

To leapfrog China, Washington should shift away from lithium-ion batteries.

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