Flash Points: Inside the mind of NATO’s next leader

FP profiles five global power brokers. JUNE 23, 2024  |  [VIEW IN BROWSER](  |  [SUBSCRIBE](     [Outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte tours the Avebe Innovation Center in Groningen, Netherlands, on May 22. ]( Outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte tours the Avebe Innovation Center in Groningen, Netherlands, on May 22. Siese Veenstra/ANP/Redux “Probably the most important thing to know about [Mark] Rutte … is that he is a very controlled person,” FP’s Caroline de Gruyter writes in her [profile]( of the Dutch prime minister who will soon lead NATO. “He often gives people the impression that he is spontaneous, taking things lightly as they come. But under the surface of the easygoing, smiling Dutchman who cycles to the office, apple in hand, there is a lot more going on.” The profiles in this edition of Flash Points go beyond the image that global power brokers such as Rutte seek to project and aim to uncover how they think, what drives them, and how their policies and ideologies could influence international politics.—Chloe Hadavas   [1]( [NATO’s New Leader Was Planning This the Whole Time]( Mark Rutte, a workaholic obsessed with routine, is about to take over the West’s military alliance. By Caroline de Gruyter   [2]( [The Man Who Would Help Trump Upend the Global Economy]( As a potential U.S. Treasury secretary, Robert Lighthizer has more than trade policy to revolutionize. By Edward Alden   [3]( [The Woman Inheriting AMLO’s Revolution]( Claudia Sheinbaum’s most daunting political challenge will be persona, not policy. By Ana Sofía Rodríguez Everaert   [4]( [How an Obscure General Became the Star of Italy’s Far Right]( Bestselling author Roberto Vannacci is eclipsing Giorgia Meloni, but entering politics could blunt his popularity. By Giorgio Ghiglione   [5]( [Modi’s Messenger to the World]( How the diplomat-turned-politician S. Jaishankar became the chief executor of India’s assertive foreign policy. By Rishi Iyengar [NATO in a New Era]( The NATO Summit comes at a potential inflection point for the alliance. On July 8th, Foreign Policy, Stand Together, and the European Council on Foreign Relations will host a series of conversations reassessing transatlantic security. [Register now](.   [Is Capitalism Broken?]( Ruchir Sharma, author of What Went Wrong with Capitalism, argues that by simultaneously serving as regulator, borrower, and spender, the government has distorted the economy and created a system of “socialized risk." He joined FP Live this week to discuss how to solve the problem. [WATCH ON-DEMAND](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( You’re receiving this email at {EMAIL} because you signed up for FP's Flash Points newsletter. [MANAGE YOUR EMAIL PREFERENCES]( | [VIEW OUR PRIVACY POLICY]( | [UNSUBSCRIBE]( Interested in partnering with FP on events, podcasts, or research? [Explore FP Solutions](. [Foreign Policy]( is a division of Graham Holdings Company. All contents © 2024 Graham Digital Holding Company LLC. All rights reserved. Foreign Policy, 655 15th St NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC, 20005.