Editors’ Picks: How Biden changed his mind on Afghanistan

[Foreign Policy Logo]( [Foreign Policy Flashpoints]( April 16, 2021 | [View in browser]( SPONSORED BY [THE EMBASSY OF JAPAN]( 1 [Change of heart.](. President Joe Biden was once committed to helping Afghanistan get back on its feet. Now in the Oval Office, a disillusioned Biden has a different point of view. FP’s Michael Hirsh [explains]( what happened. 2 [Forget the Anthropocene.]( idea of the Anthropocene—the age of humans—is overrated. And the way we now talk about climate change and the effect of humans on the planet may even be dangerous, David Sepkoski [writes](. 3 [Come-from-behind victory.]( time to revise the conventional understanding of who is “winning” and who is “losing” the coronavirus pandemic. It’s clear that the United States beat the odds, Hal Brands [writes](. 4 [Abbas’s challenger.]( Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is facing a challenge from the nephew of Yasser Arafat, the man he was at loggerheads with two decades ago. He could realign Palestinian politics, Dalia Hatuqa [writes](. 5 [What in the world?]( you’ve been keeping a close eye on the whole wide world this week? Take our new weekly news quiz written by FP’s Nina Goldman to[test your knowledge]( of the latest global events. SPONSORED In the post-covid world, the longstanding partnership between the US and Japan stands to grown even stronger, as the nations work together on human rights issues, free trade, and regional security. [Read more about]( the strong foundations for even greater US-Japan collaboration; how the world’s fastest supercomputer has underpinned Japan’s pandemic response; how the government of Japan is seeking to revolutionize the way it interacts with its citizens by embracing digital technology. FOLLOW FP ON This email was sent to {EMAIL} because you are subscribed to FP’s Editors' Picks newsletter. Want a friend to receive this newsletter? [Forward it]( now. Want to receive other 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 © 2021 The Slate Group, LLC. All rights reserved. Foreign Policy, 1750 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20006. [Link](