The year’s best stories

One of the greatest pleasures of running Foreign Policy’s Books section is getting to peruse highly anticipated books before their release—and, occasionally, stumbling upon a section that our readers are sure to find illuminating, provocative, or otherwise insightful. The articles below, all adapted from books published in 2025, offer a peek into some of our favorite titles that influenced the discourse on foreign affairs this year.

By Tim Weiner, July 11

One of the greatest pleasures of running Foreign Policy’s Books section is getting to peruse highly anticipated books before their release—and, occasionally, stumbling upon a section that our readers are sure to find illuminating, provocative, or otherwise insightful. The articles below, all adapted from books published in 2025, offer a peek into some of our favorite titles that influenced the discourse on foreign affairs this year.

By Tim Weiner, July 11

This summer, nearly 20 years after the publication of his National Book Award-winning Legacy of Ashes, which detailed the history of the CIA from World War II to the so-called war on terror, veteran journalist Tim Weiner came out with The Mission: The CIA in the 21st Century, Legacy’s long-awaited successor.

The Mission provides readers with unprecedented access to the agency in the 21st century, including the first........

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