{"id":51690,"date":"2026-04-15T19:21:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T19:21:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=51690"},"modified":"2026-04-15T19:21:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T19:21:29","slug":"americas-loosening-grip-inside-the-17-april-guardian-weekly-us-foreign-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=51690","title":{"rendered":"America\u2019s loosening grip: inside the 17 April Guardian Weekly | US foreign policy"},"content":{"rendered":"


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At the end of 2025, Patrick Wintour<\/a> wrote a compelling essay for Guardian Weekly in which he described an interregnum in global history, where the rules-based order <\/a>had been eroded and great powers once again jostled for control and influence.<\/p>\n

This week\u2019s edition sees Patrick return to a key aspect of that theme, the deteriorating global standing of the United States after a period of high-stakes brinkmanship with Iran. Donald Trump\u2019s aborted threat that Iranian civilisation would \u201cdie \u2026 never to be brought back\u201d unless it ceded to his demands exposed the limits of his apocalyptic foreign policy. It also pointed to the wider decline of American influence in a world where the US appears untrustworthy and strategically isolated.<\/p>\n

As we wait to see whether negotiations to defuse the crisis and reopen the strait of Hormuz can resume, Patrick also reflects on 21 frantic hours in Islamabad where hundreds of diplomats from Iran<\/a> and the US assembled and departed without agreeing anything.<\/p>\n

And as relations between the US and the UK come under growing strain, columnist Simon Tisdall<\/a> urges King Charles III to ditch protocol on his forthcoming visit to Washington and instead deliver a few hard truths to US representatives.<\/p>\n

Opponents of rightwing populism in Europe at least had reason for renewed hope this week as Hungary\u2019s election ended 16 years of Viktor Orb\u00e1n\u2019s government, more details of which below.<\/p>\n

Enjoy the edition.<\/p>\n

Get the Guardian Weekly delivered to your home address<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Five essential reads in this week\u2019s edition<\/h2>\n
<\/svg><\/span>P\u00e9ter Magyar speaks to the press on Monday after his Tisza party won two-thirds of the seats in parliament.<\/span> Photograph: Jakub Porzycki\/Nur\/Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Spotlight<\/strong><\/em> | Hungary\u2019s new dawn
<\/strong>After 16 years, Viktor Orb\u00e1n\u2019s populist grip on the country\u2019s politics is over. But will his successor P\u00e9ter Magyar be much different? Ashifa Kassam<\/a> and Flora Garamvolgyi<\/a> report amid jubilant scenes in Budapest<\/p>\n

Science<\/strong><\/em> | The man who was bitten by snakes 200 times \u2013 on purpose
<\/strong>Tim Friede put his \u201cass on the line\u201d to help stop snakebite deaths \u2013 whose numbers appear to be rising amid the climate crisis. Oliver Milman<\/a> met him<\/p>\n

Feature<\/strong><\/em> | The brutal reality of life as a foreign student in the UK
<\/strong>Universities in Britain rely on overseas applicants paying full fees, which has given rise to some unscrupulous recruiters and left many hopefuls and their families deep in debt. Samira Shackle<\/a> investigates<\/p>\n

Opinion<\/strong><\/em> | Netanyahu-ism has achieved nothing for Israelis
<\/strong>It is the voting public in Israel that will settle their PM\u2019s fate later this year. But, argues Jonathan Freedland<\/a>, all they have heard are promises of \u201ctotal victory\u201d that prove to be hollow<\/p>\n

Culture<\/strong><\/em> | Jim Jarmusch, the darling of indie cinema
<\/strong>The 73-year-old has been at the cutting edge of US independent movies since the 1980s. As Father Mother Sister Brother opens in the UK, he tells Amy Raphael<\/a> about grief, greed and \u201cdoing crazy shit\u201d with Steve Coogan<\/p>\n

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What else we\u2019ve been reading<\/h2>\n

I was only familiar with the name Asha Bhosle thanks to Cornershop\u2019s 1997 hit Brimful of Asha. The celebrated Indian playback singer, whose career spanned almost eight decades, has died, aged 92. But where to start with an artist said to have recorded more than 12,000 songs? Guardian global music critic Ammar Kalia has put together a guide<\/a> to 10 of the best recordings by this astonishingly versatile artist, whose catalogue ranged from countless Bollywood soundtracks to collaborations with Boy George and Michael Stipe. Clare Horton, assistant editor<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Marie-Louise Eta will make football history this weekend after becoming the first woman appointed as head coach of a men\u2019s team in one of Europe\u2019s top five leagues. Eta has been put in charge of Union Berlin in the Bundesliga, kicking off with a match against Wolfsburg on Saturday. Nick Ames explains<\/a> that she has been brought in to save from relegation a club that has a reputation as a model of progress. Anthony Naughton, assistant editor<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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Other highlights from the Guardian website<\/h2>\n
<\/svg><\/span>North Korean leader Kim Jong-un with his daughter Kim Ju-ae, in Pyongyang.<\/span> Photograph: KCNA\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/strong> Audio<\/strong> | North Korea\u2019s \u201cmost beloved daughter\u201d<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong> Video<\/strong> |<\/strong> The \u2018Gaza playbook\u2019: what are Israel\u2019s plans for Lebanon?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong> Gallery<\/strong> |<\/strong> Space: the ultimate wardrobe challenge<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Get in touch<\/h2>\n

We\u2019d love to hear your thoughts on the magazine: for submissions to our letters page, please email weekly.letters@theguardian.com<\/a>. For anything else, it\u2019s editorial.feedback@theguardian.com<\/a><\/p>\n

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