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Palmer-James-foreign-policy-staff-portraits-202226

James Palmer

Deputy Editor [email protected]

James Palmer is a deputy editor at Foreign Policy and writes FP’s weekly China Brief newsletter. Palmer is the author of The Bloody White Baron: The Extraordinary Story of the Russian Nobleman Who Became the Last Khan of Mongolia and The Death of Mao: The Tangshan Earthquake and the Birth of the New China. He won the Shiva Naipaul prize for travel writing in 2003.

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Articles by James Palmer
A QAnon sticker is seen on the back of a car
A QAnon sticker is seen on the back of a car

QAnon Will Survive Yet Another Apocalyptic Disappointment

Argument
James Palmer
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives for a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in the Great Hall of the People on June 14, 2018 in Beijing.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives for a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in the Great Hall of the People on June 14, 2018 in Beijing.

China Issues Sanctions on Long List of Trump Officials

China Brief
James Palmer
A police patrol walks in an empty railway station on Jan. 7 in Shijiazhuang, China.
A police patrol walks in an empty railway station on Jan. 7 in Shijiazhuang, China.

China Puts Millions of People Back Under Lockdown

China Brief
James Palmer
Riot police push back a crowd of supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump at the Capitol
Riot police push back a crowd of supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump at the Capitol

‘This Was Like Charlottesville on Steroids’

Insider
James Palmer
Police officers stand guard near the office of John Clancey, a human right lawyer, on Jan. 6 after he was arrested by police in Hong Kong.
Police officers stand guard near the office of John Clancey, a human right lawyer, on Jan. 6 after he was arrested by police in Hong Kong.

Arrests Sound the Death Knell of Dissent in Hong Kong

China Brief
James Palmer
A man drags a handcart along the road on Feb. 5 in Wuhan, China.
A man drags a handcart along the road on Feb. 5 in Wuhan, China.

How China Shaped the World in 2020

China Brief
James Palmer
A paramilitary police officer talks on his radio transmitter as he stands in front of the portrait of late communist leader Mao Zedong at Tiananmen Gate in Beijing on Oct. 13.
A paramilitary police officer talks on his radio transmitter as he stands in front of the portrait of late communist leader Mao Zedong at Tiananmen Gate in Beijing on Oct. 13.

How a Chinese Communist Party Members List Became a Scare Story

China Brief
James Palmer
U.S. Reps. Ben Cline and Eric Swalwell talk during a break on June 17 in Washington.
U.S. Reps. Ben Cline and Eric Swalwell talk during a break on June 17 in Washington.

U.S. Partisanship Is Harming Counterintelligence

China Brief
James Palmer
Bottles of Australian wine are displayed at a supermarket in Hangzhou, China, on Nov. 27.
Bottles of Australian wine are displayed at a supermarket in Hangzhou, China, on Nov. 27.

Why China Just Doubled Down on Australia

China Brief
James Palmer
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden introduces key foreign policy and national security nominees and appointments at the Queen Theatre on Nov. 24 in Wilmington, Delaware.
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden introduces key foreign policy and national security nominees and appointments at the Queen Theatre on Nov. 24 in Wilmington, Delaware.

How Will Biden’s Team Handle China?

China Brief
James Palmer
Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump attend a working session on the first day of the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7, 2017.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump attend a working session on the first day of the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7, 2017.

Will the Trump Administration Sabotage U.S.-China Relations?

China Brief
James Palmer
Medical staff treat a COVID-19 patient in Texas
Medical staff treat a COVID-19 patient in Texas

Why the United States Can’t Defeat the Coronavirus

Argument
James Palmer
Then-U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping toast during a state luncheon for China on Sept. 25, 2015, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington.
Then-U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping toast during a state luncheon for China on Sept. 25, 2015, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington.

Why Beijing Hasn’t Called Biden

China Brief
James Palmer
Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa
Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa

Slovenia PM Frantically Tries to Justify Congratulatory Trump Call

Election 2020
James Palmer
Supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
Supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro

Don’t Expect a Biden Win to Boost U.S. Favorability

Election 2020
James Palmer
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