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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
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
A boy plays in front of the Chinese flag at Wuhan Revolution Museum in Wuhan, China, on Oct. 7.
A boy plays in front of the Chinese flag at Wuhan Revolution Museum in Wuhan, China, on Oct. 7.

Why Trump Will Blame Beijing for a Biden Victory

Election 2020
James Palmer
A woman wears a “Trump 2020” face mask at a rally for incumbent Republican Senate candidate Joni Ernst in Davenport, Iowa, on Oct. 31.
A woman wears a “Trump 2020” face mask at a rally for incumbent Republican Senate candidate Joni Ernst in Davenport, Iowa, on Oct. 31.

Why the Pandemic Didn’t Hurt Trump

Election 2020
James Palmer
A waitress watches a speech by U.S. President Donald Trump on a television during at a local bar on Nov. 4, 2020 in Beijing, China.
A waitress watches a speech by U.S. President Donald Trump on a television during at a local bar on Nov. 4, 2020 in Beijing, China.

China Isn’t Nervous About the U.S. Election

China Brief
James Palmer
voter-turnout-comparison-major-democracies-us-election-2020-social
voter-turnout-comparison-major-democracies-us-election-2020-social

Historic U.S. Turnout Still Lags Behind Major Democracies

Election 2020
James Palmer, Audrey Wilson
China's President Xi Jinping
China's President Xi Jinping

China Probably Doesn’t Care Who Wins

Election 2020
James Palmer
Donald Trump Jr. speaks during the first day of the Republican National Convention at the Mellon Auditorium in Washington on Aug. 24.
Donald Trump Jr. speaks during the first day of the Republican National Convention at the Mellon Auditorium in Washington on Aug. 24.

What Would Happen if the Whole World Were Voting Today?

Election 2020
James Palmer
Chinese soldiers from the People's Liberation Army march after a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of China's entry into the Korean War, on Oct. 23 in Beijing.
Chinese soldiers from the People's Liberation Army march after a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of China's entry into the Korean War, on Oct. 23 in Beijing.

Xi Is Out to Prove That This Is China’s Moment

China Brief
James Palmer
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