Argument
An expert’s point of view on a current event.
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A man holds a sign with images of U.S. President Donald Trump and former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro that reads "Enemies of the people" during a demonstration calling to tax the super-rich and demanding the end of the six-day workweek at Paulista Avenue in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Trump’s Tariff Threat Against Brazil Might Politically Boost Lula
What was meant as a show of strength by MAGA and its Brazilian franchise has turned into a gift for Lula.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) meets with U.S. President Donald Trump (L) during Pope Francis’s funeral at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. Can Trump Be Sold on Supporting Ukraine?
A changeable president seems to be turning against Putin.
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France's Minister of Overseas Manuel Valls (R) watches as baby sea turtles are released into the ocean during a visit to Kwata eco-park and museum, on Awala-Yalimapo beach, in the French overseas department of Guiana on June 15. The World Is Making Progress on Conservation—Without the United States
Trump’s brand of isolationism and exceptionalism will be outlasted by the multilateral agreements made in the coming months.
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A Chinese Navy ship with bow number 629 sails near Escoda Shoal, as seen during a maritime patrol in the disputed South China Sea on June 7. Beijing’s Dominance of the South China Sea Is Not Inevitable
Groupthink and short-termism are clouding judgments about these waters.
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A Croatian flag flies during a UEFA Euro 2024 group stage match in Hamburg, Germany, on June 19, 2024. Croatia’s Quiet War in Bosnia
Zagreb’s push for segregation puts the future of democratic Bosnia at risk.
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A portrait of Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa next to a defaced portrait of U.S. President Donald Trump in Damascus. In Syria, It’s Trump vs. Trump
Donald Trump wants to give Syria “a chance at greatness,” but his assault on U.S. foreign aid threatens to undo any progress achieved.
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Trump and Putin Trump’s Ukraine Shift Sends the Right Signal to Putin
But there won’t be peace without additional pressure on the Kremlin.
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An employee holds a pair of shoes at a Crocs store in Hanoi's Old Quarter in Vietnam on July 7, 2025. The U.S.-Vietnam Trade Deal Makes No Sense
Hanoi has a long history of managing its wayward friends, but what’s in this for Washington?
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U.S. President Donald Trump meets with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on July 14. There’s Less to Trump’s Ukraine Shift Than Meets the Eye
Europe will buy unspecified weapons for Ukraine, and Russia gets a long reprieve from sanctions.
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The wrecked bodies of cars are strewn about a bridge beneath a hazy blue sky, some on the cracked road, others leaning on the barrier fence. Sheets of metal cover large potholes on the road. Washington Can Keep Sudan’s Civil War From Getting Worse
A concerted diplomatic push is needed to allay a deepening humanitarian catastrophe.
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Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer walks past an EU flag as he arrives with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for their meeting inside 10 Downing Street, in central London, on April 24, 2025. Britain Is Failing to Become European Again
The Starmer government’s hopes of restoring relations with Europe have mostly remained just that.
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A screen at a shopping mall in Beijing shows Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping shaking hands in Moscow. A Division of Labor Between Europe and Asia Won’t Work
Despite recent debates at the Pentagon, a global approach to Eurasian threats is needed.
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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio gives a media briefing during the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, on July 11. Why Rubio’s Asia Visit Was a Total Bust
ASEAN leaders will have noticed Washington’s increasing preoccupation with the Middle East and Western Hemisphere.
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A hand holds a small glass bottle. Rich Countries Stockpiling Critical Minerals Is Not a Plan
Remember the 1973 oil shock?
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Protesters rally outside the headquarters of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management in Washington on Feb. 5. America Can’t Lead in AI by Firing All the Experts
Sacking specialists and cutting federal funding only helps adversaries and competitors.