Analysis
List of Analysis articles
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A poster of Trump kneeling before Khamenei. Two women walk past it. Trump Is Just Trying to Save Face
It is becoming harder than ever to imagine that Iran will abandon nuclear ambitions.
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Milei is seen in partial profile as he walks in front of a dark blue stage backdrop. Milei is smiling slightly and looking down; he wears a dark suit and tie and clutches a folder and a cell phone in his hands. Why the IMF’s Loan to Argentina Is a Scandal
The Trump-Milei political alliance indicates the need for the International Monetary Fund’s reform.
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U.S. President Donald Trump looks down and adjusts his suit lapels as he poses alongside other leaders standing in rows for a family photo. The leaders around him face the camera and smile. NATO Is Avoiding a Difficult Conversation
Leaders lack public approval to make good on their promises on defense spending.
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French President Emmanuel Macron with Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer pose for the media at a hotel prior to an E3 meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands on June 24, 2025. Europe Is Irrelevant to the New Middle East
As wars rage from Gaza to Iran, European diplomats are struggling to get heard.
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People demonstrate against the United States entering a war with Iran outside the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 9, 2020. What Happened to the War Powers Act?
A 1973 bipartisan coalition promised to restore constitutional balance, but Trump’s recent actions show things didn’t work out as planned.
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A tugboat is seen attached to a massive shipping barge across a stretch of open water. On the other side of the ships is the shore, with mountains rising up against the horizon. Global Shipping Is Staying Calm About the Strait of Hormuz
Amid chaos and missile fire, ships are still sailing as normal.
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Demonstrators wave Iranian flags and a poster of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, during a protest against Israeli attacks on Iran in Tehran on June 20. How the U.S. Locked Itself Into a Regime Change War
Trump’s insistence on zero enrichment was a poison pill in talks with Iran.
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An operational timeline of a strike on Iran is displayed during a Pentagon news conference on June 22. Trump’s Illiberal Interventionism
The president swore off building nations, not destroying them.
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Israeli nationalists wave flags as they dance and march in the streets during a parade marking Jerusalem Day on June 6, 2005 in Jerusalem, Israel. Israel Can Still Lose the Peace
History shows that Israel’s successful wars don’t always produce stability.
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U.S. President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio sit in the Situation Room as they monitor the mission that struck three Iranian nuclear enrichment sites, at the White House in Washington on June 21. IR Scholars Worry About U.S. Conflict With Iran
A poll of experts finds that they generally believe military action will harm U.S. national security.
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A U.S. B-2 "Spirit" stealth bomber flies over Pasadena, California, on Jan. 1. Strikes on Iran Show the Force, and Limits, of Airpower
Technical dominance can’t compel regime change.
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Hegseth points to a reporter during a press conference. Trump’s Iran Strikes Intensify War Powers Debate
The Trump administration did not give Congress advance warning of the attack, prompting outcry from Democrats and some Republicans.
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Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif answers questions during a press conference in Beijing. Don’t Count on China Bailing Out Iran
Beijing cares more about the Gulf states than Tehran’s future.
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Crowds of people gather for an anti-nuclear demonstration in New York's Central Park on June 12, 1982. How to Fix the Cracks in the Nuclear Dam
The crisis in the Middle East shows why the world must repair Trump’s damage to the nonproliferation landscape.
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Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran's U.N. ambassador, speaks during a Security Council meeting. Trump Makes Devastating Strike on U.S. Diplomatic Credibility
The attack on Iran makes it harder to get any adversaries to the table.
