Argument

An expert's point of view on a current event.

List of Argument articles

An airplane flies away from the viewer, just below the sun, against a hazy orange sky.
An airplane flies away from the viewer, just below the sun, against a hazy orange sky.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attend a press conference at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem on Jan. 25.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attend a press conference at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem on Jan. 25.

Israel Is Officially Annexing the West Bank

A quiet bureaucratic maneuver by Netanyahu’s government has begun transferring control over the occupied territory from military to civilian leadership—violating international law.

A large screen in a hearing room shows side-by-side images of a Chinese frigate and a U.S. Navy combat ship under the words "China's New Frigate Design Looks Awfully Familiar"
A large screen in a hearing room shows side-by-side images of a Chinese frigate and a U.S. Navy combat ship under the words "China's New Frigate Design Looks Awfully Familiar"

Why the U.S.-China ‘Cold War’ Framing Is So Dangerous

A Cold War crouch is inimical to a free, open, and flourishing society.

Supporters of the Fridays for Future movement demonstrate for climate action in Berlin on March 3.
Supporters of the Fridays for Future movement demonstrate for climate action in Berlin on March 3.

The EU Should Listen to Its Youngest Citizens

Those born after the bloc’s founding charter was signed are overwhelmingly committed to its success.

A Tornado reconnaissance aircraft takes off from a military airbase in Jagel, Germany, on Dec. 10, 2015.
A Tornado reconnaissance aircraft takes off from a military airbase in Jagel, Germany, on Dec. 10, 2015.

Did German Pilots Just Pass NATO’s Tactics to China?

A Luftwaffe scandal underlines Europe’s lack of seriousness about military threats.

Five politicians stand in formal attire at podiums in front of a row of flags. The two closest to the camera smile as they face the offscreen audience.
Five politicians stand in formal attire at podiums in front of a row of flags. The two closest to the camera smile as they face the offscreen audience.

In Defense of Neutrals

Why they’re more than just fence sitters.

Residents evacuated from Shebekino and other Russian towns near the border with Ukraine are seen in a temporary shelter in Belgorod, Russia, on June 2.
Residents evacuated from Shebekino and other Russian towns near the border with Ukraine are seen in a temporary shelter in Belgorod, Russia, on June 2.

Russians Are Unraveling Before Our Eyes

A wave of fresh humiliations has the Kremlin struggling to control the narrative.

Pro-democracy demonstrators assemble in Tiananmen Square, Beijng, on April 1, 1989.
Pro-democracy demonstrators assemble in Tiananmen Square, Beijng, on April 1, 1989.

America’s Goal Should Be a Democratic China

The lack of a long-term vision keeps Washington’s China policies confused.

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter questions TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew during a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing in Washington, D.C.
U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter questions TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew during a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Needs to Get Out of the Way on China

Washington should start letting other countries take the lead.

Six Mongolian yurt tents stand in a field in front of a ridge of conifer trees. Overhead is a blue sky at dusk, dotted with stars and clouds.
Six Mongolian yurt tents stand in a field in front of a ridge of conifer trees. Overhead is a blue sky at dusk, dotted with stars and clouds.

Mongolia’s Paper Fleet Is Helping Russia Dodge Sanctions

A landlocked country is offering flags of convenience at sea.

A Sudanese man and child wheel suitcases as they walk across a paved area toward a low beige building. Other people pass by in the background, including more children and a man in a wheelchair.
A Sudanese man and child wheel suitcases as they walk across a paved area toward a low beige building. Other people pass by in the background, including more children and a man in a wheelchair.

In Sudan, Egypt Faces a Catch-22

But there’s one option for resolving the conflict that just might work.

South Korean actor Song Kang-ho poses during a photo call for the film "Cobweb" at the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France.
South Korean actor Song Kang-ho poses during a photo call for the film "Cobweb" at the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France.

K-Culture Is Here to Stay

South Korea’s unique conditions make it an entertainment giant.

Asian Development Bank President Masatsugu Asakawa and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim pose for group photos during the 15th Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle Summit, occurring on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, on May 11.
Asian Development Bank President Masatsugu Asakawa and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim pose for group photos during the 15th Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle Summit, occurring on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, on May 11.

The Indo-Pacific Has Already Chosen Door No. 3

So-called fence-sitters are rejecting zero-sum geopolitical binaries in favor of multi-alignment.

Two men, both of them migrants carrying backpacks, huddle together in the dark with their heads bowed as they pass a handful of U.S. cash to an outstretched hand.
Two men, both of them migrants carrying backpacks, huddle together in the dark with their heads bowed as they pass a handful of U.S. cash to an outstretched hand.

U.S. Border Chaos Leaves Migrants Fatally Vulnerable

The expiration of Title 42 has spiked a rise in theft and murder along the Darién Gap.

A visitor looks at a lighted map of Chinese pipelines at the China International Energy Saving, Emissions Reduction, and New Energy Science & Technology Expo in Beijing.
A visitor looks at a lighted map of Chinese pipelines at the China International Energy Saving, Emissions Reduction, and New Energy Science & Technology Expo in Beijing.

Stop Worrying About Chinese Hegemony in Asia

U.S. fears are not only irrational—they’re a potential self-fulfilling prophecy.

A Chinese guard stands on a platform at dusk, wearing his uniform and a medical face mask. The guard is in front of a short building with a wall labeled "European Commission" beside the EU flag.
A Chinese guard stands on a platform at dusk, wearing his uniform and a medical face mask. The guard is in front of a short building with a wall labeled "European Commission" beside the EU flag.

China Can’t Have It Both Ways in Europe

Beijing is blowing up its relationships by backing Russia.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu stands at the center of a group of guests and security personnel with his fist raised in the air. He is wearing a hat, sunglasses, and a white robe.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu stands at the center of a group of guests and security personnel with his fist raised in the air. He is wearing a hat, sunglasses, and a white robe.

Nigeria’s Last General Departs the Political Stage

Democracy is holding despite social and regional divisions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Putin Wants You to Think He’s an Anti-Woke Crusader

By pitching himself as a hero to the U.S. right, he’s taking a page from the 1960s North Vietnamese playbook to undermine support for Ukraine.

A journalist is silhouetted in front of a neon-lighted poster that reads "AI from Africa to the world" at the first AI research center established in Africa by Google in Accra, Ghana.
A journalist is silhouetted in front of a neon-lighted poster that reads "AI from Africa to the world" at the first AI research center established in Africa by Google in Accra, Ghana.

Artificial Intelligence Will Entrench Global Inequality

The debate about regulating AI urgently needs input from the global south.

Visitors stand on a salt mound at an Albemarle Corporation lithium mine in the Atacama Desert, Chile, on Aug. 24, 2022.
Visitors stand on a salt mound at an Albemarle Corporation lithium mine in the Atacama Desert, Chile, on Aug. 24, 2022.

How Chile’s Politics Are Shaping the Global Energy Transition

Chile’s rightward lurch is an opportunity to expand the supply of lithium, a critical battery resource.

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Inside the U.S.-China Tech War

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Over the last few years, the United States has moved to limit China’s technological rise. U.S.-led sanctions have imposed unprecedented limits on Beijing’s access to advanced computing c...Show more

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 24: U.S. President Joe Biden (R) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi participate in a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on September 24, 2021 in Washington, DC. President Biden is hosting a Quad Leaders Summit later today with Prime Minister Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide. (Photo by Sarahbeth Maney-Pool/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 24: U.S. President Joe Biden (R) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi participate in a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on September 24, 2021 in Washington, DC. President Biden is hosting a Quad Leaders Summit later today with Prime Minister Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide. (Photo by Sarahbeth Maney-Pool/Getty Images)

Is America Making a Bad Bet on India?

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For decades, the U.S. foreign-policy establishment has made the assumption that India could serve as a partner as the United States jostles with China for power in the Indo-Pacific region. B...Show more

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Last weekend, spy chiefs and defense officials from around the world descended on Singapore to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s biggest annual security conference. The U.S. delegatio...Show more

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