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A man wheels his bicycle along a railroad track in Hiroshima. Around him is the rubble of trees and buildings destroyed by the atomic bomb.
A man wheels his bicycle along a railroad track in Hiroshima. Around him is the rubble of trees and buildings destroyed by the atomic bomb.

The Bomb Was Horrifying. The Alternatives Would Have Been Worse.

Historical records show that dropping atomic bombs was the least bad option.

Children attend an official initiation ceremony for the youth organization Young Pioneers in Moscow's Red Square.
Children attend an official initiation ceremony for the youth organization Young Pioneers in Moscow's Red Square.

Russia’s Frighteningly Fascist Youth

A new generation of Russians glorifies war, death, and Vladimir Putin.

Paramilitary police officers march past the portrait of communist leader Mao Zedong on Tiananmen Gate
Paramilitary police officers march past the portrait of communist leader Mao Zedong on Tiananmen Gate

Mao’s Legacy Is a Dangerous Topic in China

Discussing the Cultural Revolution has become increasingly risky.

security guard stands outside the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China
security guard stands outside the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China

How American Journalists Watched China’s COVID-19 Crisis Unfold

The pandemic’s outbreak brought rare reporting freedoms.

A group of school boys displaced by World War II bombardments pose with CARE (Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe) packages from the United States in Belgium in 1947.
A group of school boys displaced by World War II bombardments pose with CARE (Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe) packages from the United States in Belgium in 1947.

How Truman Sold Americans on Going Hungry

In 1947, the United States sacrificed for the sake of a starving Europe.

A large screen shows a news report about Chinese President Xi Jinping.
A large screen shows a news report about Chinese President Xi Jinping.

China Wants Your Attention, Please

Beijing’s massive expansion of state media hasn’t quite worked as planned. But watch out for Xinhua’s growing global deals.

U.S. President Joe Biden holds a semiconductor during his remarks before signing an executive order on the economy in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, D.C.
U.S. President Joe Biden holds a semiconductor during his remarks before signing an executive order on the economy in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, D.C.

How the U.S.-Chinese Technology War Is Changing the World

Washington’s crackdown on technology access is creating a new kind of global conflict.

This article is adapted from Accidental Czar: The Life and Lies of Vladimir Putin by Andrew S. Weiss with illustrations by Brian “Box” Brown (Macmillan Publishers, 272 pp., $28.99, November 2022).
This article is adapted from Accidental Czar: The Life and Lies of Vladimir Putin by Andrew S. Weiss with illustrations by Brian “Box” Brown (Macmillan Publishers, 272 pp., $28.99, November 2022).

How Putin Came to Fear ‘Color Revolutions’

A new graphic novel reexamines the Russian leader’s biography—with lessons for the present.

Then-Vice President Xi Jinping attends the closing of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People.
Then-Vice President Xi Jinping attends the closing of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People.

Xi’s First Steps in Power Signaled His Political Turn

Elites were uncertain about the new leader’s growing power.

Far-right members attend the “Unite the Right” rally.
Far-right members attend the “Unite the Right” rally.

How ‘Screw Your Optics’ Became a Far-Right Rallying Cry

White supremacist terrorists have taken a page from the Islamic State’s playbook—discarding concerns about image and embracing shocking displays of public violence.

Pro-democracy protesters are arrested by police in Hong Kong in protest of China's new security legislation.
Pro-democracy protesters are arrested by police in Hong Kong in protest of China's new security legislation.

Will Xi’s Paranoia Defeat Him?

The Chinese leader has taken security worries to a new level.

Traders work during the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on February 28, 2020 at Wall Street in New York City.
Traders work during the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on February 28, 2020 at Wall Street in New York City.

The Long 20th Century Comes to a Shuddering End

An era of once-undreamt-of progress is over—and you won’t like what comes next.

A plane takes off from the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Aug. 29, 2021.
A plane takes off from the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Aug. 29, 2021.

How Western Errors Let the Taliban Win in Afghanistan

NATO’s last man in Kabul helped facilitate the airlift and had a front-row seat to the Taliban takeover of the capital.

Russian President Vladimir Putin looks out the window at the Black Sea resort of Anapa, Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin looks out the window at the Black Sea resort of Anapa, Russia.

Putin’s World Is Now Smaller Than Ever

The moral and strategic disaster of the Russian leader’s war in Ukraine has ended his imperial dreams.

People celebrate Lunar New Year at a Chinese restaurant in Bangkok on Feb. 12, 2021.
People celebrate Lunar New Year at a Chinese restaurant in Bangkok on Feb. 12, 2021.
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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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