A poster of a soldier holding up a rifle.
A poster of a soldier holding up a rifle.

How Russia Distorts the Past

Memory politics shape Putin’s influence at home and abroad.

Four people stand on stage. Rutte gestures with his hands wide at his side as he talks.
Four people stand on stage. Rutte gestures with his hands wide at his side as he talks.

Getting European Defense Right

Analysts weigh in on the future of the continent’s security.

A collage photo illustration showing the eyes of Richard Nixon, Donald Trump, and John F. Kennedy along with the CIA logo.
A collage photo illustration showing the eyes of Richard Nixon, Donald Trump, and John F. Kennedy along with the CIA logo.

Peeling Back the Curtain on the CIA

Essays and insider accounts on the secret history of the agency.

A large crowd of people bow their heads as they observe a minute of silence during the peace memorial ceremony on the 22nd anniversary of the Hiroshima attack at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on Aug. 6, 1967. Umbrellas and some small children are seen in the front row.
A large crowd of people bow their heads as they observe a minute of silence during the peace memorial ceremony on the 22nd anniversary of the Hiroshima attack at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on Aug. 6, 1967. Umbrellas and some small children are seen in the front row.

How the Atomic Bombs Reshaped the World

Eighty years on, what has the world learned from Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

Rafet Kurse, a former fisherman, stands next to an abandoned boat on the former shores of Marmara Lake. A dry, dusty landscape stretches into the distance behind him.
Rafet Kurse, a former fisherman, stands next to an abandoned boat on the former shores of Marmara Lake. A dry, dusty landscape stretches into the distance behind him.

The Water Wars Are Coming

Hydroterrorism and other water-related crises, from the Sahel to Central Asia.

Rare-earth minerals are loaded for export to Japan at a port in Lianyungang, in China's Jiangsu province, on Sept. 5, 2010.
Rare-earth minerals are loaded for export to Japan at a port in Lianyungang, in China's Jiangsu province, on Sept. 5, 2010.

Why Is Trump So Obsessed With Critical Minerals?

Inside Washington’s bet to loosen Beijing’s chokehold on these resources.

From left to right: President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of China Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pose for a BRICS family photo during the 2023 BRICS Summit in Johannesburg on Aug. 23, 2023.
From left to right: President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of China Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pose for a BRICS family photo during the 2023 BRICS Summit in Johannesburg on Aug. 23, 2023.

Trump vs. BRICS

The state of the China- and Russia-backed bloc in the Trump era.

Hong Kong’s Star Ferry
Hong Kong’s Star Ferry

How China’s Crackdown Has Reshaped Hong Kong

Inside life in the city five years after its national security law went into effect.

A boy walks past destroyed buildings in Ghouta, Syria.
A boy walks past destroyed buildings in Ghouta, Syria.

Where Does Syria’s Political Transition Stand?

A snapshot of the threats facing the post-Assad government.

An illustration shows two men seated at a table carving up the globe like a roast.
An illustration shows two men seated at a table carving up the globe like a roast.

A Return to Spheres of Influence?

What a major shift in strategic thought could mean for geopolitics.

A monument by South African artist Marco Cianfanelli, representing the 27 years former South African President Nelson Mandela spent behind bars, in Howick, South Africa.
A monument by South African artist Marco Cianfanelli, representing the 27 years former South African President Nelson Mandela spent behind bars, in Howick, South Africa.

What Trump Gets Wrong About South African History

A deep dive into the country’s efforts to address the legacies of apartheid.

An illustration shows Elon Musk at a chalkboard drawing physics formulas in the shape of an eagle head.
An illustration shows Elon Musk at a chalkboard drawing physics formulas in the shape of an eagle head.

What Was Elon Musk Trying to Achieve?

Insights into the billionaire’s machinations in the U.S. government.

An illustration shows a horseshoe-shaped magnet with a U.S. flag motif attracting a giant crowd of tiny people toward it.
An illustration shows a horseshoe-shaped magnet with a U.S. flag motif attracting a giant crowd of tiny people toward it.

Is American Soft Power Finished?

Joseph Nye’s death marks the end of an era of U.S. foreign policy.

putin childhood and ukraine war
putin childhood and ukraine war

How Putin Transformed Russia

Reflections on the Russian leader’s 25-year reign.

Viet Cong soldiers in the fog of the jungle during the Vietnam War in a black and white photograph
Viet Cong soldiers in the fog of the jungle during the Vietnam War in a black and white photograph

The Haunting Legacy of the Vietnam War

Reflecting on one of the first forever wars, 50 years on.

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