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An aerial photo shows students drawing images commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party in Qingzhou, in China's eastern Shandong province, on June 24, 2021.
An aerial photo shows students drawing images commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party in Qingzhou, in China's eastern Shandong province, on June 24, 2021.

What Washington Doesn’t Understand About CCP Membership

Targeting students based on party affiliation is fundamentally misguided.

China Brief
James Palmer
Members of the California National Guard stand watch outside a federal building in Los Angeles.
Members of the California National Guard stand watch outside a federal building in Los Angeles.

Trump Doubles Down on Federal Troop Deployments to Los Angeles

State officials warn that a Marine presence will only hinder local efforts to quell the protests.

World Brief
Alexandra Sharp
This black-and-white photo shows students and faculty milling about near the front entrance of a large building fronted with limestone columns and a wide stone staircase. The man closest to the camera has just stepped onto a pathway leading onto the quad, shaded by a nearby tree.
This black-and-white photo shows students and faculty milling about near the front entrance of a large building fronted with limestone columns and a wide stone staircase. The man closest to the camera has just stepped onto a pathway leading onto the quad, shaded by a nearby tree.

Can the U.S. Be a Great Power Without Harvard?

Trump’s attacks on American universities come as China seeks to dominate higher education.

Review
Howard W. French
Two photos show Ahmed al-Sharaa. In the left photo, he is wearing a suit and blue tie. In the right photo, he is wearing green clothing.
Two photos show Ahmed al-Sharaa. In the left photo, he is wearing a suit and blue tie. In the right photo, he is wearing green clothing.

Why the West Embraced Syria and Ditched Afghanistan

From diplomatic visits to travel bans, Damascus is getting a pass.

Analysis
Adam Weinstein
People watch a screen that shows Pete Hegseth speaking.
People watch a screen that shows Pete Hegseth speaking.

Hegseth Fails to Reassure Asian Allies at Shangri-La

Confrontational rhetoric combined with uncertain commitments raise fears of abandonment in Southeast Asia.

Argument
Hunter Marston, Lucas Myers
A Ukrainian operator tests a reusable airstrike drone near Kyiv on Aug. 11, 2023.
A Ukrainian operator tests a reusable airstrike drone near Kyiv on Aug. 11, 2023.

Operation Spider’s Web and the Future of War

Military expert Mara Karlin on drones, AI, and asymmetrical conflicts. This article has an audio recording

Insider
Ravi Agrawal
Supporters display a poster depicting the jailed leader of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, in Diyarbakir, Turkey, on Feb. 27.
Supporters display a poster depicting the jailed leader of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, in Diyarbakir, Turkey, on Feb. 27.

Don’t Trust Erdogan’s ‘Peace Process’ With the Kurds

Strongmen rarely resolve ethnic conflicts—they use them to tighten their grip on power.

Argument
Gonul Tol
On the left is Elon Musk wearing a black outfit and hat with his arms crossed as he looks at Donald Trump, who is sitting down at a wooden desk.
On the left is Elon Musk wearing a black outfit and hat with his arms crossed as he looks at Donald Trump, who is sitting down at a wooden desk.

Elon Musk Just Picked a Fight He Cannot Win

When business titans and political leaders fall out, global autocracies show that the billionaires almost always lose.

Analysis
James Crabtree
Demonstrators protest outside a downtown jail in Los Angeles.
Demonstrators protest outside a downtown jail in Los Angeles.

California Sues Trump Over National Guard Deployment

Protests against the White House’s immigration policies have rocked Los Angeles.

World Brief
Alexandra Sharp
An Iranian woman wearing a black dress and black headscarf is seen in profile as she walks on a sidewalk in front of a brightly colored wall mural. The red-white-and-blue mural depicts two men seated at a table, identified with placards as representing the U.S. and Iran. The U.S. official wears military fatigues from the waist down, but a suit on his top half.
An Iranian woman wearing a black dress and black headscarf is seen in profile as she walks on a sidewalk in front of a brightly colored wall mural. The red-white-and-blue mural depicts two men seated at a table, identified with placards as representing the U.S. and Iran. The U.S. official wears military fatigues from the waist down, but a suit on his top half.

Democrats Should Welcome Trump’s Iran Diplomacy

As Trump breaks with GOP orthodoxy in the Middle East, how will his critics respond?

Shadow Government
Matthew Duss
Multiple nuclear power plants stand against a blue sky.
Multiple nuclear power plants stand against a blue sky.

The United States Needs a Nuclear Operation Warp Speed

A nuclear energy resurgence is vital to meet rising electricity demand.

Argument
Jason Bordoff, Ashley Finan, Matt Bowen
Four people stand in a cluster, each wearing a virtual reality headset that covers their eyes. One man has his hand raised to his chin as if in contemplation; another has his arms folded and faces the camera.
Four people stand in a cluster, each wearing a virtual reality headset that covers their eyes. One man has his hand raised to his chin as if in contemplation; another has his arms folded and faces the camera.

How the United States Can Win the Global Tech Race

Bans and sanctions aren’t enough to beat China.

Argument
Vivek Chilukuri
A TV screen shows a clip from the Ukraine's Operation "Spider's Web" inside Russian territory during a news conference at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington on June 4, 2025.
A TV screen shows a clip from the Ukraine's Operation "Spider's Web" inside Russian territory during a news conference at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington on June 4, 2025.

Ukraine’s Drone Attack Doesn’t Matter

Unfortunately, the spectacular operation doesn’t change underlying realities.

Argument
Stephen M. Walt
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Maidan Square in Kyiv as European leaders meet in Ukraine for further talks on the so-called “coalition of the willing” in Kyiv on May 10.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Maidan Square in Kyiv as European leaders meet in Ukraine for further talks on the so-called “coalition of the willing” in Kyiv on May 10.

Ukraine’s Narrow Path to Victory Without Trump

How Kyiv and Europe can defeat Russia on their own. This article has an audio recording

Analysis
Paul Hockenos
Members of the National Guard patrol the University of California, Berkeley, campus amid protests against the closure of People’s Park in Berkeley, California.
Members of the National Guard patrol the University of California, Berkeley, campus amid protests against the closure of People’s Park in Berkeley, California.

The Origins of the Campus Wars

As governor of California, Reagan laid the path for Trump’s assault on higher education.

Analysis
Julian E. Zelizer
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