An expert's point of view on a current event.
Argument
List of Argument articles
Kissinger stands at a lectern with microphones with a large world map on the wall behind him.
Kissinger’s Great Game
In his worldview, little countries only mattered to the extent that they played into struggles among the mighty.
Biden, dressed in a casual half-zip sweatshirt, looks pensively downward as he stands facing numerous press microphones held out in his direction.
Grading Biden on the Israel-Hamas War
For a crisis with so many moving parts, the U.S. president has fared pretty well.
An aerial view of Imburu, Nigeria, following flooding caused by heavy rainfall, on Sept. 25, 2022.
The Dark Side of Climate Finance
At COP28, poor countries should be careful what they wish for.
A row of South Korean soldiers marches in formation across a field in Seoul. They are dressed in formal uniforms and hats, and each has one leg raised as they take a step in unison. Each soldier also carries the flag of one of the member states of the United Nations Command.
South Korea Offers a Chance to Modernize Old Alliances
An often-overlooked command group can revitalize Asian defense.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte (R) and Party for Freedom leader Geert Wilders (C) attend a meeting of Dutch political party leaders at the House of Representatives on Mar. 16, 2017 in The Hague, Netherlands.
How Centrists Helped Geert Wilders Win the Dutch Election
Mark Rutte’s government pandered to the anti-immigrant right while failing to address a benefits scandal, a housing crisis, and inflation.
peacekeeper plas soccer with children in east timor
Why Gaza Won’t End Up Like East Timor or Kosovo
History shows that international administration without a political endgame always fails.
Leader of Dutch Party for Freedom (PVV) Geert Wilders during a meeting of populist far-right party leaders in Wenceslas Square on April 25, 2019 in Prague, Czech Republic.
What Geert Wilders Wants in Europe
The Dutch far-right leader, and national election winner, plans to stay in the EU—but shape it in his image.
Children are hooked up to IV drips on the stairs at a children's hospital in Beijing.
Chinese Hospitals Are Housing Another Deadly Outbreak
Authorities are covering up the spread of antibiotic-resistant pneumonia.
Hamas' political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh addresses supporters during a rally in solidarity with the Palestinians outside Qatar's Imam Muhammad Abdel-Wahhab Mosque in the capital Doha on May 15, 2021.
Hamas’s Political Leaders Aren’t in Charge
The group’s leadership in exile has taken a back seat to its officials in Gaza.
A worker walks past the logo of COP28 in the United Arab Emirates in Dubai.
The Global North Is Alienating the Global South Before COP28 Even Starts
Dismissing the summit because its host is an oil producer is hypocritical and dangerous.
Four men with rifles sit on the ground against a wall painted with Arabic script.
The ICC Should Prosecute Taliban Leaders
Since returning to power, the Taliban have committed crimes of concern to humanity.
Dutch politician Geert Wilders speaks into a collection of microphones held by members of the media as he speaks to them. Wilders is a middle-aged man with white hair who wears a suit with a red tie. Behind him stand two other men in suits who may be members of a security detail.
Populist Rage Gives Dutch Far Right a Worrying Shot at Power
Mainstream parties are reluctant to enter a coalition with extremist Geert Wilders.
A Ukrainian soldier in helmet and fatigues holds a cell phone and looks up at the night sky as an explosion lights up the horizon behind him.
The West’s False Choice in Ukraine
The crossroads is not between war and compromise, but between victory and defeat.
An illustration of a Coca-Cola bottle in the foreground as a casualty of war, with a small flame remaining. The desolate background shows silhouettes of soldiers and a tank.
Brands Are the First Casualty of War
A fraying global order is forcing companies to pick sides.
About 20 wind turbines stand on a ridge, silhouetted against a purple and pink dusk sky.
What an Emerging Narrative About Renewables Gets Wrong
The green transition will mean less mining, not more.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping arrive for a meeting in Woodside, California on November 15, 2023.
5 Things in the World to Be Thankful for in 2023
It may seem harder to give thanks this year, but it’s not impossible.
Members of Hamas' armed wing hold a Palestinian flag atop an Israeli tank. A border fence stretches behind them in the distance.
What Was Hamas Thinking?
The Oct. 7 attack was the culmination of a strategic shift to challenge the movement’s containment.
An indigenous woman with streaks of paint down her face and wearing a bandana yells as she takes part in a protest against a government mining contract in Panama.
Panama’s Mining Future Is at a Tipping Point
Protesters want to kick out the country’s biggest investor and usher in a new era of environmental politics.
U.S. President Joe Biden talks to fellow leaders during the group photo at the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit on Dec. 15, 2022 in Washington.
The West Should Give Up the Battle of Narratives
The Western world has misunderstood what the global south really wants.
People stand outside the emergency ward of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Nov. 10.
Where Is the West’s Moral Courage on Israel?
Eliminating Hamas doesn’t justify the destruction Israel is inflicting on Gaza.
Kissinger’s Great Game
In his worldview, little countries only mattered to the extent that they played into struggles among the mighty.
Grading Biden on the Israel-Hamas War
For a crisis with so many moving parts, the U.S. president has fared pretty well.
The Dark Side of Climate Finance
At COP28, poor countries should be careful what they wish for.
South Korea Offers a Chance to Modernize Old Alliances
An often-overlooked command group can revitalize Asian defense.
How Centrists Helped Geert Wilders Win the Dutch Election
Mark Rutte’s government pandered to the anti-immigrant right while failing to address a benefits scandal, a housing crisis, and inflation.
Why Gaza Won’t End Up Like East Timor or Kosovo
History shows that international administration without a political endgame always fails.
What Geert Wilders Wants in Europe
The Dutch far-right leader, and national election winner, plans to stay in the EU—but shape it in his image.
Chinese Hospitals Are Housing Another Deadly Outbreak
Authorities are covering up the spread of antibiotic-resistant pneumonia.
Hamas’s Political Leaders Aren’t in Charge
The group’s leadership in exile has taken a back seat to its officials in Gaza.
The Global North Is Alienating the Global South Before COP28 Even Starts
Dismissing the summit because its host is an oil producer is hypocritical and dangerous.
The ICC Should Prosecute Taliban Leaders
Since returning to power, the Taliban have committed crimes of concern to humanity.
Populist Rage Gives Dutch Far Right a Worrying Shot at Power
Mainstream parties are reluctant to enter a coalition with extremist Geert Wilders.
The West’s False Choice in Ukraine
The crossroads is not between war and compromise, but between victory and defeat.
Brands Are the First Casualty of War
A fraying global order is forcing companies to pick sides.
What an Emerging Narrative About Renewables Gets Wrong
The green transition will mean less mining, not more.
5 Things in the World to Be Thankful for in 2023
It may seem harder to give thanks this year, but it’s not impossible.
What Was Hamas Thinking?
The Oct. 7 attack was the culmination of a strategic shift to challenge the movement’s containment.
Panama’s Mining Future Is at a Tipping Point
Protesters want to kick out the country’s biggest investor and usher in a new era of environmental politics.
The West Should Give Up the Battle of Narratives
The Western world has misunderstood what the global south really wants.
Where Is the West’s Moral Courage on Israel?
Eliminating Hamas doesn’t justify the destruction Israel is inflicting on Gaza.
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