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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.
A military plane is shown over a sandy landscape.
A military plane is shown over a sandy landscape.
Chinese President Xi Jinping in front of a Chinese flag at a ceremony in Hong Kong.
Chinese President Xi Jinping in front of a Chinese flag at a ceremony in Hong Kong.

What Does China Want?

Beijing’s ambitions are about to crash into its problems.

An Afghan security guard stands in front of the Chinese Embassy in Kabul.
An Afghan security guard stands in front of the Chinese Embassy in Kabul.
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China, Ukraine, and How Biden Plans to Balance Both

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Can U.S. President Joe Biden really support Ukraine against Russia for “as long as it takes,” as he has pledged? Congressional support for this aid has largely been bipartisan and wide-r...Show more

Protesters gather during a rally against the government's controversial judicial overhaul bill in Tel Aviv on March 18.
Protesters gather during a rally against the government's controversial judicial overhaul bill in Tel Aviv on March 18.

Ehud Barak on Israel’s Escalating Crisis

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Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have been protesting weekly against their government’s plans to overhaul—and weaken—the country’s judiciary. Several former military officials have ...Show more

BEIJING, CHINA - MARCH 05: A general view of the Great Hall of the People during the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang delivers a speech in the opening of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress at The Great Hall of People on March 5, 2023 in Beijing, China.China's annual political gathering known as the Two Sessions will convene leaders and lawmakers to set the government's agenda for domestic economic and social development for the year. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
BEIJING, CHINA - MARCH 05: A general view of the Great Hall of the People during the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang delivers a speech in the opening of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress at The Great Hall of People on March 5, 2023 in Beijing, China.China's annual political gathering known as the Two Sessions will convene leaders and lawmakers to set the government's agenda for domestic economic and social development for the year. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

Inside China’s ‘Two Sessions’

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Every year, the top Chinese legislative and advisory bodies meet for two weeks to rubber-stamp decisions already made by the Chinese Communist Party. It’s called the “two sessions,” ...Show more