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.

People walk among stacks of sacks as seen through a bullet-shattered glass.
People walk among stacks of sacks as seen through a bullet-shattered glass.

Sudan’s Civil War, Two Years on

What the forgotten war has revealed about the international system.

Mandarin language teacher Liu Mei gestures at the blackboard at the Confucius Institute in Sierra Leone during a class for students in Freetown.
Mandarin language teacher Liu Mei gestures at the blackboard at the Confucius Institute in Sierra Leone during a class for students in Freetown.

The Fight Over Language, From Haiti to Kyrgyzstan

Reads on one of the most powerful tools of imperialism.

Protesters stand in front of the U.S. Capitol holding two signs. They read: "May God Help Us if the Courts Don't" and "Wanted for Treason" with a mugshot of Donald Trump.
Protesters stand in front of the U.S. Capitol holding two signs. They read: "May God Help Us if the Courts Don't" and "Wanted for Treason" with a mugshot of Donald Trump.

Can the Courts Prevail?

Judiciaries are under attack around the world.

A satellite image shows the tiny island of Nauru in the South Pacific in June 1999. The dark blue ocean surrounds it, with a few clouds drifting into frame in the upper right corner.
A satellite image shows the tiny island of Nauru in the South Pacific in June 1999. The dark blue ocean surrounds it, with a few clouds drifting into frame in the upper right corner.

The Islands Caught in Global Crosshairs

Geopolitical flash points, from Nauru to Greenland.

A woman is seen through the high window of a hotel with multiple windows all around her.
A woman is seen through the high window of a hotel with multiple windows all around her.

How the Pandemic Shaped the World

What COVID-19 did—and didn’t—change.

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