An. illustration shows the back of a pickup laden with durian. One is cracked open with an odor waft coming out of it toward a Chinese flag at left. Palm trees frame the scene. The truck plate says Bangkok in Thai lettering.
An. illustration shows the back of a pickup laden with durian. One is cracked open with an odor waft coming out of it toward a Chinese flag at left. Palm trees frame the scene. The truck plate says Bangkok in Thai lettering.

The Rise of Durian Diplomacy

In Asia, soft power rests on a divisive, spiky fruit.

Analysis
Gloria Dickie
A soldier is seen through bare branches as he reads by a campfire.
A soldier is seen through bare branches as he reads by a campfire.

7 Books That Reveal How Kremlin Decision-Makers Think

Don’t read these new titles on Russia’s wars before bedtime.

Review
Edward Lucas
The Life and Thought of Alexandre Kojève, Marco Filoni, trans. David Broder, Northwestern University Press, 280 pp., $38, July 2025
The Life and Thought of Alexandre Kojève, Marco Filoni, trans. David Broder, Northwestern University Press, 280 pp., $38, July 2025

The Forgotten Beginning of the End of History

Alexandre Kojève was one of the most influential 20th-century thinkers. How can we make sense of him today?

Review
Jack Hanson
Professor Michael Sandel leads a dialogue on the ethics of artificial intelligence in Harvard’s Sanders Theatre.
Professor Michael Sandel leads a dialogue on the ethics of artificial intelligence in Harvard’s Sanders Theatre.

Michael Sandel’s Critique of Liberalism

The prize-winning political philosopher on how to engage in morally robust public discourse in the age of Trump.

Q&A
Cameron Abadi
A man in a coat outside of a glass office building, with high rise buildings under construction in the background.
A man in a coat outside of a glass office building, with high rise buildings under construction in the background.

China’s Tech Obsession Is Weighing Down Its Economy

A decade of cutting-edge investment hasn’t translated into growth.

Essay
Scott Kennedy, Scott Rozelle
The green branches of an olive tree catch a falling missile above the Arabic word "sumud"
The green branches of an olive tree catch a falling missile above the Arabic word "sumud"

You Already Know What ‘Sumud’ Means

Despite its Palestinian specificity, the word reveals universal truths.

Decoder
Richard Morgan
Luca Marinelli as Benito Mussolini in a film still.
Luca Marinelli as Benito Mussolini in a film still.

Mussolini, the Rock Star Antihero

A new historical drama chronicles the birth of fascism as seen through the eyes of Il Duce himself.

Review
Tim Brinkhof
Pete Seeger holds a guitar and stands at an array of microphones as he sings. People stand behind him listening and a man at left holds up a microphone.
Pete Seeger holds a guitar and stands at an array of microphones as he sings. People stand behind him listening and a man at left holds up a microphone.

The Link Between Bad Bunny and Pete Seeger

Popular entertainers can deliver symbolic blows in dangerous times.

Analysis
Julian E. Zelizer
A grid of 12 fiction book covers released in October 2025.
A grid of 12 fiction book covers released in October 2025.

The Novels We’re Reading in October

Historical fiction set in ancient Britain and 20th-century Puerto Rico.

Books
Chloe Hadavas, Allison Meakem
A woman in a red face mask and a coat over a red hoodie stands on a sidewalk, holding a laptop and speaking on her phone. Cars drive past behind her, with a suitcase and an international airport visible in the background.
A woman in a red face mask and a coat over a red hoodie stands on a sidewalk, holding a laptop and speaking on her phone. Cars drive past behind her, with a suitcase and an international airport visible in the background.

Putin vs. the Press

You’d have to be fearless or a fanatic to persist in journalism in Russia. These women are both.

Review
Anastasia Edel
Bill Clinton looks up as he speaks in front of a WTO globe backdrop.
Bill Clinton looks up as he speaks in front of a WTO globe backdrop.

Is Globalization a Lost Cause?

How an idea that promised a brave new world seemingly delivered dystopia instead.

Review
Keith Johnson
Jason Momoa wears a large headdress and traditional Hawaiin attire.
Jason Momoa wears a large headdress and traditional Hawaiin attire.

Jason Momoa Schools Hollywood on Hawaiian History

The show-don’t-tell side of Chief of War keeps the series lingering in the mind.

Review
Jordan Hoffman
Trump, in a USA hat, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in sunglasses, look toward a man in fatigues and a red beret with his back to the camera.
Trump, in a USA hat, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in sunglasses, look toward a man in fatigues and a red beret with his back to the camera.

How Military Leaders Should Respond to Trump’s Norm-Busting

There’s no shame in getting fired when it is not for cause.

Argument
Peter D. Feaver, Heidi A. Urben
People leap and dance in a stage with dramatic lighting.
People leap and dance in a stage with dramatic lighting.

Mexico’s New Hit Musical Is the Anti-‘Hamilton’

A long-running spat over Spain’s colonial history has now taken theatrical form.

Argument
Antonio De Loera-Brust
A map of Asia shows India highlighted along with Persia and the Chinese Empire.
A map of Asia shows India highlighted along with Persia and the Chinese Empire.

India and the Rebalancing of Asia

New Delhi still faces many obstacles on its path to great-power status. This article has an audio recording

Excerpt
C. Raja Mohan
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