A photo portrait of a bearded man seen from behind with his head turned to the side so he's seen in profile. He wears a dark-colored suit jacket.
A photo portrait of a bearded man seen from behind with his head turned to the side so he's seen in profile. He wears a dark-colored suit jacket.

How Much Power Does the Aga Khan Have, Really?

The billionaire Muslim leader is a religious figure—and a global powerbroker.

Analysis
Ken Chitwood
A man in a white suit sits among a crowd of seated migrants.
A man in a white suit sits among a crowd of seated migrants.

The Second Life of ‘Sicario’

What a 2015 thriller about chaos on the border has to do with present-day Washington.

Review
Jordan Hoffman
A man sits with his hands clasped and one elbow on an armchair in front of a world map.
A man sits with his hands clasped and one elbow on an armchair in front of a world map.

Where Have All the Geostrategists Gone?

The life and meaning of Zbigniew Brzezinski. This article has an audio recording

Review
Theodore Bunzel
Musk wears a red had that reads "GULF OF AMERICA."
Musk wears a red had that reads "GULF OF AMERICA."

Elon Musk Was Donald Trump’s Useful Idiot

It’s looking increasingly likely that the world’s richest man got played.

Analysis
Gideon Lichfield
A statue of a toy soldier holding a gun stands over a fallen toy soldier. Behind the statue is a vintage map of Canada and a bit of the United States.
A statue of a toy soldier holding a gun stands over a fallen toy soldier. Behind the statue is a vintage map of Canada and a bit of the United States.

The Long History of U.S.-Canada War Plans

An unthinkable conflict has been gamed out surprisingly often.

Analysis
Justin Ling
A group of people are silhouetted at night in front of an illuminated screen with red Chinese characters.
A group of people are silhouetted at night in front of an illuminated screen with red Chinese characters.

A Thousand Ways of Being Chinese

Emily Feng’s “Let Only Red Flowers Bloom” delves into identity in Xi’s China.

Review
Gina Anne Tam
Lines of houses extend to mountains on the horizon.
Lines of houses extend to mountains on the horizon.

What Abundance Lacks

A bestselling progressive book gets its policy all wrong.

Review
Isabella Weber
A line of people including one person holding a large U.S. flag and smaller rainbow flag on a pole, some draped with rainbow flags, cross a crosswalk with the U.S. Capitol in the distance.
A line of people including one person holding a large U.S. flag and smaller rainbow flag on a pole, some draped with rainbow flags, cross a crosswalk with the U.S. Capitol in the distance.

How Progressives Are Unwittingly Aiding the Rise of Autocracy

Dictators get an unlikely boost from the left’s identity politics.

Argument
Kenneth Roth
Factory workers inspect silver cylinders on an assembly line in California.
Factory workers inspect silver cylinders on an assembly line in California.

How World War II Changed the Global Economy

Industrial mobilization, high tax rates, and labor deals are part of the legacy. This article has an audio recording

Insider
Cameron Abadi, Adam Tooze
Joseph Ny gestures with one hand as he speaks.
Joseph Ny gestures with one hand as he speaks.

Joseph Nye Was the Champion of a World That No Longer Exists

The distinguished scholar, who coined “soft power,” shaped five decades of U.S. foreign policy.

Essay
Suzanne Nossel
An illustration shows a coffeepot in the center of a sea of coffee with an American hand poking out of it. In the sea of coffee are four coffee cups with various figures floating in them with spoons as oars.
An illustration shows a coffeepot in the center of a sea of coffee with an American hand poking out of it. In the sea of coffee are four coffee cups with various figures floating in them with spoons as oars.

How Americans Learned to Love Coffee

The beginnings of a beautiful friendship.

Review
Bronwen Everill
An drawing shows several styles of ships in a harbor
An drawing shows several styles of ships in a harbor

How Ancient Rome Blew Up Its Own Business Empire

Aristocrats disdained trade—but it helped build Roman power. This article has an audio recording

Argument
Bret Devereaux
Viola Davis in a tank top and combat pants rushes forward while holding a gun. Behind her are bodies on the floor in a living space with a stairway in the background.
Viola Davis in a tank top and combat pants rushes forward while holding a gun. Behind her are bodies on the floor in a living space with a stairway in the background.

Hollywood Grapples With an Unfamiliar America

Three new action movies struggle to navigate the United States’ uneasy role in the world.

Review
Megan DuBois
A grid of rectangles shows 12 fiction book covers.
A grid of rectangles shows 12 fiction book covers.

The Novels We’re Reading in May

From the Gulf as a modern Wild West to sisterhood in Singapore.

Books
Allison Meakem, Chloe Hadavas
In this black-and-white photo, Lyndon Johnson, wearing a suit and glasses, gestures as he sits at a desk. A chalkboard behind him contains the words "Meet in Room 2."
In this black-and-white photo, Lyndon Johnson, wearing a suit and glasses, gestures as he sits at a desk. A chalkboard behind him contains the words "Meet in Room 2."

A President Who Championed American Universities

Trump’s attacks on higher education come 75 years after Lyndon B. Johnson set out to transform the sector.

Analysis
Julian E. Zelizer
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