Israel Is Officially Annexing the West Bank
A quiet bureaucratic maneuver by Netanyahu’s government has begun transferring control over the occupied territory from military to civilian leadership—violating international law.
List of Soviet Union articles
![John Kennedy Talking with Adlai Stevenson]()
John Kennedy Talking with Adlai Stevenson
How JFK Sacrificed Adlai Stevenson and the Lessons of the Cuban Missile Crisis
The standoff 60 years ago has newfound relevance as Russian President Vladimir Putin threatens to deploy nukes in Ukraine.
![Schoolchildren and their teacher peer out from under their desks during a Cold War air raid drill]()
Schoolchildren and their teacher peer out from under their desks during a Cold War air raid drill
Be Wary of China Threat Inflation
Look at what happened with the Soviet threat in the Cold War.
![george blake simon kuper book]()
george blake simon kuper book
Before Jihadi John, There Was George Blake
The British KGB double agent was a forerunner of today’s radicalized Western jihadis.
![An Afghan man squats while a group of U.S. Army soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division secure the local bazaar in Yayeh Kehl, near Kabul, Afghanistan, on Nov. 14, 2002.]()
An Afghan man squats while a group of U.S. Army soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division secure the local bazaar in Yayeh Kehl, near Kabul, Afghanistan, on Nov. 14, 2002.
America, the Afghan Tragedy, and the Subcontinent
Four decades of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan have left South Asia transformed—and on the cusp of a realignment.
![A man lights a candle at a monument to Chernobyl victims.]()
A man lights a candle at a monument to Chernobyl victims.
Chernobyl Has Become a Comforting Fable
The disaster isn’t just an easy metaphor for authoritarian failures.
![Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks on the phone in his office in St. Petersburg on Dec. 15, 2018.]()
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks on the phone in his office in St. Petersburg on Dec. 15, 2018.
What Biden and Putin Can Agree On
Both sides should take the long view if they are ever to reconcile.
![U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Secretary of State George Shultz at the London Economic Summit on June 8, 1984.]()
U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Secretary of State George Shultz at the London Economic Summit on June 8, 1984.
Was George Shultz America’s Best Secretary of State?
Reagan’s top diplomat ended the Cold War and reshaped the world.
![Activists with masks of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump protest against nuclear weapons in Berlin on Nov. 18, 2017.]()
Activists with masks of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump protest against nuclear weapons in Berlin on Nov. 18, 2017.
Biden, Asia, and the Politics of Nuclear Arms Control
To construct a new balance of power in Asia, Washington needs a better approach to nuclear arms.
![A still image from the video game "Sex With Stalin."]()
A still image from the video game "Sex With Stalin."
‘Sex With Stalin’ Is Surprisingly Dull
A new Russian video game takes transgressive material but does nothing with it.
![Riot militia members]()
Riot militia members
Russia’s Recent History Shows How Coups Fail—and Succeed
Without control of the media, military support, and international backing, seizures of power can flop.
![Flanked by Afghan soldiers, mujahideen fighters sit atop an armored personnel carrier with rocket launchers about 500 meters from the presidential palace in Kabul on April 25, 1992.]()
Flanked by Afghan soldiers, mujahideen fighters sit atop an armored personnel carrier with rocket launchers about 500 meters from the presidential palace in Kabul on April 25, 1992.
Afghanistan Is Not Doomed to Repeat Its Past
Peace talks in Afghanistan may come down to an agreement between the Taliban and Kabul on an interim government. Here’s how the sides can avoid the pitfalls of 1992 and 2001.
![A military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing]()
A military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing
China’s Nuclear Program Baffled Soviet Intelligence
Declassified documents show how Moscow struggled to understand Beijing’s efforts.
![Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan gives an interview in Yerevan on Oct. 6.]()
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan gives an interview in Yerevan on Oct. 6.
Without Russian Aid to Armenia, Azerbaijan Has the Upper Hand in Nagorno-Karabakh
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has overplayed his hand by spouting belligerent nationalist rhetoric and refusing to negotiate—and Putin isn’t coming to his rescue.
![Republican Vice President Richard Nixon and Democratic Sen. John F. Kennedy]()
Republican Vice President Richard Nixon and Democratic Sen. John F. Kennedy
Document of the Week: The Birth of the Televised Presidential Debate Was a Sober Affair. Then Came Trump.
In an earlier age, the Democratic and Republican front-runners reserved their sharpest criticism for the Soviet Union and treated each other with respect.
![Then-Afghan President Mohammed Najibullah smiles as he meets Red Army soldiers.]()
Then-Afghan President Mohammed Najibullah smiles as he meets Red Army soldiers.
In Afghanistan, the Dead Cast a Long Shadow
With Afghanistan again facing a political crisis, Mohammed Najibullah’s tarnished memory is being rehabilitated by some. But the crimes of the last Soviet-supported president, who was killed by the Taliban, are hardly forgotten.
![Sculptures of Vladimir Lenin and other Soviet-era statues and busts sit in a former National Guard Armory in Culver City, California—now the permanent home of the Wende Museum—in 2014.]()
Sculptures of Vladimir Lenin and other Soviet-era statues and busts sit in a former National Guard Armory in Culver City, California—now the permanent home of the Wende Museum—in 2014.
Tearing Down Statues Won’t Undo History
From the Berlin Wall to Confederate monuments, destroying a historic marker means destroying a learning opportunity.
![U.S. soldiers stand guard at the K1 Air Base near Kirkuk in northern Iraq on March 29, during its handover ceremony. The K1 base is the third site U.S.-led coalition troops have left in March.]()
U.S. soldiers stand guard at the K1 Air Base near Kirkuk in northern Iraq on March 29, during its handover ceremony. The K1 base is the third site U.S.-led coalition troops have left in March.
To Stop a U.S.-Iran War, Finlandize Iraq
By treating Iraqi territory as a neutral zone, Washington and Tehran can avoid conflict.
![Various photos of Russian President Vladimir Putin]()
Various photos of Russian President Vladimir Putin
How Putin Changed Russia Forever
President Vladimir Putin has transformed his country and its relations with the world. We asked 11 leading experts to look back at his 20-year reign and predict what the future may bring.
![Bekhzod Tashkenbaev of Uzbekistan participates in the first World High Wire Championships, over the Han River in Seoul, on May 3, 2007.]()
Bekhzod Tashkenbaev of Uzbekistan participates in the first World High Wire Championships, over the Han River in Seoul, on May 3, 2007.
The United States Forgot Its Strategy for Winning Cold Wars
The plan that worked to defeat the Soviet Union can work today against China—it’s just not what you think.
![Russian President Vladimir Putin and Patriarch of Russia Kirill lay flowers at a monument in Moscow's Red Square on Nov. 4, 2018.]()
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Patriarch of Russia Kirill lay flowers at a monument in Moscow's Red Square on Nov. 4, 2018.
Selling Your Soul to the Kremlin
A new book chronicles the Faustian bargain that Russians—from holy men to human rights activists—have made with Vladimir Putin’s government.
How JFK Sacrificed Adlai Stevenson and the Lessons of the Cuban Missile Crisis
The standoff 60 years ago has newfound relevance as Russian President Vladimir Putin threatens to deploy nukes in Ukraine.
Be Wary of China Threat Inflation
Look at what happened with the Soviet threat in the Cold War.
Before Jihadi John, There Was George Blake
The British KGB double agent was a forerunner of today’s radicalized Western jihadis.
America, the Afghan Tragedy, and the Subcontinent
Four decades of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan have left South Asia transformed—and on the cusp of a realignment.
Chernobyl Has Become a Comforting Fable
The disaster isn’t just an easy metaphor for authoritarian failures.
What Biden and Putin Can Agree On
Both sides should take the long view if they are ever to reconcile.
Was George Shultz America’s Best Secretary of State?
Reagan’s top diplomat ended the Cold War and reshaped the world.
Biden, Asia, and the Politics of Nuclear Arms Control
To construct a new balance of power in Asia, Washington needs a better approach to nuclear arms.
‘Sex With Stalin’ Is Surprisingly Dull
A new Russian video game takes transgressive material but does nothing with it.
Russia’s Recent History Shows How Coups Fail—and Succeed
Without control of the media, military support, and international backing, seizures of power can flop.
Afghanistan Is Not Doomed to Repeat Its Past
Peace talks in Afghanistan may come down to an agreement between the Taliban and Kabul on an interim government. Here’s how the sides can avoid the pitfalls of 1992 and 2001.
China’s Nuclear Program Baffled Soviet Intelligence
Declassified documents show how Moscow struggled to understand Beijing’s efforts.
Without Russian Aid to Armenia, Azerbaijan Has the Upper Hand in Nagorno-Karabakh
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has overplayed his hand by spouting belligerent nationalist rhetoric and refusing to negotiate—and Putin isn’t coming to his rescue.
Document of the Week: The Birth of the Televised Presidential Debate Was a Sober Affair. Then Came Trump.
In an earlier age, the Democratic and Republican front-runners reserved their sharpest criticism for the Soviet Union and treated each other with respect.
In Afghanistan, the Dead Cast a Long Shadow
With Afghanistan again facing a political crisis, Mohammed Najibullah’s tarnished memory is being rehabilitated by some. But the crimes of the last Soviet-supported president, who was killed by the Taliban, are hardly forgotten.
Tearing Down Statues Won’t Undo History
From the Berlin Wall to Confederate monuments, destroying a historic marker means destroying a learning opportunity.
To Stop a U.S.-Iran War, Finlandize Iraq
By treating Iraqi territory as a neutral zone, Washington and Tehran can avoid conflict.
How Putin Changed Russia Forever
President Vladimir Putin has transformed his country and its relations with the world. We asked 11 leading experts to look back at his 20-year reign and predict what the future may bring.
The United States Forgot Its Strategy for Winning Cold Wars
The plan that worked to defeat the Soviet Union can work today against China—it’s just not what you think.
Selling Your Soul to the Kremlin
A new book chronicles the Faustian bargain that Russians—from holy men to human rights activists—have made with Vladimir Putin’s government.
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