List of Theory articles
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An illustration shows a tiger chasing a dragon up an economic indicator line against a graph paper background. The dragon is turning to snarl at the tiger. Is India Really the Next China?
The case for its economic ascent is strong, but government policies still stand in the way.
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A black and white photo of a man standing at a podium holding his arm out. How Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Became Putin’s Spiritual Guru
The strange story of a global literary hero who went on to inspire Russia’s war on Ukraine.
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A crowd of people holding Mao's Little Red book aloft cheer as a man is tortured on a stage bearing words in Chinese and red flags. America’s New Expression of Soft Power
“Shogun” and “3 Body Problem” show U.S. pop culture can thrive without putting Westerners front and center.
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An illustration shows a drawn portrait of S. Jaishankar's head and shoulders atop a patterned carpet. Behind him standing stairs is a full length image of Narendra Modi. At left Is Xi Jinping and at right is Joe Biden. A temple and cloudy sky is behind Jaishankar's head. The scene is framed by Indian symbols. The term "Bharat" is written in Hindi above his head. Modi’s Messenger to the World
How the diplomat-turned-politician S. Jaishankar became the chief executor of India’s assertive foreign policy.
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Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, National Assembly Chairperson Vuong Dinh Hue, and other officials attend a wreath laying ceremony at the mausoleum of former President Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi on Oct. 23, 2023. Will Vietnam’s Political Turmoil Shake Up Foreign Investment?
The president’s abrupt resignation suggests uncertainty, but it should not sow doubt about Hanoi’s economy or engagement with the world.
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Andrew Sweetman, a deep-sea ecology professor wearing a gray boiler suit and white hard hat, kneels on one knee as he gestures to research equipment on the deck of a ship beneath a pale cloudy sky in the Pacific Ocean. Washington Wants In on the Deep-Sea Mining Game
The scramble for critical minerals is heating up under the sea, but lawmakers fear the United States could be left behind.
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A collage illustration shows half of the face of Joseph Stalin and half of the face of a larger Vladimir Putin alongside a star with a Z on top of it. Russia Is Back to the Stalinist Future
With a Soviet-style election, Vladimir Putin’s Russia has come full circle.
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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol during the third Summit for Democracy in Seoul on March 18. South Korea Can Be a Democratic Leader
As Seoul hosts the Summit for Democracy, it can show that the Korean model is one to emulate.
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Local residents listen to the Turkish President's speech next to his a banner with his portrait during a rally in the Beyoglu district on the eve of the presidential and parliamentary elections, on the European side of Istanbul, on May 13, 2023. Images) Local Elections Will Soon Decide Turkey’s Future
If Erdogan’s party wins back the country’s biggest cities, big shifts in Turkish politics could follow.
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Matteo Salvini, leader of the Italian Lega Nord, Harald Vilimsky, General Secretary of the Austria Freedom Party, Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch PVV party, Marine Le Pen, leader of the French Front National, and Frauke Petry, leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, greet supporters at a conference of European right-wing parties on January 21, 2017 in Koblenz, Germany. A Far-Right Takeover of Europe Is Underway
EU parliamentary elections are approaching and populists are planning a frontal assault on the establishment.
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People stand a man speaking into a microphone, many of them holding signs with people's faces on them. Why the Maduro Regime Has Turned on Its Former Allies
Venezuela’s socialist government is cracking down on other leftist parties.
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A boy parades with the old Ethiopian national flag during a celebration of the eve of Timkat, the Ethiopian Orthodox Epiphany, in Gondar, Ethiopia, on Jan. 19 Ethiopia’s Amhara Conflict Could Spark Civil War
Simmering grievances and escalating clashes in the region threaten to trigger another humanitarian disaster.
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Trucks loaded with copper prepare to leave Tenke Fungurume Mine, one of the largest copper and cobalt mines in the world, in the southeastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on June 17, 2023. Washington Wants to Revive a Critical Minerals Mega-Railway Through Africa
The move comes straight out of China’s Belt-and-Road playbook.
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Party members and supporters of the far-right Alternative for Germany party in the state of Thuringia attend a political gathering in Pfiffelbach, Germany, on Feb. 14. Germany’s Anti-Migrant Party Wants More Migrant Voters
Why the Alternative for Germany is increasingly targeting immigrants—as potential supporters.
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Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather in front of the White House on Jan. 13. The West Is Losing Muslim Liberals
Indifference to Palestinian suffering in Gaza is alienating moderates across the Islamic world and tarnishing the appeal of liberal democratic values.
