List of Theory articles
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An illustration shows piles of shipping containers and symbols of industry as protectionist islands in a sea. Industrial Policy’s First Cracks Are Starting to Show
This year, state intervention solidified as the world’s new economic orthodoxy—and its weaknesses began to emerge.
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An illustration of a person holding a monarchical crown with echoing figures inside the form indicating a new type of democracy. Our Best Long Reads From 2023
Foreign Policy’s best deep dives of the year.
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A security guard stands aboard the Galaxy Leader cargo ship, seized by Houthi fighters, in a port on the Red Sea. The West’s 3 Options to Combat the Houthi Attacks
One of the global economy’s most important arteries is at stake.
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Fans hold up a sign resembling a flag during the vigil to celebrate what would have been musician John Lennon's 61st birthday October 9, 2001 outside Capitol Records in Hollywood, CA. A Practical Guide to Perpetual Peace
How to take realistic (and realist) steps toward a more utopian world order.
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The AfD logo is pictured during the European Election Assembly of German far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) at the fair grounds in Magdeburg, eastern Germany on August 5, 2023. Germany Is Thinking of Simply Banning the Far Right
As radical conservatives continue to rise, Germany’s mainstream is getting desperate for a fix.
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Then-presidential candidate Javier Milei arrives at a closing rally ahead of the runoff election in Cordoba, Argentina, on Nov. 16, 2023. Javier Milei Is the World’s Latest Wannabe Fascist
Argentina’s new populist president takes after Trump and Bolsonaro by seeking to destroy democracy from within.
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Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger prepares to testify before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Was Henry Kissinger Really a Realist?
America’s most famous 20th century statesman wasn’t exactly what he claimed to be.
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The leader of the Palestinian Hamas movement, Ismail Haniyeh, shakes hands with Iranian Chief of Staff for the Armed Forces Mohammad Bagheri and the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard force, General Hossein Salami, during the swearing in ceremony for Iran's new president at the parliament in the Islamic republic's capital Tehran on August 5, 2021. The 7 Reasons Iran Won’t Fight for Hamas
A close look at Tehran’s thinking about escalating the war in Gaza.
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Kissinger stands at a lectern with microphones with a large world map on the wall behind him. Kissinger’s Great Game
In his worldview, little countries only mattered to the extent that they played into struggles among the mighty.
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Henry Kissinger during an interview in Washington in August 1980. Henry Kissinger, Colossus on the World Stage
The late statesman was a master of realpolitik—whom some regarded as a war criminal.
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Leader of Dutch Party for Freedom (PVV) Geert Wilders during a meeting of populist far-right party leaders in Wenceslas Square on April 25, 2019 in Prague, Czech Republic. What Geert Wilders Wants in Europe
The Dutch far-right leader, and national election winner, plans to stay in the EU—but shape it in his image.
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Dutch politician Geert Wilders speaks into a collection of microphones held by members of the media as he speaks to them. Wilders is a middle-aged man with white hair who wears a suit with a red tie. Behind him stand two other men in suits who may be members of a security detail. Populist Rage Gives Dutch Far Right a Worrying Shot at Power
Mainstream parties are reluctant to enter a coalition with extremist Geert Wilders.
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U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping arrive for a meeting in Woodside, California on November 15, 2023. 5 Things in the World to Be Thankful for in 2023
It may seem harder to give thanks this year, but it’s not impossible.
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Two drawn posters are seen at a market in Beijing: on the right, Chinese President Xi Jinping holds an umbrella; on the left, former Chinese leader Mao Zedong is seen in profile. The Maoist Roots of Xi’s Economic Dilemma
Beijing needs domestic consumers to spend more, but the Chinese president’s ideology is getting in the way.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping waves and leads the way as Premier Li Keqiang claps and trails behind him in front of an ornate wall at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Li Keqiang Lived and Died in Xi Jinping’s Shadow
The former Chinese premier was heralded as a reformer, but change never came.
