List of Theory articles
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Argentine far-right libertarian economist and presidential candidate Javier Milei celebrates the results of the primary election at his headquarters in Buenos Aires. Milei’s Rise Exposes Argentina’s Malaise
The presidential front-runner may be hard to pin down politically, but his “us vs. them” rhetoric is part of a long Latin American tradition.
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A child sitting on a man's shoulder takes a picture as she visits the Bund waterfront area in Shanghai, China, on July 5. Almost Nothing Is Worth a War Between the U.S. and China
Americans and Chinese have to rehumanize each other in terms of the way we conceive of our problems and engage.
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Timothy Garton Ash stares directly at the camera, his mouth slightly open. He is older than in the previous photos, hair and beard now entirely gray, and he wears a burgundy scarf with a dark gray blazer. Timothy Garton Ash Misunderstands Liberalism
The British writer aimed to be the liberal intellectual of his generation—and ended up a victim of his own repressed dogmas.
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Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi waves as he walks through the 77th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City. Iran’s Grand Strategy Has Fundamentally Shifted
Tehran has shifted to using carrots in the region—and reserving sticks for the United States and Israel.
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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang shake hands as they look past the camera. Both men are wearing black suits and dark blue ties, and they stand in front of a U.S. and Chinese flag. Purges Don’t Move Policy in China
Personnel are secondary in a Xi-dominated system.
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Supporters of Niger’s ruling junta gather for a protest in Niamey, Niger, on Aug. 3. Niger’s Coup Is a Turning Point for Africans
The crisis has created a truly geopolitical moment for intra-African politics.
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Saudi women walk past a mural depicting Saudi King Salman (center), Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (left), and late King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman (right), the founder of the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, at a park in the capital, Riyadh, on Jan. 16. The Arab Gulf’s New Nationalism
Ambitious leaders in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are restructuring national identity to solidify their rule.
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Lebanese supporters and members of the Islamic group Jamaa Islamiya wave Turkish and Lebanese flags and flash the four finger symbol known as "Rabaa" during a demonstration to support Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following a deadly but foiled coup attempt by an army faction on July 16, 2016 outside the Islamic Turkish hospital in the southern Lebanese port city of Sidon. The Muslim Brotherhood’s Survival Is Now in Question
Turkey has turned its back on the Islamist group, eliminating one of its last safe havens.
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A giant panda cub is seen at China's Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding on Sept. 19, 2007 in Chengdu, China. Here’s How Scared of China You Should Be
It all depends on the answers to these five questions.
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A collage photo illustration shows examples of soft power around the world including a smoking NAFO shiba inu in a beret and fatigues, a dancing woman from the Bollywood movie "Monsoon Wedding," Olympic sprinter Jesse Owens, K-pop band BTS, and a panda. Soft Power Is Making a Hard Return
Leaders are reaching for fellas and films as much as bullets and blockades.
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People attend the ceremony for the installation of commemorative plaques to the victims of Soviet repression on the wall of their former house in central Moscow. How Memory Survives in Putin’s Russia
Russia’s dictator controls its past. But can history that avoids politics live on?
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People demonstrate in Niger's capital, Niamey, to show their support for the coup plotters and Russia. Does U.S. Military Training Embolden Coup Plotters in Africa?
Weak institutions and underdevelopment also plague nations led by undemocratic regimes.
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Hungarian Prime Minsiter Viktor Orban (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) hold a joint press conference after their meeting in Jerusalem on Feb. 19, 2019. Israel’s Supreme Court Must Not Repeat Hungary’s Mistake
The judiciary needs to strike down Netanyahu’s judicial reform before he turns Israel into a sham democracy—just as Viktor Orban did in Hungary.
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A woman with a European flag painted on her face stands outside the European Parliament durng an event for the announcement of European parliametary elections results in Brussels on May 26, 2019. Europe Has Traded Technocracy for Drama
Brussels has become the last thing anyone imagined: a stage for political emotion.
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Russian police detain a protester in Moscow following the announcement of military mobilization in Moscow on Sept. 21, 2022. Russia Is Returning to Its Totalitarian Past
A forever war in Ukraine comes with almost limitless possibilities to stifle dissent.
