List of Theory articles
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Hussein al-Sheikh attends the funeral of former Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian Leader Who Survived the Death of Palestine
What would it mean for Hussein al-Sheikh to lead a people whose dream of independence is no longer alive?
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A mosque stands in front of a cloudy sky. It has two symmetrical minarets and a red banner with yellow writing in two languages. In front of the mosque are cable lines and a video camera on a metal pole. China Is Taking a Wrecking Ball to Famous Mosques
Beijing is choosing repression over religious diplomacy.
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A Soviet poster, circa 1965, shows an illustrated hand gripping a giant, silver Russian ruble. How Dictators Make Money—and Money Makes Dictators
A new history of Russia’s ruble highlights the reciprocal relationship between autocracy and monetary policy.
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Vladimir Putin, then Russia's prime minister, looks at mirrors inside an X-ray telescope during his visit to the Russian Federal Nuclear Center. You See What You Want to See in Russia
Why didn’t Prigozhin’s mutiny against Putin change anyone’s mind?
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People browse books as part of the world's longest outdoor bookcase at Bondi Beach in Sydney. The Definitive Summer Reading Guide for National Security Nerds
Your vacation (hopefully) awaits. And here are the best books to pair with it.
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U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden pauses while speaking at the SEIU Unions for All Summit in Los Angeles. Cluster Bombs and the Contradictions of Liberalism
Do liberals really believe what they say about their foreign-policy ideals?
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Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko speaks during a meeting with Commonwealth of Independent States officials in Minsk. Lukashenko Won the Putin-Prigozhin Fight
The dictator of Belarus recognized the mutiny in Russia as an opportunity to empower himself.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greet each other at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on July 27, 2018. India’s New Geopolitics
New Delhi is projecting its power in new ways.
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Smoke plumes billow from a fire at a lumber warehouse in Khartoum. How Sudan Became a Saudi-UAE Proxy War
Gulf heavyweights view the conflict as an opportunity to cement their hegemonic status in the Middle East.
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Russian military officer Sergei Rudskoy sits below a map of Syria screened during a briefing at the headquarters of the Russian defense ministry in Moscow. The Putin-Prigozhin Fight Now Has a Syrian Battlefield
The Kremlin is trying to take control of the Wagner Group’s Middle Eastern empire.
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Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, followed by Singaporean President Halimah Yacob, inspects a guard of honor at the Istana presidential palace. Do Democracies Always Deliver?
As authoritarian capitalism gains credibility, free societies must overcome their internal weaknesses.
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Campaign posters hang from lampposts in eastern Germany. Germany’s Far Right Sees Its Opening (Again)
The AfD is on the rise nationally, notching a mayoral win and matching the Social Democrats in polls. Can it last?
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Members of Russia's Wagner Group, including one soldier riding atop a tank, prepare to pull out from the headquarters of the Southern Military District to return to their base in Rostov-on-Don. Is Revolt in Russia Good for America?
The Wagner Group’s short-lived mutiny seems to have weakened Putin—but that isn’t necessarily a win for Washington.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin leaves after being greeted by Chinese President Xi Jinping before the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia summit in Shanghai. China’s Ideological Affinity With Russia Is Over
For Beijing, last weekend’s mutiny against Vladimir Putin was a cautionary tale.
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Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi embrace during a ceremonial reception at the presidential palace in New Delhi. India Has Become a Middle Eastern Power
It’s time to take New Delhi’s projection of power in the region seriously.
