List of Theory articles
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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.
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A dragon mascot is displayed outside a store as customers peruse Lunar New Year pudding in Manila's Chinatown. China Can’t Catch a Break in Asian Public Opinion
Washington can benefit from Beijing’s soft-power failures.
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A close-up photo of Putin's head and shoulders shows the Russian leader with a serious expression. Putin’s Armor Has Been Pierced
Wagner mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin’s revolt has already revealed Putin’s domestic control to be slipping.
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India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, wearing a dark tunic with white long-sleeved shirt under it, gives a thumbs up sign from behind a podium and teleprompter at an Indian cultural event in Sydney on May 23. Will India Surpass China to Become the Next Superpower?
Four inconvenient truths make this scenario unlikely.
