List of Theory articles
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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.
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A member of the Peoples Armed Police stands guard in frpnt of the flag of the European Union at the European Delegation before a press conference by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on April 6, 2023 in Beijing. Europe Is Stuck in a Toxic China Relationship
The continent wants to shift its China policy but can’t figure out how.
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U.S. and Indian flags adorn the Eisenhower Executive Office Building of the White House in Washington on June 20. Washington’s Perennial India Fantasy
U.S. wishful thinking that New Delhi will counter Beijing has created an arms import behemoth.
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U.S. President Joe Biden meets with senior military members, members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and combatant commanders at the White House in Washington on April 20, 2022. The Futility of Grand Strategy
Today’s brilliant strategist is tomorrow’s headstrong fool.
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Two white balloons float near a Chinese flag during a demonstration outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington. Let’s Stop Pretending Spying Is a Big Deal
In great-power competition there is no such thing as minding one’s own business.
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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad talks with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa at the opening of the Arab Summit in Damascus in 2008. Why Arab Countries Are Welcoming Back Assad
The region’s players all have their own interests in a stable Syria.
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Protesters wave Serbian national flags as they take part in the fifth "Serbia against violence" rally in Belgrade. How 2 Mass Shootings Put Serbia’s Populist President Under Pressure
A new protest movement in the Balkan country is squeezing Aleksandar Vucic domestically—all while tensions in Kosovo flare and put Serbia in the international spotlight.
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A large screen in a hearing room shows side-by-side images of a Chinese frigate and a U.S. Navy combat ship under the words "China's New Frigate Design Looks Awfully Familiar" Why the U.S.-China ‘Cold War’ Framing Is So Dangerous
A Cold War crouch is inimical to a free, open, and flourishing society.
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Supporters of the Fridays for Future movement demonstrate for climate action in Berlin on March 3. The EU Should Listen to Its Youngest Citizens
Those born after the bloc’s founding charter was signed are overwhelmingly committed to its success.
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Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan (R) addresses his supporters during an anti-government march toward Islamabad demanding early elections, in Gujranwala, Pakistan. Pakistani Authorities Give Imran Khan a Taste of His Own Medicine
Reviled for silencing political opponents while in office, the former prime minister gets a muzzle of his own.
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An Iranian carries the portraits of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Revolutionary Guard's Quds Force, Gen. Qassem Soleimani during the funeral of the victims of the attacks on Tehran's parliament complex and the shrine of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in the capital Tehran on June 9, 2017. Iran’s Growing Rift Between Theocrats and Security Elites
In the aftermath of nationwide protests, tensions are rising among the Iranian establishment.
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A man rides a unicycle past a house decorated with a mural that depicts members of the Russian Patriotic Youth movement Yunarmiya in Moscow in 2022. The painted children wear red berets and tan uniforms. One has her hand to her forehead in a military salute. What’s Going on Inside Putin’s Russia?
Deciphering Moscow’s domestic politics.
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People celebrate in front of a billboard showing Erdogan's face next to a campaign slogan in Turkish. Erdogan Won by Exploiting Fear
In the midst of uncertainty, people stick with the devil they know.
