List of Theory articles
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A visitor looks at a lighted map of Chinese pipelines at the China International Energy Saving, Emissions Reduction, and New Energy Science & Technology Expo in Beijing. Stop Worrying About Chinese Hegemony in Asia
U.S. fears are not only irrational—they’re a potential self-fulfilling prophecy.
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An illustration depicts nobleman Cesare Borgia seated with Niccolò Machiavelli, dated 1898. Machiavelli Preferred Democracy to Tyranny
The theorist’s magnum opus wasn’t a blueprint for dictators—it was an ode to institutional constraints on leaders.
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Erdogan Bey, a 70-year-old man wearing a black pinstriped suit and sunglasses, sits on a stool under an umbrella for shade. The Turkish flag hangs from a garage door behind his back. How Erdogan’s Supporters Are Thinking About the Runoffs
As Turkey's centennial nears, its founding secularism may no longer be in fashion—but nationalism is.
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A closeup photo shows Xi and Biden standing next to each other and smiling at each other with a Chinese flag in the background. Is the Biden Administration Going Soft on China?
A policy shift toward economic engagement with Beijing seems to be underway in the White House.
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Children attend an official initiation ceremony for the youth organization Young Pioneers in Moscow's Red Square. Russia’s Frighteningly Fascist Youth
A new generation of Russians glorifies war, death, and Vladimir Putin.
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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stands behind a podium in front of a sign that says "CPAC Hungary" during a conference session in Budapest. Hungary’s Plan to Build an Army of U.S. Intellectuals
Viktor Orban has put billions of dollars behind a soft-power strategy focused on attracting conservative American thinkers.
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A man walks outside between two walls formed by tall, white stacks of cotton bales that tower over him. How Beijing Forces Uyghurs to Pick Cotton
Coercive labor is getting less visible, but more intense.
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A target depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin is riddled with bullet holes in a shooting range in Lviv, Ukraine, on Feb. 18, 2022. Russian Guerrillas Are Trying to Violently Overthrow Putin
The Russian president faces a growing threat from his own citizens.
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Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar participates in a foreign ministers' meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Benaulim, India, on May 5. China’s Meeting of the Minds Is Little Talk and No Action
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation likes to think of itself as an alternative to the United Nations, but it’s even less effective.
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Escobar and Vucic sit in chairs side by side facing each other flanked by the flags of their respective countries. How Biden Lost the Balkans
The United States has deepened its commitments to Serbia’s near-autocratic president and reoriented its regional posture to center Belgrade’s foreign-policy priorities.
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A Congolese boy looks up toward a sign advertising a commercial center selling Chinese products in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on Nov. 3, 2006. Are China and Russia Bad for Africa? That’s the Wrong Question.
Westerners should ask instead what kind of partnerships their own countries offer to the continent.
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Tunisian former prime minister and Ennahda Islamist party general secretary Ali Laarayedh (C) gives a speech during his first campaign meeting in Tunis on Oct. 6, 2014. Tunisia Doubles Down on Democratic Rollback
Rached Ghannouchi’s arrest and Ali Laarayedh’s imprisonment reveal the extent of Kais Saied’s attack on democracy.
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A man in sunglasses walks past a group of buildings. The Long Arm of China’s Overseas Influence Operations
Illegal police stations are just the tip of the iceberg.
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Herbert Kickl, leader of the right-wing Austria Freedom Party, speaks at a rally of people protesting against coronavirus-related restrictions and a coming vaccination mandate in Innsbruck, Austria, in 2022. Austria’s Far Right Is Back on Top
Four years after a major scandal ousted it from government, the party is leading national polls again.
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Lula and Xi walk side by side in front of a military honor guard. Why Lula’s Visit to Beijing Matters More Than Macron’s
The world’s economic dynamism is shifting to the global south.
