List of Theory articles
-
Iran’s top security official, Ali Shamkhani (right), China's top diplomat, Wang Yi (center), and Saudi National Security Advisor Musaid al Aiban pose for a photo after Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to resume bilateral diplomatic ties after several days of deliberations between top security officials of the two countries in Beijing on March 10. 4 Key Takeaways From the China-Brokered Saudi-Iran Deal
Anyone who believes we’re on the cusp of a golden era between Tehran and Riyadh should lie down until the feeling passes.
-
A woman walks past a Russian army armored personnel carrier on a street of Grozny, Chechnya, in 2004. The Road to Democracy in Russia Runs Through Chechnya
Russia will only democratize when it faces its war crimes in the Caucasus and abandons imperial nostalgia.
-
Exiled Nicaraguans hold a protest vigil against the government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega in San Jose, Costa Rica, on April 19, 2022. With Russian Support, Nicaragua Smothers Dissent
Managua’s crackdown on free expression is entering a new phase.
-
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov walk as they attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State in Bishkek on June 14, 2019. Putin Has Assembled an Axis of Autocrats Against Ukraine
Russia’s war is receiving critical assistance from authoritarian regimes around the world.
-
Protesters shout slogans during a demonstration against the government's controversial justice reform bill, in Tel Aviv on March 1. Why Israel’s Establishment Is Revolting
Centrist Israelis ignored the occupation and settlements for years, but they are up in arms about judicial reforms that threaten the economy—and their self-image.
-
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks with dignitaries and employees at U.S. technology company ViaSat in Carlsbad, California, on Nov. 4, 2022. The Risks of the CHIPS Act No One’s Talking About
Governments are almost endlessly prone to throwing good money after bad.
-
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin puts on ear phones during a press conference at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich on December 2, 2010 after Russia was chosen to host the 2018 World Cup. Putin’s Russian Critics Are Growing Ever Louder
The most pointed criticisms of the war are coming from those charged with fighting it.
-
Tunisian demonstrators raise flags and protest placards as they take to the streets of the capital Tunis, on January 14, 2023, to protest against their president. Young Tunisians Don’t Trust Kais Saied Anymore
Those who once supported the president and his coup are starting to doubt his ability to rescue the country amid an economic crisis.
-
A man walks past a torn AfD banner. Germany’s Far-Right ‘Firewall’ Is Starting to Crack
At the national level, parties insist they won’t work or vote with the far-right AfD—but at the local level, it happens all the time.
-
Moviegoers take their pictures in front of a poster of the Bollywood movie "Pathaan" at a cinema hall in Amritsar on January 25, 2023. Modi Is Losing His War on Bollywood
Hindu nationalists have met their match in one of India’s most beloved movie stars.
-
Vladimir Putin speaks during the Preliminary Draw of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia at The Konstantin Palace on July 25, 2015 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. What Putin Got Right
The Russian president got many things wrong about invading Ukraine—but not everything.
-
US China Hawk in Washington Washington’s China Hawks Take Flight
The story of how decades of U.S. engagement with China gave way to estrangement.
-
Morales and Arce sit side-by-side, with microphones in front of both of them. The Internal Rift Threatening Bolivia’s Left
Will the conservative opposition recover political power in one of Latin America’s leftist strongholds?
-
Dalton speaks while sitting at a table alongside other U.S. officials. The U.S. Overreacted to the Chinese Spy Balloon. That Scares Me.
So unused to being challenged, the United States has become so filled with anxiety over China that sober responses are becoming nearly impossible.
-
Sailors recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon. China’s Balloon Could Be America’s Awakening
An alarming blunder may convince the U.S. public to take Beijing’s threats seriously.
