List of Theory articles
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Lightning strikes as a column of ash surrounds the crater of Taal Volcano. How Many Shocks Can the World Take?
We’re seeing what occurs when everything happens everywhere all at once.
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Iranian Revolutionary Guards during a ceremony to mark the 27th anniversary of the Islamic revolution at the mausoleum of Iran's late founder of Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran on Feb. 1, 2006. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Will Never Stand Down
The biggest obstacle to regime change is a security force designed to protect the regime to the point of civil war.
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Pro-democracy protesters are arrested by police in Hong Kong in protest of China's new security legislation. Will Xi’s Paranoia Defeat Him?
The Chinese leader has taken security worries to a new level.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi at Fiumicino airport in Rome on July 5, 2019. Why Russia Is the Big Winner in Italy’s Election
Even if Giorgia Meloni says she’s sympathetic to Ukraine, the Italian right remains firmly in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s camp.
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U.S. President Joe Biden hosts Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador at the White House in Washington on July 12. Hegemony in the Americas Has Been Turned on Its Head
Once-dominant Washington is now beholden to the whims of its smaller neighbors.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jingping Russia and China Can’t Get Anyone to Like Them
Beijing and Moscow are failing to produce soft power. But do they really want it?
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An aircraft carrier is pictured in water, with the NYC skyline in the background. Britain’s Hard-Power Ambitions Face Soft-Power Headwinds
Aboard the HMS Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s role in the world faces changing tides.
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Black-and-white portraits of two men are held up by people in red uniforms. Sri Lanka’s Left Turn
This year’s protests have revitalized the country’s socialists. But can they capitalize on that momentum electorally?
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U.S. President Joe Biden delivers a primetime speech at Independence National Historical Park Sept. 1 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. What Does Biden’s Confrontational Speech Mean for U.S. Foreign Policy?
Framing geopolitics in terms of democracy and autocracy won’t necessarily help bring peace.
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Chinese soldiers participate in a drill. International Relations Theory Suggests Great-Power War Is Coming
According to IR textbooks, the United States, Russia, and China are on a collision course.
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An illustration of China on the precipice of decline as a great power. Is China Declining?
Experts debate the country’s trajectory.
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France's President French President Emmanuel Macron listens to speeches during the Conference on the Future of Europe in Strasbourg, France, on May 9. Why Macron’s European Policy Keeps Failing
The French president has good ideas—but his approach to the EU is vague, unilateral, and self-serving.
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League leader Matteo Salvini (L), Fratelli d'Italia leader Giorgia Meloni (C), and Forza Italia party leader Silvio Berlusconi (R)at the end of a meeting in Rome on Oct. 20, 2021. How Giorgia Meloni Took Over the Italian Right
The likely next prime minister maintained ideological purity while her fellow right-wingers compromised. Now, she’s ready to reap the rewards.
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Blinken smiles and waves atop an external staircase in front of an open airplane door showing the Secretary of State's official seal. A Little Great-Power Competition Is Healthy for Africa
U.S.-China competition could benefit Africa by forcing each side to offer what it thinks it is best at.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin How to Take Down a Tyrant
Three steps for exerting maximum economic pressure on Putin.
