List of Theory articles
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A Croatian flag flies during a UEFA Euro 2024 group stage match in Hamburg, Germany, on June 19, 2024. Croatia’s Quiet War in Bosnia
Zagreb’s push for segregation puts the future of democratic Bosnia at risk.
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Nehru leands back to consult with another seated delegate in a crowd of people sitting in rows. Bring Back the Spirit of Bandung
The 1955 conference’s value-based approach to international affairs offers a model for middle powers today.
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A fan of U.S. President Donald Trump adjusts a cutout of Elon Musk at a “Trump-A-Palooza” event in Brevard, North Carolina. Third Parties in America Usually Fail. Can Elon Musk Change That?
The world’s richest man takes his political evolution another step further.
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From left to right: Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio pose for a group picture during a meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue at the State Department in Washington, D.C., on July 1. The Quad Isn’t Quitting
Washington, New Delhi, Tokyo, and Canberra make common cause on common ground.
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Congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh carries yard signs into her campaign office in Chicago. The Gen Z Candidate Calling for a ‘Humane Foreign Policy’
In a crowded Illinois congressional race, 26-year-old Kat Abughazaleh is the only contender focusing on the wider world.
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An illustration shows a hand holding up a head-shaped hourglass in a Hamlet-esque pose. Inside the hourglass are sands enveloping the statue of liberty and other monuments. The End of Modernity
A crisis is unfolding before our eyes—and also in our heads.
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Hong Kong’s Star Ferry How China’s Crackdown Has Reshaped Hong Kong
Inside life in the city five years after its national security law went into effect.
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Graduates from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government celebrate during the university’s 374th commencement in Cambridge, the United States, on May 29. Harvard Should Prepare to Move Abroad
CEU’s experience in Hungary shows that no amount of prestige or endowment can shield a university from determined state hostility.
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A giant panda's tongue hangs out while eating. The Expedition That Launched a Century of Panda-Mania
A new book details how the United States helped create a truly political animal.
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An illustration shows a world map fractured into several groupings that align with the dividing lines laid out in Samuel Huntington's book Clash of Civilizations. The broken up continents are scattered against a green background. How to Sell a Clash of Civilizations
The incoherence of Samuel Huntington’s famous thesis is also its power.
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From left: French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and U.S. President Donald Trump pose for a family photo during the G-7 summit in Kananaskis, Canada, on June 16. Can Trump Sit Through a Multilateral Meeting?
Trying to get an ornery president on board is doomed to failure.
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Three people, one holding a flashlight, crouch in the opening of a tunnel with rain falling in the background. ‘Andor’ Is a Lesson in Building Rebellion
‘Star Wars’ proves a surprisingly rich text for insurgency.
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Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele greets attendees after speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, on Feb. 22, 2024. Bukele’s Anti-Crime Model Has Its Limits
El Salvador’s president has attained rockstar status on the global right. But don’t expect other countries to copy his policies.
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Iranian protocol soldiers stand guard 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. What Regime Change Means in Iran
A new Iran may emerge from the current conflict, but don’t expect a democracy.
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Geert Wilders, leader of the far-right Dutch Freedom Party (PVV), speaks during a Patriots for Europe rally at Marriott Auditorium Hotel on February 08, 2025 in Madrid, Spain. The far-right Patriots for Europe party has MEPs from 13 member states and is the third-largest group sitting in the European Parliament. The "Make Europe Great Again" rally in Madrid is a tribute to United States President Donald Trump's campaign and rhetoric, which the Patriots party is now emulating across Europe. How to Stop Regime Change in Europe
A new book explains the danger of the far right—and how to counter Washington’s support for it.