List of Theory articles
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Biden and Putin at U.S.-Russian summit With Putin, Biden Should Channel His Inner Realist
A contest of ideas is hobbling U.S. policy in the standoff over Ukraine.
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China's President Xi Jinping gives a speech during the 8th Ministerial Meeting of China-Arab States Cooperation Forum at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on July, 10, 2018. Xi Jinping Has Transformed China’s Middle East Policy
Beijing was once wary of the region. Now, it’s all-in.
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Gabriel Boric celebrates with supporters at the end of the Presidential Elections on November 21, 2021 in Santiago, Chile. Latin America’s Leftists Aren’t Who You Think
The region’s left has won a series of elections—but U.S. interests aren’t under threat.
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U.S. President George W. Bush gives a thumbs-up sign after declaring the end of major combat in Iraq as he speaks aboard an aircraft carrier off the California coast on May 1, 2003. The "Mission Accomplished" moment months into the war became a source of derision as the conflict wore on until the formal end to the U.S. combat mission in Iraq in December 2021. J. Scott Applewhite/AP America Has an Unhealthy Obsession With Credibility
There’s no reason U.S. grand strategy should be so concerned with its own reputation.
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A woman tweets with a smartphone. How Twitter Failed Africa
Big Tech ignored policies that enable disinformation and propaganda across the continent.
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Musician turned politician Bobi Wine (C) is joined by other activists on July 11, 2018 in Kampala, Uganda, during a demonstration to protest a controversial tax on the use of social media. How Democracy Can Defeat Autocracy
Autocrats are on the defensive as popular protests mount—but democracy’s fate depends on leaders delivering results.
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A resident surveys the damage in the aftermath of protests in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on Jan. 11. Kazakhstan’s Protests Aren’t a Color Revolution
The country’s widespread popular demonstrations transcended class, region, and politics—making them distinct from those in Belarus and Ukraine.
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A close-up of Erdogan speaking into a microphone in front of a Turkish flag Autocrats Are Exploiting COVID-19 to Weaken Central Bank Independence
The pandemic-induced economic crisis has created the perfect conditions for backtracking.
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A preservationist cleans around a painting of the Founding Fathers at the U.S. Capitol. Party Animals
New books assessing democracy suggest how to fix things—but it’s complicated.
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Police fired tear gas and stun grenades. Will Unrest in Kazakhstan Inflame Tensions Between Russia and the West?
A sudden wave of protests has spooked the Kremlin and precipitated an unprecedented intervention by Moscow and its allies.
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Police officers walk past a mural depicting former Bosnian Serb military chief Ratko Mladic in Belgrade on Nov. 9, 2021. Why Serbia’s President Is a Threat to Europe
Aleksandar Vucic’s authoritarian government is aiding Russian and Chinese propaganda and allowing genocide denialists to celebrate war criminals.
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Russia's Soyuz MS-07 spacecraft, carrying people to the International Space Station, blasts off at the Russian-leased Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Dec. 17, 2017. 2022 Is the Year for a Space Summit
A disturbing Russian weapons test is yet more proof that new rules are needed.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives at at Cologne's airport, on September 29, 2018 in Cologne, where he is to inaugurate the Central Mosque, one of Europe's largest. Why One Man Can Ruin Turkey’s Economy
Did Erdogan break Turkish politics by empowering the presidency—or was it broken already?
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An image of Bitcoin and U.S. currency is displayed on a screen in front of silhouettes of people. Great Protocol Politics
The 21st century doesn’t belong to China, the United States, or Silicon Valley. It belongs to the internet.
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A composite image of U.S. President Joe Biden at the Democracy Summit in Washington on Dec. 9 and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Dec. 10, 2018. Why China Is Freaking Out Over Biden’s Democracy Summit
Beijing’s overreaction to the virtual summit is telling.
