List of Theory articles
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Four women holding guns sit and stand in in a stone-walled shelter. The Secret Newspapers That Helped Defeat Fascism
The women behind Italy’s underground press during World War II offer important lessons for democracies today.
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A worker rests on top of stacks of food aid in a storage tent in Burundi. ‘Trade, Not Aid’ Rings More Hollow Than Ever
As global trade fractures, it’s time to retire one of development’s most persistent—and misleading—slogans.
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U.S. President Donald Trump attends the U.N. Climate Action Summit at U.N. headquarters in New York, on Sept. 23, 2019. The Realist Case for Global Rules
You don’t need to be an idealist to be worried about Donald Trump’s approach to global order.
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An illustration shows Trump from above and behind walking away with six views of the globe behind him. Spheres of Influence Are Not the Answer
Even if the great powers could carve up an interconnected world, Washington may not get the result it wants.
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A man in a uniform carries an American flag along a beach. How America Blew Its Unipolar Moment
An international order founded not on institutions but on hegemonic benevolence proved impossible to sustain.
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A photo portrait of a bearded man seen from behind with his head turned to the side so he's seen in profile. He wears a dark-colored suit jacket. How Much Power Does the Aga Khan Have, Really?
The billionaire Muslim leader is a religious figure—and a global powerbroker.
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Presidential candidate George Simion is shown on a screen addressing his supporters at the campaign headquarters of their candidate after polls closed on May 4, 2025 in Bucharest, Romania. Romania’s Far Right Is More Extreme Than You Think
The country’s conservative populists have a long—and radical—history.
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Voters wait in line as they arrive prior to casting their vote for local elections in Mostar, southern Bosnia and Herzegovina, on Dec. 20, 2020. Bosnia’s Paradoxical Peace Rests on a Flawed Constitution
The United States and European Union must step up for reform.
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An illustration shows a horseshoe-shaped magnet with a U.S. flag motif attracting a giant crowd of tiny people toward it. Is American Soft Power Finished?
Joseph Nye’s death marks the end of an era of U.S. foreign policy.
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Joseph Ny gestures with one hand as he speaks. Joseph Nye Was the Champion of a World That No Longer Exists
The distinguished scholar, who coined “soft power,” shaped five decades of U.S. foreign policy.
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A Jewish man looks at an election poster of the independent centrist French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron next to another of far-right Front National candidate Marine Le Pen at the French consulate in Jerusalem, on May 7, 2017. Israel Is Ready to Embrace Europe’s Far Right
European populism’s long tradition of antisemitism isn’t disqualifying for the Israeli government.
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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media after signing executive orders in the Oval Office in Washington on April 23. A Surprising Realist POV on Trump
Emma Ashford: “This isn’t some abrupt shift or aberration.”
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A black and white photo shows Jean-Luc Mélenchon on stage with supporters and their hands raised in the air. The Morass of the French Left
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, one of France’s most hated politicians, casts a shadow over the left at a critical juncture.
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A few protesters are seen at night as they wave flags and hands in a public square strewn with litter and obscured by a haze of smoke. One red and white Turkish flag billows through the smoke. On the far side of the clear area is a line of dozens of riot police officers in helmets and holding clear riot shields. Erdogan Risks Overplaying His Hand
The increasingly repressive Turkish leader can’t rely on the military’s loyalty.
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An electronic board shows the Nikkei 225 index on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo on April 10. Is the World Going to Deglobalize?
Trump’s tariffs come on top of a recent loss of faith in free trade and interconnectedness.
