Argument
An expert’s point of view on a current event.
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French President Emmanuel Macron, looking down at the podium, delivers a speech at the Élysée Palace in Paris. ‘Strategic Autonomy’ Is a French Pipe Dream
Emmanuel Macron is pushing a European policy that flatters France and annoys everyone else.
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A colorized print depicts Bohemian mercenary General Albrecht Wenzel von Wallenstein, wearing a hat with a feather, thigh-high boots, and lace cuffs and collar as he rides atop a bearded man wearing a tall furry hat as though he were a horse. Marauding soldiers are seen in the background landscape of houses and castles. Prigozhin Should Study Europe’s Greatest Mercenary
Albrecht von Wallenstein was the Holy Roman Empire’s power broker—until he clashed with his superior.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin leaves after being greeted by Chinese President Xi Jinping before the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia summit in Shanghai. China’s Ideological Affinity With Russia Is Over
For Beijing, last weekend’s mutiny against Vladimir Putin was a cautionary tale.
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Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi embrace during a ceremonial reception at the presidential palace in New Delhi. India Has Become a Middle Eastern Power
It’s time to take New Delhi’s projection of power in the region seriously.
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Migrants crowded on the deck of a rescue ship look out at the sea beneath a cloudy sky, watching a French Coast Guard patrol boat approach their ship in the Tyrrhenian Sea. The World’s Immigration Policies Are Outdated. Here’s How to Catch Up.
The nature of global migration has transformed since rules were put in place in 1951.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping reach out to shake hands, against a backdrop of Russian and Chinese flags, at the Kremlin in Moscow. Xi’s Schadenfreude Over Moscow’s Mutiny
Xi feels vindicated over Putin’s style of governance—but has made a bad bet on the Russian leader.
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People visit a market in Kandahar, ahead of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha. Why Sanctions Against the Taliban Aren’t Working
Efforts to punish the government are hurting ordinary Afghans instead.
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A man walks down a dirt road as smoke billows in southern Khartoum. Support Sudan’s Revolution, Not an Elite Peace Deal
Foreign powers’ obsessive focus on a transition process empowered generals and weakened democracy activists, paving the way to war.
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A dragon mascot is displayed outside a store as customers peruse Lunar New Year pudding in Manila's Chinatown. China Can’t Catch a Break in Asian Public Opinion
Washington can benefit from Beijing’s soft-power failures.
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U.S. President Joe Biden sits at a desk with his chin resting on his clasped hands. Biden holds a highlighter and has an array of papers front of him, and Chinese President Xi Jinping is visible on the screen of a monitor over Biden's shoulder. Washington’s Supposed Consensus on China Is an Illusion
Extremists are threatening the delicate attempt to find a new normal.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin, a 70-year-old man wearing a black suit and tie, leans forward with his hands on the table in front of him as he speaks into a microphone. Putin’s Stability Was Always a Myth
Prigozhin’s revolt has exposed the rotten foundations of a mafia state.
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Flags of Saudi Arabia and Israel stand together in a kitchen staging area as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken holds meetings at the State Department in Washington. A Saudi-Israeli Peace Deal Isn’t Worth It
Why the United States will regret putting effort into its latest Middle East policy.
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Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian shakes hands with his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan, in Tehran. The Middle East Might Be Moving Toward Stability
Heightened great power competition is allowing nations to make deals in their own best interests.
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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in Beijing. Anti-China Rhetoric Distracts Washington—and Boosts Beijing
Panic and fear should not drive U.S. foreign policy.
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Russian conscripts attend a religious service. Wagner’s Revolt May Weaken Russia’s Draft
Conscripts will fear being used as stopgaps in Ukraine.
