Argument
An expert’s point of view on a current event.
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Russian Army Gen. Lavr Kornilov, in military garb, salutes a row of uniformed passing troops carrying weapons. Why Kornilov’s Ghost Haunts Putin
A 1917 attempted coup d’etat is a reminder that even an ineffective mutiny can alter the course of history.
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Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo arrives for the closing session of the New Global Financial Pact Summit in Paris. How Campaign Promises Crashed Ghana’s Economy
Ghana’s economic troubles long preceded the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to its politicians’ penchant for overspending.
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Wagner Group mercenaries look on from a military truck in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on June 24. Washington Needs to Get Ready for Russian Chaos
A warlord marching on Moscow is just a foretaste of what might come. Here’s how to prepare.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Chinese President Xi Jinping hold glasses during a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow. The Global South Is Keeping Russia’s Energy Economy Afloat
Gas and oil flows are reshaping geopolitical alignments.
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A man walks past the tail section of an unexploded rocket containing cluster submunitions in Lysychansk, Ukraine, on April 11, 2022. Cluster Munitions Are Biden’s Latest Slow-Roll on Ukraine Aid
Yes, they can put some civilians at risk—but that should be the Ukrainians’ call to make.
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Fans of the German band Rammstein line up under portraits of band members prior to a concert at Wankdorf Stadium in Bern, Switzerland. Rammstein Is Germany’s Scary New Normal
The band’s continued popularity is a sign of the country’s increasingly right-wing zeitgeist.
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A close-up photo of Putin's head and shoulders shows the Russian leader with a serious expression. Putin’s Armor Has Been Pierced
Wagner mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin’s revolt has already revealed Putin’s domestic control to be slipping.
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India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, wearing a dark tunic with white long-sleeved shirt under it, gives a thumbs up sign from behind a podium and teleprompter at an Indian cultural event in Sydney on May 23. Will India Surpass China to Become the Next Superpower?
Four inconvenient truths make this scenario unlikely.
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives to address the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City. Don’t Believe Modi’s Economic Success Story
Contrary to reputation, India’s current government has made it worse off.
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From left to right: Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar pose for photos at the BRICS foreign ministers meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, on June 1. BRICS Faces a Reckoning
Enlargement would be a sign not of the group’s strength, but of China’s growing influence.
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Chinese students queue to take the National College Entrance Examination at a high school in Beijing. How China’s Education System Trapped a Generation
Young people have been trained into competition and hopelessness.
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Two workers stand among the rubble of a damaged bus station. Crumpled sheets of corrugated metal surround them on the ground, and the windows of the station building behind them have been shattered and blown out. How to Curb Corruption in Ukraine’s Postwar Reconstruction
Lessons from Iraq and Afghanistan on managing malfeasance while rebuilding.
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A line of Liberian children, dressed in matching uniforms of yellow shirts and navy blue shorts, hold Chinese flags as they lean over to see farther up the road. Aid Is the Next Battleground Between China and the West
The global south’s debts have reached alarming levels, and Beijing is tightening the screws.
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Protesters carry a banner during a protest march at the port of Piraeus near Athens, on June 18. Europe’s Migration Apartheid Is Killing Asylum Seekers
The EU rails against people smugglers, but its draconian policies keep them in business.
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U.S. President Joe Biden walks with France's President Emmanuel Macron and International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva during their visit to a mangrove conservation forest on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Nusa Dua, on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Nov. 16, 2022. An Era of Debt Crisis Catastrophe Is Dawning
Unless the world cooperates to do something about it.
