Argument
An expert’s point of view on a current event.
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Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. salutes as he walks by a row of U.S. soldiers at an arrival ceremony at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. Can the U.S. Rewrite Its Tortured History of Aid to the Philippines?
A military long shaped by Washington’s priorities now needs to modernize.
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Macron and Bongo, both smiling, sit side by side. Macron is reaching over and grasping Bongo's hand in a friendly gesture. France’s Concern for Gabon’s Democracy Is Too Little, Too Late
Paris is complicit in the lack of social and democratic progress that prompted the coup.
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Seen from above, people stretch an Indonesian flag in the sea off Makassar, South Sulawesi. Boats and swimmers surround the long, stretched flag. Indonesia Isn’t Ready to Become Asia’s Submarine Cable Hub
Can Jakarta regulate around its geography?
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Officers of the Niger National Police and Nigerien soldiers stand guard during a demonstration outside the Nigerien and French air bases in Niamey. How U.N. Peacekeeping Accidentally Fuels Africa’s Coups
Foreign funds can produce stronger and less accountable militaries.
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A close-up image shows Sisi's face with a serious expression. Egypt’s Sisi Rules by Fear—and Is Ruled by It
By falsely labeling all critics as Muslim Brotherhood shills, the Egyptian president shows how scared he really is.
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An Iranian holds a cardboard cutout of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz during a demonstration against airstrikes carried out by a Saudi-led coalition against Houthi and allied positions in Yemen, outside the Saudi Arabian embassy in Tehran, on April 13, 2015. Peace With Israel Means War With Iran
There’s a dangerous flip side to Saudi Arabia’s potential new diplomatic deal.
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South African President Cyril Ramaphosa with fellow BRICS leaders Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pose for a family photo, along with delegates from six nations invited to join the alliance at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg. they stand on a stage and wave and smile. BRICS Expansion Is No Triumph for China
But it is a warning shot for the West to end its strategic slumber in the global south.
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Olaf Scholz waits for the start of a TV interview ahead of the upcoming 2021 federal elections in Berlin on August 15, 2021. Welcome to the West’s Olaf Scholz Era
Germany’s chancellor represents—for better or worse—the future of progressive politics.
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A Russian soldier patrols the Mariupol drama theater, bombed by Russia when it housed civilian refugees, in Mariupol, Ukraine, on April 12, 2022. Why We Should Not Bet on a Peaceful Russia
The idea that a deal with Moscow will bring peace in Ukraine is based on very flimsy assumptions.
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A Wagner fighter pays tribute to Yevgeny Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin at a makeshift memorial in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. A Dead Prigozhin Won’t Stop Tales of a Weak Putin
Interpretations of the Wagner saga are more imaginative than analytical.
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South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (L), U.S. President Joe Biden, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (R) arrive for a joint news conference following three-way talks at Camp David in Maryland. Biden’s Trilateral Summit Was Aimed More at Pyongyang Than Beijing
China gets the headlines, but Kim Jong Un is the threat.
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Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, pauses after drawing a red line on a graphic of a bomb while discussing Iran during an address to the United Nations General Assembly on September 27, 2012 in New York. Bibi Isn’t Serious About Preventing a Regional Nuclear Arms Race
Benjamin Netanyahu has long warned of the perils of a nuclear Middle East. Now he seems willing to allow Saudi nukes in exchange for normalization.
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An Occupy Wall Street supporter is dressed as a corporate zombie, with a tattered suit covered in fake blood, zombie makeup, and fake paper money in his mouth. He holds up a cardboard sign that reads "Eat the Poor." Zombie Central Banks Might Eat the Financial Future
New policy tools have made once-profitable institutions into money-losers.
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A picture taken on July 17 shows a Russian warship sailing near the Kerch Bridge, linking the Russian mainland to Crimea, following an attack claimed by Ukrainian forces. Russia’s Illegal Bridges Have Ukrainian Crosshairs on Them
Kyiv is determined to destroy a major supply line into occupied Crimea.
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Protesters clash with riot police at the Porte d'Aix in Marseille, France. How the Myth of Colorblindness Endangers France’s Future
The refusal to gather data on race and ethnicity is exacerbating inequality, increasing social segregation, and preventing badly needed reforms.
