List of Theory articles
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An illustration of Imelda Marcos holding a parasol as she lounges on the sand, leaning on skulls, as shoes and palm fronts swirl around her. The Fabulous Mythmaking of Imelda Marcos
A new novel claws back history from a family that would otherwise have it disappear.
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Sumeyye Bayraktar and Selcuk Bayraktar, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s daughter and son-in-law, hold Turkish flags in front of Erdogan’s residence in Kisikli. Is Selcuk Bayraktar Turkey’s Crown Prince-in-Waiting?
Drones made the president’s son-in-law a household name. His techno-nationalism and popular appeal could make him the country’s next leader.
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Members of the GIL (Italian Youth of the Lictor) help farmers during the wheat threshing in Italy. The Great Turn Inward
A new book argues countries are de-globalizing yet again. But was there ever such a thing as globalism to begin with?
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Refugees stand in the back of a truck after crossing the border near Kornidzor on Sept. 28. More than 65,000 Armenians have fled Nagorno-Karabakh for Armenia. What Does Nagorno-Karabakh’s Fall Mean for Great Power Influence?
Washington and Moscow care a lot about some post-Soviet conflicts—but are largely ignoring others.
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Hand-painted wooden nesting dolls stand on a table. Two are painted with an image of U.S. President Joe Biden, shown from the torso upward, wearing a black suit and smiling against an American flag background. Next to these is a doll painted with the image of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who smiles against a Chinese flag background. The U.S. Cannot Afford to Lose a Soft-Power Race With China
Washington’s key diplomatic assets have become a political bargaining chip.
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Polish Prime Minister and member of the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) political party Mateusz Morawiecki waves to supporters before speaking at a PiS election rally on the last day of campaigning on October 11, 2019 in Chelm, Poland. Poland Is Throwing All Its Neighbors Under the Bus
Running for reelection, the Polish government is flailing in every direction to keep its populist credibility.
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Iranian students attend a parliament session in Tehran on November 15, 2009. Iran Is Doubling Down on Headscarves
One year after an uprising over women’s rights, the government has passed a harsh new hijab law.
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A group of police officers, wearing short-sleeved uniform shirts and matching hats, chat with each other as they stand on a sidewalk outside Hong Kong's High Court. Skyscrapers and a cloudy sky are visible behind the officers. Hong Kong’s Bureaucrats Don’t Make Good Authoritarians
Local officials are inflexible about implementing Beijing’s orders.
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A collage photo illustration shows examples of soft power around the world including a smoking NAFO shiba inu in a beret and fatigues, a dancing woman from the Bollywood movie "Monsoon Wedding," Olympic sprinter Jesse Owens, K-pop band BTS, and a panda. Is Soft Power Making a Comeback?
Global powers are turning to it—with mixed success.
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The Chinese flag is raised during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics at Beijing National Stadium on Feb. 4, 2022. America Can’t Stop China’s Rise
And it should stop trying.
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A mural depicting Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran’s first supreme leader after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, is pictured as women walk along Enghelab Square in central Tehran on Sept. 10. Why Did Last Year’s Protest Movement in Iran Fail?
The supreme leader learned what not to do from the Shah.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi being welcomed following the G-20 meeting on Sept. 13 in New Delhi, India. Is the G-20 Useless?
As another multilateral forum issued a watered-down statement, Russia and North Korea met to deepen military ties.
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Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022. The End of America’s Middle East
The region’s four major countries have all forfeited Washington’s trust.
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The United Nations logo is seen on the back wall of the General Assembly Hall at U.N. headquarters in New York on May 12, 2006. The United Nations Is Convening—and Spluttering
Inertia and rivalries are producing a dangerous breakdown of multilateralism.
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An illustration depicts flags of the G-7, NATO, China-Russia, and minilateral alliances. The Alliances That Matter Now
Foreign Policy's Fall 2023 Issue: Multilateralism is at a dead end, but powerful blocs are getting things done.
