List of Theory articles
-
Saudi women walk past a mural depicting Saudi King Salman (center), Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (left), and late King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman (right), the founder of the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, at a park in the capital, Riyadh, on Jan. 16. The Arab Gulf’s New Nationalism
Ambitious leaders in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are restructuring national identity to solidify their rule.
-
Lebanese supporters and members of the Islamic group Jamaa Islamiya wave Turkish and Lebanese flags and flash the four finger symbol known as "Rabaa" during a demonstration to support Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following a deadly but foiled coup attempt by an army faction on July 16, 2016 outside the Islamic Turkish hospital in the southern Lebanese port city of Sidon. The Muslim Brotherhood’s Survival Is Now in Question
Turkey has turned its back on the Islamist group, eliminating one of its last safe havens.
-
A giant panda cub is seen at China's Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding on Sept. 19, 2007 in Chengdu, China. Here’s How Scared of China You Should Be
It all depends on the answers to these five questions.
-
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. Soft Power Is Making a Hard Return
Leaders are reaching for fellas and films as much as bullets and blockades.
-
People attend the ceremony for the installation of commemorative plaques to the victims of Soviet repression on the wall of their former house in central Moscow. How Memory Survives in Putin’s Russia
Russia’s dictator controls its past. But can history that avoids politics live on?
-
People demonstrate in Niger's capital, Niamey, to show their support for the coup plotters and Russia. Does U.S. Military Training Embolden Coup Plotters in Africa?
Weak institutions and underdevelopment also plague nations led by undemocratic regimes.
-
Hungarian Prime Minsiter Viktor Orban (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) hold a joint press conference after their meeting in Jerusalem on Feb. 19, 2019. Israel’s Supreme Court Must Not Repeat Hungary’s Mistake
The judiciary needs to strike down Netanyahu’s judicial reform before he turns Israel into a sham democracy—just as Viktor Orban did in Hungary.
-
A woman with a European flag painted on her face stands outside the European Parliament durng an event for the announcement of European parliametary elections results in Brussels on May 26, 2019. Europe Has Traded Technocracy for Drama
Brussels has become the last thing anyone imagined: a stage for political emotion.
-
Russian police detain a protester in Moscow following the announcement of military mobilization in Moscow on Sept. 21, 2022. Russia Is Returning to Its Totalitarian Past
A forever war in Ukraine comes with almost limitless possibilities to stifle dissent.
-
Hussein al-Sheikh attends the funeral of former Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian Leader Who Survived the Death of Palestine
What would it mean for Hussein al-Sheikh to lead a people whose dream of independence is no longer alive?
-
A mosque stands in front of a cloudy sky. It has two symmetrical minarets and a red banner with yellow writing in two languages. In front of the mosque are cable lines and a video camera on a metal pole. China Is Taking a Wrecking Ball to Famous Mosques
Beijing is choosing repression over religious diplomacy.
-
A Soviet poster, circa 1965, shows an illustrated hand gripping a giant, silver Russian ruble. How Dictators Make Money—and Money Makes Dictators
A new history of Russia’s ruble highlights the reciprocal relationship between autocracy and monetary policy.
-
Vladimir Putin, then Russia's prime minister, looks at mirrors inside an X-ray telescope during his visit to the Russian Federal Nuclear Center. You See What You Want to See in Russia
Why didn’t Prigozhin’s mutiny against Putin change anyone’s mind?
-
People browse books as part of the world's longest outdoor bookcase at Bondi Beach in Sydney. The Definitive Summer Reading Guide for National Security Nerds
Your vacation (hopefully) awaits. And here are the best books to pair with it.
-
U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden pauses while speaking at the SEIU Unions for All Summit in Los Angeles. Cluster Bombs and the Contradictions of Liberalism
Do liberals really believe what they say about their foreign-policy ideals?
