List of Theory articles
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Two white balloons float near a Chinese flag during a demonstration outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington. Let’s Stop Pretending Spying Is a Big Deal
In great-power competition there is no such thing as minding one’s own business.
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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad talks with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa at the opening of the Arab Summit in Damascus in 2008. Why Arab Countries Are Welcoming Back Assad
The region’s players all have their own interests in a stable Syria.
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Protesters wave Serbian national flags as they take part in the fifth "Serbia against violence" rally in Belgrade. How 2 Mass Shootings Put Serbia’s Populist President Under Pressure
A new protest movement in the Balkan country is squeezing Aleksandar Vucic domestically—all while tensions in Kosovo flare and put Serbia in the international spotlight.
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A large screen in a hearing room shows side-by-side images of a Chinese frigate and a U.S. Navy combat ship under the words "China's New Frigate Design Looks Awfully Familiar" Why the U.S.-China ‘Cold War’ Framing Is So Dangerous
A Cold War crouch is inimical to a free, open, and flourishing society.
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Supporters of the Fridays for Future movement demonstrate for climate action in Berlin on March 3. The EU Should Listen to Its Youngest Citizens
Those born after the bloc’s founding charter was signed are overwhelmingly committed to its success.
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Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan (R) addresses his supporters during an anti-government march toward Islamabad demanding early elections, in Gujranwala, Pakistan. Pakistani Authorities Give Imran Khan a Taste of His Own Medicine
Reviled for silencing political opponents while in office, the former prime minister gets a muzzle of his own.
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An Iranian carries the portraits of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Revolutionary Guard's Quds Force, Gen. Qassem Soleimani during the funeral of the victims of the attacks on Tehran's parliament complex and the shrine of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in the capital Tehran on June 9, 2017. Iran’s Growing Rift Between Theocrats and Security Elites
In the aftermath of nationwide protests, tensions are rising among the Iranian establishment.
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A man rides a unicycle past a house decorated with a mural that depicts members of the Russian Patriotic Youth movement Yunarmiya in Moscow in 2022. The painted children wear red berets and tan uniforms. One has her hand to her forehead in a military salute. What’s Going on Inside Putin’s Russia?
Deciphering Moscow’s domestic politics.
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People celebrate in front of a billboard showing Erdogan's face next to a campaign slogan in Turkish. Erdogan Won by Exploiting Fear
In the midst of uncertainty, people stick with the devil they know.
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A visitor looks at a lighted map of Chinese pipelines at the China International Energy Saving, Emissions Reduction, and New Energy Science & Technology Expo in Beijing. Stop Worrying About Chinese Hegemony in Asia
U.S. fears are not only irrational—they’re a potential self-fulfilling prophecy.
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An illustration depicts nobleman Cesare Borgia seated with Niccolò Machiavelli, dated 1898. Machiavelli Preferred Democracy to Tyranny
The theorist’s magnum opus wasn’t a blueprint for dictators—it was an ode to institutional constraints on leaders.
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Erdogan Bey, a 70-year-old man wearing a black pinstriped suit and sunglasses, sits on a stool under an umbrella for shade. The Turkish flag hangs from a garage door behind his back. How Erdogan’s Supporters Are Thinking About the Runoffs
As Turkey's centennial nears, its founding secularism may no longer be in fashion—but nationalism is.
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A closeup photo shows Xi and Biden standing next to each other and smiling at each other with a Chinese flag in the background. Is the Biden Administration Going Soft on China?
A policy shift toward economic engagement with Beijing seems to be underway in the White House.
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Children attend an official initiation ceremony for the youth organization Young Pioneers in Moscow's Red Square. Russia’s Frighteningly Fascist Youth
A new generation of Russians glorifies war, death, and Vladimir Putin.
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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stands behind a podium in front of a sign that says "CPAC Hungary" during a conference session in Budapest. Hungary’s Plan to Build an Army of U.S. Intellectuals
Viktor Orban has put billions of dollars behind a soft-power strategy focused on attracting conservative American thinkers.
