An expert’s point of view on a current event.
Argument
List of Argument articles
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A Ukrainian soldier in camouflage holds a large, gray drone with a wingspan a little longer than he is tall, with yellow and blue markings on its wings. He's standing in a field of long, dry glass beneath a pale blue sky. Ukraine Wants to Teach Europe What It Learned
Kyiv is giving continent’s defense chiefs a blunt message about how to fight.
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U.S. Navy sailors are seen from afar, standing in a line along the edge of the deck of the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier. From below, in the foreground, a hand waves a small American flag. The U.S. Shouldn’t Rule the Seas Forever
Why the United States can no longer guarantee freedom of navigation—and why it doesn’t need to.
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A rebel fighter rips a portrait of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in the town of in Qusayr in Syria's central Homs province on December 15, 2024. Israel and Syria’s Shared Fight Against Hezbollah
Washington should help the two estranged neighbors cooperate against a common enemy.
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A worker turns a valve on the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline at the Shirawa oilfield in Kirkuk, Iraq, in 2004. Escaping the Hormuz Trap
The 70-year history of oil transit crises suggests engineering will prove more effective than diplomacy.
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A group of people, some wearing face masks, sit in a darkened room facing a large floor-to-ceiling projection of a polar bear standing on an ice floe in an Arctic landscape. The Planet Is Doing Better Than You Think
Apocalyptic headlines overlook conservation and biodiversity successes.
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Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Sept. 18, 2019. Why Are the Saudis Sitting Out the War With Iran?
A more active approach would help cement Riyadh’s regional clout.
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Incoming Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar waves the national flag during election night celebrations in Budapest on April 12. How to Rebuild Hungarian Democracy
Peter Magyar must avoid reproducing the very abuses he seeks to dismantle.
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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni greets Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides at an informal meeting of European Union leaders in Ayia Napa, Cyprus, on April 23 to discuss the conflict in Iran and the Middle East. The Costs of Trump’s Contempt Are Starting to Show
From Europe to Asia, governments are hedging against unreliable and erratic U.S. power.
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A vendor carries chickens for sale past fellow vendor at the Spice Market in Asmara, on October 4, 2025. Washington’s One-Dimensional Chess in the Horn of Africa
Trump’s inexplicable effort to lift sanctions on Eritrea reflects a deepening lack of strategy.
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A black-and-white historical photograph of a crowded hospital ward. Rows of patients lie in narrow metal cots covered with blankets, while two individuals wearing white face masks stand at the far end of the room. Pete Hegseth Is America’s New Secretary of Pestilence
Reversing vaccine mandates is a disaster for military readiness.
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A group of dozens of people of varying ages are seen mostly from behind. Close to the camera is a tall person wearing a red-white-and-blue shirt with photos of Orban's and Trump's faces printed on the back, along with text in English that says "Friendship matters—leaders of the free world." After Trump, Partisanship Will Still Undermine U.S. Credibility
For foreign audiences, the dysfunctional nature of U.S. politics matters more than the country’s leader.
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Visitors walk by a world map carved in stone at a plaza in southwest China's Chongqing municipality on May 19, 2010. What if China Succeeds?
Why Beijing’s success spells doom for everyone else.
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A Pakistani Ranger walks past a billboard for the U.S.-Iran peace talks in Islamabad on April 12. Both Sides Want a Deal. Both Keep Acting As if They Don’t.
I’ve never seen a negotiation that’s quite like this one.
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Five seemingly teenagers lean out of the open sunroof and windows of a car, several of them flashing peace signs with their hands. The oldest girl wears a hijab while another has her hair loose; one of the youngest boys is shirtless. Two adults are visible through the windshield in the front seat of the car. Lebanon’s Moment of Reckoning
How to make sure the cease-fire weakens Hezbollah instead of strengthening it.
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US President Donald Trump greets Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC on November 7, 2025. The Strongman Era Has Peaked
Why a global era of authoritarian governance may be coming to an end.
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