history
China’s Russia Complex
While the Sino-Russian partnership is typically viewed through the lens of hard power, it also stems from a shared history and a strong cultural enmeshment. From literary affinities to architectural imitation, from fashion trends to shared pedagogical models, Russia’s imprint on modern China is deeper than headlines suggest.
Uncanny Echoes
There are uncanny similarities in how Bush spun and justified the Iraq War and how Trump is spinning and justifying the war in Iran. Yet Trump administration officials are trying to combat the perception that the two wars are at all similar, no doubt to avoid any association with a generational U.S. foreign policy failure.
Saudi Arabia’s Break With Interventionism
After decades of shifting alliances that failed to deliver stability, Saudi Arabia now has a “zero-conflict” policy toward its neighbors. It is this, rather than a turn to Islamism, that is paradoxically creating tension with the United Arab Emirates and Israel.
Sri Lanka’s Civil War and the Limits of Literature
As new mass graves are exhumed in Sri Lanka, a journalist who spent years embedded with the Tamil Tigers surveys the works dealing with the country’s civil war and asks whether, between myth and memory, fiction and nonfiction, a narrative can ever be complete.
How the Tiger Became an Indian National Symbol
In India, while tigers symbolized courage for Rajput kingdoms, Mughal emperors like Akbar and Jahangir saw a slain tiger as proof of dominance over nature. The British emulated Mughal tiger hunts to assert imperial control — a symbolism now reversed by the country’s conservationists.
The Quarterly Review: How Did We Get Here?
A long-form documentary tracing the first 25 years of the 21st century, examining the political, technological and cultural forces that shaped the world we now inhabit. “The Quarterly Review” observes world events to answer the question: How did we get here?
What Is Peronism?
Since its emergence in 1945, Peronism has profoundly shaped Argentina’s political landscape. Its power lies in its capacity to turn popular, everyday experience into a political vision. This distinctive trait has allowed it to take very different forms — from progressive to right-leaning — and to influence political movements across Latin America.