Section archive
Explainers
Clear, accessible background on the complex topics shaping world affairs. Everything needed to understand the story behind the story. A good Explainer leaves the reader genuinely informed rather than merely less confused — answering the questions breaking news leaves unanswered and connecting background knowledge to the larger themes of power, accountability and international institutions. Never dumbed down. Never vague.
All desks
Abraham Accords
Accountability
Afghanistan
Africa
Aga Khan Foundation
Aggression
AI Governance
AIPAC
Analysis
Arabic
Armenia
Artificial Intelligence
Asia
Australia Awards
Azerbaijan
Barack Obama
Beaufort Castle
Benjamin Netanyahu
BJP
Board of Peace
Books
Books & Ideas
Brazil
Bulgaria
Canada
Career Development
Career Planning
Careers
Caribbean
Carnegie Gaither
Ceasefire
Central Asia
CFR Fellowship
Chevening
China
Chinese Government Scholarship
Civilian Casualties
Climate Change
Colonialism
Columbia University
Commonwealth Scholarship
Counterintelligence
Cuba
DAAD
Dahiyeh
Daniel Huttenlocher
Democracy
DIA
Diplomacy
Donald Trump
Explainers
Cultural Diplomacy's Quiet Revolution: How Identity Politics Are Reshaping International Relations
Explainers
AI as Power: Can Diplomacy Keep Up With the Technology Race?
Explainers
What is Environmental Geopolitics? A Guide to the 21st Century’s Most Critical Foreign Policy Challenge
Explainers
Death of Privacy: How Digital Surveillance Is Reshaping International Relations and State Power
Explainers
Scramble for Critical Minerals: How Lithium, Cobalt, and Rare Earths Are Fueling New Conflicts
Explainers
Terrorism's Evolution: From Al-Qaeda's Hierarchy to Digital Lone Wolves
Explainers
Hybrid Warfare 2.0: How Disinformation, Cyberattacks, and Proxy Conflicts Define Modern War
Explainers
Rise of Middle Powers: How India, Turkey, and Brazil Are Reshaping Global Order
Explainers
Return of Great Power Competition: How the U.S., China, and Russia Are Reshaping the World Order
Explainers
Digital Diplomacy: How Social Media Is Rewriting the Rules of International Relations
Explainers
Global South Rising: How Developing Nations Are Reshaping World Politics
Explainers
Future of War: How Technology Is Rewriting the Rules of Global Conflict
Explainers
Balance of Power: Why Classical Theory Still Shapes Our Multipolar World
Explainers
Soft Power vs. Hard Power: Which Matters More in Global Politics Today?
Explainers
Privatization of Conflict: The Growing Role of Mercenaries and PMCs in World Affairs
Explainers
Water Wars & Resource Diplomacy: How Transboundary Rivers Shape 21st Century Conflict and Cooperation
Explainers
New Great Game: Geopolitics of the Arctic and Antarctic in an Era of Climate Change
24 stories