Foreign and security policyThe art of war — but scratch the art The May summit between Xi and Trump is shaping up to be a historic mismatch between a long-term strategist and a false prophet touting his successes By Stephen S. Roach
Future of social democracyNothing lasts forever And though we keep hearing that its race is run, social democracy can still stage a comeback. Its chance may lie in Asia By Mirco Günther
Foreign and security policyThe forgotten frontline While the world focuses on Iran, the volatile conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan is intensifying — with repercussions far beyond the border By Mirco Günther, Benedikt Ivanovs
Democracy and societyNepal’s vote of reckoning The upcoming elections could decide if reform finally outpaces entrenched corruption and instability By Kamal Dev Bhattarai
Foreign and security policyWhy Germany must engage with China With empires jostling for power, Germany’s China strategy could determine Europe’s future — if it can play the great powers against each other By Steven Langendonk, Matthew D. Stephen
Democracy and societyThe limits of a fresh start Bangladesh’s upcoming election tests whether the post-Hasina moment can deliver real political change — or just new versions of the old By David Bergman
Foreign and security policySunsets and strategy In a region of rising rivalries, ASEAN’s global soft power strategy rides on passports, planes and palm-fringed resorts By Nikola Mikovic
Democracy and societyWho’s afraid of guitars? Russia’s fear of music reveals a deeper panic — the loss of control over its youth By Daria Boll-Palievskaya
Economy and ecologyAsia shows Europe the long game The continent’s path proves that protecting the climate and securing prosperity are two sides of the same coin. Europe would do well to take note By Franziska Schmidtke
Democracy and societyWho’s afraid of educated girls? The recent internet blackout is only the latest example of the Taliban’s increasingly brutal assault on the rights of girls and women By Gordon Brown
The coalition that ate itself Romania’s mainstream parties united against extremism after the 2024 elections. That alliance is now starting to fracture
The return of Dr Strangelove Trump’s troop withdrawal and missile U-turn in Germany are symptoms of a far bigger danger: the revival of nuclear confrontation politics
‘Britain is moving into a multi-party era’ Labour suffered a historic defeat in last week’s elections. Claire Ainsley on what it means for Starmer and for Britain’s changing political landscape