“If Putin cannot see the similarities between Khrushchev’s predicament during the Cuban missile crisis and the one he now faces, then he truly is an amateur historian,” write Sergey Radchenko and Vladislav Zubok.
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Read Jussi Hanhimaki on why Finland and Sweden joined NATO after decades of neutrality—and how their membership might transform the alliance moving forward:
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“Because Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was killed while serving the nation, the government declared him a martyr. In a country facing external challenges, his death while on duty will resonate with many citizens, particularly the regime’s base.”
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“An ‘America first’ world could be fatal for Ukraine and other states vulnerable to autocratic aggression,” writes Hal Brands. “It would release the disorder U.S. hegemony has long contained.”
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Read Mike Mazarr’s 2022 essay on the essential characteristics for national competitiveness—and the reasons why the United States is increasingly in danger of squandering its built-in advantages.
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Read Foreign Minister of Taiwan Jaushieh Joseph Wu on what Taiwan has learned from Ukraine’s defense against Russia—and what the United States, Australia, Japan, and other democracies can do to deter Chinese aggression in the Taiwan Strait:
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At the height of the Cuban missile crisis, Washington’s and Moscow’s caution led to a negotiated solution—and their prudence holds lessons for today, as the specter of nuclear war lurks in the background, write Sergey Radchenko and Vladislav Zubok.
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South Africa’s May 29 election may bring the African National Congress’s 30-year reign to an end, but it is still likely to preserve more than it overturns policy-wise, writes Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh.
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The victory of Lai Ching-te, a known China skeptic, in Taiwan’s January election does not signal voters’ endorsement of pro-independence politicians over pro-Chinese candidates—nor some new provocation in the island’s conflict with Beijing, writes Nick Frisch.
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.Shannon O'Neil discusses how the United States can help make Mexico safer, greener, more prosperous, and more democratic—and explains how these efforts will benefit Washington as well as Mexico City.
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“With manufacturing producing few jobs, the Modi administration cannot really say how it will fix the current unemployment problem. And so the government simply refuses to acknowledge it.”

Read Rohit Lamba and Raghuram Rajan on India’s economic trajectory:
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A unilateral cease-fire in Gaza lasting four to six weeks would offer Israel many strategic benefits—including the creation of the conditions necessary for a Israeli-Saudi normalization deal, write Dennis Ross and David Makovsky.
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If the United States focused on maximizing its advantages while minimizing its entanglements, the rest of the world would suffer—especially Ukraine and other states vulnerable to autocratic aggression, writes Hal Brands.
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Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s death on May 19 could mold the presidency in the image of the late president, shaping Iranian politics for years to come, writes Mohammad Ayatollahi Tabaar.
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“Today, the dynamic between free-thinking Russians and the state is much as it was in the Soviet era of stagnation during the later decades of the Cold War.” Read Andrei Kolesnikov on Russia’s new wave of repression: trib.al/sfwS8jW

Even if South Africa’s African National Congress—the liberation movement that toppled apartheid—loses its parliamentary majority, it is unlikely that the government’s overall policy orientation will change, writes Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh.
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Read Rohit Lamba and Raghuram Rajan on the factors driving Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s high approval ratings—and why India’s rising inequality and unemployment have failed to dent Modi’s popularity:
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“Putin and his leadership are the center of gravity of the Russian war effort; any effort to end the war must begin with undermining his regime and its appearance of success and infallibility.”
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While young Americans tend to skew liberal and progressive, young Israeli Jews have exhibited a rightward tilt over the last 15 years, writes Dahlia Scheindlin. What explains Israel’s growing right-wing majority—and its waning support for the Biden administration?
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“The ANC’s historical narrative, so deeply intertwined with South Africa’s liberation, has struggled to resonate with a younger electorate less enchanted by the party’s past glories than frustrated with the country’s present setbacks.”
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