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A giant panda's tongue hangs out while eating.
A giant panda's tongue hangs out while eating.

The Expedition That Launched a Century of Panda-Mania

A new book details how the United States helped create a truly political animal.

Review
Gloria Dickie
The book cover of Michael Luo's Strangers in the Land.
The book cover of Michael Luo's Strangers in the Land.

The Forgotten Stories of the Chinese in America

‘Strangers in the Land’ illuminates a dark, enduring period of U.S. history.

Review
Jenny Tinghui Zhang
Members of the Israeli security forces check the apparent remains of an Iranian ballistic missile lying on the ground on the outskirts of Katzrin, Golan Heights, Israel.
Members of the Israeli security forces check the apparent remains of an Iranian ballistic missile lying on the ground on the outskirts of Katzrin, Golan Heights, Israel.

What in the World?

Test yourself on the week of June 21: The United States bombs Iran, Thailand tightens its border, and NATO holds a summit.

Quiz
Drew Gorman
An illustration shows a world map fractured into several groupings that align with the dividing lines laid out in Samuel Huntington's book Clash of Civilizations. The broken up continents are scattered against a green background.
An illustration shows a world map fractured into several groupings that align with the dividing lines laid out in Samuel Huntington's book Clash of Civilizations. The broken up continents are scattered against a green background.

How to Sell a Clash of Civilizations

The incoherence of Samuel Huntington’s famous thesis is also its power.

Argument
Nick Danforth
Iranian missiles aimed at targets in Israel passing over the West Bank on June 18.
Iranian missiles aimed at targets in Israel passing over the West Bank on June 18.

Don’t Let a Fake Victory Forestall Real Peace

Trump’s misplaced faith in the efficacy of the Iran attacks will bring more war.

Shadow Government
Matthew Duss
A bald man in camouflage military fatigues reaches up to remove a poster board from a display easel. The poster is covered in various maps and diagrams of a nuclear facility in Iran. Bits of other people can be seen as they bustle around in the foreground.
A bald man in camouflage military fatigues reaches up to remove a poster board from a display easel. The poster is covered in various maps and diagrams of a nuclear facility in Iran. Bits of other people can be seen as they bustle around in the foreground.

Iran Is on Course for a Bomb After U.S. Strikes Fail to Destroy Facilities

Satellite imagery confirms that Iranian capabilities are bruised, not annihilated.

Argument
Jeffrey Lewis
A Chechen fighter stands in front of a house destroyed by Russian artillery in central Grozny on Jan. 15, 1995.
A Chechen fighter stands in front of a house destroyed by Russian artillery in central Grozny on Jan. 15, 1995.

The Fate of the World’s Forgotten Wars

A new book raises questions about Russia’s bygone fight in Chechnya—and the future legacy of conflicts today.

Review
John Kampfner
COP30 President André Aranha Corrêa do Lago (right) speaks next to COP30 CEO Ana Toni during a press conference in Brasília, Brazil, on March 10.
COP30 President André Aranha Corrêa do Lago (right) speaks next to COP30 CEO Ana Toni during a press conference in Brasília, Brazil, on March 10.

U.N. Hosts Dress Rehearsal for COP30

The November climate summit in Brazil will be Lula’s biggest diplomatic test yet.

Latin America Brief
Catherine Osborn
A member of the Iraqi Federal Police stands guard near the Seventeen Ramadan Mosque along al-Firdous square in Baghdad on March 9, 2023.
A member of the Iraqi Federal Police stands guard near the Seventeen Ramadan Mosque along al-Firdous square in Baghdad on March 9, 2023.

Don’t Let Iran Become Another Iraq

Nuclear uncertainty is bad for regional stability.

Argument
Jane Darby Menton
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in a televised message in Tehran.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in a televised message in Tehran.

Khamenei Vows to ‘Never Surrender’ to the U.S. in Defiant Speech

The Iranian leader downplayed Washington’s weekend assault and warned against further military action.

World Brief
Alexandra Sharp
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (left), accompanied by Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, on June 26.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (left), accompanied by Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, on June 26.

Is This Trump’s ‘Mission Accomplished’ Moment?

The White House is scrambling to control the narrative on how effective the U.S. strikes against Iran were.

Situation Report
John Haltiwanger, Rishi Iyengar
Small-caliber ammunition is seen during the opening of Mesko SA’s new ammunition production hall in Skarzysko-Kamienna, Poland.
Small-caliber ammunition is seen during the opening of Mesko SA’s new ammunition production hall in Skarzysko-Kamienna, Poland.

Ukraine’s Arms Industry Is the Wild West

Battle experience may give Ukrainian manufacturers the edge.

Analysis
Luke McGee
President Donald Trump and his national security team meet in the Situation Room of the White House, Saturday, June 21, 2025.
President Donald Trump and his national security team meet in the Situation Room of the White House, Saturday, June 21, 2025.

The War for Trump’s Ego

The attacks on Iran by Israel and the United States were really about less than they seem.

Argument
Stephen M. Walt
U.S. President Barack Obama smiles during as summit.
U.S. President Barack Obama smiles during as summit.

Trump’s Iran Deal Withdrawal Comes Back to Haunt Him

Experts say the 2015 nuclear deal constrained Tehran’s nuclear ambitions better than the recent U.S. strikes.

Analysis
Keith Johnson
Parts of the Shahran fuel depot on the outskirts of Tehran are ablaze after an Israeli attack on June 15.
Parts of the Shahran fuel depot on the outskirts of Tehran are ablaze after an Israeli attack on June 15.

Did Trump Just Lift Sanctions on Iranian Oil?

Ignoring Tehran’s oil shipments has been informal policy for years. What if Washington made it official?

Analysis
Agathe Demarais
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