Carlos Alcaraz, dressed in pink and magenta, tosses a tennis ball in the air on the U.S. Open's green and blue court.
Carlos Alcaraz, dressed in pink and magenta, tosses a tennis ball in the air on the U.S. Open's green and blue court.

The Economics of the U.S. Open

The origins of tennis still shape the sport—including how much players earn at the major tournaments.

Two soldiers walk along a fence in front of the Berlin wall in a snowy winter scene.
Two soldiers walk along a fence in front of the Berlin wall in a snowy winter scene.

The East-West Contest With No End

The Cold War was tragic, comic, and epic—and it’s still playing out today.

A man writes on the arm of a woman as she looks down at him.
A man writes on the arm of a woman as she looks down at him.

‘Dhadak 2’ Is About Love, Death, and Caste in India

A new film shatters the Bollywood fantasy around romance and family.

A grid of 12 book covers showing new releases in global fiction.
A grid of 12 book covers showing new releases in global fiction.

The Novels We’re Reading in September

From a North American nail salon to a Korean institute for haunted objects.

An illustration shows a zoomed-in view of the peel of a banana with a Chiquita sticker on it peeling off. Black images on the peel show workers striking, worker gloves and other gear.
An illustration shows a zoomed-in view of the peel of a banana with a Chiquita sticker on it peeling off. Black images on the peel show workers striking, worker gloves and other gear.

Bananas, After the Strike

Labor strife, climate shocks, and Chiquita’s uneasy return mark a new chapter for Panama’s banana industry.

A person is silhouetted in front of a white high relief statue of Stalin with other figures around him.
A person is silhouetted in front of a white high relief statue of Stalin with other figures around him.

The Kremlin’s Factory of Resentment

A new history of the Cold War unwittingly exposes Russian distortions of the past.

An illustration shows five columns breaking apart from left to right on a digital background.
An illustration shows five columns breaking apart from left to right on a digital background.

Are AI and Democracy Compatible?

Avoiding digital dictatorship may mean rethinking our relationship with machines.

A historic image of two men stacking a huge pile of United States currency.
A historic image of two men stacking a huge pile of United States currency.

The Future of the Dollar Lies Within

Dollar dominance is here to stay, if the United States can keep it.

A mass of people in swimsuits, many children run splashing in fright out of the ocean.
A mass of people in swimsuits, many children run splashing in fright out of the ocean.

What ‘Jaws’ Teaches Us About America—Fifty Years On

There is danger lurking just beneath the water, and many Americans are still searching for their Chief Brody.

A man and child hold hands as they walk along rubble- and grass-covered railroad tracks. Palm trees and power lines frame the scene.
A man and child hold hands as they walk along rubble- and grass-covered railroad tracks. Palm trees and power lines frame the scene.

From Berlin to Baghdad on the Ruins of a WWI Railway

The unfinished line traces a fractured region still beset by competing imperial projects.

us-restraint-realism-europe-military-withdrawal-mark-harris-illustration
us-restraint-realism-europe-military-withdrawal-mark-harris-illustration

Passing the Baton in Europe

There has rarely been a safer window for the transition of security on the continent away from America.

A person in a soldier's uniform carries the flag of imperial Japan outside of a shrine as people walk by in the background.
A person in a soldier's uniform carries the flag of imperial Japan outside of a shrine as people walk by in the background.

When Will World War II End in Japan?

Silence on the official history of 1939 to 1945 has led to a flowering of creative interpretations.

An illustrations shows people running in fear from a Martian invasion.
An illustrations shows people running in fear from a Martian invasion.

Fears of a Fragile World

From the Habsburgs to modern Washington, anxiety underlies empire.

Three men and a woman are seated outdoors.
Three men and a woman are seated outdoors.

China Is Still Afraid of Losing World War II

In the long Asian wars, being the victor in 1945 meant little.

The gridded glass of a pyramid is seen above with a crowd of people in a large museum space.
The gridded glass of a pyramid is seen above with a crowd of people in a large museum space.

How the Louvre Made France

For centuries, French leaders have used the iconic museum to cement their place in the world. Macron is no different.

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