51³Ô¹ÏÍø

author

 
Menu
Search
 
July 24, 2026
 

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

Marc Champion
Mourners attend a funeral procession for Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on Feb. 28 in Israeli and U.S. airstrikes, in Qom, Iran, on July 7.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 13, 2026
Ali Khamenei was a monster. The U.S. made him a martyr.
For IRGC commander Ahmad Vahidi and other regime leaders, this funeral was probably more important than their 60-day negotiations with the U.S.
A man holding a Polish national flag lights a candle at the site of a mass burial of Poles killed by Ukrainian nationalists during World War II in the former Polish village of Puznyky, Ukraine, in September.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 29, 2026
Ukraine can¡¯t afford a breakup with Poland over history
This is reckless statecraft at the service of domestic politics on both sides ¡ª only Poland isn¡¯t at war.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a news conference after a meeting at Trump¡¯s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, in December.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 12, 2026
The U.S. and Israel can¡¯t hide their differences on Iran
The cause of their dispute is, on the surface, simple. Israel says the April ceasefire between Tehran and Washington did not cover Lebanon.
As drone warfare reshapes the Ukraine conflict and the nature of the fighting, Europe is facing pressure to support Kyiv while building its own long-term strategy and security framework separate from the U.S.
COMMENTARY / World
May 26, 2026
The Ukrainians are doing better, now it¡¯s the Europeans¡¯ turn
Overall, the nature of the battlefield has changed in ways that blunt Russia¡¯s overwhelming advantages in manpower, artillery and armor.
Mutual overconfidence and strategic miscalculation by both the U.S. and Iran are making renewed war increasingly likely because neither side fully understands the other¡¯s strengths, weaknesses or willingness to endure pain.
COMMENTARY / World
May 13, 2026
The risk of the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø restarting is irrationally high
So long as the ceasefire holds and Hormuz remains blocked, the conflict is now a test of how well each side can withstand the economic and political strain inflicted by the other.
A man passes a mural on a wall in Tehran after U.S. President Donald Trump said that he had agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran, on April 8.
COMMENTARY / World
May 11, 2026
If Iran agrees to everything, was the war worth it?
The strongest argument against the reported U.S. proposal is that it would leave Iran controlling the Strait of Hormuz.
Donald Trump's decades-long unchanging foreign policy approach, combined with erratic behavior, has amplified risks and confusion in U.S. dealings with Russia, Iran and the wider world.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 24, 2026
We¡¯re all trapped in Trump¡¯s 1980s worldview
Current events provide a vivid example of how Trump¡¯s failure to evolve distorts policy making.
People mourn the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in joint U.S. and Israeli strikes, in Tehran on Sunday.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 1, 2026
Trump¡¯s ambitions for Iran: He wants everything.
Yet the most ambitious goal, and the one that must be achieved to make sense of all the others, was regime change.
Locals hold a Ukrainian flag on a destroyed bridge in Irpin, Ukraine, during a memorial ceremony on Tuesday marking the fourth anniversary of Russia¡¯s invasion.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 27, 2026
Russia¡¯s invasion of Ukraine has already changed the world
Russia¡¯s record in this tragedy is less inspiring. The war has been the catastrophe that even many in the Kremlin feared.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend a news conference following their meeting to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine in Anchorage, Alaska, in August.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 18, 2026
Putin has weaponized the peace talks. The U.S. can stop him
More than a year into negotiations that President Donald Trump said would take him 24 hours to resolve, the recent talks in Dubai produced nothing beyond a prisoner swap.
A woman walks past a mural depicting a U.S. drone on a wall of the former U.S. Embassy in Tehran. U.S. President Donald Trump¡¯s mixed signals on Iran raise doubts that Washington has a clear strategy or enough understanding of the country to manage the consequences of military action.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 6, 2026
On Iran, U.S. needs a little more data and a lot less hubris
Responses from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his officials have ranged from let¡¯s talk (about nuclear) to forget about it and make my day.
As Russia¡¯s invasion of Ukraine continues, Vladimir Putin¡¯s reluctance to engage with global crises, such as America's actions in Venezuela, reveals his limited ability to assert Russian power on the world stage.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 23, 2026
Putin¡¯s recent silence is worrying
It¡¯s hard to know exactly what Russians think, as reporting there is strictly limited.
Then-Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi meets with his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, in Tehran in June 2022.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 11, 2026
America¡¯s Venezuela playbook won¡¯t work in Iran
Whether the Islamic Republic is ripe to fall from an external U.S. or Israeli nudge is a complicated question.
A Danish flag flutters next to a statue of Hans Egede, a Norwegian missionary who revitalized Danish-Norwegian ties to the island, in Nuuk, Greenland.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 9, 2026
The Greenland alarm is sounding ¡ª Europe needs to hear it
Greenland has a landmass three times the size of Texas under which there are thought to be large quantities of untapped rare earths, among other minerals that Trump wants.
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, in August for peace talks on ending the war in Ukraine.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 5, 2026
¡®The West¡¯ is near death. It¡¯s also worth fighting for.
So, no, the West doesn¡¯t stretch back to ancient Greece, because the ancient Greeks never mentioned it or conceived of it.
Whether it's within NATO or through bespoke coalitions, Europe must coordinate its military and diplomatic efforts to deter aggression, protect allies, and ensure it can project power effectively beyond the EU¡¯s highly regulated and limiting institutions.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 3, 2025
The EU is the wrong power player for Ukraine
Europe lacks the institutions, resources and political cohesion to defend against Russia and China, leaving NATO, bespoke coalitions and individual nations to fill the gap.
U.S. Marines at Air Station Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture demonstrate the Typhon ground-launched missile system in September. Capable of launching land-based Tomahawks, it has already been deployed in global exercises, proving that the technical challenges often cited as an excuse to withhold Tomahawks from Ukraine are unfounded.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 27, 2025
Sanctions or Tomahawks? Only credible threats will convince Putin.
A lack of resolve and realism in the West has encouraged Putin to believe he need only wait until Ukraine¡¯s backers fail it and he¡¯ll be able to achieve his maximalist goals.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin meet in Anchorage, Alaska, on Aug. 15. Putin is growing vulnerable, but Trump¡¯s wavering and Europe¡¯s divisions risk wasting the chance to end the Ukraine war.
COMMENTARY
Sep 17, 2025
Did Putin finally overplay his hand with Ukraine?
Vladimir Putin grows vulnerable, but Donald Trump¡¯s wavering and Europe¡¯s divisions risk squandering the chance to force an end to the war.
This damaged drone was found in a field near the eastern Polish village of Czosnowka on Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 11, 2025
Lessons for NATO after Putin sends drones over Poland
The U.S. and Europe have a lot to learn from Russia¡¯s warning shot.
Russian traditional nesting dolls with images of Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as U.S. President Donald Trump. Ukrainian and European leaders worry that the hastily arranged Alaska meeting between the two leaders risks playing into Russia¡¯s hands.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 13, 2025
Putin is about to outplay Trump again in Alaska
Trump isn¡¯t wrong to try sitting down with U.S. foes and rivals, even where more conventional leaders would avoid the risk. But hastily arranged encounters rarely result as hoped.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse's brain.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role
Iranian drones are displayed in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on Jan. 13, 2025.U.S. officials have acknowledged that Russia has ?provided targeting ?and other support for Iran in its drone strikes on U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf region.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi¡¯s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE 51³Ô¹ÏÍø

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER