The attire may have been unusual. But the message was unmistakable. When Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov showed up last week at the Alaska Summit between President Trump and Vladimir Putin, there was no shortage of double takes when onlookers noticed he was wearing a grey sweatshirt with the letters …

For almost everyone involved, the diplomacy around ending the war in Ukraine seems to be an exercise in faking it till they make it. Russian President Vladimir Putin is pretending he wants peace. U.S. President Donald Trump is riding along with him, pretending (or perhaps truly thinking) that Putin is …

Great-power competition once again defines international relations. But the exact contours of today’s contest remain the subject of debate. Some observers emphasize ideological precedents from the Cold War. Others focus on changing military balances. Still others highlight leaders and their choices. In truth, modern conflicts over the international system flow …