Ishaan Tharoor

The Washington Post

Asia’s heat waves are a grim sign of the times

By: Ishaan Tharoor

A severe heat wave unfurling across a wide swath of Asia is a grim augur of things to come.

The Washington Post

An Erdogan defeat would mark a victory for liberal democracy worldwide

By: Ishaan Tharoor

“If [President Recep Tayyip Erdogan] loses power via elections, that will give a lot of people hope that the autocratic surge can be reversed,” Turkish politics expert Gonul Tol said.

The Washington Post

Erdogan scores win through culture wars and soft authoritarianism

By: Ishaan Tharoor

The Turkish president is poised to return to power, using a political template that illiberal parties are following around the world.

The Washington Post

Thailand’s youth reject the generals

By: Ishaan Tharoor

Sunday’s Thai election marked a rare moment in global politics when a suppressed protest movement found vengeance at the ballot box.

The Washington Post

Assad in Saudi Arabia reflects the Middle East’s new normal

By: Ishaan Tharoor

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has experienced a rehabilitation with regional powers that is jarring for his critics and opponents.

The Washington Post

Europe’s hawkishness on China comes into focus

By: Ishaan Tharoor

The leading voices on the continent expressing skepticism about China come from Europe's post-Soviet states.

The Washington Post

The unique absurdity of the U.S.’s looming debt default

By: Ishaan Tharoor

Denmark is the only industrialized democracy other than the United States to have a debt limit set at a nominal value, but Danish debt is never the subject of complicated political wrangling.

The Washington Post

China and Russia draw closer, but how close?

By: Ishaan Tharoor

While Russia wants to make good on its supposed “no limits” friendship with Beijing, Chinese officials and analysts describe the ties between the countries as not a full-fledged alliance.

The Washington Post

Erdogan becomes an era-defining electoral autocrat

By: Ishaan Tharoor

Even as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan consolidated his rule over two decades, political scholars still saw Turkey as a quasi-democracy. That view is starting to change as Erdogan renews his mandate for power.

The Washington Post

U.S. and China lock horns at Asia’s top security forum

By: Ishaan Tharoor

Though the U.S. and Chinese defense ministers both stressed a desire to avoid conflict, tensions between the two powers shadowed all discussions at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.