Argument
An expert’s point of view on a current event.
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An Orthodox believer with a protective mask attends a religious service at an Orthodox church in Skopje, North Macedonia, on April 16. North Macedonia’s Orthodox Church Could Become a Coronavirus Super-Spreader
Despite an otherwise strict nationwide lockdown, the government’s politically motivated decision to allow Orthodox Christians to take communion from shared spoons could unleash a major COVID-19 outbreak.
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Chief Executive Carrie Lam speaks during a press conference at the government headquarters in Hong Kong on April 22. The Pandemic Is Cover for a Crackdown in Hong Kong
The gap between the mainland and the city is closing fast.
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A woman wearing a face mask sits at a bus stop in Paris on April 21. How Capital Markets Can Contain the Coronavirus
As governments and central banks run out of fiscal stimulus options, COVID-19 social bonds could be critical in softening the economic blow.
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A picture taken during a guided tour organized by the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah shows volunteers sorting food aid that will be distributed during the coronavirus pandemic in Beirut's southern suburbs on March 31. A poster on the wall shows the current leader of the movement, Hassan Nasrallah. After the Coronavirus, Terrorism Won’t Be the Same
As big-government initiatives expand and leaders deflect blame, anti-establishment groups, angry Luddites, and China-haters could turn to violence.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a videoconference meeting at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow on April 20. Democracies Can’t Blame Putin for Their Disinformation Problem
The focus on foreign subversion ignores the damage being done at home.
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A box and tablets on a blister pack of hydroxychloroquine are displayed. The World Needs to Change How It Trades Drugs
Trump’s pressure led India to reverse an export ban on an unproven treatment for COVID-19. The incident reveals flaws in how medical provisions are traded.
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French President Emmanuel Macron walks with Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and General Khalifa Haftar, commander of the Libyan National Army, after talks aimed at easing tensions in Libya. Russia Isn’t the Only One Getting Its Hands Dirty in Libya
The United Arab Emirates, backed by France, is helping to fuel continued bloodshed in the North African country.
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U.S. President Donald Trump The United States Can’t Ditch China Yet
Fraying ties need not spell the end of the U.S.-China relationship.
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Protesters man a barricade in support of the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs and the Tyendinaga Mohawks The Pandemic Is Slicing Away Indigenous Sovereignty in Canada
The Wet’suwet’en ended pipeline protests for safety’s sake, but the police aren’t following the rules.
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A French firefighter displays a test tube as he works to detect the presence of the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, in Marseille on April 3. The Next Pandemic Might Not Be Natural
Conspiracy theories and pseudoscience have left the United States fatally unprepared for real biological warfare.
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The new French self-attested movement document is displayed on a smartphone on April 6—the 21st day of a strict lockdown in France to stop the spread of COVID-19. Privacy and the Pandemic: Time for a Digital Bill of Rights
Democratic governments need digital tools and personal data to combat the crisis, but too much sharing can be dangerous to individuals. How can they strike the right balance?
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A man wearing a face mask holds a welcome sign at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, on April 8, as a team of Chinese medics sponsored by China Railway Construction Corp. arrived in Nigeria to help fight the coronavirus pandemic. Beijing’s Propaganda Is Finding Few Takers
As the Chinese Communist Party embarks on a presumptive goodwill campaign, few in the developing world are falling for it.
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A Syrian man shows marks of torture on his back, after he was released from regime forces, in the Bustan Pasha neighbourhood of Syria's northern city of Aleppo on Aug. 23, 2012. If a Torturer Switches Sides, Does He Deserve Mercy?
A Syrian official goes on trial this week for war crimes. His defense centers on the rebels who helped him defect—and now want nothing to do with him.
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President Jair Bolsonaro speaks with supporters in Brasília on April 19. Why Jair Bolsonaro’s Coronavirus Denialism Won’t Hurt Him
The Brazilian president is banking on popular outrage at lockdowns if the economy falls apart—and elite fears of his vice president.
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Employees of the Gabonese pharmaceutical factory Sogafam The Remaking of Big Pharma in a Post-Pandemic World
COVID-19 has bucked conventional wisdom on how the industry must operate.
