Explainer
List of Explainer articles
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South African President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks at a podium onstage at an ANC rally. Zuma wears a shirt in the green-and-yellow party colors, as do many of the people crowded onstage behind him. He also raises one fist in the air as he speaks into the microphone. South Africa’s Uncertain Election, Explained
The African National Congress risks losing its majority for the first time since 1994.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a ceremony marking Holocaust Remembrance Day at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. Can the ICC Actually Arrest Netanyahu?
A former ICC president answers questions about the top court's jurisdiction in the Israel-Hamas war.
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French farmers drive their tractors on the A71 highway in protest. Europe’s Farmer Protests Are Part of a Bigger Problem
The unrest exposes the trade-offs that governments must confront on climate policy.
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The words PALESTINA LIBRE are painted on a car. What Does Latin America Think About the Israel-Hamas War?
Many countries are spurning Israel. But the region’s Middle East stance has always been nuanced.
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As two out of focus Palestinian flags wave in the foreground, in the background, a protester stands on the head of a bronze statue of Neptune on top of a fountain on a cloudy day. The protester waves another Palestinian flag and shouts as he leans back agains the statue's trident. Other demonstrators have climbed to rest on lower parts of the statue. How the Gaza War Could Shape Global Politics in 2024
From India to Germany to the United States, debate over the war could have real electoral consequences.
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In a photo released by the Houthi military on Nov. 20, a Houthi helicopter flies over the Galaxy Leader cargo ship in the Red Sea. The Red Sea Crisis, Explained
A wave of Houthi missile attacks has spooked shipping companies and energy markets.
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The top and side of the U.S. Capitol dome are seen through a four-paned window. The black frame blocks most of the rest of the image, obscuring about two-thirds of the photo. The Contentious Surveillance Law Making Waves in Washington
Why a regulation created to help U.S. intelligence agencies fight terror has become a political football.
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Venezuelan Defense Minister Gen. Vladímir Padrino López reads flyer on the Venezuela-Guyana territorial dispute. Why Is Venezuela Threatening a Land-Grab War in Latin America?
Caracas has its sights set on Guyana’s vast oil deposits, and President Nicolás Maduro isn’t willing to let a little thing like international law get in his way.
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Several plumes of white smoke rise against a gray sky above a densely populated area of the Gaza Strip. What the Use of White Phosphorus Means in Warfare
Israel’s use of the deadly chemical would violate international norms.
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas holds a placard showing maps tracing the reduction of Palestinian territory from its historical borders, left, to then-U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal for a Palestinian state under his new peace plan, far right, as he speaks in Ramallah. The Geopolitics of Palestine, Explained
Gaza wasn’t always the hot spot it is today.
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A grid of images shows Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a boy carrying a Palestine and a Fatah flag, a Hamas militant holding a gun with his face covered, members of Hezbollah wearing berets, fatigues, and holding flags, PLO leader Yasser Arafat, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants. A Guide to Palestinian and Other Anti-Israel Factions
Hamas is not the only group vying to lead the Palestinians—or the fight against Israel.
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U.S. President Joe Biden looks at a quantum computer as he tours the IBM facility in Poughkeepsie, New York, on Oct. 6, 2022. The Quantum Chips Are Stacking Up
Why it matters, and how worried we should be about it.
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A general view during the inauguration of a green-tech hydrogen production plant at the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rheinland in Wesseling, Germany. Green Hydrogen Isn’t a Silver Bullet
World leaders are betting big on clean hydrogen. How much of it is hype?
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Protesters wave Nigerien and Russian flags in Niger. Niger’s Coup Is West Africa’s Biggest Challenge Yet
ECOWAS’s Sunday deadline to reimpose Niger’s president could be the starting pistol for war across West Africa.
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A view of a spent nuclear fuel storage site at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. How Worried Should We Be About Zaporizhzhia?
It’s not Chernobyl 2.0. But experts say Russian threats to cause a catastrophe shouldn’t be dismissed lightly.
