Dispatch

The view from the ground.

List of Dispatch articles

British Royal Navy pilot Lt. Cmdr. Rory Cheyne, an exchange officer with the U.S. Navy, flies an F-18 Super Hornet past HMS Prince of Wales.
British Royal Navy pilot Lt. Cmdr. Rory Cheyne, an exchange officer with the U.S. Navy, flies an F-18 Super Hornet past HMS Prince of Wales.

Britain’s Navy Is Diminished. Its Ambitions Are Not.

The Royal Navy could be the key to America’s Pacific pivot.

A tram car moves along a street in Lisbon, framed on either side by buildings in the foreground. Another building looms over the tram in the background, with plaster siding and balconies in front of some of its windows. A woman in a sleeveless shirt and jeans walks on a crosswalk in front of the tram.
A tram car moves along a street in Lisbon, framed on either side by buildings in the foreground. Another building looms over the tram in the background, with plaster siding and balconies in front of some of its windows. A woman in a sleeveless shirt and jeans walks on a crosswalk in front of the tram.

Is Portugal’s Golden Visa Scheme Worth It?

Wealthy investors pulled the country out of a financial crisis, but they also sent house prices skyrocketing.

French President Emmanuel Macron answers journalists' questions on the tarmac of Cairo's airport following his crisis diplomacy visits to Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Jordan.
French President Emmanuel Macron answers journalists' questions on the tarmac of Cairo's airport following his crisis diplomacy visits to Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Jordan.

Macron Breaks Ranks With the West on Israel-Hamas War

Amid deepening internal rifts, France is trying again to punch above its weight on the world stage.

Rafet Kurse, a former fisherman, stands next to an abandoned boat on the former shores of Marmara Lake. A dry, dusty landscape stretches into the distance behind him.
Rafet Kurse, a former fisherman, stands next to an abandoned boat on the former shores of Marmara Lake. A dry, dusty landscape stretches into the distance behind him.

King of the Dammed

Turkish President Erdogan’s mega-infrastructure projects are enriching construction companies while reshaping his country’s waterscape for the worse.

Migrants wait outside the offices of the International Organization for Migration in Tunis after Tunisian police dismantled a makeshift camp in the city on April 11.
Migrants wait outside the offices of the International Organization for Migration in Tunis after Tunisian police dismantled a makeshift camp in the city on April 11.

Stranded in Tunisia

The country has become the favored departure point for Europe, but Kais Saied’s crackdown is endangering migrants whether they stay or go.

Family photos shared by their mother show 15-year-old Dafna Elyakim (left, smiling and holding up two fingers on each hand in V signs) and 8-year-old Ella Elyakim (wearing a tanktop and shorts, barefooted and smiling as she stands in a rocky landscape).
Family photos shared by their mother show 15-year-old Dafna Elyakim (left, smiling and holding up two fingers on each hand in V signs) and 8-year-old Ella Elyakim (wearing a tanktop and shorts, barefooted and smiling as she stands in a rocky landscape).

Israel’s Hostage Families Feel Abandoned by Israel

They feel trapped in a nightmare—and ignored by their government.

(L-R) The chairman of the "Voice" (Hlas) political party Peter Pellegrini, the Chairman of the social democratic Smer party Robert Fico and the chairman of the  far-right Slovak National Party (SNS) Andrej Danko take their seats as they agreed on a coalition to form a new government in Bratislava, Slovakia, on Oct. 11.
(L-R) The chairman of the "Voice" (Hlas) political party Peter Pellegrini, the Chairman of the social democratic Smer party Robert Fico and the chairman of the far-right Slovak National Party (SNS) Andrej Danko take their seats as they agreed on a coalition to form a new government in Bratislava, Slovakia, on Oct. 11.

Robert Fico Isn’t the Next Viktor Orban

Slovakia’s resurrected leader needed allies to form a government—and he isn’t as pro-Russian as many observers fear.

Palestinians gather in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on Oct. 10, 2023, to express their support for the Gaza Strip.
Palestinians gather in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on Oct. 10, 2023, to express their support for the Gaza Strip.

The View From Ramallah

Palestinians see a double standard in Western support for Ukraine’s fight against occupation.

Cars are seen on fire following a rocket attack from the Gaza Strip in Ashkelon, southern Israel, on Oct. 7.
Cars are seen on fire following a rocket attack from the Gaza Strip in Ashkelon, southern Israel, on Oct. 7.

Israel Rocked by Unprecedented Hamas Surprise Attack

Israel-Palestine sees its bloodiest day of fighting in decades as Netanyahu declares war.

A military escort gives a tour of the destruction in central Derna, Libya.
A military escort gives a tour of the destruction in central Derna, Libya.

Eastern Libya’s Rulers Crack Down on Protests—Not Shoddy Infrastructure

Libyan authorities invited journalists to cover the floods. Their window of welcome quickly closed.

Polish Prime Minister and member of the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) political party Mateusz Morawiecki waves to supporters before speaking at a PiS election rally on the last day of campaigning on October 11, 2019 in Chelm, Poland.
Polish Prime Minister and member of the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) political party Mateusz Morawiecki waves to supporters before speaking at a PiS election rally on the last day of campaigning on October 11, 2019 in Chelm, Poland.

Poland Is Throwing All Its Neighbors Under the Bus

Running for reelection, the Polish government is flailing in every direction to keep its populist credibility.

A man holds a flag bearing the logo of the Wagner Group as supporters of Niger's coup gather in the capital of Niamey on Aug. 26.
A man holds a flag bearing the logo of the Wagner Group as supporters of Niger's coup gather in the capital of Niamey on Aug. 26.

Wagner’s African Hosts Regret Letting Them In

Libyans, among others, are sick of the Russian mercenaries.

A lone wolf faces the camera appearing to snarl on a dry winter field on the edge of the forest in Hukkajarvi, eastern Finland.
A lone wolf faces the camera appearing to snarl on a dry winter field on the edge of the forest in Hukkajarvi, eastern Finland.

Who’s Afraid of Europe’s Big, Bad Wolves?

Conservationists face off against farmers in a familiar man-versus-nature conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, wearing a dark green shirt, gestures with his left hand, as he stands behind the U.N. seal to address the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, wearing a dark green shirt, gestures with his left hand, as he stands behind the U.N. seal to address the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Zelensky: ‘War Crimes Must Be Punished’

Ukraine’s president made an impassioned plea at the opening of the U.N. General Assembly to bring wrongdoers—such as Russia—to justice.

Two camel-colored Abrams tanks move across a sandy landscape beneath a cloudy sky.
Two camel-colored Abrams tanks move across a sandy landscape beneath a cloudy sky.

Ukraine Is Getting Its Abrams—but Not What It Really Wants

U.S. military support for Kyiv continues, but political resistance means no long-range fire.

El Hardi kneels next to his dog Rock, amid tangled piles of rubble, water, and some intact buildings, during their search in Derna, Libya.
El Hardi kneels next to his dog Rock, amid tangled piles of rubble, water, and some intact buildings, during their search in Derna, Libya.

‘We’ll Start Digging Here’

Unusually virulent weather and poor infrastructure have brought hell to eastern Libya.

Supporters of the AfD party, Free Saxons movement, and other groups demonstrate against high energy prices, German support for Ukraine, and other government policies in Chemnitz, Germany.
Supporters of the AfD party, Free Saxons movement, and other groups demonstrate against high energy prices, German support for Ukraine, and other government policies in Chemnitz, Germany.

Why Does Eastern Germany Love Putin So Much?

Russian disinformation has bewitched the far right and the far left.

People sit on stairs outside a popular bar at night in Istanbul, Turkey.
People sit on stairs outside a popular bar at night in Istanbul, Turkey.

Turks Are Running Out of Cash—and Patience

Erdogan’s economic gambles created an inflation mess. Can his U-turn fix what’s broken? 

Volunteers from the German NGO Tentaja sift through donations destined for Ukrainian refugees in a hangar of the former Tempelhof Airport in Berlin.
Volunteers from the German NGO Tentaja sift through donations destined for Ukrainian refugees in a hangar of the former Tempelhof Airport in Berlin.

Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport Tells Germany’s Story

Born just ahead of the horrors of the Nazi regime, the airport now offers a safe haven to refugees and everyday Germans.

Giant panda Xiao Qi Ji enjoys an ice cake to celebrate his third birthday at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington.
Giant panda Xiao Qi Ji enjoys an ice cake to celebrate his third birthday at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington.

The Panda Party’s Almost Over

Three of Washington’s most beloved residents are heading back home, ending an era amid frostiness in U.S.-China relations.

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