Argument
An expert’s point of view on a current event.
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Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan addresses the legislative assembly in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, on Aug. 5. Imran Khan Isn’t Going Anywhere
Pakistan’s prime minister might just become the first ever to complete a full term.
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Fighters loyal to the U.N.-recognized Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) secure the area of Abu Qurain, halfway between the capital Tripoli and Libya's second city Benghazi, against forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar, who is backed by the United Arab Emirates and Russia, on July 20. The Israel-UAE Deal Won’t Bring Peace, but It Will Prolong the War in Libya
The much-touted agreement cements the regional divide between traditionalist monarchies and their rivals, while their respective proxies fight over the spoils from Libya to Yemen.
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A bank teller counts a stack of Chinese yuan and U.S. dollars at a bank in Shanghai on July 22, 2005. Don’t Discount the Dollar Yet
China may want to displace the dollar with the yuan as the global reserve currency, but its actions are leading to the opposite.
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An explosion rocks Syrian city of Kobani during a reported suicide car bomb attack by the militants of Islamic State (ISIS) group on a People's Protection Unit (YPG) position in the city center of Kobani, as seen from the outskirts of Suruc, on the Turkey-Syria border, Oct. 20, 2014. It’s Not a Peace Deal. It’s a Powder Keg.
Not all diplomatic deals are preludes to peace—and the Israel-UAE agreement fits an inauspicious pattern.
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The nearly empty A3 highway near Leverkusen, western Germany, on April 19 amid the pandemic. Lockdowns Have Been Amazing for the Environment, but COVID-19 Won’t Heal the Planet
Blue skies, clear water, thriving wildlife—nature has regenerated thanks to global lockdowns. How can we make the effect last?
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Taika Waititi and Roman Griffin Davis in the 2019 film Jojo Rabbit. Fascists Know How to Turn Mockery Into Power
Satirists who mean to cut down fascists can end up boosting their ideas.
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A portrait of Niccolò Machiavelli. America’s Crumbling Strategy Needs (Literally) Machiavellian Answers
The Italian philosopher saw the power of technology and change.
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A bubonic plague smear, prepared from a lymph removed from a plague patient, is seen in an undated photo. The Bubonic Plague Killed Feudalism. COVID-19 Will Entrench It.
Throughout history, pandemics have been a great equalizer. Here’s why this time is different.
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A scene from Playstation’s Ghost of Tsushima. The Half-Real World of Ghost of Tsushima
The game is hauntingly beautiful, but it reshapes history and geography.
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A tourist wearing a face mask walks on Magaluf Beach in Calvia on the Spanish island of Mallorca on July 8. Johnson Is Bringing Brits Home, but They’re Probably Safer in Spain
The British government’s haphazard approach to quarantining travelers won’t make up for its failed domestic coronavirus containment efforts.
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A mural on Israel's controversial separation wall between Jerusalem and Ramallah depicts the former chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Yasser Arafat, in 2017. Why Palestinians Need to Reclaim the PLO
The Palestinian Authority has failed to deliver democracy or sovereignty to the Palestinian people. It’s time for a new generation of leaders to deliver accountable governance and freedom.
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Coffins of three of the seven bodyguards of Lebanon's murdered prime minister Rafiq Hariri are carried through the crowd during a mass funeral in central Beirut on 16 February 2005. Hariri and his bodyguards were buried after his coffin was caught in a crush of frenzied mourners outside a Beirut mosque. AFP PHOTO/JOSEPH BARRAK. Hezbollah Still Has a Knife at Lebanon’s Throat After Hariri Verdict
A confused tribunal process is a step toward justice in a case that has haunted the country for years.
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Lee Man-hee, the leader of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus South Korea’s COVID-19 Church Scapegoat Is Fighting Back
As mainstream denominations see their own outbreaks, Shincheonji members say they were unfairly targeted.
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Opposition supporters protest against disputed presidential elections results at Independence Square in Minsk, Belarus, on Aug. 18. Belarus’s Protests Aren’t Particularly Anti-Putin
With little chance of the installation of an anti-Russian regime in Minsk, Moscow doesn’t have much reason to step into the fray.
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The destruction at Beirut's port on Aug 10 after the huge chemical explosion that devastated the Lebanese capital. Lebanon’s Ruined Port Is a Nightmare to Rebuild
Politics, corruption, and the pandemic impede reconstruction of the country’s lifeline.
