Excerpt

List of Excerpt articles

  • Jacob Zuma (right), the then-president of South Africa, and Ace Magashule, the then-premier of the Free State, ready to release white doves during the unveiling of the Nelson Mandela statue in Bloemfontein, South Africa, on Dec. 13, 2012.
    Jacob Zuma (right), the then-president of South Africa, and Ace Magashule, the then-premier of the Free State, ready to release white doves during the unveiling of the Nelson Mandela statue in Bloemfontein, South Africa, on Dec. 13, 2012.

    The Man Who Stole South Africa

    Cyril Ramaphosa has pledged a new dawn as president, but the secretary-general of his own party has built a web of corruption that thrives on darkness.

  • Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party gestures during a roadshow in support of the party's state assembly election party candidates in Varanasi on March 4. (Sanjay Kanojia/AFP/Getty Images)
    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party gestures during a roadshow in support of the party's state assembly election party candidates in Varanasi on March 4. (Sanjay Kanojia/AFP/Getty Images)

    Is India’s Modi a Reformer or a Performer?

    In the world’s biggest democracy, good politics often have nothing to do with good economics.

  • Construction of the Faisal Mosque in the foothills of Margalla Hills of Islamabad, Pakistan, began in 1976 after a grant from Saudi King Faisal, whose name the mosque bears. (Muhammed Semih Ugurlu/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
    Construction of the Faisal Mosque in the foothills of Margalla Hills of Islamabad, Pakistan, began in 1976 after a grant from Saudi King Faisal, whose name the mosque bears. (Muhammed Semih Ugurlu/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

    Extremism Is Riyadh’s Top Export

    Saudi Arabia is fighting for a dangerous monopoly on Islamic thought.

  • A U.S. Army military policeman stands guard in front of the stage as the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders perform for American forces in Baghdad as part of their military USO tour on Sept. 15, 2007. (John Moore/Getty Images)
    A U.S. Army military policeman stands guard in front of the stage as the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders perform for American forces in Baghdad as part of their military USO tour on Sept. 15, 2007. (John Moore/Getty Images)

    From Doughnut Girls to Den Mothers and Cheerleaders

    The U.S. military has long relied on women to entertain the troops. Here’s how that’s slowly changing.

  • Two Chechen fighters warm by the fire burning next to a house destroyed by Russian artillery in the center of Grozny, Jan. 15, 1995. ( Michael Evsafiev/AFP/Getty Images)
    Two Chechen fighters warm by the fire burning next to a house destroyed by Russian artillery in the center of Grozny, Jan. 15, 1995. ( Michael Evsafiev/AFP/Getty Images)

    The Making of a Chechen Hitman

    Russia’s best killers learned their skills fighting Moscow.

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    election_lead_smooth

    How to Steal an Election in Broad Daylight

    Autocrats and counterfeit democrats have perfected the art of rigging polls to stay in power — without breaking any laws.

  • An Israeli tank in the southern Gaza Strip on Sep. 1, 2005. (Abid Katib/Getty Images)
    An Israeli tank in the southern Gaza Strip on Sep. 1, 2005. (Abid Katib/Getty Images)

    The Israelis Who Prevented a War With Iran

    Netanyahu came close to ordering airstrikes in 2010 — but was thwarted by his own security chiefs.

  • Why Democracy Doesn’t Deliver

    Endless elections, unqualified leaders, uninformed voters, and short-term thinking are impeding economic growth.

  • A Chinese worker loads coal into a furnace on November 3, 2016 in Inner Mongolia, China. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
    A Chinese worker loads coal into a furnace on November 3, 2016 in Inner Mongolia, China. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

    China’s Zombie Firms Can’t Lurch Forever

    As state-backed companies' debts mount, China faces an inevitable slowdown.

  • The reflectors at the PS10 solar tower plant sit at Sanlucar la Mayor outside Seville on April 24, 2007 in Seville, Spain. (Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
    The reflectors at the PS10 solar tower plant sit at Sanlucar la Mayor outside Seville on April 24, 2007 in Seville, Spain. (Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

    Can’t Stop the Shining

    Solar power is the world’s most promising clean energy solution, but governments must abandon outdated policies for it to succeed.

  • Russian President Vladimir Putin looks at a map in his country at his residence of Novo-Ogaryevo outside Moscow, on Aug. 11, 2006. (Dmitry Astakhov)
    Russian President Vladimir Putin looks at a map in his country at his residence of Novo-Ogaryevo outside Moscow, on Aug. 11, 2006. (Dmitry Astakhov)

    Russia’s Clash With the West Is About Geography, Not Ideology

    The Marshall Plan recognized the limits of U.S. power in Europe. To be successful, so must diplomacy with Moscow today.

  • A Palestinian boy holds a bunch of plastic flowers as he plays on the rubble of assassinated Hamas interior minister Said Siam's apartment building during a Hamas rally in Jabalia, on January 20, 2009. Arab leaders today pledged "all forms of support for the reconstruction of Gaza" but failed to set up a specific fund for the war-battered Palestinian enclave, as they wound up a two-day summit. AFP PHOTO/PATRICK BAZ (Photo credit should read PATRICK BAZ/AFP/Getty Images)
    A Palestinian boy holds a bunch of plastic flowers as he plays on the rubble of assassinated Hamas interior minister Said Siam's apartment building during a Hamas rally in Jabalia, on January 20, 2009. Arab leaders today pledged "all forms of support for the reconstruction of Gaza" but failed to set up a specific fund for the war-battered Palestinian enclave, as they wound up a two-day summit. AFP PHOTO/PATRICK BAZ (Photo credit should read PATRICK BAZ/AFP/Getty Images)

    How Israel Won a War but Paid a High Moral Price

    A decade of targeted assassinations has pushed the boundaries of Israel's laws and military ethics — and harmed its image across the globe.

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