
America’s Vaccine Diplomacy Is AWOL in the Middle East
China and Russia are spreading their vaccines—and forging new ties—to some of Washington’s closest allies.

Coronavirus Hasn’t Killed Belt and Road
As the pandemic rages, China’s strategy is becoming more high-tech and sophisticated.

Cheap Mass Testing Is Vital for Pandemic Victory
Switching from expensive, slow PCR tests to self-administered antigen tests could work wonders.

The Pandemic Remade the Chinese Economy
Other countries should prepare now for their own reformations.

The World After the Coronavirus
We asked 12 leading thinkers to predict what happens in 2021 and beyond.

At State Department, Some Concerned That Political Appointees Are Jumping the Line to Get COVID-19 Vaccine
Lack of communication over surplus doses has prompted suspicion and anger.

Our Top Arguments of 2020
From the pandemic to Black Lives Matter and the U.S. election, five articles from the year that changed everything.

Boris Johnson’s Year From Hell
Britain’s prime minister promised to take back control. When it comes to the coronavirus, he has lost it.

How Press Freedom Came Under Attack in 2020
Citizens hungry for information turned to the media during the pandemic, but governments around the world used the crisis to restrict journalists.

East Asia Takes a Cautious Coronavirus Victory Lap
Here are five of our best pieces on how East Asia handled the pandemic.

How China Fought the Pandemic—and Lied About It
A look back at our best essays on the onset of the coronavirus.

Will Virus Mutations Threaten COVID-19 Vaccines?
We don't yet know whether new variants of the coronavirus may impede vaccines’ efficacy. But they shouldn’t change anything about our approach to public health.

The Deadly Crash of Europe’s Second Wave
The continent thought it had the coronavirus beat—and had its guard down when it mattered most.

Boris Johnson’s Christmas Coronavirus Nightmare
The British government squandered the chance to contain the virus in hopes of economic recovery.

The Vaccine Has a Serious Side Effect—A Positive One
It could make 2021 the year Americans rediscover science.

Our Top Weekend Reads
Swedes can’t figure out their government’s coronavirus approach, a progressive push on U.S. foreign policy, and an honest assessment of the Arab Spring’s fallout.

Is the Cyberattack Big News—or Just a Footnote In a Year Like No Other?
Will 2021 be full of foreign-policy crises and domestic drama or dull compared to 2020?

Sweden’s Second Wave Is a Failure of Government—and Guidance
The country’s contrarian approach to the COVID-19 pandemic was meant to prove that trust in authorities could avert lockdowns. Instead, mixed messaging and political squabbles have led to an exploding epidemic.

Numbers Aren’t Reality, but You Can’t Govern Without Them
Picking the right statistics has been critical to handling—or botching—the coronavirus pandemic.