
The Making of a Chechen Hitman
Russia’s best killers learned their skills fighting Moscow.

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.

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.

China’s Zombie Firms Can’t Lurch Forever
As state-backed companies' debts mount, China faces an inevitable slowdown.

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Solar power is the world’s most promising clean energy solution, but governments must abandon outdated policies for it to succeed.

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.

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.

The Secret History of Diplomats and Invisible Weapons
The alleged use of a “sound weapon” against U.S. Embassy officials in Cuba harks back to a Cold War medical mystery.

The Graveyard of Empires and Big Data
The Pentagon's secret plan to crowdsource intelligence from Afghan civilians turned out to be brilliant — too brilliant.

‘If Money is Not Distributed, You Are Finished’
In India's contentious politics, it's impossible to avoid the smell of cash.

Could Mikhail Gorbachev Have Saved the Soviet Union?
The Soviet leader is remembered as the man who killed a superpower. But Gorbachev’s gambit on reforms could have worked -- if only he wasn't betrayed by the Communist Party.

The Russian Reset That Never Was
How palace intrigues in the Kremlin, the death of Qaddafi, and war in Ukraine ushered in a new era of mistrust between Russia and the United States under Obama.

The Unlikely Origins of Russia’s Manifest Destiny
How an obscure academic and a marginalized philosopher captured the minds of the Kremlin and helped forge the new Russian nationalism.

Why Jihadists Fight
Tunisia is supposed to be the success story of the Arab Spring — so why are so many of its young men flocking to the Islamic State?

The Brainbelt Awakening
It’s time to stop championing the "lonely heroes" of innovation like Apple, Google, and Amazon and rally around the ingenuity of the world’s waning industrial communities.

The Antonescu Paradox
Hitler’s Romanian ally led an utterly barbaric regime — that while often protecting Jews inside Romania’s borders, murdered them indiscriminately just outside those borders.

‘I Think I May Die Tonight’
The story of an ambitious Rwandan journalist who challenged Paul Kagame’s leadership.

Inside the CIA Red Cell
How an experimental unit transformed the intelligence community.

The Saints and Smugglers of Syria’s Civil War
How expatriates ran a covert campaign to funnel millions of dollars worth of aid into one of Syria’s worst-hit towns -- right under Assad’s nose.