World News Insights: Opinion Articles

On July 12, the United Nations’ Security Council passed Resolution 2642 – giving the UN a new mandate to provide cross-border humanitarian aid to northwestern Syria for a period of six months. The resolution was described as a compromise between the international community and Russia, but in…

June’s just-released inflation data is startling. At 9.1 percent, it’s the highest year-on-year rate we’ve seen since 1981. Maybe it’s the highest we will see. Oil and other commodity prices are falling, real wage growth has turned negative and retail inventories are thickening. None of that is…

Gail Collins: Bret, we should talk a bit about the passing of Donald Trump’s first wife, Ivana. Any first thoughts? Bret Stephens: A sad moment. She represented immigrant striving, something her former husband should have learned to appreciate — but didn’t. Did you know her? Gail: No, my…

Despite the muddling media hubbub surrounding US President Joe Biden’s visit to the city of Jeddah, the outcomes announced officially make Biden’s visit to the Kingdom one of the most important in terms of strategic value. Whatever the occasion, popular media is always on the lookout for scoops…

Instead of the bright colors that popped from the screen, my apps and photos stared out like washed-out newspaper print. This was intentional on my part. I wanted to see if setting my phone to grayscale would make me spend less time scrolling through apps . One surprising result near the beginning…

The evening news on the Lebanese broadcaster LBCI is a spectacular scoop that recurs daily. It tells us that, in contrast to what we know to be true, Lebanon is leaping from one success to another, consistently taking excellence to new highs. Vacationers and tourists are flocking to it. The parties…

One day in Baghdad, I pondered the reasons why the United States decided to dissolve the Iraqi army. I didn’t find a convincing answer, neither from America’s opponents, nor from its allies. Then President Jalal Talabani said: “The US is confusing and confused. But it is a major power, which…

Nothing ruins a Chinese neighborhood like a vacant skyscraper owned by a bankrupt real estate developer. But Hefei, the capital of Anhui Province, has something worse: the first floors of a building intended to be one of the world's tallest. Its owner, cash-strapped China Evergrande Group, has…

Have we just passed peak inflation? That was the question economists were debating last week, when the US Labor Department published the latest consumer price inflation rate. The index in June was 9.1% above the level a year before — the highest figure since December 1981. Is that the top? We…

The delicate choreography of ships, trains and trucks at the world’s ports has been badly disrupted by the pandemic, and the turmoil is not likely to end soon. If a virus can have such an adverse impact on the journey of a plastic toy or automobile from Point A to Point B, consider the potential…

As a rule, politicians- especially while they are waging an electoral campaign- are inclined to say things that help them with their races or tickle the sentiments of their voters and parties. We journalists have become very used to seeing it. These statements only toy with peoples’ emotions and…

The Saudi-American and American-Gulf summits in Jeddah concluded with major announcements, most significant of which was the US president’s acknowledgement that Washington committed a mistake in withdrawing from the region. His visit was therefore, capped with returning Saudi-American ties back…