World News Insights: Opinion Articles

With immense difficulty and effort, Hezbollah’s candidate for the Speakership, Nabih Berri, was elected for the seventh time. However, Berri’s victory seemed like it had been achieved in the dead of night, as the number of votes that he and his deputy received affirmed that the national consensus…

For the past two weeks a large number of Iranians, perhaps hundreds of thousands, have been taking part in protest marches in more than 100 cities across the nation to vent their anger against a system that they consider to be corrupt, incompetent and oppressive. At the same time the government…

In a predictable sequence, just after President Joe Biden’s approval rating fell below where Donald Trump’s had been four years ago, we get a story from NBC News about problems in a White House described as “adrift.” Political scientist Brendan Nyhan nails it: Versions of this story are written…

Talk is easy. Political change is hard. In Australia, it’s more than two centuries overdue. Claiming victory in last month’s election, new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s first words were a vow to redress the unfinished business from the colonial invasion of 1788. His promise to “commit to…

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi often speaks of “trusted” supply chains. At the G-20 last year, he said that global supply chains depend upon “trust, transparency, and timeframes”; he’s made a similar pitch for Japan, the United States and Australia to “trust” India as a trade partner. And…

The word “justice” was heard several times during the newly elected Lebanese Parliament’s first session, immediately followed by the word “annulled” being yelled out by the Speaker of the Parliament representing the ruling coalition majority. It is as though the current government is unable to…

The world is waiting for a new generation of Covid-19 vaccines that last longer and can actually prevent infections. The existing shots have averted millions of deaths and hospitalizations, but the public’s willingness to get vaccinated seems to shrink with each new round of boosters. A new…

Elon Musk’s repeated wavering on his deal to buy Twitter has roiled markets and raised fresh questions about his seriousness. His promises to preserve free speech, ban spam bots and dramatically boost revenue may have earned the blessing of the company’s founder, Jack Dorsey, but with Twitter’s…

On May 22, when President Biden described the global outbreak of monkeypox, a close but less lethal relative of smallpox, as a phenomenon that “everybody should be concerned about,” 109 cases had been confirmed in 14 countries outside those where the virus typically circulates, including the United…

All wars have their iconic weapons, from the AK-47 to the I.E.D. In Ukraine, it’s the drone. A vast number and variety of drones — unmanned aerial vehicles — have been used on both sides of the war, including large military-grade machines and smaller consumer models. Drone operators are the new…

The Arab Gulf States, in particular Saudi Arabia, are witnessing a remarkable diplomatic movement, with both publicized and undeclared contacts and visits by US officials, as well as a trip of the Russian Foreign Minister to the region. This movement comes in light of the repercussions of the…

A few days ago, Iran behaved like a power that safeguards national borders and guarantees their stability. According to the German Press Agency, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh affirmed that “the Islamic Republic of Iran opposes any military action and use of force on the…