World News Insights: Opinion Articles

First the whiz and then the explosion a second later. One after another. One after another. I was hiding in an underground dugout — it would be difficult to call it a bunker: no solid entrance door, no proper stash of food and water. The walls were wooden and there were two sort-of beds, a…

The upcoming elections in Turkey (in a year's time or maybe even as early as November as some observers claim) and not so favorable public opinion poll results have put President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party government on alert. The government has quite a…

The war in Ukraine will continue for a long time – maybe years. An analysis from the British Royal United Services Institute last month emphasized that Moscow is preparing for a long, difficult war. On this side of the Atlantic Ocean there is consensus that Washington and NATO should help Ukraine…

At the core of the frenzied interest in Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter is an intuition that I think is right: The major social media platforms are, in some hard-to-define way, essential to modern life. Call them town squares. Call them infrastructure. They exist in some nether region between…

President Biden has the chance to avert a nuclear crisis that could push the United States to the brink of war and threaten the coalition he’s built to counter Russia. But he isn’t seizing it for one overriding reason: He fears the political blowback. Since taking office, Mr. Biden has pledged…

After I wrote a newsletter last month on how economists’ views differ from those of ordinary people, I got emails to the effect of, “If economists are so smart, why ain’t they rich?” I’m not an economist, so the question doesn’t ruffle my feathers. The possible explanations, though, are interesting…

As Australians head to the polls this month, China’s role in domestic politics is becoming increasingly important. Yet many politicians, journalists and voters seem to be unable to distinguish between China the nation, the Communist Party that governs it, and people of Chinese ancestry. This is…

The only thing that the Lebanese can agree on is that a state of chaos and confusion defines all aspects of life, from politics and security, to the economy and society. That state manifested itself in the absurdity of the electoral campaigns preceding the day of the vote on Sunday. The absence…

At the polling station at the Lebanese Embassy, I had mixed feelings. I was happy to see the Lebanese still willing to vote despite the success of the ruling system in killing the essence of this practice. The previous elections did not contribute to stopping the decline that marked the past…

The stirrings of springtime show nature awakening. Coaxed by warming air and stronger sunlight, flowers unfurl on cherry trees and eager green buds burst forth from horse chestnuts. A little hope returns, as bees buzz and birds build nests. This year, it’s been happening a little earlier — and the…

You might not notice it from the way that inflation, conflict and pandemic have driven up the cost of food in recent years, but the specter of hunger that has haunted humanity for millennia is moving closer to being vanquished. In middle-income countries, the number of people undernourished fell…

The future of US-made electric-vehicle batteries might be found in a modest white shed in Tamarack, Minnesota, population 104. Beneath bright fluorescent lights, foot-long cylindrical pieces of rock are laid out in cardboard boxes, where they sparkle with grains found in the millions of pounds…