World News Insights: Opinion Articles

We are now in Covid limbo. Cases are down and still falling, yet scientists aren’t willing to declare the pandemic over — or, conversely, to predict when the next wave might come. But perhaps it’s a good thing that public health officials are displaying a little less confidence. Researchers still…

In the fantastically terrifying HBO miniseries “Chernobyl,” the scientist Valery Legasov warns, "If we don't find out how this happened, it will happen again." The same could be said, I fear, about the predations of a revanchist Russia, where President Vladimir Putin seems as blinkered to reality…

There was a time around two decades ago when the notion circulated that the era of the China tea-leaf reader was drawing to a close. With the nation joining the World Trade Organization in 2001 and the economy becoming more transparent and rules-based, the value of specialists who could parse the…

The horrific carnage in Ukraine has led to cries across the world for Vladimir Putin to be charged with war crimes. I share the outrage, and would like to see the Russian president punished. But the threat of a future war crimes trial isn’t likely to prove much of a deterrent. Let’s start at the…

European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has declared a pause in the Iranian nuclear negotiations in Vienna, caused by “external factors.” “A final text is essentially ready and on the table,” Borrell tweeted. “As coordinator, I will, with my team, continue to be in touch with all…

We are rapidly expanding our understanding of cancer – how to prevent it, detect it, diagnose it, and treat it. Global deaths from cancer, corrected for ageing, declined by 15% from 1990 to 2016. Years of endeavor in research and development, improvements in public health, and efforts to…

When he launched his invasion of Ukraine over two weeks ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared like a man who knew what he was doing. In his televised session with the High Council of National Security, he gave the impression that he had a precise war plan with clear objectives. Now,…

Many of us have put Covid largely out of our minds. But one of the most intriguing and important areas of study is exactly what Covid does to the mind. The answer to that question is still far from clear. And yet it affects how we treat Covid as well as how we manage future pandemics and viruses. …

No matter how Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine ends, China will determine whether the world freezes into a New Cold War. So far, Beijing — and its declared “no limits” partnership with Moscow — has failed to recognize the dangers that the Russian president’s wrecking-ball strategy poses to its…

Ukraine has most of the world on its side. It now has as many as 20,000 foreign fighters, too. From former members of the US, British and Canadian militaries to citizens from Japan, Jamaica and Europe and an Edinburgh grandfather, volunteer soldiers from across the globe have signed up — at the…

The Europeans are terrified by the prospect of Ukraine’s flames reaching their countries. They are afraid that their safe countries, thriving economies, and free societies will be Russia’s next target. The specter of losing today’s privileges is a major motive for their cautious and confused…

As President Vladimir Putin was launching his battle to restore Russia’s former glory by leveling Ukraine, something as important to his country’s future had already begun to play out at home. Russia’s most valuable asset — its young people — were indicating they want out. A poll taken before…