geopolitics
Life inside a reeducation camp in Mao Zedong’s China
For decades, the Communist Party of China has relied on reeducation camps to reform "parasites" and persuade people to support the communist cause.
The world has recently become less democratic
Democracy is in decline, regardless of how we measure it.
When tragedy becomes banal: Why you’re having crisis fatigue
Turning away is a natural response.
Queen Elizabeth II: the end of the “new Elizabethan age”
Time will tell what the reign of Charles III will look like, but one thing is for sure: the “new Elizabethan age” is long gone.
Nuke maps show what a nuclear bomb would do to your city
Total annihilation is a permanent threat.
How Russia’s strange cultural mindset led to Vladimir Putin’s great miscalculation
The Russian mindset is characterized by cynicism and distrust.
Explainer: the complex question of Taiwanese independence
"Strategic ambiguity" has long been the West's strategy on Taiwan.
Inside the crypto black markets of Argentina
Argentina's black market for cash is embracing crypto — but it's not what crypto proponents expected.
3 major reasons third parties fail in the U.S.
An upstart third party is unlikely to dislodge the status quo in the current system.
Democratic decay: Autocracies have been on the rise since 2017
For a time, Francis Fukuyama looked like a prophet.
War crimes are obvious, but proving them isn’t easy
A forensics expert explains what’s involved with documenting human rights violations during conflicts, from Afghanistan to Ukraine.
The world is awful. The world is much better. The world can be much better.
It is wrong to think that these three statements contradict each other. We need to see that they are all true to see that a better world is possible.
A brief history of Esperanto, the 135-year-old language hated by Hitler and Stalin
Can a shared language promote peace? Some people think so.
Russians reportedly building a satellite-blinding laser. How would it work?
As technology advances, the use of laser weapons in space becomes more likely.
Six degrees of Kevin Bacon and other insights from network science
A new technique for analyzing networks can tell who wields soft power.
Five key findings from the 2022 UN Population Prospects
Explore the key highlights from the UN’s latest release of its world population estimates.
How Europe’s newest bridge unites (and divides) the Balkans
A new bridge joins a divided Croatia, but it cuts Bosnia out of Europe — literally and figuratively. A bridge meant to unite also divides.
Did war help societies become bigger and more complex?
Using data collected from ancient civilizations across the world, researchers identified the most significant factors in human development. War came out on top.
NASA’s chief warned that China might take over the Moon. Could they do it?
The costs of such an endeavor would be extremely high, while the potential payoffs would be uncertain.
Bus driver, magician, terrorist, and other “first jobs” of world leaders
"Politics is weird. It’s the only business in the world in which you take a really, really important position, and you give it to someone with no qualifications." —Tony Blair
San José: Human greed keeps the “holy grail” of shipwrecks on the ocean floor
More than 300 years ago, a Spanish ship laden with unspeakable treasure sank after a battle. Because of greed, the treasure remains on the sea floor.
This is why the US dollar is a potent sanctions weapon — for now
A clear alternative has yet to emerge.
How “gate” became the syllable of scandal
In terms of sheer productivity, “-gate” has no peer. Wikipedia’s list of -gates has over 260 entries.
On tiny Hans Island, Denmark and Canada create world’s newest land border
A dispute marked by flags and booze has been replaced with an official land border.
China’s population is about to shrink for the first time in 60 years
The last time the population shrank was during the great famine of 1959-61.
A shrinking fraction of the world’s major crops goes to feed the hungry
Only 1% of corn grown is the U.S. is the type that people eat.
Is China’s communism a new ideology or traditional philosophy rebranded?
Did traditional Chinese thought pave the way for the philosophy of Maoism?
Finland prepares world’s first “nuclear tomb”
The site will be the first working example of a geological disposal facility.
If you have a 401(k), you’re an investor. Geopolitics will affect your financial security
Geopolitics is not a magic 8-ball. But making financial decisions — such as those regarding retirement — in a multipolar world without geopolitics is akin to flying blind in a storm.