When Hope Came to Town
NEED TO KNOW When Hope Came to Town SYRIA World leaders assumed Syrian President Bashar Assad enjoyed the upper hand in the […]
Legislating Legacy
NEED TO KNOW Legislating Legacy BELARUS Russian military interrogators tortured Ukrainian soldiers and civilians in a government-owned camp in Belarus, according to […]
The Power of Disloyalty
NEED TO KNOW The Power of Disloyalty GHANA More than 15,000 displaced people from Burkina Faso have crossed the porous, 372-mile border […]
Circling the Wagons
NEED TO KNOW Circling the Wagons AUSTRALIA American, Australian, and British leaders caused a stir in 2021 when they announced they would […]
Stuck at the Stop Sign
NEED TO KNOW Stuck at the Stop Sign MALAYSIA Two seemingly unrelated events symbolize how Malaysia is starting a new chapter in […]
Environmental Chess
NEED TO KNOW Environmental Chess AZERBAIJAN World leaders, diplomats, and environmentalists first convened the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Berlin, Germany […]
Tax and Spend
NEED TO KNOW Tax and Spend IRELAND Ireland received a windfall of around $14 billion recently when a decade of litigation ended […]
Straddling the World
NEED TO KNOW Straddling the World OMAN The deputy ambassador of Oman to the US, Sabra Ahmed Al-Hooti, recently made a nuanced […]
Freedom Fighters, Beware
NEED TO KNOW Freedom Fighters, Beware NAMIBIA The South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO) led the fight against South Africa, then under […]
Ghosts of the Past
NEED TO KNOW Ghosts of the Past NEW ZEALAND New Zealand lawmaker Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke and other lawmakers recently broke into a traditional […]
Blowing Up
NEED TO KNOW Blowing Up ICELAND A volcano was predicted to erupt just as Icelanders head to the polls to elect a […]
Choosing a Direction
NEED TO KNOW Choosing a Direction ROMANIA Romanian voters are set to elect a new parliament and president over the next few […]
The Art of Gaslighting
NEED TO KNOW The Art of Gaslighting GUINEA-BISSAU Speaking at the COP29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan recently, Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco […]
The Big Carrot
NEED TO KNOW The Big Carrot SURINAME The World Bank considers the South American country and former Dutch colony of Suriname to […]
A Little Friend
NEED TO KNOW A Little Friend PALAU President Surangel Whipps Jr. of Palau was talking tough talk recently about China’s alleged incursions […]
The Coup Trap
NEED TO KNOW The Coup Trap BURKINA FASO When a military junta seized power more than two years ago in Burkina Faso, […]
Chasing the Moment
NEED TO KNOW Chasing the Moment SENEGAL Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko recently said that his convoy was attacked while he was […]
Tremors Welcome
NEED TO KNOW Tremors Welcome SRI LANKA Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is often portrayed as a Marxist who helped organize […]
Forged In Fire
NEED TO KNOW Forged In Fire SOMALILAND Some want to make Palestine the world’s newest country – but others say Somaliland might […]
The Rock Stars
NEED TO KNOW The Rock Stars YEMEN Some believe the Houthis of Yemen are having a moment. The scrappy rebel Shiite group […]
Chainsaw Politics
NEED TO KNOW Chainsaw Politics ARGENTINA Students, workers from all sectors, LGBTQ folks, pensioners and women have all marched in the streets […]
Who’s Listening?
NEED TO KNOW Who’s Listening? MAURITIUS Recordings of conversations between journalists, politicians, civil society leaders, foreign diplomats, and others have been made […]
Outsourcing Crisis
NEED TO KNOW Outsourcing Crisis EUROPEAN UNION Around 36 percent fewer migrants attempted to cross into the European Union in the first […]