Twixt the Bear and the Dragon
NEED TO KNOW Twixt the Bear and the Dragon MONGOLIA In Mongolia, Dulamsuren Demberel worries about her family’s budget. The price of […]
The Celtic Conundrum
NEED TO KNOW The Celtic Conundrum IRELAND Three years after the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union, officials in […]
Rags to Riches
NEED TO KNOW Rags to Riches BOTSWANA Sprawling, landlocked, relatively lightly populated Botswana enjoys a higher gross domestic product per capita than […]
A Reformer’s Fumble
NEED TO KNOW A Reformer’s Fumble SLOVAKIA Thirty years ago, the former communist country of Czechoslovakia split in two. The event was […]
Oiling the Hinges
NEED TO KNOW Oiling the Hinges MIDDLE EAST Natural gas is changing the Eastern Mediterranean. It could also shake up the Israeli-Palestinian […]
The Exile and the Mob
NEED TO KNOW The Exile and the Mob BRAZIL The former president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, might finally be planning to return […]
The Forever Pandemic
NEED TO KNOW The Forever Pandemic CHINA China recently lifted mandatory quarantining for visitors, ending three years of travel restrictions designed to […]
The Balancing Act
We were unable to deliver your newsletter Friday due to a technical issue with our email delivery platform. We apologize for the […]
Power, Corruption and Fireworks
NEED TO KNOW Power, Corruption and Fireworks CZECH REPUBLIC Andrej Babis is a billionaire agricultural magnate and former Czech prime minister who […]
Breathing Politics
NEED TO KNOW Breathing Politics BRAZIL On Jan. 1, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was sworn in as the new president of […]
Buying Power
NEED TO KNOW Buying Power EUROPEAN UNION Belgian authorities have arrested a vice president of the European Parliament and jailed her, detained […]
A Difficult Hand
NEED TO KNOW A Difficult Hand PHILIPPINES Controversially tough-on-crime Rodrigo Duterte is no longer president of the Philippines. But, in an echo […]
Theme Park Politics
NEED TO KNOW Theme Park Politics BENIN Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists are gaining a foothold in Africa as the Russian-Ukrainian […]
The Prodigal Leader
NEED TO KNOW The Prodigal Leader ISRAEL Benjamin Netanyahu became prime minister of Israel again in late December, his sixth time in […]
Cry For Me
NEED TO KNOW Cry For Me ARGENTINA The throngs that crowded Buenos Aires and other Argentine cities after the South American country’s […]
Won’t Back Down
NEED TO KNOW Won’t Back Down IRAN The Iranian government’s crackdown on free speech and the free flow of information has led […]
A News Year
NEED TO KNOW A News Year WORLD The New Year will begin with two pressing crises that could upend the international order: […]
What a Year
NEED TO KNOW What a Year WORLD It was hard to watch Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recent address to the US Congress […]
When Dullness Is a Virtue
Editor’s Note: Last month, we asked our readers to select a country for us to focus on and collected the results. Now, […]
Handshakes and Bombs
Editor’s Note: Last month, we asked our readers to select a country for us to focus on and collected the results. Now, […]
A Doll’s Tale
Editor’s Note: Last month, we asked our readers to select a country for us to focus on and collected the results. Now, […]
No Cards Accepted
Editor’s Note: Last month, we asked our readers to select a country for us to focus on and collected the results. Now, […]
Taunting the Bull
NEED TO KNOW Taunting the Bull PAKISTAN Pakistani and Indian diplomats recently traded barbs over who is a sponsor of terrorism, the […]
Nowhere To Go But Up
NEED TO KNOW Nowhere To Go But Up SOMALIA Somali government forces and local militias recently won a pitched battle against al-Shabab, […]