What the psychology of mass murderers — from Charles Manson on up to Bashar al-Assad and ISIS — can teach us about the method behind their madness.
Je Suis Charlie (Manson)
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Democracy & Governance
The Rise and Fall of Latin America’s Most Successful Progressive Party
Brazil’s Workers’ Party was once the pride of the New Left for an entire hemisphere. Now its 13-year rule hangs by a thread.
The Middle East: The Only Way Forward Is Unification
As long as false borders continue to exist in the region, the Middle East will not progress.
The View from 2050
“Back in my youth, we imagined that lumbering dinosaurs like Russia and China and the European Union would endure regardless of the global convulsions taking place around them.”
The Saudis Are Stumbling. They May Take the Middle East with Them.
America’s leading Sunni ally is proving how easily hubris, delusion, and old-fashioned ineptitude can trump even bottomless wealth.
Burma: Democracy with an Asterisk?
Burma’s constitution awards a quarter of its parliament to the military. But that’s not Aung San Suu Kyi’s biggest problem by a long shot.
Little-Known UN Provision Could Solve Syria
The UN has the power to bring peace to Syria — and greatly enhance its reputation to solve the seemingly intractable problems of sovereign states.
Bernie Sanders Has America Talking About Denmark. That’s a Good Thing.
If you were looking for a place where democratic socialism appears to be working, you’d be hard pressed to find a better example than Denmark.
Portugal’s Democracy Crisis
A likely vote of no confidence in Portugal’s hard-right government will signify whether voters in the EU can still choose their own government.
Turkey’s President Gets His Majority — at a Terrible Price
To reverse his fortune at the polls, Erdogan reignited Turkey’s war with the Kurds, stood silent while mobs attacked his opponents, and unilaterally altered the constitutional role of his office.