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.
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 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.
The Schrodinger Solution for Syria
The only sensible solution to the Syrian crisis is a quantum one in which Bashar al-Assad is simultaneously there and not there.
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.
What Comes After Empire?
Let’s say the U.S. actually curbed its military adventurism, reeled in the Pentagon budget, and closed its global network of bases. Then what?
A Kumbaya Moment for the Middle East? Hardly.
Despite Washington’s move toward detente with Iran, other regional conflicts — especially in Israel-Palestine, where an “intifada of knives” is underway — are looking as volatile as ever.
Is Putin Really as Foolish as We Are?
Putin’s attempt at “shock and awe” in Syria has all the hallmarks of failed U.S. interventions of the past
Mouth Wide Shut
Under Obama, whistleblowers face a total of 751 months behind bars — compared to 24 months for all other whistleblowers combined since the American Revolution.