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Protesters hold up banners at an anti-same-sex marriage rally in Sydney on September 23, 2017.
Protesters hold up banners at an anti-same-sex marriage rally in Sydney on September 23, 2017.

Evidence Is Growing That Free Speech Is Declining

There’s a clear trend against freedom of expression in the world’s democracies.

The leader of the Palestinian Hamas movement, Ismail Haniyeh, shakes hands with Iranian Chief of Staff for the Armed Forces Mohammad Bagheri and the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard force, General Hossein Salami, during the swearing in ceremony for Iran's new president at the parliament in the Islamic republic's capital Tehran on August 5, 2021.
The leader of the Palestinian Hamas movement, Ismail Haniyeh, shakes hands with Iranian Chief of Staff for the Armed Forces Mohammad Bagheri and the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard force, General Hossein Salami, during the swearing in ceremony for Iran's new president at the parliament in the Islamic republic's capital Tehran on August 5, 2021.

The 7 Reasons Iran Won’t Fight for Hamas

A close look at Tehran’s thinking about escalating the war in Gaza.

A screen is shown of people farming. In front of it, a silhouette is seen taking a flash photo.
A screen is shown of people farming. In front of it, a silhouette is seen taking a flash photo.

What to Know as COP28 Begins

It may be the most heated climate summit in almost a decade.

John Ackah Blay-Miezah smokes a cigar in the London office of the Oman Ghana Trust Fund in the 1980s.
John Ackah Blay-Miezah smokes a cigar in the London office of the Oman Ghana Trust Fund in the 1980s.

The Man Who Conned the World

How one of the greatest scam artists of all time used Ghana’s colonial past to get rich.

An illustration depicting a partially redacted introduction of the U.S. Constitution, with the red lines covering the redacted words forming an American flag next to a field of blue stars positioned before the first lines.
An illustration depicting a partially redacted introduction of the U.S. Constitution, with the red lines covering the redacted words forming an American flag next to a field of blue stars positioned before the first lines.

Does Democracy Really Die in Darkness?

A provocative history questions the relationship between the state, its secrets, and the people.

A U.S. soldier sets fire to a building during the My Lai massacre
A U.S. soldier sets fire to a building during the My Lai massacre

Confusion and Ambition Caused the My Lai Atrocities

A rare combination of failures led to an infamous massacre.

Joaquin Phoenix (center) stars in the film "Napoleon."
Joaquin Phoenix (center) stars in the film "Napoleon."

What Ridley Scott’s ‘Napoleon’ Gets Wrong About War

The film’s ideas have poisoned military thinking for centuries.

A woman holds a cross as she prays at Independence Square in Kyiv on Feb. 24, 2022.
A woman holds a cross as she prays at Independence Square in Kyiv on Feb. 24, 2022.

How Women Are Reconciling Feminism With Faith

From Mormonism to Islam, reformers around the world are making their religions less politically conservative. This article has an audio recording

Smoke rises from buildings hit by Israeli strikes in Gaza.
Smoke rises from buildings hit by Israeli strikes in Gaza.

Israel Renews Strikes on Gaza After Weeklong Truce

Negotiators are still working to restore the cease-fire, but Israel remains committed to destroying Hamas.

Kissinger stands at a lectern with microphones with a large world map on the wall behind him.
Kissinger stands at a lectern with microphones with a large world map on the wall behind him.

Kissinger’s Great Game

In his worldview, little countries only mattered to the extent that they played into struggles among the mighty.

Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (standing) points at a map of the Sinai Peninsula during a meeting with President Gerald R. Ford (C) Congressional Leaders in the Cabinet Room on Sept. 4, 1975.
Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (standing) points at a map of the Sinai Peninsula during a meeting with President Gerald R. Ford (C) Congressional Leaders in the Cabinet Room on Sept. 4, 1975.

Did Henry Kissinger Further U.S. National Interests or Harm Them?

The death of a legendary diplomat raises difficult questions about his legacy.

Joaquin Phoenix in the film "Napoleon."
Joaquin Phoenix in the film "Napoleon."

The Economic Legacy of Napoleon Bonaparte

A new biopic fails to capture Napoleon’s historical significance.

Biden, dressed in a casual half-zip sweatshirt, looks pensively downward as he stands facing numerous press microphones held out in his direction.
Biden, dressed in a casual half-zip sweatshirt, looks pensively downward as he stands facing numerous press microphones held out in his direction.

Grading Biden on the Israel-Hamas War

For a crisis with so many moving parts, the U.S. president has fared pretty well.

A chart illustration shows past secretaries of state on shorter blue and red lines with a walking, full-body Antony Blinken on the longest line with his hand outstretched to shake with President Xi Jinping (not seen).
A chart illustration shows past secretaries of state on shorter blue and red lines with a walking, full-body Antony Blinken on the longest line with his hand outstretched to shake with President Xi Jinping (not seen).

U.S. Engagement With China in 3 Charts

From Kissinger to Kerry, Washington’s top diplomat once visited Beijing regularly. Not anymore.

Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, president of the 2023 U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP28), speaks to the media following the opening session of the conference in Dubai on Nov. 30.
Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, president of the 2023 U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP28), speaks to the media following the opening session of the conference in Dubai on Nov. 30.

At COP28, the World Needs to Prioritize Financial Reform

Three ideas that could boost investment in the planet—and its people.

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