It’s a term taken from cricket and baseball. Now, a “backstop” holds the key to Britain’s messy exit from the European Union. Demonstrators on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland near Newry in Northern Ireland, 26...
Democracy is in retreat around the world. How bad is the “democratic recession?” And what can you do to get democracy back on track? (Artwork from Creative Commons) This article is part of a News-Decoder series of “decoders” that explain...
This article is part of a News-Decoder series of “decoders” that explain crucial background to big issues. For more decoders, click here. By Alistair Lyon Faith is often flaunted in the Middle East, but there are no angels here. One religiously-based state...
It costs nothing to pollute. That has long been the driving force of our economy. But a movement is growing to change that calculus by putting a price on carbon. A traffic jam in New Delhi, India, 6 March 2018 (EPA-EFE/Harish Tyagi) This article is part of a...
Northern Ireland has been peaceful for two decades. But tensions are building again as a power-sharing agreement teeters and Brexit looms. People celebrate in Belfast after the approval of the Good Friday Agreement, 23 May 1998.(AP Photo/Pacemaker, Martin Wright,...
This article looks at the potential impact that Spain’s current constitutional crisis over independence for Catalonia could have on some of the more significant separatist movements elsewhere in Europe. For more “decoders” explaining big issues, click...
Rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia, aspirants for leadership of the Islamic world, is at the crux of conflict across the Mideast, with deadly results. An Iranian woman in Tehran holds up a poster showing Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent opposition Saudi Shiite...
Catalonia’s drive to win independence from Spain is the latest threat to Europe’s framework and a reminder of other movements on the continent. People raise their hands as they demonstrate in favor of dialogue, Barcelona, Spain, 7 October 2017...
The region is energy-rich, torn by conflict and at the center of a struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran. All reasons why the blockade of Qatar matters. A container ship in Doha, Qatar, 14 June 2017. (EPA/Noushad thekkayil) The region holds about half of the...
India and Pakistan — both nuclear powers — have fought three wars over Kashmir. But neither will yield in one of the world’s intractable conflicts. Kashmiri villagers carry the body of a militant during a funeral procession south of Srinagar, the summer capital...