By Rashad Mammadov Two years ago, a pair of American political scientists published a study that found that the U.S. system of government is closer to oligarchy — or rule by the few — than to democracy. Martin Gilens of Princeton University and Benjamin...
By Rashad Mammadov If you were on the streets of Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul, today, you could be forgiven if you had mixed feelings or asked some embarrassing questions. While some were celebrating the failed military coup, others were depressed. The conflicting...
The U.S. heartland — “flyover country” — is sending surprising signals about the presidential election and disenchanted voters. At a rally for Bernie Sanders, Evansville, Indiana, 2 May 2016 (Jason Clark/Evansville Courier & Press via AP)...
An American student visits the Middle East’s biggest refugee camp for Syrians in Jordan and discovers a restless and generous people. Zaatari Refugee Camp (Photo by Samantha Schmidt) This story, written and illustrated by Samantha Schmidt, was a runner-up in the...
As Hiroshima survivors age and die, the city’s desire to preserve architectural memories of the atomic bomb grows stronger. Fragment of the factory wall, Hiroshima, Japan (Photo by Sarah Neal-Estes) This story won first prize in the university category in...
By Rashad Mammadov Forgotten by most outsiders for the past 22 years, a frozen conflict between two former Soviet states, Azerbaijan and Armenia, flared up unexpectedly last week in the volatile Caucasus. At least 30 military and several civilians lost their lives and...
The United States and Russia have brokered a truce in Syria in hopes of resuming United Nations-backed peace talks on March 9. Today News-Decoder correspondent Rashad Mammadov looks at what Russia hopes to gain in the five-year-old conflict. By Rashad Mammadov Once...
Fighting rages in Syria despite international efforts to impose a ceasefire and advance a peace plan. How remote are the prospects for peace in Syria? A hospital destroyed in northern Syria, 15 February 2016 (EPA/Sam Taylor/Médecins Sans Frontières handout) Fighting...
By Rashad Mammadov Once again, diplomatic efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Syrian conflict have stalled. Only two days after opening in Geneva, talks between the government, rebel forces and both sides’ international backers were suspended last week until...
The execution of a Muslim cleric has inflamed an ancient sectarian rift dividing two Mideast powers — Saudi Arabia and Iran. An Iranian woman holds up a poster showing Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, Tehran, 4 January 2016. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) In the Muslim world, the...