A photo illustration shows President Trump with joke glasses on his face
A photo illustration shows President Trump with joke glasses on his face

Hoaxes Keep Escaping Containment

A delusional U.S. president is helping thin the line between fiction and reality.

Analysis
Phil Tinline
The shells of midrise residential buildings covered in scaffolding rise up against a clear blue sky. In the foreground are colorful tents and booths of vendors lining a street, where cars and vans pass by.
The shells of midrise residential buildings covered in scaffolding rise up against a clear blue sky. In the foreground are colorful tents and booths of vendors lining a street, where cars and vans pass by.

Can Africa Follow Asia’s Development Model?

An economics writer known for his work on Asia turns his eye toward the fastest-growing continent.

Review
Howard W. French
An illustration shows three people in a small wooden boat on a turbulent sea, facing a massive whale that is partially transparent, revealing its skeleton. One person in the boat holds an oar, another holds a harpoon, and a third watches the whale with a hand on their head.
An illustration shows three people in a small wooden boat on a turbulent sea, facing a massive whale that is partially transparent, revealing its skeleton. One person in the boat holds an oar, another holds a harpoon, and a third watches the whale with a hand on their head.

Decolonizing ‘Moby-Dick’

Literature’s obsessive quest for anti-canonical adaptations pursues the white whale at its peril. This article has an audio recording

Review
Rhoda Feng
a yellow color wash over a A black-and-white engraving depicting a historical scene inside a grand hall. A religious figure in ornate robes lies fallen on steps, holding a staff, while a man in a dark tunic stands over him with one hand raised and the other gripping the arm of a soldier drawing a sword.
a yellow color wash over a A black-and-white engraving depicting a historical scene inside a grand hall. A religious figure in ornate robes lies fallen on steps, holding a staff, while a man in a dark tunic stands over him with one hand raised and the other gripping the arm of a soldier drawing a sword.

Papal Politics, Past and Present

Despite more colorful medieval precedents, Pope Leo’s clash with Trump reflects the Vatican’s postwar peace advocacy.

Essay
Vanessa R. Corcoran
Cranes are used for reconstruction in Chernihiv, Ukraine.
Cranes are used for reconstruction in Chernihiv, Ukraine.

Ukraine Has a Plan to Build Back Better

The war-torn country wants to reconstruct in a way that is environmentally, socially, and geopolitically more sustainable.

Dispatch
Diana Kruzman
A disassembled world map with rips and tears.
A disassembled world map with rips and tears.

Order Without Order

Our fixation with defining the emerging global order hides the true complexity of our neo-medieval moment.

Essay
Parag Khanna
An up-close portion of the Riverwalk apartment building is pictured as gray clouds loom to the left.
An up-close portion of the Riverwalk apartment building is pictured as gray clouds loom to the left.

Did London’s Dirty Money Really Kill a Teenage Fantasist?

Patrick Radden Keefe’s “London Falling” is a mystery that turns into a tragedy. This article has an audio recording

Review
James Palmer
A man in a blue striped shirt reaches his hands into a muddy river; behind him is a makeshift dredger.
A man in a blue striped shirt reaches his hands into a muddy river; behind him is a makeshift dredger.

South American Crime Groups Are Going for Gold

Why exports of illegally sourced gold are gaining on drugs in funding the continent’s illicit economy. This article has an audio recording

Analysis
Gene Kuleta
Mikhail Gorbachev, wearing a dark overcoat and patterned scarf, smiles as he tips his gray fedora toward Ronald Reagan. Reagan is seen from behind in the foreground, wearing a dark suit. The two leaders are standing on a light-colored gravel path next to a black car.
Mikhail Gorbachev, wearing a dark overcoat and patterned scarf, smiles as he tips his gray fedora toward Ronald Reagan. Reagan is seen from behind in the foreground, wearing a dark suit. The two leaders are standing on a light-colored gravel path next to a black car.

The Charisma Wars

Why personality now trumps policy in global politics. This article has an audio recording

Review
Bobby Ghosh
A camera on a smartphone shows a piece of chicken and waffle on a plate.
A camera on a smartphone shows a piece of chicken and waffle on a plate.

The Fight Over the Future of Meat

The United States lost the EV race to China. Food could be next. This article has an audio recording

Excerpt
Bruce Friedrich
A map of Turkey in Asia with an orange line outlining imagined borders of the Ottoman Empire.
A map of Turkey in Asia with an orange line outlining imagined borders of the Ottoman Empire.

What if the Ottomans Survived?

Recent scholarship shows the promise—and limits—of a historical path not taken. This article has an audio recording

Review
Nick Danforth
An illustration collage featuring a profile portrait of a man in a suit on the right side. The left side shows a stylized orange silhouette of his head containing the Great Seal of the United States. The background consists of a dark map of the Middle East with various locations labeled, including Turkey, Syria, Israel, and Iran. The overall color palette uses dark tones with high-contrast red and white accents.
An illustration collage featuring a profile portrait of a man in a suit on the right side. The left side shows a stylized orange silhouette of his head containing the Great Seal of the United States. The background consists of a dark map of the Middle East with various locations labeled, including Turkey, Syria, Israel, and Iran. The overall color palette uses dark tones with high-contrast red and white accents.

The Man Who Shaped Washington’s View of the Middle East

Brett McGurk advised four presidents on a contested region—but to what end? This article has an audio recording

Profile
Dion Nissenbaum
A blonde woman stands in an aisle between two rows of pharmacy shelves filled with medications. Her arms are outstretched to touch the shelves on either side.
A blonde woman stands in an aisle between two rows of pharmacy shelves filled with medications. Her arms are outstretched to touch the shelves on either side.

In Defense of the Hive Mind

Vince Gilligan’s “Pluribus” asks whether an AI-led society would really be that bad.

Review
Jordan Hoffman
A man looks out over the Volga River during a storm in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.
A man looks out over the Volga River during a storm in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.

Russia’s River of Consciousness

An undercover journalist travels the Volga to catch a glimpse of life under Putin. This article has an audio recording

Review
Eli Wizevich
A collage of various book covers of different sizes and colors arranged against a split background of light blue and off-white. The covers for "The Monuments of Paris" and "Small Boat" are featured prominently in the center. Other visible titles include "Honey in the Wound," "Lázár," "The Scoop," and "Midnight at the War."
A collage of various book covers of different sizes and colors arranged against a split background of light blue and off-white. The covers for "The Monuments of Paris" and "Small Boat" are featured prominently in the center. Other visible titles include "Honey in the Wound," "Lázár," "The Scoop," and "Midnight at the War."

Two Takes on Modern France

Plus, more international fiction releases in April.

Books
Chloe Hadavas, Allison Meakem
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