The enigma of Assad: How a painfully shy eye doctor turned into a murderous tyrant
A piece tracing Bashar al-Assad’s journey towards ever-greater tyranny.
The Agency
An extraordinary story profiling the Internet Research Agency, a Russian agency allegedly dedicated to spreading misinformation online about Russia’s enemies, both foreign and domestic.
Deadly Game: Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un Risk Nuclear War
A sobering analysis of the tension between North Korea and the United States, written this April as global concern spiked around the volatile situation.
How to Culture Jam a Populist in Four Easy Steps
Compelling article addressed to anyone that suddenly finds themselves a target of a populist authoritarian administration. The author lived through Hugo Chavez’s repressive and economically disastrous regime in Venezuela and seeks to share lessons from that time with today’s Americans.
Surviving the Fall of ISIS
As the Islamic State is pushed back, the dangers continue to increase for those left in areas under their control.
Michael Flynn, General Chaos
A revealing profile of the recently toppled National Security Advisor provides insights into the Trump White House.
Erik Prince In The Hotseat
Fans of the recent arms dealing escapades of Hugh Laurie in The Night Manager may enjoy this profile covering the latest shenanigans of Eric Prince, a man who is described in his Wikipedia as a philanthropist, but elsewhere has been called a neo-colonialist mercenary.
Big Man Walking
“Not many people change the world. Fewer still are thanked for it.” – Neal Ascherson reviews a biography of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, who joined that small group when he helped to bring about its end.
Lunch with the FT: Nigel Farage
Nigel Farage manages to consume over 17 units of alcohol in a single lunch over the course of this interview. The encounter takes on an increasingly surreal character, punctuated as it is with outlandish pronouncements – “This is what they tell me – these people who come in and want jobs. I should feminise.”
Kidnapped Royalty Become Pawns in Iran’s Deadly Plot
This piece kicks off with an evocative depiction of the scene typically found at the V.I.P. terminal of Baghdad International Airport. It was there where in April 2017 a group of Qataris were held on arrival when their luggage was found to contain $360 million in cash. Their presence was linked to a royal hunting trip turned kidnapping that would significantly affect the Middle East’s geopolitics.