The Trouble with Defectors
A former weapons inspector explains the challenges in working with defectors from regimes under investigation, looking at prominent Russian, North Korean and Iraqi defectors.
The Lost Children of ‘Runaway Train’
The 1991 music video for the smash hit by Soul Asylum featured images of runaway children. This thoughtful piece follows up on their stories a quarter of a century later.
The Prawn War
A look at the battle over a precious 18 mile stretch of fishing grounds between Sri Lanka and India, a battle that has started to claim an increasing number of lives.
Chairman of Everything
A profile of China’s leader that makes makes an unusual comparison – to Phillip II of Spain, “on whose desk in a palace near Madrid all the problems of his 16th-century empire landed”. An insight into the very highest echelons of Chinese political life.
Does an Octopus Have a Soul?
A blackhat hacker operated on both sides of the fence, working with both the FBI and the criminals they were trying to stop.
How a Notorious Gangster Was Exposed by His Own Sister
The story of Astrid Holleeder, star witness at the trial of “the Nose”, a man who is one of the Netherlands’ most notorious gangsters, and also her brother.
The New Arms Race Threatening to Explode in Space
As Donald Trump announces plans for a “Space Force” this article explains why space is the latest area marked for conflict.
The Internet Apologizes
A conversation with 13 “architects” of the internet as it is today, with employment histories at Google, Facebook, Uber and other tech leviathans. The piece explores, in 15 steps, how apparently idealistic intentions resulted in today’s messy state of affairs.
The Disposition of Drones
A piece examining how military drones actually work and interact with both their operators and so-called “customers” (soldiers on the ground).
The empire dreamt back
The story of what happened when Britain’s colonial administrators sought to record the dreams of subjects across the empire.