Edition cover - 2024-02-24
The world this week
Leaders
NATO
Europe is caught between Putin and Trump
Russian aggression and American wavering reveal how ill-equipped Europe is
Held in suspense
Do not expect America’s interest rates to fall just yet
The risk of a second wave of inflation remains too great
Weapons of misconstruction
Sanctions are not the way to fight Vladimir Putin
There is no substitute for military aid to Ukraine
Let them dig
The world needs more critical minerals. Governments are not helping
Just obtaining a permit takes a remarkably long time
Stop the war
How to prevent another catastrophic regional war in Congo
The world needs to press Rwanda to pull back its forces
Letters
On HS2, data centres, Vladimir Putin, the FHLB, academic research, the Holocaust, prosthetic limbs, animals on a plane
Letters to the editor
Briefing
Present at the destruction
Can Europe defend itself without America?
It would need to replace military aid, a nuclear umbrella and leadership
Britain
Lifting sands
Can run-down Blackpool turn itself around?
Higher education and race
Some British universities have become remarkably racially diverse
Europe
The Kremlin’s cross-hairs
Towns in eastern Ukraine fear they will be Russia’s next target
Ploughshares into swords
How Boris Pistorius is transforming the German armed forces
United States
The Trump trials
Why those who wish to see Trump jailed soon will be disappointed
Voters’ views
How might Donald Trump’s trials sway voters?
From sand to sea
Does the American army’s future lie in Europe or Asia?
Counting canines
These American cities are obsessed with dogs
Middle East & Africa
On the brink
Congo’s M23 rebellion risks sparking a regional war
A boost to democracy
Senegal’s judges stand up for the constitution
Israel’s ultra-Orthodox
Ultra-Orthodox Israelis’ refusal to fight is a growing problem for Netanyahu
Gaza’s devastated health system
The wrecking of Gaza’s health system goes beyond its hospitals
Saudi’s booze-free bars
Bar culture has arrived in Saudi Arabia, albeit without the booze
The Americas
Lessons from Lima
What Javier Milei could learn from Peru’s economic successes
Ongoing injustice
Jovenel Moïse’s widow is accused of being party to his murder
Asia
Uncharitable India
India’s civil society is under attack
Gender relations
Japanese men have an identity crisis
Thai politics
Thaksin Shinawatra joins Thailand’s establishment
China
America’s election, viewed from Beijing
How scared is China of Donald Trump’s return?
Science fiction
Why fake research is rampant in China
Enter the loong
A nationalist effort to rebrand the Chinese dragon
International
From Russia without love
Russian spies are back—and more dangerous than ever
Business
Through the looking glass
The world’s biggest maker of spectacles wants to be a tech firm
Flagging business
Why does landlocked Eswatini have a ship registry?
Bartleby
The making of a PowerPoint slide
Silicon Valley sobriety
The age of the unicorn is over
A tale of two chip factories
TSMC is having more luck building in Japan than in America
Finance & economics
Gaps in the fence
Russia outsmarts Western sanctions—and China is paying attention
Pick your poison
Europe faces a painful adjustment to higher defence spending
In the nick of time
As the Nikkei 225 hits record highs, Japan’s young start investing
Time to splurge
Gucci, Prada and Tiffany’s bet big on property
Science & technology
Sweet science
New treatments are emerging for type-1 diabetes
Echoes of the past
Radio telescopes could spot asteroids with unprecedented detail
Spoiler alert
The challenges of steering a hypersonic plane
Culture
The war score
How Ukraine’s fortunes have ebbed
Aural history
Podcasts got their name 20 years ago this month
The lives of others
Is everything you assumed about the Middle Ages wrong?
Escape to “Dalifornia”
Growing numbers of Chinese are escaping urban life for rural peace
Economic & financial indicators
Indicators
Economic data, commodities and markets
Obituary
Better Russia, where are you?
Alexei Navalny didn’t just defy Putin—he showed up his depravity
By Invitation
Artificial intelligence and copyright