Dispatch

Out of the Embassy and Into the Fire

U.S. officials cut a dramatic deal for the freedom of blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng, but the agreement appears to contain few hard assurances that China will keep its end of the bargain.

BY SUSAN GLASSER | MAY 2, 2012

Saving Somalia

Turkey may just be able to fix this war-torn east African nation -- if it doesn't fall into the same traps of would-be saviors who came before it.

BY LAURA HEATON | APRIL 24, 2012

Feminism, Brotherhood Style

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood have their own take on women's liberation.

BY SARAH A. TOPOL | APRIL 23, 2012

Down for the Count?

As France heads to the polls, Sarkozy still can't land his punches. Is this the final round for the feisty pint-sized politician?

BY ERIC PAPE | APRIL 21, 2012

Tear Gas at the Dairy Queen

U.S. service members stationed in Bahrain are struggling to adjust to the new normal as the  country enters the second year of its uprising.

BY GEOFF ZIEZULEWICZ | APRIL 20, 2012

The Waste Land

For Nairobi's poorest, the enormous trash dump that's slowly killing them is also the only thing keeping them alive.

BY DAVID CONRAD | APRIL 19, 2012

The New Narco State

Mexico's drug war is turning Argentina into the new Wild West of the global narcotics trade.

BY HALEY COHEN | APRIL 19, 2012

The Brothers Grim

Can Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood overcome the disqualification of its popular and charismatic candidate for president?

BY ASHRAF KHALIL | APRIL 18, 2012

Yemeni Idol

It's not easy being the second-biggest rock band in Sanaa.

BY GAAR ADAMS | APRIL 13, 2012

Sarko's Romney Problem

As the French election heats up, everyone's playing class warfare.

BY ERIC PAPE | APRIL 6, 2012

The Stay at Home Scots

When you’ve got whisky, why do you need an army?

BY TIM JUDAH | APRIL 4, 2012

(B)rogue Nation

Could Scotland really choose to leave the United Kingdom?

BY TIM JUDAH | APRIL 3, 2012

Afghanistan Falls Apart

A string of disasters has left the Kabul elite wondering whether it's possible to pick up the pieces of their shattered alliance with the United States.

BY KAREN LEIGH | APRIL 3, 2012

Baghdad's Potemkin Village

A guided tour of the Iraqi capital's elaborate artifice, in all its absurd finery, as the Arab League summit rolled into town.

BY BEN VAN HEUVELEN | APRIL 2, 2012

The Last Honest Woman in Jerusalem

Was Tzipi Livni just too truthful to be an Israeli politician?

BY NICOLAS BRULLIARD | MARCH 30, 2012

Undergunned and Overwhelmed

Syria's rebels have to bear hours of negotiations for every box of bullets that they haul across the border for their war against Bashar al-Assad. And their frustration is starting to show.

BY RANIA ABOUZEID | MARCH 30, 2012

The Revenge of Wen Jiabao

The ouster of Chongqing boss Bo Xilai was 30 years in the making -- a long, sordid tale of elite families and factions vying for the soul of the Chinese Communist Party.

BY JOHN GARNAUT | MARCH 29, 2012

Eating Cinnabon in Damascus

Why are foreign brands like KFC, the Four Seasons, and Cinnabon still trying to make a buck in Syria?

BY KATIE PAUL | MARCH 26, 2012

Tortured Justice

Bahrain’s leaders talk a good game about reform, but protesters in the streets still face unremitting brutality.

BY BRIAN DOOLEY | MARCH 22, 2012

Pushing Back

Hungary's beleaguered opposition takes to the streets to contest Prime Minister Viktor Orban's growing authoritarianism.

BY MARISA MAZRIA KATZ | MARCH 16, 2012

Libya's Year Zero

Life without Qaddafi's Green Book.

BY CLARE MORGANA GILLIS | MARCH 16, 2012

Misreading Tehran

Iranians realize that the world is lined up against them, but don't expect them to beg for mercy.

BY JASON REZAIAN | MARCH 15, 2012

Shalom, Beijing

Israel and China just celebrated 20 years of friendship. But will this new special relationship come to the breaking point over Tehran?

BY OREN KESSLER | MARCH 13, 2012

No Refuge

Syrians fleeing the massacre back home battle boredom, callous foreign governments, and growing religious rifts.

BY JUSTIN VELA | MARCH 7, 2012

China's Top Party School

At Beijing's Central Party School, it's a lot more Communist platforms than keg stands.

BY DAN LEVIN | MARCH 6, 2012

Is Iran's New Spanish Channel a Threat?

Not if its inauspicious debut is any guide.

BY GIRISH GUPTA | MARCH 5, 2012

Moscow's Merry Pranksters

Big public demonstrations may be a new development in Russia, but protests in the streets have been around for a while. Just ask the artists.

BY ALEXIS ZIMBERG | MARCH 3, 2012

Heroes of Their Time

In Russia’s hinterlands, a small group of disgruntled villagers are staging an odd protest against the government -- but not quite against Putin.

BY SHAUN WALKER | MARCH 2, 2012

Is Greece a Failed State?

Not yet. But it’s running out of time -- and money.

BY NICK MALKOUTZIS | MARCH 1, 2012

Five Years in Damascus

How my Syrian adventure became a nightmare.

BY STEPHEN STARR | FEBRUARY 29, 2012