Corruption

Outfoxing the Oligarchs in Latvia

How a tiny Baltic republic succeeded in taking its oligarchs down a peg.

BY GABRIEL KURIS | MAY 6, 2013

Tea Leaves in Tashkent

Who will follow Uzbekistan’s aging dictator?

BY PHILIP SHISHKIN | MAY 2, 2013

Ghostbusters

Malaysia’s pro-democracy activists might not win Sunday’s election. But they could win the battle against electoral fraud.

BY DEBORAH LOH | APRIL 30, 2013

The End of the Gandhis

Can Rahul Gandhi run India? Can anybody?

BY JAMES TRAUB | MAY/JUNE 2013

Musharraf’s Great Folly Tests the Army

Pakistan's former dictator returned home to what he thought would be a hero's welcome. Instead, a court ordered his arrest -- and put the military in an awkward spot.

BY ARIF RAFIQ | APRIL 18, 2013

Death by a Thousand Cuts

Just one year into François Hollande's presidency, he's on the ropes and praying for a miracle.

BY ERIC PAPE | APRIL 17, 2013

Russia's Olympic City

Russia is pushing ahead with its projects for the 2014 Winter Olympics. But not everyone is happy.

BY ANNA NEMTSOVA | APRIL 11, 2013

The Princess of Reform

Why the daughter of Malaysia’s opposition leader embodies the hopes of the democratic reform movement.

BY DEBORAH LOH | APRIL 10, 2013

David Stockman’s Dystopia

Why Reagan’s former budget chief is like a crazy person howling in the wind. Let’s ignore him.

BY JARED BERNSTEIN | APRIL 5, 2013

Why Dictators Don’t Like Jokes

Pro-democracy activists around the world are discovering that humor is one of the most powerful weapons in the fight against authoritarianism.

BY SRDJA POPOVIC, MLADEN JOKSIC | APRIL 5, 2013

Haiti's Inconvenient Truth

Was a U.N. diplomat pushed out of his position for airing Port-au-Prince's dirty laundry in public?

BY JONATHAN M. KATZ | APRIL 3, 2013

Make Way for the Hybrids

Yes, institutions are important. But institutions that actually work are even better.

BY MATT ANDREWS | APRIL 2, 2013

The Chechen Boss

Chechnya’s president is building power in Russia. And his thugs aren't listening to the FSB.

BY ANNA NEMTSOVA | APRIL 1, 2013

The Dead Man's Trial

The posthumous trial of an anti-corruption crusader.

BY ANNA NEMTSOVA | MARCH 22, 2013

The Tip of the Democracy Spear

The U.S. military doesn’t exactly have an unblemished record when it comes to promoting democracy. Is there a way to change that?

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL | MARCH 21, 2013

Why the Color Revolutions Failed

Toppling dictators isn't enough. Successful revolutions also embrace the rule of law.

BY MELINDA HARING, MICHAEL CECIRE | MARCH 18, 2013

Mali's Bad Trip

Field notes from the West African drug trade.

BY ANDREW LEBOVICH | MARCH 15, 2013

The Tangled Tale of Malaysia's Dirty Battleground State

How an ex-British prime minister’s sister-in-law, a headhunter’s grandson, dodgy PR firms, and a Malaysian kingpin are colliding in a fight over the future of democracy.

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL | MARCH 13, 2013

Political Tremors in the Caucasus

There’s a distinct whiff of desire for political change wafting through the Caucasus.

BY THOMAS DE WAAL | MARCH 8, 2013

A Player, but No Superpower

Why China's military is a threat to its neighbors, but shouldn't concern the United States on its home turf.

BY ANDREW S. ERICKSON, ADAM P. LIFF | MARCH 7, 2013

What Have We Learned About Xi Jinping?

China’s new leader has consolidated his power. So what is he going to do with it?

BY KERRY BROWN | MARCH 5, 2013

Vote M for Murder

In Kenya, politics is simply the continuation of war, by other means.

BY JAMES VERINI | FEBRUARY 26, 2013

Vatican Insider

Though rumors of gay scandal are swirling around Pope Benedict’s retirement, it’s larger concerns that will test the Vatican as the Conclave begins.

BY PAOLO MASTROLILLI | FEBRUARY 26, 2013

The Inconvenient Diplomat

A farewell to the man who spoke out against Latin America’s leading bullies.

BY JAVIER EL-HAGE, THOR HALVORSSEN | FEBRUARY 22, 2013

Stand with Rwanda

Now is no time to cut aid to Kigali.

BY TONY BLAIR, HOWARD G. BUFFETT | FEBRUARY 21, 2013

Putin Declares War on Sleaze

Vladimir Putin is vowing to make a dent in the eternal Russian problem of corruption. Skepticism is warranted.

BY ANNA NEMTSOVA | FEBRUARY 20, 2013

Venezuela's New Era

Venezuelans are contemplating the possibility of a new life without Hugo Chávez. But can the existing system continue in the absence of its creator?

BY PHIL GUNSON | FEBRUARY 19, 2013

The Curse of Stability in Central Asia

The autocrats of Central Asia like to tout the virtues of stability. But they're really making excuses for decay.

BY SARAH KENDZIOR | FEBRUARY 19, 2013

Georgia's Political Standoff Deepens

A letter from Tbilisi

BY ANNA NEMTSOVA | FEBRUARY 11, 2013

Cracks at the Core

It's not jihadists who are threatening to destroy Mali -- it's a massive culture of government corruption.

BY TRISTAN MCCONNELL | FEBRUARY 7, 2013