Corruption

Nightmare Squared

Longing for the days of Kim Jong Il? Maybe it's time to transfer your affections to the delusional dictator of Equatorial Guinea.

BY PEDRO PIZANO | NOVEMBER 6, 2012

The Secret of Islamist Success

Islamist political parties aren't succeeding in the Middle East because they stand for Islam. It's because they have a well-established political brand.

BY DALIBOR ROHAC | OCTOBER 31, 2012

Georgia Versus the Forces of Chaos

In the wake of this month’s watershed election in Georgia, a new prime minister and an incumbent president are figuring out how to keep their personal enmity from breaking into open warfare.

BY MOLLY CORSO | OCTOBER 26, 2012

Afghanistan's Gray Future

It's Hamid Karzai's country now, and not everything is black and white.

BY HASEEB HUMAYOON | OCTOBER 18, 2012

Blindsided

The results of Georgia’s parliamentary election caught American pollsters completely off guard. They should have tried asking the right questions.

BY JAMES KIRCHICK | OCTOBER 12, 2012

The Big Bang Theory of Education

Authoritarian countries don't seem to be doing well at the knowledge business. That's probably no accident.

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL | OCTOBER 11, 2012

Unsung Heroes

Some of the world's bravest dissidents are pursuing their fight against injustice with little attention from the outside world. But that doesn't mean they aren't worth knowing about. Here's a list of remarkable people who rarely make it into the headlines.

BY TOM MALINOWSKI | OCTOBER 3, 2012

Rebooting the Bureaucracy in Georgia

As Georgian voters prepare to vote in a crucial parliamentary election, a look back at one of the signature programs of President Mikheil Saakashvili. 

BY RICHARD BENNET | SEPTEMBER 28, 2012

In Georgia, Two Machines Are Better Than One

The run-up to Georgia's October 1 election has been dirty, demeaning, and rife with abuses of power and allegations of corruption. It’s also the best thing to happen to Georgia in a long time.

BY SCOTT RADNITZ | SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

India, Meet Icarus

Why no one should be surprised that the emerging economic superpower is getting cut back down to size.

BY PETER PASSELL | SEPTEMBER 11, 2012

Burma's President Shakes Up the Chessboard

Why the president's cabinet reshuffle portends a new move toward reform.

BY LARRY JAGAN | SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

Bullish on the Bear

It’s hard to find people who are optimistic about the future of Russian democracy. Leon Aron explains why he’s one of them.

BY PAUL STAROBIN | SEPTEMBER 4, 2012

Corruptistan

Meet the oil barons, fashion divas, and ruling families of Central Asia.

BY KATHERIN MACHALEK | SEPTEMBER 4, 2012

China’s Fishy Show Trial

The verdict is in: Bo Xilai's wife is guilty. But the Chinese government's carefully crafted story is full of holes.

BY CHRISTINA LARSON | AUGUST 20, 2012

Our Man in Kigali

For years, Rwanda's budding dictator, Paul Kagame, has gotten away with murder, while winning praise (and billions of dollars) from the West. But is the blind support for this strongman finally drying up?

BY ANJAN SUNDARAM | AUGUST 3, 2012

Money Pit on the Potomac

Why is the Pentagon spending billions on breast cancer research?

BY JOHN NORRIS | JULY 31, 2012

The House of Nehru-Gandhi

India ought to consider becoming a constitutional monarchy. After all, it already has a royal family.

BY SADANAND DHUME | JULY 20, 2012

Plague of Thugs

Why Mideast dictators use hoodlums to suppress dissent.

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL | JULY 18, 2012

Dereliction of Duty

A new U.N. report has highlighted Rwanda's responsibility for continuing conflict in the Congo. Washington's inaction is an outrage.

BY JEFFREY TAYLER | JULY 10, 2012

How to Get Your Country off the Sh*t List

An open letter to the leaders of Eritrea, Afghanistan, Equatorial Guinea, Turkmenistan, Belarus, Sudan, Pakistan, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, and other countries too numerous to list here.

BY JOHN NORRIS | JULY 5, 2012

Mexico's Bright Light

Even as the country around it sinks into a morass of drug-fueled crime, Mexico City has remained surprisingly safe.

BY LARRY KAPLOW | JUNE 29, 2012

The Fast and the Ridiculous

The conspiracy theories over the controversial ATF gun-tracking program are flying, and not just in GOP chambers. In Mexico, it's taken as fact that the United States is backing the drug cartels.

BY JAMES VERINI | JUNE 27, 2012

5 Other People Ruining Zimbabwe

It's not just Robert Mugabe's fault the country is such a mess. (Just mostly.)

BY ERIN CONWAY-SMITH | JUNE 25, 2012

Build Burma from the Ground Up

Relying only on the state to implement democratic reforms in Burma is a fool’s errand. But there’s a better way.

BY ELLIOTT PRASSE-FREEMAN | JUNE 22, 2012

Her Work Isn’t Done

This week the world is celebrating Aung San Suu Kyi’s achievements as a pro-democracy activist. Now the question is: Can she finish the job?

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL | JUNE 20, 2012

Asia's Next Tiger

President Aquino's anti-corruption program is just what the Philippines economy needs.

BY GREG RUSHFORD | JUNE 19, 2012

A Requiem for Calderon

The outgoing Mexican president had a golden opportunity to change his country for the better -- and he blew it.

BY ALINA ROCHA MENOCAL | JUNE 18, 2012

Rat World

The subterranean dwellings of Beijing.

BY SIM CHI YIN | JULY/AUGUST 2012

How Bad Is Bad?

Although the 10 worst failed states don’t necessarily suffer from the same problems, they do share one thing in common: a miserable quality of life for most of their people. And when they’re stacked up against the United States, the meaning of “failure” is devastatingly clear.

JUNE 18, 2012

The Science of Ballot-Box Stuffing

What's the best way to detect electoral fraud? You may want to follow the numbers.

BY JOSHUA E. KEATING | JULY/AUGUST 2012