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May 2, 2024

United States
How U.S. Water Infrastructure Works

The sprawling U.S. water system is central to the nation’s economy, but chronic underinvestment, increasing demand, and the consequences of climate change have revealed the system’s weaknesses.  

A deep blue river flows between rust-colored mesas.

February 29, 2024

United Nations
Funding the United Nations: How Much Does the U.S. Pay?

Many UN agencies, programs, and missions receive crucial funding from the United States. The Trump administration sharply reduced funding to some UN agencies, but President Biden has largely reversed…

A child peeks out from a blue and white tent managed by the UN refugee agency.

February 2, 2023

China
China’s Massive Belt and Road Initiative

China’s colossal infrastructure investments may usher in a new era of trade and growth for economies in Asia and beyond. But skeptics worry that China is laying a debt trap for borrowing governments…

Aerial view of a railway that cuts through lush Indonesian jungle.

March 7, 2024

China
The China-North Korea Relationship

China is North Korea’s biggest trade partner and has leverage over Kim Jong-un’s regime, yet its policies focus more on border stability than nuclear threat.

Chinese President Xi Jinping waves at photographers as North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Un claps at the Sunan International Airport in Pyongyang, North Korea.

March 19, 2024

Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s Freedoms: What China Promised and How It’s Cracking Down

Beijing has tightened its grip on Hong Kong in recent years, dimming hopes that the financial center will ever become a full democracy.

Hong Kong police force a man's arms behind his back, as an officer stands close to the camera, in Hong Kong.

December 5, 2023

Climate Change
Global Climate Agreements: Successes and Failures

International efforts, such as the Paris Agreement, aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But experts say countries aren’t doing enough to limit dangerous global warming.

Muddy waters nearly submerge lines of cars during a flood in Colorado, United States.

February 26, 2024

United Nations
The UN Security Council

The UN Security Council is the premier global body for maintaining international peace and security, but it faces steady calls for reform to better meet twenty-first-century challenges.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the Security Council via video amid Russia’s war.

March 12, 2019

United States
Inequality and Tax Rates: A Global Comparison

With economic inequality at an all-time high, some U.S. presidential candidates are proposing dramatic shifts to the U.S. tax code. How have similar plans worked elsewhere in the world?

IRS