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March 19, 2024

Palestinian Territories
Who Governs the Palestinians?

Power in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, the so-called Palestinian territories, has been divided among three entities: a governing body called the Palestinian Authority, the militant group Hamas, a…

Palestinians wave their national flag as they rally beneath images of President Mahmoud Abbas and his predecessor, Yasser Arafat
Backgrounder by Kali Robinson

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.
Backgrounder by James McBride and Noah Berman Renewing America

April 18, 2024

Palestinian Territories
What Is Hamas?

The Palestinian militant group struggled to govern the Gaza Strip before launching a surprise attack on Israel in 2023. Now facing Israel’s military campaign to destroy it, Hamas’s future is in doubt…

Gun-toting Hamas militants ride a vehicle amid a massive crowd of the group's supporters
Backgrounder by Kali Robinson

November 21, 2023

Russia
Russia’s Influence in the Balkans

The Balkans have long been a source of tension between Russia and the West, with Moscow cultivating allies there as the EU and NATO expand into the region. The war in Ukraine could be shifting the ca…

A mural depicting Russian president Vladimir Putin with a text reading kosovo is Serbia on October 22, 2020 in Belgrade, Serbia.
Backgrounder by James McBride

December 2, 2008

United States
James L. Jones, National Security Adviser

James L. Jones, a retired Marine commandant, brings extensive military and diplomatic experience to his new post as national security adviser for President Barack Obama.

Backgrounder by Joanna , Associate Editor Klonsky

June 28, 2007

Russia
Russia’s Soviet Past Still Haunts Relations with West

President Vladimir Putin continues to downplay atrocities by Stalin. Some see Russia’s refusal to come to grips with its Soviet past haunting relations with the West.

Backgrounder by Lionel Beehner

September 27, 2023

Belarus
The Belarus-Russia Alliance: An Axis of Autocracy in Eastern Europe

Russia has renewed its long-stalled push for unification with Belarus, using the country as a launchpad for its war against Ukraine and a hardening bulwark against NATO rivals to the west.

Presidents Aleksandr Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin.
Backgrounder by Jonathan Masters