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September 20, 2024

Lebanon
What Is Hezbollah?

Military experience gained fighting in Syria’s civil war and generous support from Iran have made the Shiite militant group a formidable foe for Israel. But at the same time, its political clout amon…

 A man bearing a Hezbollah flag leads ranks of militants through Beirut’s southern suburb.

September 19, 2024

United Nations
What Is the UN General Assembly?

The General Assembly hosts a much-watched debate of world leaders annually. Its 2024 meeting is expected to emphasize climate change, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the wars in the Gaza Strip…

A large UNGA sign is photographed in front of the United Nations buildings.

September 18, 2024

Global
What Are the UN Sustainable Development Goals?

The United Nations’ ambitious development agenda aims to protect people and the planet via seventeen goals. But experts say governments aren’t doing enough to implement them.

Students attend a lesson at a school in the Tillabéri region of Niger.

August 29, 2024

United Nations
The Role of the UN Secretary-General

The United Nations’ top leadership position has broad authority to steer the organization’s agenda, but its impact has varied widely since 1946.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres is escorted by staff at a displaced persons camp in Somalia.

August 19, 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

August 15, 2024

Monetary Policy
What Is the U.S. Federal Reserve?

Over the past decade, the Fed kept interest rates low while it deployed trillions of dollars in stimulus and expanded its regulatory oversight. Now, the central bank is back in the spotlight for its …

A stone bald eagle perches on the Federal Reserve building in Washington, DC.

August 7, 2024

United States
The U.S. Immigration Debate

Comprehensive immigration reform has eluded Congress for decades. Presidents have increasingly turned to executive action to reshape asylum and border policy.

Immigrants wait at a U.S. Border Patrol processing center in Lukeville, Arizona.

August 5, 2024

Mexico
Mexico’s Long War: Drugs, Crime, and the Cartels

Violence continues to rage more than a decade after the Mexican government launched a war against drug cartels.

A soldier stands guard as over 850 kilos of drugs are burned in Monterrey, Mexico.

July 31, 2024

Venezuela
Venezuela: The Rise and Fall of a Petrostate

Venezuela’s ongoing descent into economic and political chaos is a cautionary tale of the dangerous influence that resource wealth can have on developing countries.

Venezuelans protest against the results of the country’s July 2024 presidential election, in Caracas.

July 20, 2024

Olympics
The Economics of Hosting the Olympic Games

The costs of hosting the Olympics have skyrocketed, while the economic benefits are far from clear. The 2024 Paris Olympics could be a test of whether reforms to the process have made hosting a bette…

Workers install the multicolored Olympic rings between the steel beams of the Eiffel tower.