by Deborah Charles | 18 Jun 2025 | Decoder Replay, Economy, History, Human Rights, Politics
Countries are increasingly using sanctions, including travel bans, to bring rogue players into line. But history tells us that they don’t really work. The Statue of Liberty holds a Do Not Enter sign.Illustration by News Decoder Editor’s note: On 16 June...
by Deborah Charles | 17 Jul 2024 | Decoder Replay, History, Journalism, Sports
Journalists don’t win medals. But to cover the Olympics takes extraordinary stamina. You don’t want to let down the team. The author (left) before tackling the Beijing velodrome. (Photo courtesy of Deborah Charles) Editor’s note: The 2024 Summer...
by Deborah Charles | 29 Nov 2022 | Climate decoders, Decoders, Environment, World, Writing's on the Wall
Food systems contribute greatly to climate change. Cooling the planet might require shaking up our meal plans. Substitute meat brands at a supermarket in Westchester County, New York, 16 February 2021. (STRF/STAR MAX/IPx) This article is the fifth in a series of...
by Deborah Charles | 5 Jan 2022 | Decoders, Economy, Politics, World
Sanctions have been a foreign policy tool since ancient Greece. Nations are increasingly using sanctions, even if they fail more than they succeed. Afghan protesters demand the unfreezing of central banks assets abroad, in Kabul, Afghanistan, 2 January 2022....
by Deborah Charles | 5 Jan 2021 | Politics
Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the U.S. presidential election and COVID-19 ensure an uneasy transfer of power to President-elect Joe Biden. U.S. President-elect Donald J. Trump shakes hands with Vice President Joe Biden as he arrives for his inauguration on...