Despite an isolationist president and a plan to withdraw from Afghanistan, the U.S. has some 200,000 troops scattered around the world. Former U.S. President Barack Obama waves to U.S. troops at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, 28 March 2010 (White House...
The U.S. is considering pulling forces out of the Sahel in Africa, where they are fighting Islamic extremists. Would a withdrawal make Americans safer? People flee as security forces aim their weapons during an attack by extremists at a luxury hotel complex in...
My father used to tend our garden. Then he was taken from us — changing what I understood about America’s fundamental covenants. He doused the roots of his white carnations, careful not to soak the generous stems that lived inside this hanging pot. They...
The stark missteps recorded in the Afghanistan Papers recalled an historic about-face by an architect of the U.S. war in Vietnam. He was Robert McNamara, the Defense secretary who played a key role in escalating the conflict, only to end up wrestling with his...
The U.S. sends troops far from home on an ill-defined mission. Leaders lie. The conflict becomes a quagmire. That’s Afghanistan — or Vietnam redux. Family members of a U.S. soldier who died in Afghanistan look up as military helicopters fly over graveside...
Immigrants can struggle to work as professionals in the U.S. But there’s no quick fix to “brain waste,” which can punish the economy and migrants. (Photo provided by Uthpala Amarasinghe) This piece tied for first prize in News-Decoder’s...
Through his extraordinary talent, perseverance and dignity, baseball great Jackie Robinson helped open major league baseball to black men. First baseman Jackie Robinson (right) flanked by fellow Dodgers teammates. (AP Photo/Harry Harris) During the opening episode of...
What does it mean when protestors appropriate your symbols to further their national ends? How does it make you feel? A protestor displays a U.S. flag during a demonstration in Hong Kong, China, 20 September 2019 (EPA-EFE/JEROME FAVRE) What does it mean when...
The people of Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens but have no vote in Congress. The island is a U.S. territory, but many Americans know nothing about it. Tattered Puerto Rico and U.S. flags, eight months after Hurricane Maria, 16 May 2018, Yabucoa, Puerto Rico (AP...
What was it like in the U.S. before abortion was legal? A doctor recalls botched, amateur procedures and fears health risks if abortion is re-criminalized. A demonstrator favoring abortion rights holds a “Save Roe” sign, 1 July 2005, Washington, DC (EPA/Mike Theiler)...