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The Global Slide from Democracy: Time to Wake Up
Democracy and the post-war world order are under siege as populist and nationalist forces gain ground around the world. We must wake up and act.
Women long at the lead of anti-base protests on Okinawa
Suzuyo Takazato first protested against a U.S. military base on Japan’s Okinawa island in 1995 after the rape of a schoolgirl. She persists today.
Gender equality: A global human rights crisis
Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right but a foundation for peace and prosperity. Feminists fight not just for women, but all humans.
Beaten yet unbowed, Ugandan fights for LGBTQ rights
Joseph Kawesi is a transgender woman who risks prison for her gender identity. But she fights for her rights and those of Uganda’s LGBTQ community.
Climate change or not, U.S. Midwest farmers adapt
In the traditional farmlands of America’s Midwest, where the term “climate change” is taboo, the weather has turned farmers’ lives upside down.
Indiana, Westover, Thacher students snatch prizes
Students at Indiana University, Westover School and Thacher School have won News-Decoder’s third essay/reporting contest and win $1,000 in prizes.
Decoder Spotlight: Miss Porter’s students shine
Students at Miss Porter’s School in Connecticut have been named “Decoders in the Spotlight” for their exemplary work on climate change.
Of trigger warnings, safe spaces and snowflakes
Do you think universities should create “safe spaces” and offer “trigger warnings” for material that might upset students? Here are two opposing views.
Donald Trump plays with fire in Jerusalem
In vowing to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, Donald Trump has torn up the diplomatic rule book, satisfying his base but at what cost?
Millennials: Here’s financial advice you won’t regret
Are you worried millennials are doomed to financial inadequacy? That retirement is a pipe dream? Here’s a book with tough-love advice.
Charlotte Parker: News Decoder has a new adviser
She has taught in Texas and freelanced in South America. She’s helping to tackle poverty. Meet Charlotte Parker, News Decoder’s new adviser.
Bosnia is not lost. Shame on our easy pessimism
It’s easy to dismiss attempts to prosecute war criminals from the conflict in Bosnia. But the efforts are not in vain despite an imperfect peace.
At U.S. universities, curbs on free speech
Should students be able to silence a speaker whose views offend them? Protests and surveys highlight that free speech is under threat in the United States.
Financial freedom: A new plan for millennials
Baby boomers have basically ruined things for millennials. But here’s a book that will help you have your avocado, your trips and financial freedom.
“Butcher of Bosnia” wrote dark chapter in Europe’s history
An ex-Serbian general — the “Butcher of Bosnia” — has been sentenced to life in prison for war crimes in one of the darkest chapters in Europe’s history.
Will the hopes of Zimbabwe’s people be quashed again?
Has Zimbabwe’s new leader raised false hopes of serious change in a country that was plundered under his mentor, Robert Mugabe?
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Mugabe’s downfall: End of an era or palace coup?
Robert Mugabe made the fatal error of ditching allies. But the downfall of the despot has a significance beyond Zimbabwe’s borders.
In the end, Zimbabwe’s Mugabe had to blink
At 93, it was normal that Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe had lost some of his faculties. Relinquishing power was his most level-headed action for years.
Should France pay descendants of slaves reparations?
Colonialists exploited slaves on Caribbean islands for two centuries. Should France pay reparations to their descendants?
Pragmatic France swallows hard, forges ties with U.S.
France is looking past gaping political differences with Donald Trump to carve out a special relationship based on solid military ties and common interests.
Catalonia stokes separatist fires around Europe
Catalonia’s declaration of independence has national leaders around Europe on the edge of their seats, worried the separatist bug might be contagious.
Is Brexit really going to happen?
Britain is half way between its vote to leave the EU and the date it will leave the pact, and it’s not clear what will happen.
Balfour: Dirty word or golden key?
It was a 67-word letter penned by a UK diplomat a century ago. But the Balfour Declaration still resonates through Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Iran outpacing Saudi Arabia in regional struggle
Rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia, aspirants for leadership of the Islamic world, is at the crux of conflict across the Mideast, with deadly results.
Borneo Tree Spirits Go to Court (Conclusion)
A court case pitting Borneo natives against big business comes to an end. Who will win? Aborigines or the timber and oil palm corporations?
Our student ambassadors: Global citizens
They love to travel, speak multiple languages, do community service and often aim for international careers. They are News-Decoder’s student ambassadors.
Borneo Tree Spirits Go to Court (Part IV)
Do rivers and trees on Borneo have legal rights? A Southeast Asian court is asked to decide, and the answer is not as simple as it might seem.
Catalonia: Protesters and the capes of superheroes
A weekend in Barcelona, epicenter of Catalonia’s independence movement, and I’ve never seen so many flags in my life — capes of superheroes.
Strengthened Xi sees China taking center stage
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has strengthened his grip on power, with far-reaching consequences for China and the world.
Decoder Spotlight: Emma Bapt of King’s College
Emma Bapt of King’s College London has been named “Decoder in the Spotlight” in recognition of her efforts to build News-Decoder’s community.
Borneo Tree Spirits Go to Court (Part III)
Native Penans take the stand to defend their rainforest and way of life, which they say are threatened by entrenched corporate and political interests.
Borneo Tree Spirits Go to Court (Part II)
Penans and global experts testify that trees in a Borneo rainforest have spirits and merit legal protection. The second installment in a five-part story.
Borneo Tree Spirits Go to Court (Part I)
A human rights lawyer from Borneo goes to court for a tropical rainforest against rapacious corporate interests. The first installment in a five-part story.
With Trump, hopes fade for Palestinian state beside Israel
Donald Trump may have abandoned Washington’s commitment to a Palestinian state living alongside Israel. But the dream of a two-state solution died long ago.
Race relations in America: My baptism by fire
I waded into a raging debate over race relations in America. I emerged battered and bruised — and better able to understand different views.
Spain’s crisis over Catalonia on hold
Leaders in Spain have stepped back from the precipice in their battle over Catalonia’s bid for independence. But resentment persists.
Taiwan Supper Club: Openness and Blurred Boundaries
Taiwan has long been a crossroads of empires and a refuge for resistance. I arrived as a flaneur, with few expectations of making local friends.
Decoder in the Spotlight: Suining Sim of ISF Academy
Suining Sim, a student at ISF Academy in Hong Kong, has been named News-Decoder’s first “Decoder in the Spotlight” for her outstanding contributions.
Can China and the U.S. escape the Thucydides Trap?
Can China and the U.S. avoid the “Thucydides Trap” — a rising power threatening an established power, leading to war — and pacify North Korea?
Why Catalonia’s independence push is so important
Catalonia’s drive to win independence from Spain is the latest threat to Europe’s framework and a reminder of other movements on the continent.
U.S. football protests nothing new in race relations
Donald Trump’s attacks on pro football players protesting against racial injustice tap into a racist well familiar to generations of black U.S. athletes.
Kenya takes giant stride, but ethnic splits persist
Kenya has taken a giant step in strengthening democracy, sending a signal to all of Africa, but persistent ethnic divisions beset the East African nation.
What’s in store for Syria if Islamic State is defeated?
Islamic State fighters are on the run in Syria. But if they are defeated on the battlefield, the aftermath could still prove very messy and very uncertain.
A 14th school joins News-Decoder’s global network
La Jolla Country Day School in southern California has signed up with News-Decoder as the 14th founding member of our international learning community.
Refugee children risk exploitation, trafficking abuses
They try to cross the Mediterranean with their families. But child migrants and refugees are at great risk of abuse, exploitation and human trafficking.
China and the West: Friends, Foes or Frenemies?
Will China and the U.S. clash? Can Beijing help defuse tensions on the Korean peninsula? These are students’ questions ahead of a News-Decoder webinar.
Kurds under pressure to scrap independence vote
The Kurdish region of Iraq is under pressure to scrap an independence vote that critics say could hinder the fight against Islamic State militants.
Hay esperanza. Holding out hope for U.S. “Dreamers”
José crossed into Texas from Mexico when he was five. The chances of this “dreamer” staying in the U.S. — the only country he knows — are now in doubt.