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Trade can help solve our economic woes
Many U.S. voters are anxious about trade and globalization. Incomes are stagnant, inequality rising. But trade can be a solution, not a problem.
World turns blind eye to Yemen war horrors
Yemen’s civil war has accelerated the collapse of a fragmented Arab state, but don’t hold your breath for international action to mitigate war horrors.
What are the biggest threats to U.S. security?
What are the biggest security threats the U.S. will face under its next president? Several hundred high school students have tackled that question.
ISIS doomed, but roots must be tackled
The Islamic State will soon be destroyed militarily, but the roots of the radical group will survive unless Arab regimes promote change.
Beijing’s hutongs: Living relics of China’s past
For Mindy Tan, Beijing’s hutong neighborhoods and old courtyards are living relics of a China that balances tradition and modernization.
News-Decoder spreads its wings
News-Decoder has new partners. Five academic institutions in three countries have joined our pilot program, and we are offering an online course on the big global issues the next U.S. president will face.
North Korea highlights China, U.S. divide
North Korea’s nuclear program is one of the world’s most intractable security issues. China and the U.S. view the menace through very different lenses.
United Nations: friends and foes together
Friends and foes, big nations and small, gather every September at the United Nations. Enrique Shore looks at this year’s assembly.
“You can create change!”
Acts of resistance can make a big difference, a human rights advocate says. And non-violent civil disobedience is more effective than armed militancy.
Sketching News-Decoder’s future
French artist Sandrine Courau has been with News-Decoder from the start. Now, with a new batch of sketches, she helps us build a global forum.
U.S. students ill informed about the world
Young people educated at U.S. universities lack basic knowledge about international affairs and are ill prepared to compete in a globalized economy, according to a new poll.
Here’s why Apple’s taxes are important
Europe is right to order Apple to pay billions of euros of back taxes to Ireland. A failure to crack down on tax avoidance can only fuel populism.
Syrian border town no stranger to intrigue
A Syrian border town recently captured by Turkish-backed forces has for millennia been coveted by smugglers, statesman and spies — including my great-uncle and Lawrence of Arabia.
Brexit butcher’s beef is a weighty matter
A campaign to restore Britain’s traditional, non-metric weights and measures may seem trite. But the Brexit vote tapped into notions of national identity that are serious business.
Apple’s huge tax bill highlights EU dilemma
Apple’s whopping $14.5-billion tax bill from the EU highlights the dilemma for governments wanting to attract jobs without emptying their coffers.
Mother Teresa: Good Intentions to Controversy
Once a diminutive Catholic nun, she is now Saint Teresa. But Mother Teresa courted controversy throughout her life.
Don’t hold your breath for Brexit
Britain is like an awkward housemate who says they will move out but won’t quite budge. The UK has voted to leave the EU, but there’s many a slip ‘twixt the cup and the lip.
News-Decoder wins global news award
News-Decoder has won a coveted award in a global competition honoring innovative efforts to build stronger news media and to engage young audiences.
Why I decided to endorse Hillary Clinton
News-Decoder correspondent James Clad explains why he will vote for Hillary Clinton in the U.S. election even though he served under a Republican president.
Turkey’s move against Kurds alters conflict in Syria
Turkey’s first ground intervention in Syria’s war aims to prevent an independent state for Kurds and changes the dynamics in the five-year-old conflict.
Reflections on France and the burkini
A ban on the burkini swimsuit on several French beaches violates women’s rights, demonstrates intolerance and could backfire, according to News-Decoder ambassadors.
It’s time for the West to stand by Turkey
Turkey’s incursion into Syria illustrates the cardinal role Ankara can play in resolving the protracted conflict. It’s time for Western leaders to acknowledge Turkey’s challenges and contributions.
What to make of France’s ban on burkinis?
What are we to make of France and the burkini? Should we be outraged that towns have banned the swimsuit? Or glad as it is a symbol of oppression?
French region’s misguided cannabis crackdown
France’s capital region wants to test students’ saliva to see if they have been smoking cannabis. It’s a misguided plan that infringes on students’ freedom and should be replaced by education.
Britain’s energy future is in the balance
Britain is at an energy crossroads. Will it approve a costly new nuclear power plant as a step towards a clean-energy future? Or will it rely on fossil fuels to cover power shortfalls?
Instagram lowers the bar to tap into emotions
Instagram’s new “Stories” platform taps into a human desire to share emotions and is re-shaping global marketing and social media.
Céline Rottier: Contributing to a better future
Céline Rottier speaks 8 languages and has 2 master’s degrees. She wants to spur development by contributing to a sustainable energy future.
Time for independence for all of India
Nearly seven decades after it won independence, India is riddled with corruption and ruled by thugs. It’s time to grant independence to India’s 29 states.
Voters finally punish South Africa’s ANC
The long dominant party of Nelson Mandela has been dealt a blow in local elections, punished for economic mismanagement and corruption. But is democracy maturing in South Africa?
Inspiring Syrian children, and drawing inspiration
Volunteers on a mission to help Syrian refugee children ended up in the middle of an attempted coup in Turkey. They drew inspiration from the orphans.
Mission for Syrians snared in Turkey coup
Volunteers to help Syrian refugee children were caught up in Turkey’s attempted coup. Here are their stories of perseverance and improvisation.
How has Europe failed in the Middle East?
The European Union has failed to bring peace to the Middle East and needs to rethink its strategy if it wants to help end conflicts in the region that threaten European security and prosperity.
Nationalism is threatening European unity
Voter discontent with the political establishment, immigration and economic woes have fueled nationalism that is threatening European unification.
U.S. election: Thoughts on Hillary & Trump
What are young people thinking about the U.S. presidential election as it enters the home stretch? Four News-Decoder ambassadors speak out.
Nationalism rears its head again in Europe
Brexit offers a glimpse of the frustration that many Europeans feel with politicians and the EU. Nationalism and populism are on the rise — again — around the continent.
Nuclear power: Is it a white knight?
Environmentalists have long denounced nuclear power as dangerous. But it could help us cut the use of fossil fuels and increase our chances of averting climate change disaster.
Protesters and diversity in Cleveland
Protesters from vastly different backgrounds discuss why they decided to take to the streets of Cleveland, Ohio during the Republican National Convention.
Is Tunisia backsliding with amnesty bill?
Tunisia’s president wants to turn the page on corruption under the Arab nation’s former dictator. But opponents take to the streets to protest what they call a step back in the Arab uprising.
Let’s be sensible about child labor
The world agrees that child labor needs to be eradicated. But not all child labor is bad, and we need a sensible approach that also combats poverty.
Mr. Trump goes to Cleveland
I’m from Cleveland, where Republicans have nominated Donald Trump as their presidential candidate. Farce has not yet descended into tragedy.
Eyewitness in Nice: The dead have no byline
I was in Nice on Bastille Day and am lucky to be alive. I have a byline. But the 84 dead, they have no byline.
Coup in Turkey: Real, inept or orchestrated?
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan emerges stronger from a failed military coup. Was it real or orchestrated?
Eyewitness to Nice attack: “A truck, then screams.”
“The truck plowed into the crowd, and then we heard screaming. It was really a horrible experience.” Robert Holloway saw the attack in Nice last night.
Will drones ever replace journalists?
Drones are a dream come true for cameramen. But they raise thorny ethical questions and are causing headaches for regulators.
Barabinsk, Siberia: My hometown
It’s but a 20-minute stop on the Trans-Siberian Railroad. The airport and feed mill are deserted. But Barabinsk is my hometown and always will be.
Court to rule on China-Philippines sea dispute
An obscure court is set to rule on a testy dispute between China and the Philippines over remote islets in the South China Sea. The stakes are high for the U.S. and its allies in Asia.
Humanity within nature: photos from Mali
Landscape designer Chris Hendershot traveled to Mali in 2015 and has shared with us photos that he took while in the West African country.
Iran nuclear deal: a threat delayed
The nuclear agreement between Iran and global powers sealed a year ago is good as it prevents Iran from building weapons for at least a decade.
Iran’s nuclear plan of destruction
It’s been a year since world powers signed a nuclear accord with Iran. This is not a good deal for the United States.
No end to Americans’ love of guns
Americans die every day from guns, yet lawmakers struggle to pass laws to control powerful firearms. Why do Americans have a love affair with guns?