Massacre haunts divided Caucasus amid shaky ceasefire
Azerbaijan blames Armenia for a massacre of civilians in the South Caucasus. Armenia denies the charge. Meanwhile, lasting peace proves…
Reminiscing differently about the Berlin Wall
Ever wonder what journalists think when they cover a major event? Tom Heneghan was there when the Berlin Wall fell…
Ukraine: Could a prisoner swap promote peace?
Ukraine and Russia have swapped prisoners, to the chagrin of investigators exploring the downing of a passenger jet. But will…
We need to keep disarmament treaties, not scrap them
In a world with nuclear weapons, every agreement counts. So the decision by the U.S. and Russia to scrap a…
Shocking survey jolts man’s convictions!
We all have our convictions. But the world's a complex place, where opposing viewpoints co-exist. Humility can be the first…
From Flopnik and shame to a man on the moon
It's been 50 years since the U.S. put a man on the moon. It's worth recalling how the U.S. lagged…
Arms control may be out of fashion, but it still matters
The U.S. has pulled out of a major arms control treaty amid tensions between Washington and Moscow. Weapons treaties are…
Decoder: A key to understanding Russian suspicions of West
The Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies opposed the West for 36 years. After the Iron Curtain fell, NATO…
NATO turns 70. Does it have cause to celebrate?
NATO continues to grow in size but not necessarily in strength. Can the 70-year-old military alliance withstand forces weakening its…
Democracy is in crisis. Time to fight back.
Threatened by populists and "fake news," democracy is in crisis. But it remains better than alternatives -- and a holy…
In Moscow, an education in all things Putin
Recently I went to Russia. I discovered that Russians view their president, Vladimir Putin, in a much different light than…
Corrected – Do you want change? Beware inertia
You're a young person. You want change. You're confident political winds are in your favor. Beware of the defenders of…
Azerbaijan: The world’s first Muslim democracy
One century ago, Azerbaijan declared independence, becoming the first democratic state in the Muslim world and one of the first…
Prague, 1968: A knock on the door, tanks in the street
“Wake up, wake up! They’ve come, they’ve come!” A Russian-led invasion force riding tanks had rolled into Prague, crushing reform…
In Kyiv, I found a hopeful, anxious, tough Ukraine
Visiting Ukraine, would I find a grim, tense nation shaking off its Soviet past and at war with itself? I…
Remembering feisty Fidel Castro
News-Decoder correspondents remember Fidel Castro -- in an East German football stadium brandishing a rifle, at the UN podium, on…
The West shares blame for Putin
Vladimir Putin is a product of Russian society and power-hungry friends. But the West has helped make him what he…
Divided Korea: A family torn apart
Still officially at war, North and South Korea eye each other across the world's most heavily militarized border -- a…