Orkney, the Surprising Center of Neolithic Britain
Thousands of years ago, Orkney was at the heart of Neolithic northern Europe — its landmark buildings welcoming vast numbers of people. Now the main archaeological site on the island has been reburied after 20 years of astonishing research, just as it’s revealed that the Altar Stone of Stonehenge came from nearby.
In Sri Lanka, the Army Is Engaging in a New War on Drugs
Extrajudicial executions, police raids on low-income neighborhoods, media demonization of addicts and court-mandated rehabilitation at army-run centers have raised concerns about the criminalization of substance abuse in Sri Lanka.
Iraq Offers Lessons and Warnings for a New Syria
The sudden collapse of the Assad regime marks a momentous opportunity for Syrians to build an inclusive, stable democracy — but it also poses immense challenges, from rebuilding a war-torn society to preventing the rise of a new autocrat. Postwar Iraq offers lessons and cautionary tales for the nascent state.
Proposed Legislation Threatens a Backslide on U.S. Democracy
A “Stop Terror-Financing” bill that has passed in the U.S. House of Representatives has raised red flags for its similarity to “foreign agent” laws — a cornerstone of repression in Putin’s Russia and Orban’s Hungary. But with the incoming Trump administration, the bill has a good chance of becoming law.
The Chaotic Power of Elon Musk’s Foreign Political Interventions
Elon Musk has begun promoting far-right politics beyond the borders of the U.S. A closer look at the recent drama he caused in the U.K. reveals that his interventions may have unpredictable effects.