Reportage
Espressos and Escape in Tehran
Cafes in Iran have been transformed, as young people look for new places to socialize, learn skills that might be useful abroad and embrace a new marker of taste. They are also attracting attention from the authorities for mimicking bars and nightclubs, which are prohibited by law.
Feed the World?
Forty years after “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” cast Africa as a place “where nothing ever grows,” Ethiopia’s prime minister declared the country self-sufficient in wheat, and even ready to export. But in Oromia, farmers tell another story — of shrinking plots, costly reforms and a risky plan for collective farming.
‘Sustainable’ Cashmere Won’t Save Mongolia’s Steppe
Mongolia produces some of the best cashmere in the world — and is being undone by it. As the steppe dries up from overgrazing, can organizations claiming to supply “responsible” and “sustainable” cashmere make an impact?
The Toll of Trump’s African Deportation Agreements
The U.S. has quietly deported a number of migrants to countries they have no ties to, where they face indefinite detention under secret agreements that may bypass local law. The transfers are part of a system that outsources tough immigration cases, trapping deportees in legal limbo far from home.
The MAGA Battle Over the Epstein Files
The White House is haunted by the scandal-infested legacy of billionaire sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Once described by Donald Trump as a man who “never dies,” Epstein’s shadow now looms over the presidency, even from the grave. And it’s thrown the Trump administration into deep disarray.
In Homs, Revenge Is the Only Law Left Standing
Homs, once the capital of Syria’s revolution, has become a violent landscape of sectarian killings, property seizures and unrestrained impunity. As neighbors and armed factions exploit the security vacuum, the new government is using selective enforcement and deliberate neglect to reshape the city’s demographics and power balances.
The Human Cost of El Salvador’s Gang Crackdown
In 2022, President Nayib Bukele implemented a temporary state of exception to combat gang violence in El Salvador. It remains in effect three years later, amid claims that it has enabled systematic human rights violations, including arbitrary arrests, torture, inhumane prison conditions, forced labor and detention without due process.