The Intelligence from The Economist
Episodes
Defending the indefensible: Aung San Suu Kyi
12 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Myanmar’s de facto leader appeared before the International Court of Justice to answer allegations of war crimes. We look at the stark turnaround of...
Articles of faith: charges laid against Trump
11 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
House Democrats have issued their narrowly focused articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. We look back on the history of impeachments...
Running into debt: Argentina’s new president
10 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
For the first time in decades, a non-Peronist president will peacefully hand over power. But the new president—and his deputy, former president Cris...
Oil be going: Canada’s separatist west
09 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Long-simmering tensions in the oil-rich west of the country have boiled over, and now there’s an increasingly credible push for secession. Investors...
Writing on the Wall: a revealing British-election hike
06 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Our correspondent walked the length of Hadrian’s Wall, in northern England, finding shifting party alliances and surprising views on Brexit. We take...
Not shy about retiring: strikes in France
05 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A massive, rolling, national strike begins today, in protest against proposed reforms of the sprawling pension system. But details of the changes have...
Inquiring minds: impeachment’s next stage
04 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The House Judiciary Committee will now take up the inquiry into President Donald Trump. But will any of it matter to uninterested voters? The probe in...
With allies like these: NATO’s bickering leaders hold a summit
03 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It will be all smiles at the NATO summit today in London--but many of them will be forced. Behind the scenes, the alliance’s leaders are arguing abo...
Terrorist on parole: A jihadist killer fools Britain’s justice system
02 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Islamic militant who killed two people in London last week was supposedly being monitored by the authorities. That revelation has prompted a fierc...
AMLO and behold: Mexico’s president tries to tackle corruption
29 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Mexico’s president, is wildly popular, in part because of his determination to wipe out corruption. But is his crusad...
Presidential SEAL: Donald Trump puts his stamp on military discipline
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump used to lionise generals, but this week he had a falling out with the top brass. Are the armed forces becoming as politicised as America’...
Global warning: The UN sounds the alarm on climate change
27 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The UN has just released its annual report on how well the fight to slow climate change is going. It finds that efforts to reduce greenhouse-gas emiss...
Start spreading the cash: Michael Bloomberg runs for president
26 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York, has announced he is running for president. But he is late to join the race and not very p...
Protest vote: Hong Kongers send a message to Beijing
25 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
After almost six months of protests and street battles, Hong Kongers have had a chance to vote in local elections. They sent a clear message of suppor...
Bibi in the corner: Binyamin Netanyahu’s indictment
22 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
After years of investigations, Israel’s prime minister has been indicted. A fraught legal case will complicate the already messy business of cobblin...
Fuel to the fire: growing unrest in Iran
21 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
After petrol subsidies were slashed, protests of surprising ferocity have flared up across the country—and neither the government nor the demonstrat...
Settling in: Israel-Palestine policy
20 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The American administration’s shifting position on Israeli settlements in the West Bank will have little immediate effect—but may end up sharply c...
Bits in pieces: a fragmenting internet
19 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The early vision for a borderless, unregulated internet has not panned out as its pioneers hoped. How to handle the “splinternet”? Doug Jones is A...
Head for the Hill: this week’s impeachment hearings
18 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Democrats have a hard task as the hearings’ public stage proceeds: not uncovering new evidence, but building a robust public case for impeachment. T...
Better the devil they know? Sri Lanka’s election
15 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
After multiple suicide bombings in April, much campaigning has been about security. Will Sri Lankans vote tomorrow for the authoritarian-but-effective...
Language barrier: Cameroon’s forgotten conflict
14 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There is widespread terror in the largely Francophone country’s English-speaking region. Both hardline separatists and the army target civilians wit...
Umbrellas to firebombs: Hong Kong’s escalating protests
13 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Molotov cocktails are flying and live rounds have been fired. Once-peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations are transforming into violent confrontations—...
The American Dreamer: DACA in the Supreme Court
12 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Trump administration has long wanted to scrap the “Dreamers” scheme, which allowed illegal immigrants who came as youths to stay in America. T...
Unpresidented: Bolivia’s leader resigns
11 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
After weeks of protests following a disputed election, Evo Morales has stood down. Who is in charge, and how can the country escape its gridlock? On a...
Persistence of division: after the Berlin Wall
08 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This weekend marks three decades since the wall fell, yet stark divides remain between East and West. We revisit that moment of hope that remains unfu...
Allez, Europe! Macron’s diplomatic push
07 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This week our correspondent joined Emmanuel Macron on his visit to China. The French president is stretching his diplomatic wings, and has some striki...
Demonstrative: a global wave of protest
06 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s public-sector demonstrations in Zimbabwe are just the latest in a wave of protests around the world. We look into why there are so many, and...
Stone unturned? Trump’s adviser on trial
05 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Today Roger Stone, a colourful associate of President Donald Trump for 40 years, goes on trial facing seven charges; he denies them. Could his testimo...
Facebooklets: breaking up Big Tech
04 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Few politicians are as ambitious about dismantling the tech behemoths as Elizabeth Warren, one of America’s Democratic presidential contenders. What...
Impeach-y keen: Trump investigation goes public
01 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
America’s House of Representatives took its first vote on how to proceed with impeachment proceedings against the president. Republicans will now st...
Iraq in a hard place: deadly protests continue
31 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Demonstrations have been growing for a month and show no signs of abating. But would the reforms that the protesters are demanding actually work? We e...
May as well: Boris Johnson’s electoral bet
30 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has at last secured a general election. Just as with his predecessor Theresa May, that may not result in easier Brexit ar...
Not fare enough: Chile’s protests
29 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The ongoing unrest is no longer about a rise in metro fares; Chileans have risen up to demand that the prosperity of their country be distributed more...
State of disarray: the killing of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
28 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The man who brought Islamic State to the world stage with visions of a brutal “caliphate” has been killed. But the jihadist movement, while weaken...
Poll dance: Boris Johnson’s election ploy
25 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Britain’s prime minister is making a risky move by calling for a general election in December. Will it succeed any more than it did for his predeces...
Calls to action: Lebanon’s continued protests
24 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What began as protests against a tax on WhatsApp calls has blossomed into surprisingly united and peaceful demands for wholesale government overhaul. ...
Putin, he’s back into it: Russia’s growing influence
23 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Vladimir Putin’s diplomacy regarding northern Syria is just one example of the Russian president’s widening influence. British Airways was once kn...
The course of Trudeau love: Canada’s election
22 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Justin Trudeau will remain prime minister, but will lead a minority government. He will probably be able to continue with his progressive push, but hi...
Going through the motion: more Brexit contortions
21 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It might have been a clarifying vote on Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Brexit motion; instead, more legislation and frustration. We dig through the ...
Irish ayes? A new Brexit deal
18 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Britain’s prime minister Boris Johnson has a newly struck European Union divorce deal in hand. He has defied the expectations of many, but he still ...
Antsy about ANC: reform in South Africa
17 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Our journalists interview Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa’s president, about his efforts to clean up his country and his African National Congress par...
Back to Square one? Tiananmen veterans in Hong Kong
16 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Amid the growing disquiet in Hong Kong are a few survivors of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. These once-moderate voices are changing their minds ...
Then there were 12: the Democrats’ fourth debate
15 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Twelve candidates take to the stage again tonight, with two clear front-runners. We ask how the winnowing field reflects the mood of the party. We als...
The enemy of their enemy: the Kurds ally with Syria
14 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Turkey’s violent strikes on north-eastern Syria came as swiftly as America’s withdrawal. The overwhelmed Kurds, once America’s staunch allies ag...
PiS prize: Poland’s crucial election
11 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It is at once a story of post-communist success and of populist threats to the rule of law by the governing Law and Justice (PiS) party. What directio...
Uncomfortable president: Trump’s stonewalling
10 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The White House is stonewalling the impeachment inquiry. Could that hinder the Democrats’ ability to build a strong public case? We look at this yea...
Sorry state: Kashmir on lockdown
09 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Two months after India’s Hindu-nationalist government stripped the state of Jammu and Kashmir of its autonomy, 7m people are still in limbo. How wil...
Just a Kurd to him: Trump’s Syria withdrawal
08 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The president’s sudden talk of departure from a contested strip of the Turkey-Syria border betrays the Kurds who helped beat back Islamic State—an...
Trade disunion: America’s tariff wars
07 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Chinese and American trade negotiators will again be trying to avoid more eye-watering tariffs this week; meanwhile a years-long dispute with the Euro...
Duty call: how Ukraine sees the Trump scandal
04 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A phone call between the presidents has sparked an impeachment inquiry in America. But how do the people of Ukraine view the kerfuffle? Massive studen...
Immunisation shot? The case against Binyamin Netanyahu
03 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Political deadlock in Israel is now inextricably intertwined with a case against the prime minister. An eventual coalition could provide him with immu...
Reform over function: Peru’s political crisis
02 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A long-running dispute between the president and the opposition-controlled Congress has spun out of control—and it’s not clear who will end up lea...
Party like it’s 1949: China’s National Day
01 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As at the founding of the People’s Republic, the 70th anniversary featured a tightly controlled parade bristling with the country’s latest militar...
Out-of-office messaging: Britain’s Tory conference
30 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Lawmakers are back in Parliament while the ruling party is elsewhere, laying out its legislative mission. The Tories are divided, more scandals are ar...
Spoiled ballot: Afghanistan’s election
27 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The country is set for another violent and disputed election. But the fact that Afghans will head to the polls anyway is an encouraging story. Insuran...
Call to account: Trump-Ukraine intrigues
26 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
President Donald Trump’s call to his Ukrainian counterpart is under ever-greater scrutiny. An unexpected impeachment inquiry has started; how will i...
And the law won: Boris Johnson’s latest defeat
25 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Once again, Britain’s prime minister has been thwarted, this time for trying to stymie Parliament as the European departure looms. How will Boris pr...
Aid for abetting? Trump’s Ukraine call
24 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
President Donald Trump’s critics say a telephone call with his Ukrainian counterpart would reveal his most egregious offence yet. But it’s hard to...
Madurable: impasse in Venezuela
23 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
International sanctions have crimped the regime, and the country’s people. Yet President Nicolás Maduro is still in charge. The only way out is for...
To all, concern: a climate-change special
20 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As the Global Climate Strike gets under way, we look at all matters climatic. History shows that fervent debate—and self-interested misinformation—...
I can do that, Dave: AI and warfare
19 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Artificial intelligence is making its way into every aspect of life, including military conflict. We look at the thorny legal and ethical issues that ...
Ursa minor: Russia-China relations
18 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In the 20th century Russia was the more powerful partner. Take a look at the flows of money and influence today, though, and it’s clear the situatio...
Always be my Bibi? Israel back at the polls
17 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The country has never had two elections in a year, and the second looks to be as close-run as the first. Could that at last spell the end of the Binya...
Pipe down: attacks on Saudi oil
16 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Strikes on the world’s largest refinery are bad news for the state oil firm ahead of a record-breaking stock listing—and worse news for the proxy ...
To Viktor, more spoils: Hungary’s autocracy
13 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
He was once a liberal reformer, but now no institution is safe from Viktor Orban’s iron grip. His transformation into an autocrat is a troubling les...
Trust issues: Huawei’s radical plan
12 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The tech giant finds itself enmeshed in a broad battle between China and America. But Huawei’s boss has an idea that might extricate it: selling off...
Scapegoating: xenophobia in South Africa
11 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Migrants have become a convenient scapegoat for South Africans frustrated by a slumping economy and rampant unemployment—and for the politicians who...
Things fall apart: Britain’s fading centre-right
10 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Parliament is suspended for weeks. The Conservative party has been hollowed out. The prime minister’s hopes for an election have been dashed, twice....
Tali-banned: Trump calls off Afghan peace talks
09 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
President Trump has abruptly cancelled talks with the Taliban in Afghanistan, raising fears of renewed internal strife. Wales dabbles in nationalism, ...
Disunited Russia party? Moscow’s elections
06 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This weekend’s vote will fill some fairly inconsequential city positions. But how it plays out will indicate the strength of a rapidly broadening, n...
Age-old problem: reforming France
05 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
President Emmanuel Macron embarks on a serious policy challenge today over pensions. Will his efforts at reform re-ignite the protests that have dogge...
This is revolting: Britain’s parliament rebels
04 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Boris Johnson has lost his parliamentary majority. Conservative party rebels will now help push for a bill precluding a no-deal Brexit, making an earl...
No safety in numbers: America’s immigration raids
03 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Workplace raids catch many undocumented migrants in one place. But they do nothing to tackle the criminal element that the Trump administration has so...
Until blue in the face: Hong Kong’s protests
02 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The territory’s authorities have used live rounds, pepper spray and water cannon with blue dye to mark participants in ever-growing protests. What e...
Out to launch: American nuclear policy
30 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There is a push in America to subscribe to a “no first use” policy on nukes, in a bid to reduce risks and anxiety. But could that actually make th...
Suspend, disbelief: Parliament and Brexit
29 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Boris Johnson, Britain’s prime minister, sparked widespread outrage by suspending Parliament in the run-up to Brexit. What recourse do lawmakers sti...
Ex-Seoul-mate: Japan-South Korea spat escalates
28 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Century-old discord is never far from the surface for the two countries, but the latest flare-up risks disrupting stability in the region. We estimate...
Emmanuel transmission: outcomes of the G7
27 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The weekend summit hosted by France’s President Emmanuel Macron resulted in few concrete actions; mostly the diplomatic dance was intended to keep P...
A friend of mines: Asia’s coal habit
26 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The region accounts for three-quarters of the world’s coal consumption—even as giants such as China and India consider its environmental effects a...
Fight or flight: Cathay Pacific
23 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
China’s central government has made an example of the huge, Hong Kong-based carrier. Will the ploy work to quell protests in the territory, or just ...
Pull out all the backstops: Boris Johnson in Europe
22 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Britain’s prime minister is on the continent ahead of this weekend’s G7 meeting. We ask whether he’ll be able to ditch the Irish “backstop” ...
League of its own? Italian politics
21 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini has pulled the rug from under the country’s government, betting that his charismatic right-wingery might win hi...
Power rationing: Sudan in transition
20 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
After months of unceasing protests, military leaders have struck a deal to share power with civilians, while Omar al-Bashir, the country’s deposed d...
Scarcely surviving: Zimbabwe
19 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Electricity, food, water: everything is in short supply in the country, including faith in the government’s ability to recover from Robert Mugabe’...
Yield signs: the global economy
16 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Investors are piling into safe assets as markets whipsaw: what’s driving the global economy these days is anxiety. Is all the worry justified? Nestl...
Poll reposition: Macri fights back
15 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
President Mauricio Macri’s thumping presidential-primary loss in Argentina left the markets fearing a left-wing resurgence. To win over voters, he’...
Let’s not make a deal: Brexit
14 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Talk grows ever-louder of Britain exiting the European Union without a divorce agreement. Most parliamentarians would rather avoid that—but can they...
Sex cells: the modern fertility business
13 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Companies are rushing to fill new niches for would-be parents: in vitro fertilisation extras, swish egg-harvesting “studios” and apps to track rep...
Raid in Aden: Yemen’s fragmented conflict
12 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Over the weekend, armed rebels overran Aden, the seat of Yemen’s internationally recognised government. They had defected from a loose, Saudi-backed...
Withdrawal symptoms: America-Taliban talks
09 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
America’s envoy claimed “excellent progress” in negotiations ahead of the country’s planned exit from Afghanistan. But stickier talks await, b...
Clear-cut risks: the Amazon degrades
08 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Deforestation is on the rise and Brazil’s government is all but encouraging it. Beyond a certain threshold, the world’s largest rainforest will dr...
State of alarm: India moves on Kashmir
07 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has gutted the autonomy of the restive and disputed Jammu & Kashmir. India’s only majority-Muslim state ...
PLA a part? Hong Kong’s growing unrest
06 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
China’s central government held another press conference to address increasingly chaotic unrest in Hong Kong. A close listen reveals language that m...
Sticking to their guns: violence in America
05 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Two mass shootings over the weekend add to the unrelenting stream of gun violence in America. We look at the political and social forces that ensure i...
A farewell to arms control: the INF treaty dies
02 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As America abandons the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty we examine the future of arms control. New weapons abound and new countries are using...
Disbelief, dysfunction, disaster: Congo’s Ebola outbreak
01 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As aid workers battle the second-worst outbreak in history, they face violence and disbelief. A history of conflict, suspicion of the rich world and w...
Apply liberally: Trudeau’s re-election bid
31 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Canada’s prime minister may not have an easy campaign ahead; we sit down with Justin Trudeau to discuss his tenure so far. The country’s role as a...
Primary culler: Democrats’ second debates
30 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The fields of American presidential candidates just keep getting bigger, and party rules incentivise extreme views and dark-horse entrants. That might...
One country, one system: Hong Kong’s protests
29 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Authorities in Beijing held a rare press conference addressing unrest in Hong Kong. That gives lie to the region’s “one country, two systems” go...
A plight in Tunisia: the president passes
26 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Beji Caid Essebsi promised to fix the economy, re-establish security and consolidate Tunisia’s democracy—but all of that remains unresolved as the...