The Intelligence from The Economist

Nothing new to report: Robert Mueller testifies

25 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As promised, the special counsel revealed no more than appeared in his report into Russian election-meddling and obstruction of justice. The story has...

Ricky situation: Puerto Rico’s protests

24 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Rolling protests have rocked the island after leaked texts revealed the governor’s insults. But Puerto Rico’s problems are far greater than almost...

You, May, be excused: Boris Johnson ascends

23 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Britain has a new prime minister—who will inherit all the same problems his predecessor had. Good luck guiding a divided nation through Brexit with ...

Get one thing strait: Iran’s tanker stand-off

22 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The seizure of a British-flagged tanker in the Gulf may seem counter to Iran’s international objectives. But at home, hardliners are in the ascendan...

Servant’s entrance: Ukraine’s elections

19 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Volodymyr Zelensky’s Servant of the People party looks set to make big gains in Ukraine’s parliament this weekend. It must, if it wants to weaken ...

Unmoving movement: Venezuela’s bloody stalemate

18 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The opposition’s momentum has faded; many protesters are too tired to go on. Nicolás Maduro, the illegitimate president, is showing his grip on pow...

In like a Leyen: the European Commission’s new president

17 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Ursula von der Leyen has a tough task ahead, pressing a broad agenda in a fragmented European Parliament. We take a look at the vast international col...

At stake, chips: Japan-South Korea trade spat

16 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A dispute about industrial chemicals reveals tensions that have remained unresolved since the second world war—and threatens the global electronics ...

Tip of the ICE work: the immigration raids that weren’t

15 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

There was little evidence this weekend of the widespread immigration raids long promised by President Donald Trump. But his campaign of sowing fear se...

Tsai hopes: Taiwan’s president on tour

12 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The delicate diplomatic dance that America is performing during Tsai Ing-Wen’s visit hints at the island’s strategic importance. Two of the deadly...

Unspeakable truths: Britain’s US ambassador

11 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The “special relationship” has been strained this week, following the leak of frank diplomatic cables. The conditions of Sir Kim Darroch’s depar...

From Russia with launch codes: Turkey’s new hardware

10 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan faces increasing pressures at home and abroad, and he’s adding to them—most of all by acquiring Russian missile def...

Late to the parting: Deutsche Bank shrinks

09 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

For years, management at Germany’s largest bank knew the firm was in serious trouble. Why didn’t they do more? The massive cuts announced this wee...

In the after-Ba’ath: Syria’s rising Kurds

08 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

For years, Syria’s Kurdish people were largely invisible: their language, flag and festivals were all suppressed. Now, in much of the country’s no...

New Democracy in an old one: Greece’s election

05 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Kyriakos Mitsotakis looks likely to lead his New Democracy party to victory in this weekend’s snap election. But can he deliver on all the promises ...

Putin on a show: Russia’s resurgence

04 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Russia’s president is glad-handing in Italy, where his anti-liberal roadshow resonates. But Mr Putin’s is a twisted vision of liberalism, and at h...

Growth anatomy: America’s expansive decade

03 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What’s behind the record-breaking economic boom and how much longer can it last? Does America’s central bank have the tools it needs to handle the...

Break a LegCo: Hong Kong’s protests boil over

02 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Protesters are in a defiant mood—a hard core of them has smashed up Hong Kong’s Legislative Council. But demonstrations aren’t going to make the...

Armoured Khartoum: Sudan’s bloody transition

01 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Protesters returned to the streets of Khartoum this weekend, again with deadly consequences. We look back to last month’s violent crackdown, and con...

Census and sensibility: landmark SCOTUS rulings

28 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

America’s highest court has handed down decisions that will shape voter representation for years to come. The rulings make clear the court’s reluc...

Fight if you Haftar: the struggle for Libya

27 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Life in Libya’s capital seems calm, even as a warlord backed by ragtag forces bids to take the city. Meanwhile the putative government can muster li...

Rights on Q: same-sex marriage in Japan

26 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A bill to recognise same-sex marriage has failed in Japan’s parliament, exposing a widening divide between the views of its politicians and the valu...

Money in the West Bank: Kushner’s peace plan

25 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Tensions between Iran and America are distracting from Jared Kushner’s long-awaited Israeli-Palestinian peace plan. It’s got plenty of dollar sign...

Lover or Leaver? How Brexit divided Britons

24 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Exactly three years after the referendum result, it’s clear: Brexit has driven Britain a bit batty. We look into the grand societal divides that the...

Blonde ambition: Boris’s bid for power

21 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Charming buffoon or cunning chameleon? Welcoming liberal or snarling Brexiteer? We ask why, despite having no guiding philosophy, Boris Johnson is so ...

Hawks, stocks and peril: Iran-America brinkmanship

20 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Iran’s downing of an American drone today is just the latest source of tension between the countries. Where does it end? As facial-recognition techn...

Moving stories: the UN’s refugee report

19 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The worldwide count of people forced from their homelands has increased sharply, again. What’s driving these movements, and what are governments doi...

Florida Man: Trump’s re-election campaign

18 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

America’s president heads back to the Sunshine State today to announce his candidacy. What to expect this time around? Muhammad Morsi, Egypt’s fir...

Lam to the slaughter: Hong Kong’s shocking U-turn

17 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Calls for the resignation of Carrie Lam, the territory’s leader, are intensifying. Hong Kongers may have put a recent freedom-crimping bill on ice, ...

What’s yours has mines: the Gulf of Oman attack

14 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

America has blamed Iran for yesterday’s tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman. If that’s true, Iran is playing a dangerous game that involves the who...

Vlad the un-jailer: the Ivan Golunov case

13 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

An investigative journalist’s release may look like a press-freedom win in Russia—but it represents much more than that. Democratic presidential h...

Once more, with felines: half the world gets online

12 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Half of humanity is now online. What will the second half do when it logs on? The same as the first: friendly chat, personal expression and a lot of c...

Independence say: Hong Kong’s ongoing protests

11 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A proposed change to the judicial system is just the latest sign that mainland China is exerting pressure on Hong Kong’s autonomy. Authorities seem ...

No way to tweet a friend: Trump’s Mexico tariffs

10 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In the end, President Donald Trump’s tariff threat did what he had hoped: Mexico has pledged to tighten immigration flows. But such weaponisation of...

Tory story: Britain’s next prime minister

07 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Today Theresa May stepped down as leader of the Conservative Party, and would-be replacements are already lining up. There’s little hope that any wo...

Basta! The EU challenges Italy’s finances

06 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

European officials have threatened a substantial fine if Italy doesn’t shrink its debt and budget deficit. Whether or not it follows through, market...

Same as the old boss? Crackdown in Sudan

05 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Nearly two months after staging a coup, military leaders have brutally cracked down on protesters in Sudan. Talks with the opposition have fallen apar...

Thirty years of forgetting: Tiananmen

04 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

On the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square tragedy, our correspondents reflect on a dark and confusing day—and the Chinese government’s effor...

Get pomped up: Trump’s British visit

03 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

President Donald Trump kicks off his state visit to Britain with some opening shots at London's mayor Sadiq Khan. But larger issues will take center s...

Protectionist racket: trade-war rhetoric

31 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As President Donald Trump threatens new tariffs on Mexican goods, retaliatory ones between China and America are starting to bite. That puts China’s...

Likudn’t: Israel’s political crisis

30 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

For the first time since Israel’s founding, efforts to form a government have failed. What will the resulting snap election mean for Prime Minister ...

Baba Go Slow: Nigeria’s President gets another term

29 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Muhammadu Buhari earned the nickname “Baba Go Slow” for a lackadaisical approach to reform as Nigeria’s president. He mismanaged the economy, fa...

Continental breakfast: European elections

28 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Europe’s voters have shown they are not happy with traditional parties. But even as the Brexit Party surged in Britain, populists across the contine...

This May hurt: British politics

24 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Britain’s prime minister Theresa May has at last revealed the date she will step down. She had the unenviable task of trying to deliver Brexit, whic...

Repeat performance: India’s election

23 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Narendra Modi’s BJP appears to have won a convincing re-election victory. What will that mean for India and the region? We look back on the life of ...

Ibiza remix: Austria and the European fringe

22 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As a scandal involving Austria’s hard-right Freedom party causes the government to unravel, we examine the fringe parties of Europe and their chance...

In a heartbeat: abortion in America

21 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The strict anti-abortion bills cropping up in multiple American states aren’t expected to become the law of the land—but proponents want them to c...

Battle for legitimacy: Afghanistan v the Taliban

20 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

After 18 years and almost a trillion dollars to fight the Taliban, Afghanistan’s government still struggles for legitimacy; we ask why. A list of th...

Private iniquity? The Abraaj case

17 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Not long ago, Abraaj was one of the world’s highest-profile private-equity firms. We take a look at its spectacular downfall, and the fate of its ch...

May, EU live in interesting times: Brexit

16 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As party leaders grill Britain’s prime minister—and with a looming European election the country was due to avoid—we examine how the Brexit mess...

Don’t spend it all at once: Pakistan and the IMF

15 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The International Monetary Fund has struck another deal to bail out Pakistan—its 22nd. But how did the country’s economy end up in such a mess? Ne...

Supply demands: Yemen peace talks

14 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

UN negotiators are trying to salvage a ceasefire agreement surrounding the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah. The Arab world’s poorest country is sufferi...

Spare the Rodrigo: Philippine elections

13 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Personalities, not policies, will determine votes in today’s poll in the Philippines to fill some 18,000 government jobs. Loyalists of the firebrand...

Unbalance of trade: China-America talks

10 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Negotiations to end the trade war have been ruffled as the Trump administration again ramped up tariffs. But even if a deal is struck, that won’t ad...

Generals’ election: Thai politics

09 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The military junta that runs Thailand almost completely sewed up a momentous vote—almost. After further electoral meddling the generals will now lea...

Nuclear diffusion: Iran

08 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Exactly a year after President Donald Trump pulled America out of the Iran nuclear deal—and days after America moved warships into the Persian Gulf—...

Mayor may not: Turkey’s election re-run

07 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Turkey’s ruling AK party never conceded defeat in Istanbul’s mayoral election in March. Now the result has been annulled, worrying the opposition ...

Everything in moderation: YouTube

06 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Susan Wojcicki, YouTube’s chief executive, tells our correspondent that moderating the streaming giant’s content is her biggest challenge. No wond...

Barr, none: the White House’s defiance

03 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The no-show of America’s attorney-general in Congress is just the latest example of the White House’s broad stonewalling policy; we look at the co...

Buy the bullet: global defence spending

02 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Governments the world over are beefing up defence spending—chief among them America’s and China’s. But some aggressive countries’ budgets are ...

Putsch comes to shove: Venezuela

01 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Juan Guaidó, the opposition figure widely viewed as the legitimate leader of Venezuela, has made a dramatic attempt to seize power from President Nic...

Inflationary pressure: Argentina’s strikes

30 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Patience runs thin amid rampant inflation and a devaluing currency; Argentines are taking to the streets for two days of strikes and protests. Taiwan’...

Crossing the “t”s: China-America trade talks

29 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

American negotiators will be in Beijing this week, for what appears to be the final stages of striking a trade deal. What’s left to be agreed, and w...

The strain in Spain: an election looms

26 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Ahead of this weekend’s general election, we examine Spain’s fractured political landscape. A much-needed bastion of stability in Europe looks set...

Five Eyes and 5G: the Huawei debate

25 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Leaked discussions reveal that Britain is going against the grain of its “Five Eyes” security partners by letting Huawei supply kit for coming 5G ...

Troubling: a death in Northern Ireland

24 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A young journalist will be buried today, after being accidentally shot by dissident republicans in Northern Ireland. The killing is a worrying reminde...

Worrying new threat: tragedy in Sri Lanka

23 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

After co-ordinated bomb attacks that killed hundreds, Sri Lanka is reeling. But if the government was so consumed by internal struggles as to miss war...

Early to wed: child marriage in Africa

22 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Marrying too young has lifelong effects: on a girl’s body as much as on her education and career. We explore what is behind a sharp decline in child...

Planes, trains and automobiles: the travails of travel

19 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Easter weekend is a busy travel time for the many people who celebrate it. If you’re lucky, it means some time off work. But you might be unlucky, a...

[Redacted]: the Mueller report

18 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Today the report by Robert Mueller, the special counsel who investigated Russian links to the Trump administration, will be released—mostly. What li...

Roads to success: Indonesia’s election

17 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Joko Widodo, the incumbent president, is expected to win today’s vote, after a people-pleasing term tackling the country’s infrastructure. But the...

And then, silence: a Paris icon burns

16 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Emmanuel Macron, France’s president, was already battling the flames of national protest when fire broke out at the Notre Dame cathedral. Will the t...

Modi’s operandi: India’s enormous election

15 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The world’s largest democratic exercise is under way. Prime Minister Narendra Modi looks likely to win on a divisive platform about Hindu nationalis...

Bashir and present danger: Sudan’s coup

12 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A protest movement that began in December at last brought Sudan’s military brass on board. The country’s cycle of dictatorship and democracy may b...

Brussels’ doubts: another Brexit delay

11 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Britain now has a new Brexit deadline: the end of October. But those negotiations magnified divisions within the European Union that Brexit is reveali...

Bibi got back: Israel’s election

10 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Binyamin Netanyahu looks set to win a fifth term as prime minister. How will his policies affect negotiations about some of the most contested land on...

The new mediocre: the world economy

09 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The International Monetary Fund releases its global-growth forecast today. Expect news of a downgrade, but not recession: low growth has become the st...

Tripoli threat: a warlord’s bid to take Libya

08 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As rebel forces advance on Tripoli and American troops withdraw, we look at the Libyan general leading the march, and at the country’s fractured pol...

Theresa looks left: Brexit negotiations

05 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Having seemingly exhausted options within her own party, Prime Minister Theresa May is now trying to strike an EU divorce deal with Jeremy Corbyn, the...

Resigned to it: Algeria’s president

04 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

After two decades as president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika has resigned. But the cabal that’s been running the country doesn’t want to give up power and...

Fund while it lasted: the 1MDB scandal

03 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Today Malaysia’s former prime minister faces his first of several trials, for alleged involvement in the disappearance of billions of dollars from 1...

Vote with pride: LGBT politicians

02 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Chicago votes for a new mayor today. Either way it will become the largest American city run by an African-American woman, but it may also get another...

AK, not quite OK: Turkey’s elections

01 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Turkey’s ruling AK party made historic losses in local elections. Voters, it seems, are fed up with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s economic mism...

Comic’s relief? Ukraine’s presidential race

29 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A television show’s everyman character winds up as president: and now the actor who plays him leads the polls ahead of Ukraine’s election. Many mu...

Another dance ‘round the May poll: Brexit

28 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Britain’s prime minister has promised to step down if Parliament passes her deal with the European Union. That has sparked a leadership contest that...

Seeing the Lighthizer: China trade talks

27 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Another week, another round of negotiations between China and America. But as domestic and economic pressures on both sides have lifted, the path to r...

Loan behold: a global-economy danger

26 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The world has only just recovered from the last global financial shock. But a new trend has economists worried: the rising debt on companies’ balanc...

Collusion elusion: the Mueller report

25 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Robert Mueller, the special counsel, has at last delivered his report on President Donald Trump’s campaign. Will it have disappointed or empowered t...

The never-ending saga: Brexit delayed

22 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

European leaders nixed Theresa May’s request to postpone Brexit for three months, but have given her a short-term reprieve - delaying it by a few we...

Not now, Theresa: Postponing Britain’s EU goodbye

21 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

With just eight days to go before Brexit, Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May wants to extend the leaving date. As an EU summit gathers, Donald Tus...

Alpha Beto: O’Rourke’s appeal

20 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Beto O’Rourke launched his bid for America’s presidency. Despite his relative lack of experience, he’s already been raking in donations. We look...

War and pestilence: Ebola makes a comeback

19 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Five years ago Ebola spread across West Africa, killing more than 10,000 people. In August a fresh outbreak hit the war-torn Democratic Republic of Co...

Replacement anxiety: White supremacist terrorism

18 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand, has left 50 people dead and a lot of unanswered questions. How big a threat are violent white supre...

Can't deal with it: Brexit

15 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been another brutal week for Britain’s prime minister as her deal to leave Europe was swatted down comprehensively—again. As a delay to Bre...

Lights out: Venezuela’s blackout

14 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Power cuts in Caracas have endangered lives and deepened the misery of Venezuelans. It’s another sign of the corruption that pervades the Maduro reg...

Losing the plot: Brexit

13 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The second defeat of British Prime Minister’s plan for withdrawal from the EU has weakened her. But what does it mean for the risk of a no-deal outc...

Flying stop: Boeing

12 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Following a second fatal crash of Boeing’s 737-MAX, China was quick to ground its fleet of the newish airliner. What does this mean for the world’...

The sensitive month: Tibet

11 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

China’s party leaders get nervous in March—a month full of anniversaries that Tibetans hold dear. As the 60th anniversary of Tibet’s uprising ap...

Fifth time unlucky: Algeria’s protests

08 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Widespread protests will continue today against the re-election run of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who hasn’t been heard from since a stroke in ...

Guilt and association: Paul Manafort

07 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager can expect to have the book thrown at him at his sentencing today—the first for crimes revealed b...