Asia
India Blocked a BBC Documentary About Modi. The Argument Is Now About More Than the Documentary.
The BBC’s two-part documentary India: The Modi Question examines Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s political career, particularly his tenure as chief minister of Gujarat during the communal violence of 2002, when more than a thousand people…
Netanyahu Won an Election. How Much Power Should Winning Actually Give Him?
Israel held its fifth election in less than four years last November. Benjamin Netanyahu succeeded where several previous governments had failed: he assembled a parliamentary majority. His coalition controls 64 of the Knesset’s 120 seats,…
The Taliban Has Banned Women From University. This Is Not Only a Human-Rights Disaster. It Is a Strategy for Power.
On Tuesday, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Higher Education instructed every public and private university in the country to suspend education for female students until further notice. The order was effective immediately. By Wednesday morning, women arriving…
China’s Blank Sheets of Paper May Be Saying Something More Important Than Any Slogan Could.
Protesters in Shanghai, Beijing and other Chinese cities held up blank sheets of white paper. There was no printed manifesto, party logo or political programme. The emptiness was the message. In a country where criticism…
Anwar Ibrahim Finally Became Malaysia’s Prime Minister. His Hardest Compromise Came After He Won.
Anwar Ibrahim has spent almost a quarter of a century moving between the centre of Malaysian power and its political margins. He served as deputy prime minister during the 1990s, appeared positioned to succeed Mahathir…
Britain Has Its First British Asian Prime Minister. Representation Matters, but It Is Not the Same Thing as Equality.
Rishi Sunak became prime minister of the United Kingdom on Tuesday. The immediate political explanation is remarkably simple. Boris Johnson withdrew from the Conservative leadership contest, Penny Mordaunt failed to secure sufficient nominations from Conservative…
Iraq Finally Has a President. It Took an Entire Year After the Election.
Abdul Latif Rashid defeated incumbent President Barham Salih in a parliamentary vote and was sworn into office. He then nominated Mohammed Shia al-Sudani as prime minister-designate, giving Sudani the task of assembling a cabinet capable…
Iran Looked Stable Until Thousands of People Discovered They Were Not Alone.
For more than three weeks, protests have continued across Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman who had been detained by the country’s morality police for allegedly violating rules requiring…
Pakistan Is Under Water. Who Is Responsible for a Disaster No One Government Caused?
Pakistan declared a national emergency this week as extraordinary monsoon rains and flooding continued across large parts of the country. More than a thousand people have reportedly died since the monsoon began, including hundreds of…
Pelosi Went to Taiwan. China Responded With Missiles. Was the Visit Worth It?
The Speaker of the US House of Representatives arrived in Taipei on Tuesday despite repeated warnings from Beijing that her visit would provoke a serious response. She met President Tsai Ing-wen, addressed Taiwanese officials and…
Iraq Held an Election Nine Months Ago. It Still Doesn’t Have a Government.
It was the second time this week that Sadr’s supporters had breached the heavily fortified area containing parliament, government buildings and foreign embassies. On Wednesday, demonstrators entered the parliamentary building before eventually withdrawing. Yesterday they…
Sri Lanka Has Chosen a New President. Almost Nobody Voted for Him.
On Wednesday, parliament elected Ranil Wickremesinghe to complete the remainder of Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s presidential term. Wickremesinghe received 134 votes, defeating Dullas Alahapperuma, who received 82, and Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who received three. Constitutionally, the process…
