Articles from The Economist (143)
Checks and Balance newsletter: A positive scenario for America in 2026
John Prideaux, our US editor, offers hopeful predictions for the year ahead | United States
The Samaritan who took sides
Nader Sadaqa had the best of both worlds. Why did he decide to kill for the Palestinian cause? | Podcasts
ICE show: how Donald Trump is creating his own police force
Our weekly podcast on democracy in America. This week, a look at how President Trump is deploying immigration agents in liberal cities. | Podcasts
What to watch this weekend
Ready for a do-or-die drama? Let the games begin | Culture
Toil and rubble: who will rebuild Gaza?
Also on the daily podcast: Will AI eat our jobs and remembering scientist James Watson | Podcasts
The mystic, the cricketer and the spy: Pakistan’s game of thrones
Imran Khan’s marriage to his spiritual adviser shocked the country. Now she could help decide whether he returns to office or stays in prison | 1843
The hidden risks in Taiwan’s boom
A weak-currency policy is punishing consumers and storing up financial risk | Leaders
Is “All’s Fair” really the worst television drama ever made?
Quite possibly. It is almost all awful—apart from the kitchens | Culture
British businesses say they are furious with the government
But they are behaving more bullishly than they sound | Britain
Ethiopia is perilously close to another war
Conflict in Tigray could balloon into a regional conflagration | Middle East & Africa
China’s growing global fan club
Our new poll shows global opinion is swinging its way | China
How to avoid Africa’s next war
Pressure from America and its allies can prevent a return to fighting | Leaders
Taiwan’s amazing economic achievements are yielding alarming strains
It has the world’s most undervalued currency and one of its biggest trade surpluses | Briefing
Why the Democrats may lose again to Donald Trump
One congressman’s choice not to run again is a dire signal for them, and about politics in general | United States
Indian comedians have never been so successful or endangered
Jokesters lead the fight for free expression in India | Culture
Libellous chatbots could be AI’s next big legal headache
Companies from Google and Meta to OpenAI are getting sued for defamation | Business
Tree murders and the economics of crime
Rich people can’t stop cutting down each other’s woodland | Finance & economics
The best films of 2025
They feature priests, revolutionaries and vampires | Culture
Elon Musk’s $1trn pay deal highlights companies’ superstar dilemma
Can firms hedge against losing key talent? | Business
TSMC’s cautious expansion is frustrating the AI industry
The Taiwanese chipmaking giant has been burned by previous investment booms | Business
Half a century after the death of Franco, Spain is a far better place
But new problems risk undermining its success | Europe
The 10-4 rule for interacting with customers
Is Target’s new policy bonkers, businesslike or a bit of both? | Business
How markets could topple the global economy
If the AI bubble bursts, an unusual recession could follow | Leaders
James Watson was stunned by the beauty of the double helix
The biologist and co-discoverer of DNA’s structure died on November 6th, aged 97 | Obituary
Parents on e-bikes are transforming the school run
They’re smug, snug and often faster than drivers | United States
America is now the biggest market for international football
As well as co-hosting the World Cup in 2026, more and more people in America are watching soccer, and spending on football media rights is rising | The World Ahead
Sperm whales communicate with vowels
The clicks that the animals make share at least one property with human language | Science & technology
Why Britain may have stopped sharing some intelligence with America
And how America might respond | Britain
Vladimir Putin has no plan for winning in Ukraine
Fighting in Ukraine will grind on in 2026. Vladimir Putin will continue to throw away Russian lives pointlessly, but sooner or later a reckoning is coming | The World Ahead
Gaza’s zombie ceasefire
Neither an Arab reconstruction plan nor an American one have much chance of success | Middle East & Africa
The seven deadly sins of corporate exuberance
A frenzy of financial innovation has ensnared America Inc. What could go wrong? | Business
The luxury industry will bounce back
Sensible prices, integrated supply chains and fresh designs will help luxury brands regain their sparkle in 2026 | The World Ahead
The rare-earth industry needs more than Trumpian deals
In 2026 Western efforts to reduce dependence on rare earths from China will intensify | The World Ahead
Sir Keir Starmer is a prisoner of the politics he pledged to end
When rigmarole becomes reality | Britain
Companies will struggle to stay on top of tariff chaos
Donald Trump’s trade war is shifting production away from China. Expect price hikes, belt-tightening and more rejigging of supply chains in 2026 | The World Ahead
Seven conflicts to watch in the coming year
Some are potential, others are already hot
How the exasperating, indispensable BBC must change
Its latest crisis needs to spur reforms to bolster its news division | Leaders
European governments are fuelling a rearmament boom
Europe is rearming at its fastest pace since the end of the cold war. Defence spending is set to rise by €700bn-800bn between 2022 and 2028 | The World Ahead
Will superfast, super-expensive electric vehicles catch on?
Why 2026 could be the make-or-break year for extravagant electric cars | The World Ahead
See how Donald Trump is creating his own police force
Immigration agents are operating in cities with few legal constraints
In defence of personal finance
It may widen inequality. But it has many advantages | Finance & economics
India’s economy will become the world’s fourth-largest
By the end of March 2026 India will overtake Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest economy. But the country falls short on many other measures | The World Ahead
Farewell to the American penny
Production of one-cent coins in America will cease in 2026. The penny’s life has been long and fruitful, but its time has finally come | The World Ahead
Despite claims, foreign students have not yet been put off America
Our analysis shows that a reported dip in arrivals this year may be a mirage | Graphic detail
The costs of dating your boss
New research shows breakups come with big wage penalties | Business
A human-rights researcher on why she pushed back when China bullied her university
Democratic governments must resist authoritarian states trying to co-opt their institutions, writes Laura Murphy | By Invitation
Old folk are seized by stockmarket mania
Investing in equities may make sense for individuals—but it could also exacerbate a crash | Finance & economics
Millions are turning to AI for therapy
But is the technology ready? | Science & technology
Acknowledgments
Special report
The contours of 21st-century geopolitics will become clearer in 2026
With the old order in ruins, the contours of the new world will become much clearer in 2026—in three main areas | The World Ahead
The Gaza plan needs fleshing out quickly, writes a former Israeli security chief
Ultimately, explains Ami Ayalon, Binyamin Netanyahu will have to be gone for the vision to be realised | By Invitation
Tom Standage’s ten trends to watch in 2026
This is Donald Trump’s world—we’re all just living in it. As the Trumpnado spins on in 2026, here are ten trends to watch from the editor of The World Ahead | The World Ahead
Bogged down in Ukraine, Russia is meddling elsewhere
Russia’s “grey-zone” provocations will intensify in 2026. Europe faces the threat of direct conflict, marked by cyber-attacks and drone incursions | The World Ahead
Welcome to Culiacán
The Sinaloa cartel is tearing itself apart— and dragging a city down with it | Podcasts
Heir Jordan: the rising star of France’s populist right
Also on the daily podcast: a new conservation scheme pays dividends in the DRC and remembering Dick Cheney | Podcasts
Elon Musk’s $1trn pay deal is a troubling display of corporate capture
He has Tesla and its board wrapped around his finger | Business
Feeling blue: what Democrats can learn from the elections
Our weekly podcast on democracy in America. This week, what to make of a big night of Democratic victories. | Podcasts
Zohran Mamdani lost in parts of NYC that look most like America
Our analysis shows why his victory is no model for Democrats elsewhere | Graphic detail
America’s furniture-makers exemplify the folly of tariffs
Donald Trump is pushing up costs to rescue an industry that has already adapted to globalisation | Business
Amazon crime: how to fix the economics destroying the rainforest
Our podcast on markets, the economy and business. This week, we hear a report from deep in the Amazon | Podcasts
What a hit memoir reveals about work in China
And about the millions of itinerant workers who powered the country’s rise | Culture
China’s clean-energy revolution will reshape markets and politics
The world’s biggest manufacturer now has an interest in the world decarbonising | Leaders
The rise and fall of America’s model mobile crisis service
What went wrong with a scheme started by hippies and praised by Zohran Mamdani | United States
Indonesia raids its rainy-day pot
And foreign investors head for the airport | Asia
The rise of singlehood is reshaping the world
In good ways and bad | Leaders
A new industry of AI companions is emerging
It may have profound implications for society and what it means to be human | International
America’s plans for a Golden Dome are dangerously obscure
Without clarity, the missile shield risks becoming a costly, destabilising white elephant | Leaders
Make America procreate again: among the MAGA fertility fanatics
Tech bros and religious conservatives have joined forces to boost the birth rate | 1843
Ukraine’s valiant defence of Pokrovsk is nearing its end
Russia suffers huge casualties, but its new drone-powered assault is working | Europe
Brand Britain has bounced back
Despite all the gloom at home, the country’s reputation is surprisingly bright | Britain
What explains India’s peculiar stability?
In a tricky neighbourhood the country remains calm | Finance & economics
China’s life-sciences industry is turning American
Meanwhile, America is abandoning its winning formula | Business
Should facial analysis help determine whom companies hire?
A new paper suggests a photo can tell a recruiter much about an applicant’s personality | Business
War looms in Venezuela as Trump tests an “Americas First” doctrine
A gathering armada risks repeating the mistakes of the “war on terror” | The Americas
All over the rich world, fewer people are hooking up and shacking up
Social media, dating apps and political polarisation all play a part | Briefing
Why Anglophones use the alphabet so oddly
A delightful history of a mongrel language | Culture
Israel’s politicians are taking on its lawyers once again
The arrest of the IDF’s top lawyer will affect Israel’s political future | Middle East & Africa
Why Palantir’s success will outlast AI exuberance
Its valuation looks bonkers. Its business isn’t | Business
Was the Pacific Palisades blaze a “zombie fire”?
Fires can linger underground in the Arctic. Might they do the same in California? | Science & technology
Democrats risk drawing the wrong lessons from one good day
Moderate governors offer a better model than a charming socialist in New York | Leaders
Jordan Bardella starts to lay out his plans
The 30-year-old French populist who is preparing for power | Europe
Tracking American drug-boat strikes off Venezuela’s coast
Are smugglers or Nicolás Maduro’s regime the target?
A night of big wins for the Democrats
Having Donald Trump in the White House but not on the ballot is ideal for the party | United States
How much wealth an AI stockmarket crash could destroy
Our visual guide to how a bust that rivals the dotcom era could wipe out 8% of Americans’ household wealth
If Labour cranks up income taxes, the left will boo loudest
Many seem to believe in the common good without shared sacrifice | Britain
Gerrymandering is now the wind beneath Gavin Newsom’s wings
His winning gamble to counter Donald Trump’s brazen redistricting may make him the next Democratic nominee for president | United States
Nigel Farage bows to the bond market
The Reform UK leader has abandoned tax cuts that did not add up | Britain
How Donald Trump can dodge a Supreme Court tariff block
No matter its ruling, the president has back-up powers | Finance & economics
If only the market value of an intact forest were more obvious, writes Jack Hurd
A COP in a rainforest could be the biome’s best hope | By Invitation
First, grinning Labubu dolls. Now, a TV show and theme parks
Pop Mart, maker of the wildly popular toys, wants to be China’s Disney | Business
Weight distribution: how GLP-1s are going global
A handpicked article read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist | Podcasts
For the first time, climate models show the 1.5°C goal is dead
Governments have failed to limit global warming. What comes next? | Graphic detail
The mystery of China’s slumping investment
Its leaders don’t seem concerned. Should they be? | Finance & economics
Cleaning up a coal-fired mess
China’s green-industrial complex makes deep decarbonisation possible, but far from inevitable | Special report
Investment imperative: why Europe must fund Ukraine’s war
A handpicked article read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist | Podcasts
China’s air-quality improvements have hastened global warming
Air pollution used to cool the world: now, not so much | Special report
Will AI make dating apps better—or even worse?
Tinder, Hinge and Bumble are betting big on the technology | Business
Why climate change now threatens China’s future
Extreme weather is hurting its economy and worrying its leaders | Special report
Solar in China has become too big to fail
No other country could have done it | Special report
War is blasting Ukraine’s border city of Kharkiv but boosting Lviv
A tale of two Ukrainian cities | Europe
The world’s renewable-energy superpower
China’s moment for climate leadership has arrived | Special report
The climate action that matters is in the global south, argues an architect of the Paris agreement
But, writes Christiana Figueres, innovation still has to outpace climate impacts | By Invitation
How China sparked a rooftop solar revolution in Pakistan
It is a test case for the green transition in the Global South | Special report
China’s Belt and Road Initiative is booming again
In a Trump-troubled world, China’s leader still sees opportunities in poor countries | China
Has Airbnb reached its peak?
Brian Chesky, its boss, wants to offer more than just a bed to sleep on | Business
Why Wall Street won’t see the next crash coming
Even the best traders struggle to predict sudden jumps in volatility | Finance & economics
Donald Trump’s alarming muddle about nuclear-weapons testing
An error-filled post increases nuclear dangers | United States
The greenlash is built on lazy thinking, writes a climate activist
Luisa Neubauer argues that rolling back climate policies is economic suicide masquerading as pragmatism | By Invitation
This is what factories in America actually look like
Can AI make manufacturing great again?
How many people are already being killed by climate change?
New research shows which countries are most affected by heat, wildfires and disease | Graphic detail
Google v Microsoft: the battle of AI business models
The search giant’s vertically integrated approach is beginning to pay off | Business
The end of the rip-off economy
From finance and medicine to used cars, artificial intelligence is radically improving market efficiency | Finance & economics
The world has become surprisingly less grumpy
But our analysis of polling data shows an uneven recovery in how people feel | Graphic detail
How to get ahead in wartime Russia
The old elite are fretting as a new cast of characters soars to the top | 1843
The world’s most—and least—powerful passports
Americans’ travel documents aren’t as muscular as they used to be | Graphic detail
Your peace or mine? Prospects for Gaza deal
Also on the daily podcast: Lululemon leggings and India’s urban wildlife | Podcasts
A big majority of Israelis support Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan
Binyamin Netanyahu hopes he can use this to his political advantage | Middle East & Africa
Why protests are sweeping Madagascar
Anti-government protests reflect profound frustration about poverty and corruption | Middle East & Africa
Can the West survive an age of brinkmanship?
It is time to relearn the cold-war arts of escalation management | International
A Nobel laureate on why stablecoins may be nothing of the sort
Payments systems must be built on public infrastructure, not speculative tokens, writes Jean Tirole | By Invitation
Fortunes of war: is Russia’s economy slowing?
Also on the daily podcast: creative Chinese protesters and car touchscreens | Podcasts
Moldova defies Russia by re-electing its pro-European government
Russian election subversion fails to beat President Maia Sandu’s party | Europe
Donald Trump is waging war on sky-high drug prices. Can he win?
Big pharma faces a reckoning in America | Business
Cover Story newsletter: How we chose the cover image
The thinking behind our designs about free speech in America, spotting a genius and Britain going bust
How one man got off death row in a country with a 99% conviction rate
Hakamada Iwao spent almost 50 years in prison. It took decades for him to receive an astonishing exoneration
Why France is thinking of targeting the super-rich
Handbags, champagne and a row over a possible new wealth tax | Europe
Nvidia’s $100bn bet on OpenAI raises plenty of questions
Meanwhile, the building of AI data-centres gathers pace | Business
Why Labour’s growth mission remains grounded
Labour promised to get Britain building. So far it has failed | Britain
Kim Seong Min risked everything to escape from North Korea
The activist, poet and broadcaster died on September 12th, aged 63 | Obituary
North Korea is becoming even more repressive and threatening
Kim Jong Un is in a much stronger position than when Donald Trump last wooed him
The AI talent war is becoming fiercer
How other countries hope to challenge America | Finance & economics
Donald Trump is trying to silence his critics. He will fail
But the country could still lose | Leaders
Who was the greater singer: Pavarotti or Fischer-Dieskau?
Their 90th and 100th birthdays offer an opportunity to consider them together | Culture
Europe wants to turn frozen Russian assets into Ukrainian firepower
The €200bn question at the heart of Europe | Europe
In some sports, left-handed athletes seem to have an innate advantage
It is more than just their novelty factor | Science & technology
Criminals make up a shrinking share of ICE arrests
Our five charts show why America’s deportation drive is becoming increasingly unpopular | Graphic detail
Russia’s most famous diva tells Vladimir Putin to end the war
Her interview racked up 19m views in a week | Europe
Two scholars ask whether democracy can survive if AI does all the jobs
Without taxation there may be no representation, conclude Raymond Douglas and David Duvenaud | By Invitation
What it means to be illiquid
Investors are learning how hard it is to get money out of private equity and venture capital | Special report