Headlines

The political painting that is still on trial in South Korea

In a Seoul courtroom in March this year, a prosecutor read out charges against Jeon Seung-il, a former art student, from an indictment first written in 1989. The language had not changed, nor had the charges. Thirty-seven years later, only the young defendant had grown old. In

Asia

Rubio visits Bahrain seeking Gulf backing for Iran deal

MANAMA, June 25 - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with Bahrain officials on Thursday on the final leg of a trip to the Middle East where he has sought to sell the Trump administration's preliminary Iran accord to skeptical Gulf Arab allies.

Asia

Afghanistan’s economy is broken. The Taliban is why

Afghanistan finds itself in a complex and dire economic predicament. Nearly five years after the Taliban returned to power, the South Asian nation continues to struggle with deep-rooted domestic structural challenges that coincide with persistent regional geopolitical

Asia

America’s ironclad bond with Israel is starting to crack

There is a ritual quality to the reassurances that flow from Washington to Jerusalem after every crisis, every ceasefire, every awkward telephone call between an American president and an Israeli prime minister. “The bond is unshakeable.” “Our commitment to Israel’s security is

Asia

EU’s Taliban talks crack the facade of a principled policy

The European Union’s decision to host a Taliban delegation in Brussels on June 23 marked a significant moment in the evolving relationship between Europe and Afghanistan’s de facto rulers. While European officials stressed that the talks were technical and did not imply

Asia

How contenders in the new space race stack up

When NASA administrator Jared Isaacman unveiled the crew of the Artemis III mission at Johnson Space Center in Houston earlier this month, he was ebullient. We wish you godspeed on the journey ahead. You carry the fire of exploration from generations past, the confidence of

Asia