The Intelligence from The Economist

In it to bin it: Nigel Farage v Count Binface

We take a peek into a quirk of British politics as the country’s populist-right polling leader goes up against a man who wears a bin on his head. It is more serious than it sounds. Africans tired of s...

2026-07-16

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Strait and narrowing: the Iran deal crumbles

The sketch of a deal to end the war is all but dead; oil is up as strikes rain down. We look at the options available to America—all of them bad. India’s government websites are almost universally imp...

2026-07-15

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The case of the missing totem: Aung San Suu Kyi

Myanmar’s jailed leader has not been seen since 2022. We ask if she is in fact alive, and what might happen if the military junta acceded to demands for her release. We examine Turkey’s plan to turn t...

2026-07-14

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A hawk who flew on political winds: Lindsey Graham

The longtime South Carolina senator died suddenly at the weekend. His political arc mirrored that of his Republican party in the Trump era. We ask what his death leaves behind. Frontier AI models opaq...

2026-07-13

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Putin’s options: an oligarch speaks out

This week Andrey Melnichenko, Russia’s biggest industrialist, warns in The Economist that disaster is looming for his country as the war in Ukraine continues. What does it mean when members of the eli...

2026-07-10

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Peace fire: further US-Iran strikes

As America hit 90 targets in a second day of attacks on Iran, the fragile truce is in jeopardy. Our correspondent explains how power shifts within Iran may affect the war. Asian governments are trying...

2026-07-09

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Marine warfare: Le Pen runs for president

Last night, the populist-right leader announced that she will run in the French presidential election next year. Our correspondent analyses the Le Pen dynasty and explains how this decision will shape...

2026-07-08

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Continental rift: NATO’s tense summit

As NATO leaders gather for the annual summit in Turkey today, the thorniest issue is off the agenda: fractures within the alliance. Our correspondent travels to the Baltics, where a strategic shift is...

2026-07-07

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The mourning show: the politics of Khamenei’s funeral

The Iranian regime hopes the massive crowds gathered for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral will demonstrate its strength. Our correspondent says they could also reveal its weakness. Why Japan wants to ...

2026-07-06

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The 250-year experiment: America’s birthday

Big birthdays are often a time for reflection. Our editors and correspondents chat through the state of American democracy as seen from inside and outside the country, the country’s perennial paroxysm...

2026-07-03

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Roaring trades: oil majors’ secret success story

Big oil firms keep one part of their business hush-hush: trading. Amid an almighty oil shock, the majors’ trading arms are raking it in. But competition is mounting. We look at the Trump administratio...

2026-07-02

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Fault lines: Venezuela’s paltry earthquake response

Government help was thin on the ground just after the country’s worst quakes in a century. The America-backed regime is thus on literal and figurative shaky ground. A food-delivery robot trial in Engl...

2026-07-01

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Gulf-co-operation counsel: what next for the region

With Iran emboldened and America an ever more capricious security partner, Gulf countries face several post-war challenges. They should put their divides aside to tackle them. We dig one last time int...

2026-06-30

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Latin lessons: the Donroe-doctrine boost

For all the Trumpian chaos in Latin America, no other developing-world regional economy has done so well in the past year. We examine the Donroe dividend. The cost to make jollof rice, a staple dish i...

2026-06-29

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Far Crimea: war comes to Russia’s door

Ukraine is intensifying cross-border attacks in a strategic and psychological effort to make ordinary Russians take notice of the war. We have been collecting reports from the ground on shifting attit...

2026-06-26

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Fear-jerker: America’s AI backlash

Americans are becoming more anxious about how artificial intelligence will affect jobs, society and even human existence. Republican and Democrat voters are unusually united in their concerns. Divorce...

2026-06-25

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Missing peace: will Israel imperil Iran deal?

Our correspondent joins an embed in Lebanon, where Israel claims that Hizbullah’s continued strength justifies its campaign. If Israel’s goals diverge from America’s, how does this affect peace talks ...

2026-06-24

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Keep qualms and carry on: a decade after Brexit

On June 23rd 2016, Britain voted to leave the European Union, triggering years of argument, lost economic opportunities and political malaise. Our correspondents look back on the seismic moment and it...

2026-06-23

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Starmergeddon: British PM resigns

After winning a resounding victory for Britain’s Labour party two years ago, Sir Keir Starmer has announced his departure. As the country gets ready for its 7th prime minister in ten years, our corres...

2026-06-22

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Trailer: Tocqueville Road Trip

When Alexis de Tocqueville visited America from France in 1831 he saw a new kind of society. Not just a country, but an idea that would change the world. His book “Democracy in America” was a big infl...

2026-06-19

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The Intelligence from The Economist

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