When it was announced that the sixth and final season of “Downton Abbey” would be followed-up by a film, there was much skepticism from critics and fans alike.  They were unsure if its large ensemble of characters and storylines would be suited to th

Cheek by jowl as neighbors, Russia and Ukraine will someday need to live peacefully with each other again, perhaps even reconcile. In a courtroom this week, during the first war crimes trial held by Ukraine of a Russian soldier, the world caught a gl

A generation after the Good Friday Agreement ended one of the world’s longest sectarian conflicts, Northern Ireland’s carefully balanced calm is showing signs of strain. A ballot victory early this month by the political party Sinn Féin marked the fi

Amid Russia’s aggressive actions in Ukraine, the perennially neutral Nordic states of Finland and Sweden have reversed decades of policy and applied for membership in the NATO military alliance. For Moscow this is, at least on the symbolic level, a d

Do children still climb trees? When I was a kid, many decades ago, I couldn’t stay out of them. A sycamore grew in front of my home. At the age of 10 I was just tall enough to reach its lowest branch and hoist myself into its embrace. Standing on tha

More than three-quarters of Lebanon’s population lives in poverty. Among young people, more than 70% want to emigrate. The value of the national currency has dropped 90% in the past two years. And the electoral system remains rigged for religion-base

I can never forget Shireen Abu Akleh’s lesson in courage. It is a lesson I was reminded of when I learned that my mentor and friend had been shot and killed last week, reportedly by Israeli forces, while covering an Israeli military raid in the north

Most voters can’t name the secretary of state where they live. Traditionally a low-profile office, it doesn’t often merit much in the way of media coverage or fundraising when on the ballot, as it is in 27 states this fall.  In Georgia, however, GOP

The Biden administration said Monday that it would redeploy hundreds of American troops to Somalia to help contain a threat from Islamist insurgents. A day later, it said it would provide $670 million in emergency food assistance to the East African

The letter Z, the symbol of Russia’s “special military operation” against Ukraine, has proliferated across the urban landscape: on billboards, windshields, public buildings, and T-shirts. Increasingly, it’s even being displayed by children at school

A huge red banner lining a corridor in a warehouse-like Shanghai quarantine hospital declares Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s exhortation in bold white characters: “Persistence is Victory!” Mr. Xi’s call for persistence is now China’s watchword – not onl

At first sight, the political map of Europe 10 weeks after Vladimir Putin launched his war on Ukraine would warm the cockles of any Western strategist’s heart. The view from 30,000 feet shows unprecedented levels of unity, both among European states

Mass tragedies often bring a community closer together, as Buffalo, New York, discovered May 14 after the killing of 10 people at a neighborhood store. Crowds gathered in prayer vigils, many singing “Amazing Grace,” near the Tops Friendly Market. Mus

My husband, Dave, never cared much for fishing, until it was late enough in the game that the frying pan came out. He’s a whiz in the kitchen, but he likes a little more ... activity in his activities. Fishing is boring, he says, because most of the

The letter circulating on Telegram recently offered an explanation for why Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol continue to resist despite overwhelming odds. Ukrainian soldiers, it said, face execution if they are found to have surrendered to Russian force

A decade after NATO countries helped oust dictator Muammar Qaddafi, the United States is close to getting Libya’s bitterly divided political factions to unite – over oil. Driven by the Ukraine war-induced energy crunch, U.S. officials have dramatical

In a picturesque pine forest some 60 miles north of Helsinki, members of the Finnish Reservist Association crouch behind a wooden bunker barricade, shooting at torso-shaped targets in a trailer-sized trench, dug out to keep bullets from ricocheting o

Is trust in tatters? The pandemic, inflation, and climate change have shaken public confidence in the ability of governments to solve serious threats. Long stretches of social distancing and remote work have undermined trust between people – the rece

Ryan Bomberger was 13 years old when his adoptive parents first told him he was conceived after his birth mother was raped. He grew up in a devout evangelical family with 15 children, 10 of whom were adopted by his parents, who were committed to prov

If you’re the parent of a young child, Scott Hershovitz says you’re raising a philosopher “whether you know it or not.” In the delightful “Nasty, Brutish, and Short: Adventures in Philosophy With My Kids,” Hershovitz, a law and philosophy professor a

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced many countries to rethink the meaning of security, and none more so than Finland. Once a model of neutrality, it announced Thursday that it would apply to join NATO. Sweden is expected to follow suit. Both Nord

The life of a White House press secretary isn’t easy. Reporters coming at you at all hours for answers, asking the same questions over and over. The fear that you’ll be caught off guard by a question, live on television. The nonstop ferreting out of

All eyes this week were on Moscow, where Russian President Vladimir Putin presided over a Victory Day parade on Monday with no Ukraine victory to celebrate. But if America and its Western allies are eventually going to find a way to end the war in Uk

When Russia seized and annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, the move sparked only a modest uptick in support for joining NATO in historically neutral Finland. That was not a surprise to experts at the time. “If one were to bet,” political scientist T

If Gustavo Petro becomes president of Colombia in an election later this month or in a June runoff, as opinion polls suggest, observers may note a trend in Latin America: In recent years voters from Mexico to Chile have tossed out entrenched right-wi

Elizabeth Ita had her first encounter with depression when she was 12 years old. After her beloved father died in their hometown of Calabar in southern Nigeria, she had no one to talk to about her grief – or the difficulties that quickly followed. “N

In early April, more than a thousand scientists around the world decided to protest. They chained themselves to government buildings, blocked intersections, and staged sit-ins. In Spain, they threw fake blood on the facade of the parliament building.

In one way, the war in Ukraine is now a world war: Dozens of countries are working to curb a global panic over rising food prices – a panic triggered by Russia’s deliberate actions against Ukrainian farmers and their abundant exports, especially whea

“The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois” is a book that grabs the reader, holds them tight, and doesn’t let go even when it ends. It’s equal parts haunting and uplifting, ugly and beautiful, quiet and powerful. The book is a work of historical fiction, but