Why are countries around the world developing virtual legal tenders? Roger Huang on the origins, implementation, and implications of central bank digital currencies. Read on. Link in comments.

Why are Americans becoming so lonely? Milena Batanova on a problem U.S. officials have called an “epidemic.” Read on. Link in comments.

Why is production declining in Hollywood? Patrick Adler on the short-term disruptions and long-term trends transforming an industry. Read on. Link in comments.

Briefing: The Champions League final, brought to you from 3,000 kilometers away. Talks and strikes over the strait. + Why did the Gulf states pour billions into global sports? Read on. Link in comments.

Why are China and Russia dominating nuclear energy? Ashley Finan on its emerging role in shaping global power. Read on. Link in comments.

How has Europe become the destination for so much dirty money—and what are European states doing about it? Tena Prelec on why it is so hard to root out grand corruption. Read on. Link in comments.

The world’s biggest club match—the Champions League final—will be contested by one club, Paris Saint-Germain, that’s owned by Qatar, and another, Arsenal, who play at the Emirates Stadium and wear Emirates and Visit Rwanda branding on their shirts. How did we get here? More...

Gulf royals have moved billions into global football. Now what? Shadow Play is The Signal's fourth limited-run print extra. Produced in partnership with Human Rights Foundation, launching at Oslo Freedom Forum 2026. Check it out at The Signal. Link in bio. @oslofreedomforum.com @hrf.org

Why are so many companies moving to America from Europe? Philippe Aghion on the Continent’s failure to build a competitive innovation ecosystem. Read on. Link in comments.

Where have all the workers gone? Matthew Notowidigdo on the transformation of the global labor market. Read on. Link in comments.

In 2008, something happened. A government bought a club, in another country—5,700 kilometers away. Gulf royals have moved into global football. Now what? More ...

"They go for the things people love most, because once you have someone's heart, the rest can be negotiable." — Sarath K. Ganji Shadow Play. Extra no. 4. Coming soon.

Around the world, some cities and regions are getting wealthier; others are increasingly left behind. Why? Sir Paul Collier on hyper-centralization and the economic origins of the populist blame game. Read on. Link in comments.

What happened to the Chinese dream? Yi-Ling Liu on declining opportunities, increasing malaise, and a waning of ambition in the People’s Republic. Read on. Link in comments.

Feature: How is new technology reshaping the battlefield? Matthew Ford on why the most sophisticated weapons systems can’t overcome the oldest problems in warfare. Read on. Link in comments.

Briefing: A tech leader’s mission to the Vatican. A new strike on Iran as the U.S. president says “time is on our side.” + What would it take to build AI that serves human beings? Read on. Link in comments.

Why is the U.S. government keeping so many secrets from the American people? Matthew Connelly on how official classification has gone out of control. Read on. Link in comments.

Coming soon ...

Where’s all the money coming into American think tanks from? Ben Freeman on the enormous foreign-government “donations” flowing through Washington, D.C. Read on. Link in comments.

Feature: Why have Americans lost faith in higher education? Julia Adams and Sarath Sanga on what’s gone wrong—and what universities can do about it. Read on. Link in comments.

Can Europe defend itself? John R. Deni on troop shortages, mismatched equipment, and the cost of security in a time of war. Read on. Link in comments.

How common is the corruption of public officials in the U.S.? Ben Freeman on what America’s “authoritarian friends” from the Persian Gulf are doing in Washington, D.C. Read on. Link in comments.

Why does North Korea keep threatening South Korea and its allies without ever going to war? Michael Breen on theater and reality in one of the most enigmatic places on Earth. Read on. Link in comments.

The weekend despatch: An unusual disturbance in the U.S. Senate. Sparta’s founding myth, undone. + What was the Neue Slowenische Kunst? Read on. Link in comments.

Why are millions of factory jobs leaving China? Victor Shih on the country’s extraordinary self-inflicted loss. Read on. Link in comments.

Why are millions more Americans turning to talk therapy—and sticking with it? Carlos Blanco on the decline of a stigma, a shift in health coverage, and the individualization of treatment. Read on. Link in comments.

Feature: Why have the world’s shipping lanes become war zones? Arnaud Orain on the return of the armed merchant fleet. Read on. Link in comments.

What’s driving political attacks against central banks around the world? Stefan Eich on an emerging legitimacy crisis. Read on. Link in comments.

Feature: How have governments become some of the biggest investors in the global economy? Adam Dixon on a new era of state capitalism. Read on. Link in comments.

The weekend despatch: An unusual disturbance in the U.S. Senate. Sparta’s founding myth, undone. + What was the Neue Slowenische Kunst? Read on. Link in comments.

Feature: Why have Americans lost faith in higher education? Julia Adams and Sarath Sanga on what’s gone wrong—and what universities can do about it. Read on. Link in comments.

Why do dictators keep disrupting so many other countries? Miranda Patrucić on what China and Russia are doing in neighboring nations, developing states, and the world’s most powerful democracies. Read on. Link in comments.

Why are there so many toxic chemicals in food? Rashmi Joglekar on where they come from and what they’re doing to people and the planet. Read on. Link in comments.

What exactly is the problem here? Justin Callais on the ambiguities of corruption. Read on. Link in comments.

The weekend despatch: An unusual disturbance in the U.S. Senate. Sparta’s founding myth, undone. + What was the Neue Slowenische Kunst? Read on. Link in comments.

Why can’t Europe’s leaders agree about Europe? Mujtaba Rahman on their disunity in facing the continent’s biggest political and security problems. Read on. Link in comments.

What is financial repression? Félix Maradiaga on how autocratic regimes are using the global banking system, international law, and new technologies in an old struggle to suppress dissent and hold power. Read on. Link in comments.

Why are so many Americans so suspicious of the news media? Benjamin Toff on news consumption, social media, and partisan polarization. Read on. Link in comments.

The weekend despatch: “Incredible” times in Beijing. Monuments older than the pyramids in the Atbai Desert. + Who is the Tone Poet? Read on. Link in comments.

How is political upheaval in South Korea affecting North Korea? Soo Kim on what’s driving Pyongyang’s increasing hostility toward Seoul. Read on. Link in comments.

Feature: How have governments become some of the biggest investors in the global economy? Adam Dixon on a new era of state capitalism. Read on. Link in comments.

Briefing: A failed plan to install the next supreme leader in Iran. A court picks the opposition leader in Turkey. + Why have Americans lost faith in higher education? Read on. Link in comments.

Why have Americans lost faith in higher education? Julia Adams and Sarath Sanga on what’s gone wrong—and what universities can do about it. Read on. Link in comments.

Why is China building so many ships? Brian Hart on its plan to turn overwhelming commercial advantage into military power. Read on. Link in comments.

What can democracies do about autocratic interference? Josh Rudolph on the challenges of resistance and resiliency. Read on. Link in comments.

The weekend despatch: “Incredible” times in Beijing. Monuments older than the pyramids in the Atbai Desert. + Who is the Tone Poet? Read on. Link in comments.

Why are younger men increasingly voting for the populist right and younger women, the environmental left? Rosie Campbell on a new gender divide in the Western world. Read on. Link in comments.

Feature: Why is Pakistan in “open war” with the Taliban? Anatol Lieven on how Afghanistan became a battleground again. Read on. Link in comments.

Feature: Is anyone winning the U.S.-China trade war? Kyle Chan on the economic showdown between Washington and Beijing. Read on. Link in comments.

The weekend despatch: “Incredible” times in Beijing. Monuments older than the pyramids in the Atbai Desert. + Who is the Tone Poet? Read on. Link in comments.