Feature: Why is betting everywhere now? Gerda Reith on how it became so mixed up in sports—and then everything else. Read on. Link in comments.

Will Ukrainian democracy survive the Russian assault? Serhii Plokhy on the historical clues. Read on. Link in comments.

Briefing: The war hits the gas fields that power half the world. Three central banks hold rates—and cite the war. + Will Ukrainian democracy survive the Russian assault? Read on. Link in comments.

The weekend despatch: Deep-faking the war in the Middle East. An MC’s election in Nepal. + Who are Tomorrow’s Warriors? 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.

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.

What does Semafor Gulf's editorial independence look like in practice? www.thesgnl.com/notes/2026/0...

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.

The weekend despatch: Deep-faking the war in the Middle East. An MC’s election in Nepal. + Who are Tomorrow’s Warriors? 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.

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.

Feature: What’s online gambling doing to American society? Gerda Reith on the new “ecosystem” tech, finance, and marketing firms are cultivating together. Read on. Link in comments.

Briefing: The first senior U.S. official to quit over the Iran war is from Trump’s inner circle. The man running Iran since Khamenei’s death is dead. + Why is Kazakhstan so warm right now? Read on. Link in comments.

Feature: Why is there so much of it—and yet not enough to go around? Adam Simon on the “huge stakes” of global competition for the metal. Read on. Link in comments.

Every week, we make a members’ feature publicly available for seven days ... This week: What’s it like to live in North Korea? Yumi Kim on heavy repression, secret phone calls, and virtual private networks. Read Inside the prison state: www.thesgnl.com/2025/10/nor...

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

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: Why is Los Angeles’s entertainment industry in such crisis? Andrew deWaard on the shape-shifting effects of financialization and monopoly. Read on. Link in comments.

Feature: Why are so many countries rethinking their nuclear strategies? Serhii Plokhy on the emerging dangers of a new arms race. Read on. Link in comments.

The weekend despatch: Deep-faking the war in the Middle East. An MC’s election in Nepal. + Who are Tomorrow’s Warriors? 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.

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: How did a criminal industry worth tens of billions entrench itself in Cambodia? Jacob Sims on the nexus of organized crime and autocracy in Southeast Asia. Read on. Link in comments.

The weekend despatch: Deep-faking the war in the Middle East. An MC’s election in Nepal. + Who are Tomorrow’s Warriors? Read on. Link in comments.

Why are studios releasing so few original new films? Andrew deWaard on how movie franchises have conquered Hollywood. Read on. Link in comments.

Feature: Why is Silicon Valley fighting with the EU? Anu Bradford on how American tech companies are enlisting the White House against European regulation. 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.

What is international law, anyway? Yuan Yi Zhu on how democratic countries are responding to expansive rulings by international courts. Read on. Link in comments.

Feature: Why does American civil society look so fragile? Dylan Riley on why so many nonprofits and universities have been folding under pressure from the U.S. administration. 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.

The weekend despatch: The many faces of Operation Epic Fury. An Oscar-nominated screenwriter under bombardment picks up the phone. + What does it mean when the beat answers back? 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.

Feature: Who’s got the best AI? Selina Xu on America’s intelligence explosion—and China’s “dark factories.” Read on. Link in comments.

Briefing: The price of oil as Iran mines the Strait of Hormuz. Two terror attacks hours apart on American soil. + How did a criminal industry worth tens of billions entrench itself in Cambodia? Read on. Link in comments.

Feature: How did a criminal industry worth tens of billions entrench itself in Cambodia? Jacob Sims on the nexus of organized crime and autocracy in Southeast Asia. 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.

How’s Iran’s standoff with Israel and the West affecting everyday Iranians’ feelings about the regime? Trita Parsi on why nationalism is surging while Islamic Republic’s popularity continues to tank. Read on. Link in comments.

The weekend despatch: The many faces of Operation Epic Fury. An Oscar-nominated screenwriter under bombardment picks up the phone. + What does it mean when the beat answers back? 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.

What do the new U.S. tariffs mean for global trade? Martin Wolf on a rapid onset of radical uncertainty. 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.

Feature: How did U.S. immigration enforcement get so radical, so fast? Austin Kocher on Trump’s refitting of a system his predecessors built. Read on. Link in comments.

Briefing: Iran names a supreme leader who hasn’t appeared in public since the U.S. and Israel started bombing. A deleted tweet moves oil prices 17 percent. + Why’s it getting so hot in West Africa? Read on. Link in comments.

The weekend despatch: The many faces of Operation Epic Fury. An Oscar-nominated screenwriter under bombardment picks up the phone. + What does it mean when the beat answers back? 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.

Feature: Why is there so much of it—and yet not enough to go around? Adam Simon on the “huge stakes” of global competition for the metal. 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.