Reform UK’s breakthrough confirms the political fragmentation of the last few decades. In 1997 Labour and the Conservatives together won 73.8% of the vote, compared to 65.1% in 2010 and just 57.4% in 2024.
After independence, Zimbabwe’s white minority lost its hold on land. Today, around Lake Kariba, dilapidated resorts still draw some nostalgic visitors, but who uses the lake is increasingly contested.
While some of China’s pensioners have never had it so good, with youth unemployment rising, many young people are losing faith that the system can deliver good jobs and upward mobility.
Kazakhstan’s vast mining and industrial complexes remain vital today, but output figures conceal hazardous working conditions and fragmented communities.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s embrace of Blairism may prove his downfall. With the return of the left in prospect, Starmer – and the country – now await the outcome of the May local elections.
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Far-right extremists who are willing to use violence exert outsized influence in France, amplified by a media and political class that treat their actions as a sign of wider popular discontent.
An Israeli law, passed on Monday, makes the death penalty the default for Palestinians convicted ‘convicted of fatal attacks’ by Israeli military courts.
A month after fighting resumed, Israel’s strategy in Lebanon is becoming clear. The first step is to create a buffer zone between the Israeli border and the river Litani, entirely cleared of its population. The second step may be a full military invasion.
A year ago, Israelis were told the Iranian threat had been neutralised. So why are they once again united in war against a danger, real or imagined?
International law treats war as acceptable only when every other option is exhausted. Launching airstrikes while negotiations were still ongoing was bad faith, and disastrous for international relations.
The Yemeni population supports the Palestinians in Gaza, but is less willing to bear the consequences of military engagement alongside Iran, which some hold responsible for the Houthis’ rise.
Will Vladimir Putin be the real winner of Trump and Netanyahu’s war on Iran? The Kremlin isn’t celebrating just yet.
The only real alternative to a multilateral order is not a new equilibrium, but disorder and chaos. Spain’s prime minister sets out the case for renewing multilateralism.
Whether in Iran or Ukraine, bellicosity remains largely the preserve of elites: war profiteers and media commentators who never take risks themselves – except that of overexposure in the television studio.
Our April 2026 edition is online.
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‘Destiny’, a newly proposed special economic zone on the island of Nevis, seems to be related to a previous venture known as ‘Free Society’, which involved ‘purchasing sovereign land from a government to create the world’s first libertarian country’.
mondediplo.com/outside-in/s...
In business, Saint-Exupéry's Little Prince figures as a little patron saint, a lucky charm, a brand of ethereal meekness, a guarantee of selflessness – and a driver of feel-good sales.
China aims to have 70,000km of high-speed rail by 2035 as regions compete for their own line, yet with capacity already exceeding demand, this huge state-run project could yet prove a risky gamble.
The DRC’s mineral wealth, long monopolised by China, is drawing renewed interest from the Trump administration. But strategic competition won’t bring security or prosperity for its people.
Sri Lanka’s 2024 election delivered a historic victory for a party with a radical leftwing pedigree. In power, its emphasis has been on continuity with the past, and keeping foreign investors happy.
With editions in more than 20 different languages, you can trust Le Monde diplomatique to bring independent news and analysis from around the world directly to your table.
California’s leaders take pride in some of the US’s toughest workplace safety laws. Yet thousands of underage workers, often the children of undocumented immigrants, help power its $60bn agricultural industry.
When Nord Stream 2’s pipeline was sabotaged, few thought it would ever carry gas to Europe again. Yet quietly, this ‘toxic asset’ is on its way back.
Souss-Massa is Morocco’s largest fruit- and vegetable-growing region, producing mainly for export to Europe. But the workers behind its success see little benefit, fuelling protests over harsh conditions.
