The Foreign Desk

Myanmar’s military, which has held power since 2021, has announced a general election for later this year. Has Myanmar suddenly become a democracy? Or is something else afoot? 

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Israel was once regarded as an essentially left-wing project. Now, the country has grown more conservative, defensive and, some would argue, extreme. Is a liberal Israel recoverable? And might that lead to peace?

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The Balochistan Liberation Army has been reclassified by the US as a “foreign terrorist organization”. But why the sudden interest in a Pakistani bête noire?

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Political leaders around the world face waning popularity and seem to be unable to change their fates. Is this the result of less effective leaders or more impatient electorates?

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Jair Bolsonaro was placed under house arrest after breaking pre-trial rules this week as he faces charges for attempting to stage a coup. But why is Trump throwing his support behind Brazil’s former president?

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International pressure mounts on Israel to end its war in Gaza, which has been dubbed a “catastrophe of epic proportions” by the UN. Plus: we examine the prospect of a Palestinian state.

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This week, militants attached to Islamic State attacked a church in Komanda, killing at least 43 people. Why is the jihadist group keen to establish itself in the Democratic Republic of the Congo?

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Cameroon’s 92 year-old president Paul Biya seeks re-election to extend his 43-year tenure. We investigate the long and often violent conflict in his country. Is Anglo-Franco reconciliation possible? And is anyone paying attention?

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Andrew Mueller examines the fatal clashes between Druze and Bedouin Syrians.

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A Lesotho MP is facing charges after accusing the country’s monarch of signing over land to its neighbour, South Africa. Andrew Mueller explains the history and prospects of this decidedly niche territorial dispute. 

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