A study by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and the University of Murcia (UM) challenges the theory that warrior groups with a ‘Steppe’ genetic component originating from Eastern Europe violently replaced the male population of the Iberian Peninsula some 4,200 years ago and presents a different scenario, in which groups with ‘Steppe’ ancestry mixed...
World
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China’s Interests in Africa Are Being Shaped by the Race for Renewable Energy
China-Africa relations have deepened over the past two decades, characterised by increased economic cooperation, investment and infrastructure development. China is now Africa’s largest trading partner, with partnerships focused on building roads, railways and energy projects. As the ninth Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) kicks off this week in Beijing, a new, green theme is shaping...
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The Biggest Diamond in Over a Century Is Found in Botswana — a Whopping 2,492 Carats
The largest diamond found in more than a century has been unearthed at a mine in Botswana, and the country’s president showed off the fist-sized stone to the world at a viewing ceremony Thursday. The Botswana government says the huge 2,492-carat diamond is the second-biggest ever discovered in a mine. It’s the biggest diamond found...
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How Debt and Taxes Conspired to Rob Nairobi’s Slum-Dwelling Youth of the Promise of a Better Life
Throughout the summer of 2024, young Kenyans have taken to the streets of the capital, Nairobi, in a series of anti-government demonstrations. Dubbed the “Gen Z” protests, the unrest was sparked by the introduction of an unpopular finance bill in mid-June. A month later, the bill was withdrawn, but protests have persisted and at least...
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What Will the End of the U.S. Foreign Policy Consensus Mean for the World?
Allies and adversaries will take note if U.S. foreign policy swings wildly from one administration to the next. A version of this piece originally appeared in the Substack “Blue Blaze.” The United States remains a superpower—indeed, the superpower. As such, its policies and preferences will shape every region of the world in the coming years and decades. The post-World...
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Climate Misinformation Is About More Than Denialism
Lies, misconceptions, and propaganda about intensifying climate change and policy responses will increasingly shape security and geopolitics. In May, southern Brazil experienced devastating flooding that killed more than 160 people, displaced 600,000 residents, and drew in the military for a lengthy recovery. It was another harbinger of our age of climate insecurity. But despite likely scientific explanations, recovery was complicated by...
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When Aiming for Your Adversary’s Achilles Heel May Lead to Shooting Yourself in the Foot
A review of Steve Coll, “The Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the CIA and the Origins of America’s Invasion of Iraq” (Penguin Random House, 2024) Steve Coll’s latest work, “The Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the CIA and the Origins of America’s Invasion of Iraq,” seeks to explain why Saddam Hussein would put his regime at risk...
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‘A History of Contact’: Princeton Geneticists Are Rewriting the Narrative of Neanderthals and Other Ancient Humans
Ever since the first Neanderthal bones were discovered in 1856, people have wondered about these ancient hominins. How are they different from us? How much are they like us? Did our ancestors get along with them? Fight them? Love them? The recent discovery of a group called Denisovans, a Neanderthal-like group who populated Asia and...
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America’s Ally Problem
Why does Washington indulge its allies to a fault? Editor’s Note: Why don’t small, seemingly vulnerable allies listen to the United States when it makes demands on them? Jeremy Shapiro of the European Council on Foreign Relations tries to explain this puzzle, arguing that effective lobbying, the U.S. desire for leadership, and the U.S. focus on credibility all...
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The Hidden Stories of China’s Past
A review of Ian Johnson, “Sparks: China’s Underground Historians and Their Battle for Their Future” (Oxford University Press, 2023) “To destroy a country’s people, start with destroying their history,” Gong Zizhen (1792-1841), a famous Chinese poet and intellectual from the Qing dynasty, wrote over a hundred years before the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) rose to...
