Foreign and security policyTwilight of the hegemon Trump’s war with Iran was intended to weaken Tehran. Instead, it has ended in a geopolitical debacle for Washington By Marcus Schneider
Future of social democracyFewer rights, bigger profits Flexible labour markets often mean fragile lives — and weaker economies By Veronica Nilsson
Work and digitalisationGod vs Google If the Pope speaks more clearly than most governments on AI, politics has a problem By Marc Frings
Economy and ecologyThe state is back in business The challenge for governments is no longer whether to intervene in the economy — but how to do it when the future is unpredictable By Yuen Yuen Ang
Work and digitalisationThe tech workers building AI are scared of it, too Their grievances need to be heard — society’s ability to shape artificial intelligence may depend on it By Kate Andrias
Democracy and societyAgainst the age of cynicism From Trump to climate breakdown, the future looks bleak. But it is this despair that can become a force for change By Chiara Cordelli
Foreign and security policyCan the US afford to leave NATO? NATO may no longer suit America’s neo-isolationists — but leaving the Alliance would exact a price history has yet to calculate By Nickolay Kapitonenko
Foreign and security policyFear of the unarrived Europe braces for fallout as the Middle East war fuels displacement — and revives fears of another migration ‘crisis’ By Daniel Harper
Foreign and security policyWho will save the UN? The election of the next UN Secretary-General is just around the corner. The future of the entire organisation will be determined by the outcome By Matthias Jobelius
Foreign and security policyIs Russia losing — or playing the long game? As allies falter, Moscow avoids war but still quietly secures influence across the Global South By Alexandra Sitenko