As far as diplomatic prospects go, the omens don’t augur well. On Tuesday, the Afghan Taliban announced the opening of their first political office in the Qatari capital, Doha. They cut a ribbon, played their anthem, hoisted …
U.S.
Do National Smoking Bans Actually Work?
Russia just enacted one. Here’s how they’ve fared in other developed countries
U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron Visits U.S., but the Real Action Is Across the Pond
Visiting the headquarters of the FBI in Washington on May 13, David Cameron inspected the Strategic Information and Operations Center, a fifth-floor suite of offices established, as a helpful official explained, to facilitate …
The Big B in ‘The Great Gatsby’: TIME’s Q&A with Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is India’s biggest and most-enduring movie star, with hit films ranging from Sholay in 1975 to Paa in 2009. He also hosted five seasons of the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. Bachchan has a …
Legalizing Marijuana and Other Ways the U.S. and Mexico Can Win the Drug War
There was a lot of drug-war hand-wringing in the U.S. leading up to President Barack Obama’s visit to Mexico this week. That’s because Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto is in change-the-conversation mode: he wants the
…
Obama’s Mexico Visit: Not Just About the Drug War Anymore
When former Mexican President Felipe Calderón waged his war on drug cartels, the media were guaranteed a crime photo op every few weeks. Alleged gangsters were thrust before the press along with heaps of guns, money and …
Losing Pakistan: An Insider’s Look at How the U.S. Deals With Its Ally
TIME talks to Vali Nasr, a close adviser of the late Richard Holbrooke, Obama’s senior envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan
U.S. Defense Cuts Lead to First Drop in Global Arms Spending in 15 Years
With battles raging in Congress over the Pentagon’s proposed budget cuts, a new report says the gap in military spending between the U.S. and the rest of the world is narrowing, with Washington’s erstwhile foes — China and …
10 Years After the Fall of Baghdad: A Cautionary Tale
TIME International Editor Bobby Ghosh talks about witnessing a dangerous misstep at Saddam’s Presidential Palace and how it foreshadowed things to come.
Viewpoint: North Korea’s Gaddafi Nightmare
Pyongyang and Kim Jong Un may be acting up because they believe they know the lessons of giving up weapons of mass destruction
North Korea’s Saber Rattling: Is the Bark Worse Than the Bite?
The world may finally be taking North Korean threats seriously. On March 28, after the U.S. announced that two nuclear-capable stealth bombers flew from Missouri to South Korea as part of a major military exercise — which …
Must-Reads from Around the World
Falkland Islanders went to stay under British rule, Spaniards are abandoning their horses as they struggle to make ends meet and China agrees to talks with U.S. over cyber hacking
Marijuana, By Air: Mexican Gangs Use Cannon to Hurl Drugs Across U.S. Border
Smugglers are using improvised cannons to shoot marijuana packs over border.