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The Signal
Current affairs. Strange world.

Latest

22
May
The color of law

The color of law

The weekend despatch: An unusual disturbance in the U.S. Senate. Sparta’s founding myth, undone. + What was the Neue Slowenische Kunst?
12 min read
21
May
Their man in Tehran

Their man in Tehran

Briefing: A failed plan to install the next supreme leader in Iran. A court picks the opposition leader in Turkey. + Why have Americans lost faith in higher education?
5 min read
20
May
Mission drift

Mission drift

Feature: Why have Americans lost faith in higher education? Julia Adams and Sarath Sanga on what’s gone wrong—and what universities can do about it.
9 min read
19
May
Three kings, one call

Three kings, one call

Briefing: How to delay a massive American airstrike. The U.S. Justice Department takes care of the Trump family. + How have governments become some of the biggest investors in the global economy?
5 min read
18
May
The state’s return

The state’s return

Feature: How have governments become some of the biggest investors in the global economy? Adam Dixon on a new era of state capitalism.
9 min read
16
May
The most dangerous relationship

The most dangerous relationship

The weekend despatch: “Incredible” times in Beijing. Monuments older than the pyramids in the Atbai Desert. + Who is the Tone Poet?
12 min read
14
May
Vanishings in the strait

Vanishings in the strait

Briefing: The ships gone missing in Hormuz. The U.K. PM: not ousted yet. + Why have the world’s trade routes become war zones?
5 min read
13
May
Imperial silos

Imperial silos

8 min read
12
May
‘A good man fundamentally’

‘A good man fundamentally’

Briefing: Britain’s ruling party turns on its prime minister. The American president flies to Beijing with an entourage of Silicon Valley CEOs. + How did Washington get so corrupt?
5 min read
09
May
Wanting to believe

Wanting to believe

The weekend despatch: A small keyhole into a vast secrecy regime. A second look at an old photograph from the Moon. + Who is Oneohtrix Point Never?
12 min read