International

Madagascar's Coup Leader Turns to Old Rivals to Build the Institution His Transition Still Lacks

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar 

Ten months after an elite army unit swept President Andry Rajoelina from power amid youth-led protests, Madagascar's military-installed transitional leader is now leaning on the very political establishment the uprising was aimed at, holding a string of consultations with former…

Syrian Court Sentences Bashar al-Assad to Death in Absentia in Landmark War Crimes Trial

World Politics 

Background

For more than five decades, Syria was ruled by the Assad family, first Hafez al-Assad, who seized power in 1970, and then his son Bashar, who inherited the presidency in 2000 and held it until his government's sudden collapse in December 2024. What began in…

Taiwan Stages Its Largest-Ever War Games as Fears of a Chinese Invasion Sharpen

World Politics 

Background

Taiwan has held the Han Kuang exercises every year since 1984, but the 2026 edition, the 42nd in the series, has drawn unusually intense international attention because of how closely it mirrors what defense planners believe a real Chinese assault on the…

Guinea-Bissau's Junta Prepares Referendum to Expand Presidential Power as Regional Bloc Meets Over the Crisis

BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau 

Nine months after soldiers overthrew Guinea-Bissau's elected government, the military-led transitional authorities are pressing ahead with a Aug. 30 referendum that would fundamentally rewrite the country's constitution to concentrate power in the presidency — even as the Community of…

Cameroon's Absent President: Biya's 10-Week Disappearance Deepens a Succession Crisis

Yaoundé, Cameroon

President Paul Biya, 93, has not been seen in public for 72 days, and the government's insistence that he remains firmly in charge is starting to strain credulity even among Cameroonians accustomed to his long absences. Biya left Yaoundé on June 7 for what his office described as a "brief private stay"…

Zambians Vote in Knife-Edge Test of Hichilema's Economic Turnaround

LUSAKA, Zambia  

Zambians lined up before dawn at polling stations across the country Thursday to cast ballots in a presidential election that has become a referendum on President Hakainde Hichilema's five years of economic restructuring, with a resurgent opposition alliance mounting the most serious…