Middle East & Africa

Militia mayhem

The Middle East has a militia problem

More than a quarter of the region’s 400m people live in states dominated by armed groups

Your money or your life

How much do Palestinians pay to get out of Gaza?

Middlemen are profiting from Gazans’ desperation

The Cyrus cylinder

Why Iranian dissidents love Cyrus, an ancient Persian king

The British Museum is sending one of Iran’s adored antiquities to Israel

The destruction of Addis Ababa

The historic heart of Addis Ababa is being demolished

Abiy Ahmed is imposing his vision on Ethiopia’s capital

Long walk to nowhere

How race and politics interact in modern South Africa

Why the ANC’s losses are not the official opposition’s gain

Iran’s defensive tactics

How Iran covered up the damage from Israel’s strikes

New images shared with The Economist show how a swap helped calm a crisis

Round one, over?

Israel responds to Iran’s barrage with a symbolic strike

Both sides have a chance to de-escalate their conflict, at least for now

I get knocked down

Tanzania’s opposition, once flat on its back, is now on its knees

The next elections will be both uncompetitive and unfair

Israel’s dilemma

Iran’s attack has left Israel in a difficult position

How does it respond without squandering the coalition that supported it?

Striking out

One of the Middle East’s oldest conflicts has entered a new era

Iran’s attack on Israel throws out old rules and puts allies in a delicate position

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Deeper into hell

After a year of war, Sudan is a failing state

Half a million may starve without urgent help