CHINA AND ITS REGION (Buy PDF)	31 March 2007
So far the world has come to China, but now a rising China is beginning to reach out to the world, starting with Asia, says Dominic Ziegler. Is that a good thing? ...
THE EUROPEAN UNION (Buy PDF)	17 March 2007
The European Union has been far more successful than anyone expected when the Treaty of Rome was signed half a century ago. But, argues John Peet, it now has three big problems to solve ...
THE AMERICAN SOUTH (Buy PDF)	3 March 2007
The American South, once notorious for violence, poverty and racism, is now pleasant and prosperous, says Robert Guest. But it still has some catching up to do ...
EUROPEAN BUSINESS (Buy PDF)	10 February 2007
European business seems stuck between awesome America and low-cost Asia. In fact it is doing surprisingly well, says Iain Carson ...
BRITAIN (Buy PDF)	3 February 2007
The birthplace of globalisation in the 19th century is coping well with the latest round, writes Merril Stevenson. But can it keep it up? ...
MEXICO (Buy PDF)	18 November 2006
Mexico's new president, Felipe Calderón (right), must resume reforms and set the economy free—or risk backsliding, says Michael Reid ...
FRANCE (Buy PDF)	28 October 2006
A morose France has fallen behind its competitors. But there is nothing inevitable about its decline, argues Sophie Pedder: all it needs is political will ...
PAKISTAN (Buy PDF)	8 July 2006
Pakistan needs more democracy to make it a less dangerous place, says James Astill ...
BUSINESS IN INDIA (Buy PDF)	3 June 2006
Indian business has much to celebrate. But, says Simon Long, it still faces huge obstacles if it is to lift India out of poverty ...
POLAND (Buy PDF)	13 May 2006
Poles and outsiders alike are too gloomy. Despite the country's fractious politics, its prospects are bright and its problems solvable, writes Edward Lucas ...
SOUTH AFRICA (Buy PDF)	8 April 2006
Since the end of apartheid, South Africa has moved closer to becoming the “rainbow nation” of Nelson Mandela's vision. But not nearly close enough yet, says Richard Cockett ...
CHINA (Buy PDF)	25 March 2006
China hopes to use the 2008 Olympics in Beijing to mark its emergence on the world stage. But, says James Miles, it still has plenty of things to fix at home ...
CHICAGO (Buy PDF)	18 March 2006
Chicago has come through industrial decline looking shiny and confident, says John Grimond. Can other rustbelt cities do the same? ...
GERMANY (Buy PDF)	11 February 2006
Germany's economy is picking up, and its football fans hope for a World Cup victory this summer. But a lot more will have to come right before the country gets back on track, says Ludwig Siegele ...
SAUDI ARABIA (Buy PDF)	7 January 2006
Saudi Arabia seems a law unto itself: rich, unequal, uncompromising and unchanging. But, cautiously and almost imperceptibly, it is moving forward, says Max Rodenbeck ...
CANADA (Buy PDF)	3 December 2005
Canada's economy is booming, says Peter David. Its politics, as it heads for a second general election in under two years, is a mess ...
ITALY (Buy PDF)	26 November 2005
For all its attractions, Italy is caught in a long, slow decline. Reversing it will take more courage than its present political leaders seem able to muster, says John Peet ...
JAPAN (Buy PDF)	8 October 2005
Japan is at last ready to surprise the world by how well it does, not how badly, writes Bill Emmott, editor of The Economist ...
AMERICA (Buy PDF)	16 July 2005
America is an extraordinarily dynamic country, says John Parker. But its very mobility may now be drawing people apart ...
THE EU'S EASTERN BORDERS (Buy PDF)	25 June 2005
The European Union has been expanding by leaps and bounds. Robert Cottrell asks what happens if it stops ...
AUSTRALIA (Buy PDF)	7 May 2005
Australia's economic performance has been the envy of western countries for well over a decade. But, says Christopher Lockwood, the country now needs a new wave of reform to keep going ...
TURKEY (Buy PDF)	19 March 2005
After decades of trying, Turkey has at last got a starting date for EU entry negotiations. Tim Hindle explains what membership will mean for Turkey, and for Europe ...
INDIA AND CHINA (Buy PDF)	5 March 2005
India can learn much from China's breakneck economic expansion. But it has valuable lessons for China, too, argues Simon Long ...
NEW YORK (Buy PDF)	19 February 2005
After the twin-tower nightmare, New York is back on form, says Anthony Gottlieb ...
TAIWAN (Buy PDF)	15 January 2005
For all the hostility between Taiwan and mainland China, their respective economies are now deeply interdependent, says James Miles. That should help to keep the peace ...
INDONESIA (Buy PDF)	11 December 2004
Indonesia has gone from near-dictatorship to vigorous democracy. Now it needs to ensure that its people reap the benefits, says Edward McBride ...
IRELAND (Buy PDF)	16 October 2004
The economic boom that spawned the “Celtic Tiger” has transformed Ireland. But, asks John Peet, can it last? ...
THE EUROPEAN UNION (Buy PDF)	25 September 2004
The European Union has achieved much, but it may now be pushing up against its limits, says Gideon Rachman ...
SPAIN	26 June 2004
After 30 years of economic and political success, Spain is entering a new phase of democratic development, says John Grimond ...
ARGENTINA	5 June 2004
Argentina has a big opportunity to reverse its history of decline. But it will need to draw the right lessons from the past, says Michael Reid ...
RUSSIA	22 May 2004
Opinion about Russia under Vladimir Putin is more divided than ever. Gideon Lichfield tries to reconcile the opposites ...
CALIFORNIA	1 May 2004
Something remarkable might just be happening in California. Not before time, says John Micklethwait ...
BUSINESS IN CHINA	20 March 2004
Hailed as the business opportunity of the century, China is bound to disappoint. Sameena Ahmad examines the mismatch between excitable perception and sober reality ...
INDIA	21 February 2004
After a run of troublesome years, has “India's decade” dawned at last? Simon Long reviews the prospects ...
SWITZERLAND	14 February 2004
Switzerland has always prided itself on its exceptionalism, but there are signs that it is becoming more like other countries. Barbara Beck examines the current state of Swissness ...
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA	17 January 2004
Africa remains poor mainly because of bad government, says Robert Guest. The remedies look simple, but will be hard to apply ...
EU ENLARGEMENT	22 November 2003
Expectantly, and a little nervously, the new members wait to join the European club. Next year's enlargement is welcome, and timely. But there will be some shocks ahead, says Robert Cottrell ...
AMERICA	8 November 2003
The terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001 have not only widened the differences between America and the rest of the world, but have also deepened divisions within the country itself, says John Parker ...
ISLAM AND THE WEST	13 September 2003
September 11th seemed to pit Islam against the West. But the main fight is taking place within the Muslim world, argues Peter David ...
CENTRAL ASIA	26 July 2003
Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Central Asia has tried to reinvent itself, so far with mixed success. It is in everyone's interest to help this traditionally turbulent region do better, says Caroline Lambert ...
THE NORDIC REGION	14 June 2003
Life in the Nordic countries has been quietly idyllic. But closer integration with Europe, immigration and welfare reforms may make it less so, says Adam Roberts ...
SOUTH KOREA	19 April 2003
South Korea has great economic strengths and a flourishing democracy. But both need protection from outside threats, says Brian Barry ...
MALAYSIA	5 April 2003
After 22 years, Mahathir Mohamad says he is going. His successor must find a way to preserve his achievements but dispense with his authoritarianism, says Christopher Lockwood ...
BRAZIL	22 February 2003
Under its new leader, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil could take a leap into prosperity—or slide back towards poverty, says Peter Collins. Which will it be? ...
IRAN	18 January 2003
As Iran's power struggle approaches a climax, the contradictions of its hybrid constitution grow ever less sustainable, argues John Grimond ...
GERMANY	7 December 2002
Germany is plagued by a severe economic malaise and by uncertainty about its place in the world, says Xan Smiley ...
FRANCE	16 November 2002
France has an identity problem. It needs to find the courage to redefine itself, says John Andrews ...
GREECE	12 October 2002
Greece has become much better at harnessing its people's flair and energy. Now it must prove its staying power, says Bruce Clark ...
FINANCE IN CENTRAL EUROPE	14 September 2002
To prepare for accession to the European Union, Central European countries need to speed up reform of their financial sectors. But old habits die hard, writes David Shirreff ...
AMERICA'S WORLD ROLE	29 June 2002
For the first time at least since 1989, but arguably since 1945, America has both the chance and the motivation to reshape the world, writes Bill Emmott, the editor of The Economist ...
CHINA	15 June 2002
With WTO membership under its belt, and a new leadership ready to take over later this year, China would seem well placed to tackle vital reforms. But expect a long wait, says James Miles ...
THE NETHERLANDS	4 May 2002
For two decades, the Netherlands' "polder model" seemed to be working miracles. Now the shine has worn off. But the Dutch still have plenty going for them, argues John Peet ...
JAPAN	20 April 2002
Twelve years in the economic doldrums: what does that say about the political system? It's almost impossible to reform, argues John Grimond ...
THE GULF	23 March 2002
The Gulf states have come a long way, fast. Now they need to think about where they are going, says Max Rodenbeck ...
THAILAND	2 March 2002
Thailand's 16th constitution provides the perfect guide to stability and prosperity, says Edward McBride. Now all the country has to do is live up to it ...
POLAND	27 October 2001
Poland may be one of Central Europe's most successful reformers, but its new government has plenty left to do, says Matthew Valencia ...
RUSSIA	21 July 2001
Is Russia under President Putin heading for regeneration, stagnation or decay? Probably all three at once, says Edward Lucas ...
ITALY	7 July 2001
Italy today is richer, better-run and a bit less corrupt than it was ten years ago, but there is plenty more to do, says Xan Smiley ...
INDIA'S ECONOMY	2 June 2001
Ten years after the start of economic reform, India must decide whether to launch a second wave. There is plenty left to do, says Brooke Unger ...
EUROPEAN UNION ENLARGEMENT	19 May 2001
The enlargement of the European Union presents a big but necessary risk, says Gideon Rachman ...
COLOMBIA	21 April 2001
The world’s demand for drugs has given new fuel to old conflicts in Colombia. Establishing democratic order will take time, and outside help, writes Michael Reid ...
SOUTH AFRICA	24 February 2001
Seven years have passed since the end of apartheid. Who has gained what? asks John Grimond ...
PORTUGAL	2 December 2000
In only 15 years, Portugal has halved the big gap in living standards between itself and the rest of Europe. Finishing the job, says Patrick Lane, could take longer ...
SPAIN	25 November 2000
Twenty-five years on from the end of dictatorship, there are many Spains, writes Stephen Hugh-Jones ...
MEXICO	28 October 2000
Mexicans have at last voted the PRI out of government. But 71 years of one-party rule, says Gideon Lichfield, will take time to get over. ...
AUSTRALIA	9 September 2000
Australians reckon their economy has entered a third golden age, even more promising, and more sustainable, than the previous two. They should use it wisely, says Barbara Beck ...
INDONESIA	8 July 2000
A blind man surrounded by problems is getting less help than he should from blurrier-eyed colleagues. Brian Barry reports ...
TURKEY	10 June 2000
If Turkey wants to become a thoroughly modern European state, it must embrace the spirit, not the letter, of its founding father’s teachings, argues Edward McBride ...
ARGENTINA	6 May 2000
Argentina can catch up with the rich world, but its economy, its institutions and its society will have to change on the way, says Stephen Hugh-Jones ...
EUROPEAN BUSINESS	29 April 2000
Continental Europe’s companies are reinventing themselves—and putting old forms of capitalism under strain, writes Matthew Valencia ...
CHINA	8 April 2000
China looks set to change as much in the next five years as in the past extraordinary 20, says Dominic Ziegler ...
THE UNITED STATES	11 March 2000
Immigration will reshape America more profoundly than trade or technology, argues John Micklethwait ...
SOUTH-EAST ASIA	12 February 2000
Now that South-East Asia is roaring again, reform may be postponed. But the biggest change could be the growth of democracy. Paul Markillie reports ...
NIGERIA	15 January 2000
Nigeria’s new president has made a promising start on repairing damage done by his predecessors. But he has a mountainous task ahead of him, reports Robert Guest ...
BUSINESS IN JAPAN	27 November 1999
After a lost decade, Japanese business is beginning to embrace radical change, writes Ben Edwards ...
BRITAIN	6 November 1999
Is one of the world’s most durable states dissolving itself? Peter David, our political editor, investigates ...
EUROPE	23 October 1999
The European Union will soon live up to its name, bringing in more countries of Europe and becoming more united, says Robert Cottrell ...
CANADA	24 July 1999
Canada may be a midget tied to a giant, but it has no need to feel inferior. What it could do with, writes John Andrews, is some American self-confidence ...
THE KOREAS	10 July 1999
Despite South Korea’s ambitious reforms, the country remains ill-prepared for the crisis that will, sooner or later, engulf it from the North, writes Edward Carr ...
FRANCE	5 June 1999
France is changing, but cannot face up to it. Blame its exaggerated suspicion of the American way, says Sophie Pedder ...
INDIA AND PAKISTAN	22 May 1999
After decades of strife, India and Pakistan are trying to normalise their relations. But plenty of obstacles remain in the way of peace, says Brooke Unger ...
NATO	24 April 1999
NATO’s 50th birthday was to be a time for back-patting. Instead, there will be soul-searching, says Bruce Clark ...
BRAZIL	27 March 1999
Out of the current turmoil a more just and prosperous country can emerge—but first Brazil must rethink its attitude to government, argues Michael Reid ...
EGYPT	20 March 1999
Egypt has become the very model of a modern emerging market, but how much has it really changed?, asks Barbara Smith ...
GERMANY	6 February 1999
In becoming ever more ordinary, and less guilt-ridden, Germany is discovering new, ordinary, problems, argues John Grimond ...
THE NORDIC COUNTRIES	23 January 1999
The five Nordic countries remain defiantly different from the rest of Europe—and from each other. Xan Smiley explains ...
TAIWAN	7 November 1998
How has Taiwan been able to brush off the Asian crisis? By spending the past five decades preparing for a catastrophe of a different sort, says Christopher Anderson ...
ISRAEL AT 50	25 April 1998
Fifty years after its birth, the Jewish state at last feels confident of survival. But where does it go from here? Peter David reports ...
EMU	11 April 1998
The European economies are ill-prepared for the euro, which will arrive in less than nine months’ time. To ensure its success, they will need to become far more flexible and competitive, says John Peet ...
EAST ASIAN ECONOMIES	7 March 1998
After three decades of whirlwind growth, many of East Asia’s tiger economies are in the doldrums. Need this be the end of the Asian economic miracle? No, says Pam Woodall; but governments must abandon their bad habits ...
CENTRAL ASIA	7 February 1998
The countries around the Caspian are rich in natural resources, strategically placed. Whether this will prove a curse or a blessing is up to them, argues Zanny Minton Beddoes ...
THE BALKANS	24 January 1998
It is tempting to leave the fissiparous Balkans to their own devices; but unless the West remains deeply involved, there is little hope for the region, argues Brooke Unger ...
BUSINESS IN LATIN AMERICA	6 December 1997
A decade of liberal reform has brought great improvements in Latin Americaճ economies, notwithstanding the current jitters. But, asks Michael Reid, are the regionճ firms ready to take on the world? ...
BUSINESS IN EASTERN EUROPE	22 November 1997
The transition from communism to capitalism has been spectacular, but many more changes lie ahead, says Edward Lucas ...
ITALY	8 November 1997
Italy has probably done enough to squeeze into EMU, but reform needs to go much further, say Mathew Bishop ...
INDONESIA	26 July 1997
The longer Indonesia’s seemingly everlasting president holds on, the riskier the transition when, eventually, he goes. Simon Long assesses the prospects ...
JAPANESE FINANCE	28 June 1997
Proposed reforms of Japan’s hugely wasteful financial system are long overdue. But they will hurt much more than advertised, says Richard Cookson ...
EUROPE'S MID-LIFE CRISIS	31 May 1997
The European Union has made tremendous strides in its first four decades, but it has left its people behind. It needs to pause and let them catch up, writes John Peet ...
CHINA	8 March 1997
Much of the world is alarmed at China's strength, with or without Deng. It should be more alarmed at its weaknesses, writes Dominic Ziegler ...
ISLAM AND THE WEST	6 August 1994
Are Muslims and the people of the West doomed to perpetual confrontation? Not if they both see that this is a moment for change, says Brian Beedham ...