The Intelligence: A region holds its breath

As the war in Iran progresses, none of the options available to Donald Trump looks good. We examine each of them. Thailand’s Buddhist monks are implicated in lots of lawless and dodgy behaviour—but clearing out the bad apples is more complicated than it seems. And gene-editing co ...  Show more

As attention has focused on war in Iran, Israel sees an opportunity to crush a weakened Hizbullah in Lebanon. Our correspondent says it would be far better for the Lebanese state to do so. As south-east Asia is modernising, Islam is counterintuitively gaining greater primacy in c ...  Show more

For the first time Iran launched a <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/04/14/iran-and-israels-shadow-war-explodes-into-the-open?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_showno ...

Horrific images of charred bodies being pulled from the rubble in Gaza drew outcry, and more countries are recognising the Palestinian state. Israel is becoming more isolated as a result, and Binyamin Netanyahu’s lack of a postwar plan is threatening his government. The growin ...

A missile has reportedly struck a site in the Islamic Republic. If this is retaliation for Iran’s most recent attacks, then it is a muted response. But is there still a risk of escalation? As <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2024/04/16/gandhi-v-modi-crunch-time-for-cong ...

There is little left, in terms of people or infrastructure, in <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2023/11/15/the-battle-of-northern-gaza-is-almost-over?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content ...