Evansville

Got a story to tell (or sell)? Better back it up with a tape

Some years ago, I accidentally carried a tape recorder into an interview with a senior national-security official in a secure US government building. US presidents, of course, have been responsible for the most – and probably most consequential – secret recordings of unguarded political conversations.

Can fighting corruption help Arab states sell painful economic reforms?

Across the Arab world, cash-strapped governments are flying the anti-corruption flag. Tunisia, in the midst of year-long anti-corruption campaign, passed a law in July requiring officials and members of Parliament to declare their assets.

The qualities of mediating a US-Iran settlement

Since May, the United States and Iran have appeared on course for confrontation. President Trump pulled the US out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran. Iran’s forces in Syria began to threaten Israel. In August, Mr. Trump imposed new sanctions on Iran and sought to reduce Iranian oil exports to zero. Iran then warned of a regional war if the US pushed too hard.

A nearly-cashless Zimbabwe tests the limits of mobile money

Just go to Zimbabwe instead. Here, grocery store cash registers still yawn open when a payment is processed, as if by instinct, but where cash should be there are only empty plastic slots. Signs at gas stations, maternity hospitals, and even informal backyard bars implore customers to pay by EcoCash, a form of digital currency.