Pope Francis has condemned gay networks inside the Vatican. But despite the conservative doctrine of the Catholic Church, its institutions often offer rare refuge to homosexual men.
Introducing a European citizenship option is a brilliant idea – not because nation-states suck, but because Europe is awesome.
The United States hoped to build Turkey into a model democracy in the Middle East, and to wait out the turmoil of the Arab Spring. Both policies have failed.
Exactly 24 years after the massacre in Tiananmen Square, Turkey's prime minister has to decide how to respond to demands for real secular democracy. Will he agree to reforms – or "go Chinese"?
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Italian soccer clubs have a racism problem. It's indicative of the sorry state of Italian civil society that almost nobody dares to speak openly about it.
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Syria's conflict is likely to continue for years – unless we change more than the rules of the political game. A two-state solution is most likely to prevent further bloodshed and preserve regional stability.
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Not all scientific projects that will soon become feasible are also desirable. One example: terraforming on Mars.
As educational budgets are slashed, private corporations fill the void by providing free textbooks on climate change and sustainability.
Education should not be defended on strict utilitarian grounds. Children should spend their school years learning all the things they will not need later in life.
To tech enthusiasts, the world is a problem waiting to be solved through progress. But what if many of us are quite content to live imperfectly?
“Never stop learning.” It’s one of the few mantras that remains unequivocally true.
The gloves are off in the start-up industry’s fight for the brightest minds. And a new controversy has erupted between the tech communities in Berlin and Silicon Valley.
In Germany, the state has taken responsibility for increasing broadband coverage throughout the country.
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The American people are not just electing a president and an economic platform; they are determining and defining the very character of their society.
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The ideological debate over regulation misses the point: it's not a question of more or less, but of good regulatory designs. The London bus system provides an instructive example.
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The question of whether the Olympics are worth it is meaningless unless we ask: to whom?
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Regulators and politicians missed a crucial opportunity for structural change after the financial crisis, but banks continue to serve up new scandals and chances for reform. Will we finally act this time?
