A call from Doha
Briefing: A man who can’t seem to get his passport back. The war with Iran welcomes a new country. + Why would football supporters cheer on dictators buying their clubs?
By any other name
Feature: Why do so many people hate the idea of capitalism? Justin Callais on the gap—and the enduring popular support for the reality of the free market.
The long way home
Briefing: A winner Washington would rather not deal with. Tehran leaves the table. + What do Middle Eastern states want with European football clubs?
Front lines
Feature: Why would football supporters cheer on dictators buying their clubs? David Goldblatt on identity, loyalty, and what all this money really pays for.
Saturday, in Budapest
Briefing: The Champions League final, brought to you from 3,000 kilometers away. Talks and strikes over the strait. + Why did the Gulf states pour billions into global sports?
Total ownership
Feature: What do Middle Eastern states want with European football clubs? Sarath K. Ganji on autocratic governments’ ambitious move into the global game.
‘The culture of power’
Briefing: A tech leader’s mission to the Vatican. A new strike on Iran as the U.S. president says “time is on our side.” + What would it take to build AI that serves human beings?
The color of law
The weekend despatch: An unusual disturbance in the U.S. Senate. Sparta’s founding myth, undone. + What was the Neue Slowenische Kunst?
Their man in Tehran
Briefing: A failed plan to install the next supreme leader in Iran. A court picks the opposition leader in Turkey. + Why have Americans lost faith in higher education?
Mission drift
Feature: Why have Americans lost faith in higher education? Julia Adams and Sarath Sanga on what’s gone wrong—and what universities can do about it.
