The Interpreter

Original analysis on the week’s biggest global stories, from columnist Amanda Taub. Sign up for the Interpreter newsletter, for Times subscribers only.

In Europe, Tactical Voting Was a Big Winner. In the U.S. It Is Harder.
In France and England, parties worked to limit voters’ choices to avoid splitting votes.
By Amanda Taub and Lauren Leatherby
What I’m Reading: Tunneling to the Past
Looking for answers, or an escape, in a fraught world.
By Amanda Taub
Mexico’s Presidents Get Only One Term. Is That a Good Thing?
Examining the rare one-term presidential limit.
By Amanda Taub
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Why a Prosecutor Went Public With Arrest Warrant Requests for Hamas and Israeli Leaders
What to know about Karim Khan’s decision to seek arrest warrants for three Hamas leaders as well as Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and defense minister, Yoav Gallant.
By Amanda Taub
Why a Tactic Used by Czars Is Back With a Vengeance
Authoritarian governments have long sought to target dissidents abroad. But the digital age may have given them stronger motives, and better tools, for transnational repression.
By Amanda Taub
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A Global Lesson From Britain’s Crumbling Conservative Party
Sometimes, even as the far right rises, the center holds.
By Amanda Taub
Israel, Gaza and the Law on Starvation in War
A complex legal question became more pressing after a statement from the U.N. human rights chief.
By Amanda Taub
Why Gaza Protests on U.S. College Campuses Have Become So Contagious
Experts say the partisan political context in Washington is a driver behind the spread of protests at American universities even as overseas campuses have stayed relatively calm.
By Amanda Taub
Israel’s Account of Attack on Aid Convoy Raises Wider Legal Questions, Experts Say
The events that led to the deaths of seven World Central Kitchen workers suggest that there could be problems with the protocols used by the Israeli military, according to legal experts and aid organizations.
By Amanda Taub
Israel Bombed an Iranian Embassy Complex. Is That Allowed?
Israel can likely argue that its actions did not violate international law’s protections for diplomatic missions, experts say.
By Amanda Taub