The Iraq war has been big business for US military contractors (AKA mercenaries). But now, as the withdrawal of troops becomes imminent, firms are looking to Africa as the next lucrative source of revenue.

During the conflict in South Ossetia, western media were given free access by the Georgian government, while on the Russian side, foreign journalists were being either arrested or herded around by the military. In both…

People talk of the world becoming a smaller place, but there is still a lot of room for hostility. Here, Monocle has identified 20 of the most volatile areas of contention.

We meet the Finnish ambassador to Italy and find out why Peru is setting up shop in the Middle East.

In a show of girl power, Egyptian women are fighting back against the bottom pinchers and gropers who plague the region: self-defence classes for women are becoming increasingly popular and karate classes especially so.

There’s a real sense that we are entering a new era, with a fresh, sharp president in the White House and an economy in flux. Here five leading thinkers, writers and academics – Alain de Botton, Paula Scher, Andrew J Bac…