It’s a short drive from the sleek corniche in Beirut to the bountiful souk in Damascus but the residents of these two great cities eye each other with a distinct lack of neighbourly affection. It doesn’t help when you…
A look ahead at the year in politics, including the challenges facing Nicholas Sarkozy, some potential new EU members and the run-up to the US election.
Beirut’s Christian quarter of Ashrafieh has weathered civil war, terrorist assassinations and the recent Hezbollah-Israeli conflict. But today,
the hill-top neighbourhood is once again under threat, this time from devel…
The mighty Habsburg empire helped to shape the cities, sights and stories of much of present-day Europe. We map four cross-continental sites where its impact has been felt most keenly, from the splendour of its Iberian…
Despite healthy economic growth, two thirds of Pakistanis earn under $2 a day, 60 per cent of adults are illiterate, and the country is in the grip of a food and fuel crisis. No wonder the frivolity of Islamabad’s wedding…
For every politician who thinks before speaking, there are more who charge ahead regardless. And for every firm that embarks on intelligent design or innovative commerce, there are numerous others littering landscapes with…
South Korea's first female president and her motorcade, why pakistan and Turkey are getting together, and who's the favourite in the Philippines polls.
The past year has allowed for time to pause and ponder over many things. When looking ahead, these are the ways our writers believe politics, urban planning, commuting and climate change policy can move on in ways that…
Barack Obama may not yet have brought about as much change as promised, but he himself has certainly changed. He has learnt that he will have to fight dirty to get things done – and this means his first year in office can…
As the Taliban gains ground in Pakistan, the police can offer little in defence of the nation. Monocle spends a day with Karachi’s police chief as he worries about kit, corruption and crime stats. Then we meet the woman…
How Joseph Kabila, president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, gets around in Me and My Motorcade, plus why Hezbollah loves a good DVD night in and a spotlight on the forthcoming Lebanese election.
When it comes to peace treaties, where there’s a will there’s a Norway. The peace and reconciliation unit in Oslo is involved in 20 such projects around the world – and one of the most prominent has brought the Colombian…