No way to run a country | Jul 6th 2024 | The Economist (2024)

The world this week Leaders Why Biden must withdraw Labour has won the British election. Now it has to seize the moment Hizbullah poses a grave threat to Israel As Amazon turns 30, three factors will define its next decade Central banks are winning the battle against inflation. But the war is just getting started How spies should use technology How to Trump-proof America’s alliances Letters Letters to the editor By Invitation The West’s values are important, but so is realism, says Finland’s president NATO must tackle instability in the Balkans, says an ex-head Briefing Democratic bigwigs are starting to call for Joe Biden to step aside Senility in high office One generation has dominated American politics for over 30 years Introducing “Boom!” United States The Supreme Court’s term ends with a rash of divisive rulings The unsteady comeback of the California condor What the Chevron ruling means for the next US president Will IVF really be the next frontier in America’s culture wars? Joe Biden is fooling only himself The Americas China’s presence in Latin America has expanded dramatically Paraguay and Taiwan strengthen their embrace, for now Mexico has become a testing ground for psychedelic therapies Asia Japan’s mind-bending bento-box economics Why many young Asians are no longer studying history Why is Thai health care so good? Demand for uranium is booming. Who is benefiting? Indians have grown used to getting nice things from politicians China China is struck by floods and drought—at the same time How to provoke the fury of Xi Jinping China takes a step to curb anti-Japanese rhetoric online Middle East & Africa The next terrifying war: Israel v Hizbullah Meet the victors in Africa’s coup belt How EU do-goodery risks harming Africa’s small farmers Europe Le Pen’s hard right looks set to dominate the French parliament Ukraine’s war has created millions of broken families Turkish tourists can now easily visit nearby Greek islands The EU should be the world’s heat-pump pioneer Europe faces a new age of shrunken French influence Britain Labour’s landslide victory will turn politics on its head The inheritance awaiting Britain’s next government The woes of Hargreaves Lansdown, Britain’s DIY-investing titan Nukes and King Charles—but no door key A prime minister, a plotter and others say farewell as British MPs A weekend with Gareth Southgate and friends What now for Britain’s right-wing parties? International Trump and other populists will haunt NATO’s 75th birthday party Technology Quarterly The tools of global spycraft have changed Ubiquitous technical surveillance has made spying more difficult Signals intelligence has become a cyber-activity Sometimes the old ways of espionage are the best Artificial intelligence can speed-sort satellite photos Private firms and open sources are giving spies a run for their money Sources and acknowledgments Business What next for Amazon as it turns 30? Hollywood enters a frugal new era Panic rooms and private bunkers are all the rage in Germany Your conference-survival handbook Lessons in risk-taking from buccaneering BBVA Finance & economics What happened to the artificial-intelligence revolution? How Starbucks caffeinates local economies Why Chinese banks are now vanishing Ukraine has a month to avoid default America’s banks are more exposed to a downturn than they appear How much cash should be removed from the financial system? Science & technology The world’s most studied rainforest is still yielding new insights A new technique could analyse tumours mid-surgery New yeast strains can produce untapped flavours of lager A new bionic leg can be controlled by the brain alone Culture Can Saudi Arabia become a premier tourist hotspot? Making a case for Shakespeare, 400 years after his death Finishing schools for the age of TikTok The rise of Mollywood, India’s more subtle film hub Like its Montana setting, Kevin Barry’s novel is brutal and gorgeous The Economist reads The best and worst memoirs by British prime ministers Economic & financial indicators Economic data, commodities and markets The Economist explains Who could plausibly replace Joe Biden? How could Democrats replace Joe Biden as their candidate for president? Obituary Ángeles Flórez Peón, “Maricuela”, made sure Spain did not forget its history References