Fatos Nano, Albanian Leader in Era of Chaos and Transition, Dies at 73

A consummate political survivor during his country’s shift from brutal communist regime to flawed democracy, he served three stints as prime minister.

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State Department Fires Diplomat, Citing Relationship With Chinese National

The foreign service officer failed to disclose his contact with the woman, the daughter of a Chinese Communist Party official, the State Department said.

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The Communist Warrior Stranded for Decades in an ‘American Colony’

Ahn Hak-sop was captured during the Korean War by the South and imprisoned for more than 40 years. Now 95, he wants to return to the North to die.

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What Richard Hofstadter Tells Us About the American University in Crisis.

Political challenges to elite colleges have long been a feature of life in the United States. A 1963 book helps show us why.

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Why Does Xi Keep Purging Loyalists? Look to Stalin and Mao for the Answer.

China’s “bedside eavesdroppers,” the online posse parsing rumors for power shifts, have a lot to work with as Xi Jinping pushes aside his own political appointees.

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Ion Iliescu, Who Steered Romania After Revolution, Dies at 95

As a three-term as president, he guided the country toward democracy, but he was called an authoritarian at heart and accused of brutality during the revolt that put him in power.

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Cuban Minister Resigns After Accusing Beggars of Faking Poverty

The labor and social security minister drew public outrage when she said “there are no beggars” in Cuba, where many people struggle to afford food.

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Valery Panov, Ballet Star Who Fought to Leave the U.S.S.R., Dies at 87

Trying to move to Israel with his ballerina wife, he was harassed and jailed while becoming an international cause célèbre and a Cold War symbol of the plight of Soviet Jews.

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What We Can Learn About Xi’s Rule by Studying His Father’s Life

Xi Zhongxun was purged by the Communist Party he served and went on to help reform Chinese politics. His son is the most authoritarian leader since Mao.

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India’s Security Forces Kill Dozens in a Bid to Crush Leftist Rebels

Military operations have intensified in recent weeks as the government has set a deadline of next year to defeat a decades-old Maoist insurgency.

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