Opinion

Al-Qaida is degraded but not defeated. Analyst Colin Clarke assesses where the U.S. may be mapping out its future counterterrorism presence after withdrawing from Afghanistan.

NPR's Scott Simon remembers comedy writer Anne Beatts, who died this week at the age of 74. She worked in male-dominated writers' rooms at Saturday Night Live and National Lampoon magazine.

"Hyping the threat that China poses to Taiwan does Beijing's work for it," write Richard Bush and Ryan Hass of Brookings and Bonnie Glaser of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with Dreisen Heath, a researcher and advocate at the Human Rights Watch, about reparations in the United States.

Getting the COVID-19 vaccine into most Americans' arms will involve much more than a good supply and logistics. Values such as equity, deep listening, and informed choice are crucial, too.

We learned more about the suspect in the Georgia shootings than the victims, possibly because the women who died may have been too busy working to leave long histories on social media.

Americans are paying $75 an hour to hug a cow. The bovine cuddles can boost oxytocin levels in humans.

Our Nigerian critic wants you to know: We Africans do not see wild animals in our backyards! Women are allowed to own businesses! But I did admire the awesome head-ties — and powerful princesses!

A teenager, Kyal Sin, also known as Angel, was killed during recent protests in Myanmar. NPR's Scott Simon considers her final moments and her legacy.

U.S. policy has focused on eradicating the crop used for making cocaine in Colombia. Here's why farmers keep replanting it.

Much of the blame for Brazil's coronavirus disaster lies with Jair Bolsonaro, who has enabled a domestic tragedy that now threatens the world, says analyst Robert Muggah.

NPR's Scott Simon offers his thoughts on why the value of baseball cards shouldn't be measured in dollars.