Since Brexit’s earliest days, the trade status of Northern Ireland and its border with the Republic of Ireland have been a perilous sticking point. We examine a deal that might—and should—resolve matters at last. Our correspondent looks at all the plush office space being converted into family homes. And an obituary for the ruined city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Air strikes and border raids have turned cross-border tensions into hot conflict. We ask what raised the temperature, and whether the Iran war may act to lower it. Meanwhile that war’s oil shock brings with it fears of rising inflation; we examine how recent disruptions might inf ... Show More

As the war in Iran progresses, none of the options available to Donald Trump looks good. We examine each of them. Thailand’s Buddhist monks are implicated in lots of lawless and dodgy behaviour—but clearing out the bad apples is more complicated than it seems. And gene-editing co ... Show More

As attention has focused on war in Iran, Israel sees an opportunity to crush a weakened Hizbullah in Lebanon. Our correspondent says it would be far better for the Lebanese state to do so. As south-east Asia is modernising, Islam is counterintuitively gaining greater primacy in c ... Show More

Disagreement over the future of the Northern Irish border after Brexit has strained Anglo-Irish relations. As the UK's negotiations with the EU approach a crucial stage, could Dublin derail the British government's pursuit of a Brexit deal? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy ... Show More

On Monday the prime minister revealed his big Brexit deal with the European Union, which aims to avoid a hard border across the island of Ireland and in the Irish Sea, as well as preserve sovereignty for people in Northern Ireland. But will it be enough to bring the DUP back t ... Show More

It's a year since the post-Brexit transition period ended, and the Northern Ireland protocol came into effect. As Foreign Secretary Liz Truss prepares to resume negotiations with the EU, what has the impact been on everyday life in Northern Ireland and on the political parties ... Show More

Britain’s parliament will vote today on its last-gasp agreement with the European Union. But that will only mark the start of more negotiations for years to come. And we examine the shortlist from The Economist’s annual “<a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/12 ... Show More

With negotiations on a Brexit trade deal between the UK and EU stalled again, and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson warning of a no-deal outcome, can the process be salvaged? Plus, with the Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland resolved this week in a new protocol, has the th ... Show More

More than two years after Britain and the EU signed the Brexit withdrawal agreement, one of its stickiest points is suddenly back in the headlines again: the Northern Ireland protocol. Why are we back here again? And -- more to the point -- what exactly is the protocol? ... Show More

No matter what the British Parliament decides, for almost three years the UK, Ireland and the EU have been dealing with the reality of the Leave vote. Positions have hardened, investments have been foregone, and all the countries involved have become different places, in ways tha ... Show More

On today's World Review from the New Statesman, Emily Tamkin in Washington DC and Ido Vock in Berlin are joined, from London, by the NS's Political Correspondent, Ailbhe Rea (also a co-host of the famed New Statesman Podcast). They discuss Joe Biden's Irish roots and what they co ... Show More

Let’s remake a deal: Brexit and Northern...