Suppose France’s president manages to transform his country and his continent

The benefits—including, in the long run, for the monarchy itself—would be huge

His opponents dreamed of impeaching Donald Trump, then of defeating him. Now they are adjusting to four more years of his presidency. We assess its first six months

Yes, it would be disruptive. But the potential gains are so vast that objectors could be bribed to let it happen

Fears that smarter machines will threaten jobs and stability have led some to suggest that government should give a basic income to all. Suppose the idea spreads

The trust business is little noticed but huge. Startups deploying blockchain technology threaten to disrupt it, and much else besides

Why consumers of financial and other services may need more protection

Angus Deaton, a Nobel prize-winning economist, explores a question that intrigued him

After crashing out of the European Union, Britain tries an alternative economic model. The experiment is proving painful

It started with sheep. Suppose cloning became routine for people

For rich countries, prolonged loss of electricity is a low-probability event. But the scale of the potential impact is mind-concentrating

The constants of nature are among the things you just do not want to mess with

Imagine the mayhem that might have been avoided had the Ottoman Empire been saved rather than sunk. Blame, among others, Winston Churchill

How a made-for-TV foreign policy triggered real-world crises

A way to solve some of the world’s trickiest problems

America and China have done too little planning for a Korean crisis

Three scenarios illustrate the threat of a nuclear device in rogue hands

A podcast on the 2016 edition of "The World If"

Reforming economists’ tools, temperament and training could help to mitigate, if not to prevent, the next crisis

How China sells its state-owned enterprises matters as much as whether it does

Recent attacks give a glimpse of the sort of cyber-assault that could bring the world economy to a halt. Better defences are needed

Might future law-school graduates look to machines rather than the judges, rules and standards that have underpinned the legal system?

The ability to peer unhindered into the deep would reveal a host of wonders—and have huge practical consequences

Joining East and West together within NATO and the European Union was the worst option, except for all the others

She won the election by leaning right on national security and left on the economy. Now comes the fallout

The world rightly worries about the prospect of a Greater Russia. But a Lesser Russia could be just as troubling

How the West would recognise, and respond to, a Russian offensive

The yuan’s rise will challenge America, but not before China changes

Thomas Piketty, a superstar economist, favours the introduction of a global wealth tax. Its impact might be surprisingly small

Why a Chinese firm might dig a giant waterway through America’s backyard

If the rich world aimed for minimal growth, would it be a disaster or a blessing?

The difference economic reforms could make for Africa

Overturning industries and redefining urban life, self-driving cars promise to be as disruptive and transformative a technology as the mobile phone

Just because you can move the stars in their courses, it doesn’t mean you should

A more erratic rainy season in India could lead to mass famine. But there are ways to avoid such a disaster

Smartphones could transform women’s lives, says Melinda Gates, co-chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

What if Mao Zedong’s Communist Party had lost the Chinese civil war to Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist Party?