Graphic detail | Daily chart

Vladimir Putin wants to be a conqueror

Even if a dwindling number of other leaders do, and those who try fail

SoME MAY say that Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine was to be expected. There had been signs after Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014 that its president had ambitions beyond the Black Sea peninsula. But data show that Mr Putin’s war of conquest defies an international trend. Since 1975 no country has wholly gobbled up and held onto another.

Discover more

The world’s most innovative country

A ranking of 133 countries shows that the global innovation boom is stalling

Who is really in charge of Lebanon?

A visual guide to the country’s tattered political system


The states that will decide America’s next president

Insights from our election forecast model


Want to win an argument? Use a chatbot

AI appears to do a better job of countering conspiracy theories than humans do

What makes Australia so liveable?

The country has some of the highest-ranked cities in EIU’s liveability index

Should euthanasia be allowed for those with mental illnesses?

Legislators and doctors are struggling to define who should have the right to die