Sep 27th 2014

Mission relaunched

The world this week

Leaders

America and Islamic State

Mission relaunched

The fight against Islamic State will help define America’s role in the world

The British constitution

Now for the English question

Scotland’s place in the United Kingdom is settled. Time to deal with its much larger neighbour

Corporate saving in Asia

A $2.5 trillion problem

Japanese and South Korean firms are the world’s biggest cash-hoarders. This hurts their economies

The future of banking

You’re boring. Get used to it

Big banks have changed a lot, but there is more restructuring to come

China’s water crisis

Grand new canals

Vast new waterways will not solve China’s desperate water shortages

Letters

On memorials, share buy-backs, Scotland, Apple, recycling, NGOs, airlines, television, driving, Joan Rivers

Letters to the editor

Briefing

Attacks on Islamic State

Another long war

America’s bombing raids on the so-called Islamic State in Syria have greatly increased its military role in the region. But they offer no quick route to victory

The Khorasan group

New kids on the block

America may have hit a group planning to strike against it soon

Syria’s deadlocked war

No solution

It will take more than air strikes to end the conflict

United States

Barack Obama and the economy

The woes of the average Joe

The Arkansas Senate race

Fried pickles and Ebola

The marriage market

Got to have a J.O.B.

Women-only cabs

Fare Ladies

Lexington

The lessons of El Paso

Correction

Florida’s second district

Republican knightmares

The Americas

Brazil’s presidential election

The battle for Brazil

Bello

The times they are a-changin’

Lonesome George

Heaven and shell

Canada’s Giant Mine

Giant headache

Asia

Afghanistan

Democracy, Afghan-style

India in space

MOMs are from Mars

India’s ruling party

Floating high

Hate speech in Japan

Spin and substance

Conscripts in South Korea

Blood, sweat and tears

Banyan

The puzzle to the key

China

Water consumption

A canal too far

Uighur activism

A lone voice silenced

Middle East & Africa

Electricity in Africa

Lighting a dark continent

Nigeria’s Islamist insurgency

Unrest in the home of peace

South African holidays

TG it’s braai day

Libya’s rival governments

Too many chiefs

Yemen’s violent politics

Houthis take over

Europe

Hungary’s prime minister

Orban the Unstoppable

Germany’s economy

Three illusions

The western Balkans and the EU

In the queue

Nicolas Sarkozy’s return

Je reviens

Ukraine in turmoil

A Somalia scenario?

Rebel areas in Ukraine

Significant variations

Charlemagne

Let’s stick together

Britain

Devolution and nationalism

Let England shake

Devolution to cities

Devo Manc

Scottish Christianity

Hard work for the kirk

The progress of Metro Bank

The branch bites back

Demography

Hip and hobbling

Bagehot

The dreary world of Ed Miliband

International

Separatism after Scotland

Where the dream lives on

Falling child mortality

The causes of a welcome trend

Separatism in Africa

Why can’t we do it peacefully?

Minority languages

Cookies, caches and cows

Business

Oracle’s boss resigns

Transition, not succession

Tesco’s crisis

A hard rain

Tesco’s accounting problems

Not so funny

The legal business

The default choice

Pharmaceuticals

Priceless pills

Gambling in Japan

Balls in the air

Schumpeter

The look of a leader

Samsung

Waiting in the wings

Finance & economics

Global banks

No respite

Buttonwood

Scrambled signals

Investing in Chinese shares

Rickety rails

India’s economy

Reform à la Modi

Car loans in America

Bad carma

Arab Bank

Consorting with terrorists

Taxing corporate cash

A tempting target

Free exchange

Goldilocks nationalism

Science & technology

Human evolution

Fireside tales

Scientific publishing

Grand openings

Astrophysics

Dust to dust

Peanut allergy

Browned off

Books & arts

Francis Fukuyama

The end of harmony

Oil in Ecuador

Murky truth

Decrypting Google

Don’t be modest

New fiction

Another Yalta conference

The Boston Symphony Orchestra

Electric conductor

Economic & financial indicators

Interactive indicators

Output, prices and jobs

Trade, exchange rates, budget balances and interest rates

The Economist commodity-price index

World merchandise exports

Markets

Obituary

Obituary