Top features on Putin’s Russia.

Informal markets are telltale symbols of the modernity brewing in Shanghai.

Ukraine’s tumultuous year in review.

A young couple in New York City try to panhandle enough money to raise a child.

An English village knock-off serves the ritual of the modern Chinese wedding.

The consequences of the lengthy failure of the United States to address Afghan corruption.

Shanghai envisions itself as the world’s next great cultural hub, a key site of China’s “soft power.”

The Potemkin Village that is Shanghai reflects China’s love of show.

What the U.S.-Cuba deal tells us about the future of Vatican diplomacy in a multi-polar world.

A selection of the most interesting features on women and gender issues published by The Globalist in 2014.