Behind the Times

A strong anti-graft sentiment runs throughout Ghana’s history, as its leaders have sometimes discovered the hard way.

How did Spain, Western Europe’s last dictatorship, become one of its most popular tourist destinations?

How did Swahili become an East African lingua franca? It was not by accident.

Canada and the US have often been uneasy neighbours; the roots of the latest political flare up can be found in their tangled history.

With North Vietnam’s victory in 1975, its southern counterpart ceased to exist. What happened to South Vietnam?

Gaelic language and culture in Scotland have a long history, often subsumed by English. Is there hope for their future?

Pre-Islamic history was once taboo in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Will the ‘rediscovery’ of an ancient people – the Nabataeans – encourage international tourism?

Russia’s entry into the global economy was met with glee by international firms in the early 1990s. The exodus has been just as sudden.

The issue of assisted dying was first put before Parliament in 1936. Many of the same questions remain, but the arguments have changed.

What explains the Iranian state’s remarkable soft power in the West? The answer lies in Iran’s rich – and often romanticised – history.