Behind the Times

How to finance old age has been a problem since the inception of Britain’s welfare state. Why is pension reform so difficult?

It is 40 years since the death of Fernand Braudel, the historian who sought the perspective of ‘God the Father’.

The release of government documents related to the Kennedy assassination will keep scholars busy for years, but will we learn anything new?

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?