The United States has invested nearly a hundred billion dollars in reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan—more than on any other nation in history. Yet, John Sopko, the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, has determined…

In 2013, Greenland experienced its warmest temperatures on record. While some dismiss this as inconsequential, the island loses the equivalent of three Chesapeake Bays in water each year, contributing to rising sea levels globally. Shane S…

David Choe’s work delves into the American scrap metal industry, while Suroosh Alvi investigates the consequences of drone strikes in Afghanistan.

**A Syria of Their Own:** Thomas Morton journeys to the front lines of the struggle for a Kurdish state, seeking to understand the story of Syria’s often-overlooked Kurdish people. **White Gold:** For centuries, rhino horn has been prize…

Terrorist University: Dagestan. Russia’s epicenter of Muslim extremism draws the attention of Shane Smith, who journeys there to trace the path of Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev, a man who spent six months within its borders. Arma…

**Rocky Mountain High: The Effects of Marijuana Legalization in Colorado; North Korean Defectors: Navigating a New Life in South Korea.**

The brutal details of a 2012 gang rape on a Delhi bus brought international scrutiny to India’s pervasive problem of sexual assault. Ineffective law enforcement, the social shame surrounding rape, and a patriarchal society have long allowed…

With humanity’s demand for energy increasing at an accelerating rate, the extraction industry pushes into Earth's most isolated corners to meet it. In Papua New Guinea, an underdeveloped Melanesian nation, Exxon Mobil of the United States h…

Shane Smith travels to Louisiana to examine the enduring consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Meanwhile, Ben Anderson ventures into Houthi-controlled lands to investigate the group that has challenged and overcome Al Qaeda in th…

The aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan has revealed a profound crisis, marked by the struggles of veterans grappling with mental illness and addiction.

**Heroin Warfare** (by Suroosh Alvi) – The U.S. presence in Afghanistan has spurred an unprecedented surge in heroin production, establishing the nation as the world’s leading producer by a considerable margin. Ironically, despite Iran's de…

**Surveillance City** (by Vikram Gandhi) – Camden, New Jersey, struggles with some of the nation's most pressing problems: poverty and widespread drug use. Its murder rate is twelve times the national average. In 2011, the city drastically …