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Ruth Morris

The World

Ruth Morris is a reporter based in Shanghai.

Ruth Morris is a reporter based in Shanghai.

A boy walks near a Soviet-era apartment building, with a tank in the foreground

Is the US ready for the rising tide of mercenaries?

Military

War is getting sneakier. And mercenaries could be changing war in ways that the US might not be prepared for.

Chinese and US flags flutter

Was the US sleeping through China’s rise?

Conflict & Justice
A view of a test missile launch with an American flag flying

‘World War C’: How did national security miss the coronavirus?

Military
A man holds Iranian and American currency

Things That Go Boom: Are sanctions on Iran spurring economic resilience?

Nuclear
Several men in dark suits stand as others sit

Things That Go Boom: Is America’s foreign policy for sale?

Politics
Men and women sit around a negotiating table with flags in the background.

Things That Go Boom: In nuclear negotiations, diplomacy can be a slog

Nuclear

Diplomacy is often awkward, stymied by translators, late nights and unsecured yurt communication (yes, that really happened). But diplomacy can also stop a war, as years of secret and not-so-secret negotiations between the US and Iran proved when the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was reached in 2015.

A sign reads: "It's 2 minutes to midnight"

‘Things That Go Boom:’ Nothing good happens after ‘nuclear midnight’

Nuclear

It’s been a year since the US pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal ad some experts warn that the threat of a worldwide meltdown is the worst its been since the darkest, most dangerous days of the Cold War.

Rana Abdelhamid (C) demonstrates a move to a student during a self-defense workshop designed for Muslim women in Washington, DC, in March.

How to deflect a ‘hijab grab’ and other lessons from a Muslim black belt

Election 2016

When Rana Abdelhamid was 15, a man tried to rip off her hijab. Now she teaches self-defense classes for Muslim women like her.

Three women in hijab wait as a boy swims in the ocean in front of the Casa Nemo Beach Resort and Spa of Pulau Weh island, Indonesia.

Her resort is a refuge from more than just stress

Business

Casa Nemo Beach Resort and Spa sits on the island of Pulau Weh in Aceh, Indonesia. While the rest of Aceh has its own version of Sharia law, restricting the behavior of women and gay men, things are a little freer at Casa Nemo. The resort’s owner says she wants it to be a refuge, but she’s not sure how long it will be able to survive as one.

Echa wears the hijab because it's the law for women in Aceh. Echa is transgender, and when she wears the headscarf, she says no one calls her names.

A transgender woman in Aceh, Indonesia gathers strength as new anti-gay sex laws roll out

Justice

New anti-gay laws that just took effect in Indonesia’s Aceh province mandate 100 strokes from the cane for people engaging in gay sex.