Draw the draft

Her mission was over, but Mikhailo’s journey was far from it. And as the bus pulled away, she couldn’t help but wonder if “mostly normal” was the most tragic diagnosis of all..... “Lieutenant Anna, you’ve done excellent work this week. Your mission will end with the next interview,” her superior announced, handing her the last file. Anna sighed in relief, feeling a mix of accomplishment and exhaustion. Over the past week, she had interviewed twelve Russian soldiers who had recently returned from Ukrainian captivity as part of a prisoner exchange. The task had been emotionally taxing—listening to stories of loss, survival, and the scars of war. The next file in her hands belonged to Sergeant Mikhailo. She flipped through the documents on her tablet: military history, place of origin, medical certificate, planned place of residence, discharge oath, and a personal belongings list. His profile photo caught her attention. Dark hair, piercing ...

As he left, he couldn't shake the feeling that a storm was brewing, a storm that threatened to engulf not just Tbilisi, but the very soul of Georgia..... The air in Tbilisi crackled with tension. Protests against the government’s suspension of EU accession talks raged, fueled by anger and a deep sense of betrayal. In the midst of this chaos, a figure emerged from the shadows – a high-ranking official from Mikheil Kavelashvili’s faction. He sought out the organizers of the street protests, his face etched with a grim urgency. “We need to talk,” he said, his voice low and urgent. “Russia… they’re planning something.” The organizers, hardened by weeks of facing down riot police, eyed him with suspicion. “What are you talking about?” one of them demanded. “They’re going to invade,” the official revealed, his voice trembling slightly. “They’ve requested permission to send troops across the border. If they take Tbilisi… Georgia will cease...

Yunus knew that the fate of Bangladesh, and perhaps the future of microfinance worldwide, rested on his shoulders. He had to navigate the treacherous waters of political instability, economic crisis, and the inherent complexities of his own creation The humid Dhaka air hung heavy, mirroring the uncertainty that gripped the nation. Professor Yunus, the Nobel Laureate and interim Prime Minister, paced his office, his gaze drawn to the news reports flashing across the television screen. The headlines screamed of economic crisis, social unrest, and the looming shadow of political instability. Yunus, the architect of the renowned Grameen Bank, understood the gravity of the situation. His revolutionary microfinance model, while hailed globally, now faced unprecedented challenges. The very foundation of Grameen Bank, its unique system of group lending and peer pressure, was now a source of both strength and vulnerability. The first problem, as ...

As long as the specter of the far-right loomed large, the government could continue to portray itself as the defender of democracy, even as the cracks in the system continued to widen..... The Christmas lights in Berlin shimmered, a fragile attempt at festive cheer against the backdrop of the Magdeburg tragedy. Inside the Chancellery, Olaf Scholz paced, his face grim. The attack had shaken the nation, and the echoes of the far-right’s inflammatory rhetoric still lingered. “They’re using our pain,” he muttered, gesturing towards a news report on the television. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) rally had been a spectacle of outrage, their demands for border closures and their scapegoating of immigrants fueling a dangerous narrative. His advisors exchanged nervous glances. The AfD, with their relentless focus on national identity and their disdain for the established order, had become an unexpected lifeline for the government. “They’re th...

As markets struggled under the weight of his policies, the answer became increasingly clear—cost-benefit pragmatism, while powerful, is no substitute for a nuanced understanding of economics and governance..... Donald Trump’s meteoric rise to political prominence rested not on ideological fervor but on a calculated embrace of cost-benefit analysis. A former businessman turned president, Trump approached politics with a transactional mindset that resonated with many disillusioned voters. In an era of ideological gridlock, his promise to “run the country like a business” appealed to those tired of partisan squabbles and inefficiencies. Trump’s approach was apparent in his hard-line campaign pledges to impose tariffs, scale back foreign aid, and reevaluate America’s alliances. He saw these moves not as ideological crusades but as opportunities to redress imbalances. “If it doesn’t benefit us, why should we do it?” became his mantra, as he qu...

The tragedy served as a grim reminder of the dangerous geopolitical games being played in the shadow of the Caspian Sea..... The midday sun glinted off the Caspian Sea, reflecting the tense atmosphere aboard the Azerbaijan Airlines flight. Passengers, a mix of businessmen, tourists, and families, settled into their seats, unaware of the precarious situation they were about to face. Unbeknownst to them, political tensions were simmering. The Kremlin, in a move to exert dominance in the Caucasus, had deployed a division to the mountainous region of Dagestan, bordering Georgia. This deployment, a prelude to a potential invasion of Tbilisi, necessitated the suspension of air traffic control radar over Dagestan. This measure aimed to conceal troop movements and maintain an element of surprise. Consequently, passenger flights between Baku and Grozny were forced to navigate the treacherous Caspian Sea at low altitudes, relying solely on visual ...

The fate of the nation hung in the balance, a victim of this intricate game of chicken..... The air in Seoul hung heavy with a sense of political deadlock. President Yoon Suk Yeol, facing impeachment and multiple investigations, had become a ghost, refusing to cooperate with authorities. This defiance had created a bizarre game of chicken between the three powerful branches of government: the prosecution, the police, and the Corruption Investigation Bureau for High-ranking Officials. The Corruption Bureau, tasked with investigating the President, found itself hamstrung. Their mandate was clear: investigate and recommend charges. However, without the President’s cooperation or an arrest warrant, their investigations were severely limited. “We cannot act independently,” lamented a senior Bureau official. “Our hands are tied. We need the police to arrest him, or the prosecution to file charges, to truly move forward.” The police, meanwhile...