I wrote this a few years from now… Historians, political analysts, and much of the general public around the world have long discussed why the United States of America collapsed in the mid- to late 2020s. So many books have been written about it by now, they could probably fill
Working with experts in international affairs for many years has truly been a privilege. I’ve been able to listen in on countless conversations, bursting with detailed knowledge and illuminating the culture, society, history and politics of places all around the world. I’ve been able to ask questions and
Over the past week or so, there’s been a lot of important news about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. And there are lessons to learn. The kickoff was the release of a 28-point “peace plan” by the Trump administration. Closely resembling a Russian document, it was essentially a Kremlin
It’s not easy to write about Sudan’s latest round of mass murder. And it’s hard to hear how some people dismiss it. The recent fall of the city of El Fasher, following an 18-month siege, to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has – as many predicted – led to
Readers who followed me here from my newsletter at Human Rights Watch may remember the grim case of my one-time colleague at the International Crisis Group, Joseph Figueira Martin. Joe was arrested by Russian forces in Zemio, in the Central African Republic, last year. He’d been working in the
As the world watches the shaky ceasefire in Gaza, the issues of peace and justice intermingle, strain, and collide. For those who work on conflicts, these are familiar tensions, but the underlying debates rarely get wider attention. The basic issue is this: to get any kind of peace deal in
We don’t need courts. We don’t need trials. The government should simply decide who is guilty and execute them immediately. That is the Trump regime’s policy towards people it accuses of drug smuggling at sea. Over the past six weeks, the US has bombed boats in the
It’s hard for some of my fellow Europeans to understand why Trump is sending the military to US cities. It’s hard for me to understand why some of my fellow Europeans support Trump wannabes in the EU and UK. Let me take on both topics today. First, for
I am not really an expert in anything. However, I have some experience in dealing with experts. Over the last couple decades, I’ve been privileged to work closely with brilliant people in international affairs, finding ways to put their research and analyses into words non-experts could understand. What I