America doesn’t need more nuclear weapons. An interesting read on how expanding the stockpile could weaken deterrence: foreignaffairs.com/united-st…

Iran has executed at least 900 people this year alone. Let that sink in. The arbitrary executions must stop: euronews.com/2026/08/19/iran…

The Israeli cabinet statement as captured in Israel Katz’s social media posts claiming to treat balloons and kites flown in the Gaza Strip as military drones further strips away any prospects for moments of joy for children in Gaza, who have been denied a childhood by Israel’s ongoing genocide. Third states must act and end Israel’s genocide. No more impunity for Israel’s disregard for international law.

“Traveling through the West Bank, we had a visceral sense of a land and people under deepening occupation.” Writing in @TIME, Helen Clark and Mary Robinson warn that the Israeli government is threatening to make Palestine disappear physically, economically, culturally and politically. Read their op-ed here ➡️ time.com/article/2026/08/27/… @HelenClarkNZ

America's failure in #Iran is a lesson in #leadership. Here's my thoughts: virgin.com/branson-family/ri…

“We are building things we don’t understand.” An important listen from the @ezraklein show on the dangerous boundaries AI is already crossing nytimes.com/2026/08/18/opini…

Wise words, as always, from @TheElders about the unacceptable situation in the West Bank: theelders.org/news/e1-delibe…

An Iranian photojournalist has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, but she refuses to be silenced. "Don’t forget me” is the last we heard of Yalda Moaiery. It is the least we can do: edition.cnn.com/2026/08/21/m…

Horrifying to see more than 10,000 Ukrainian civilians disappear into the Russian prison system. This is the utterly grim story of one cell: newyorker.com/magazine/2026/…

As much of the world is focused on other crises, Russia continues to target Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in the midst of a bitter winter: ft.com/content/ec1b1203-b298…

Awful to see Russia's lawless military abuse its own troops: nytimes.com/interactive/2025…

1. 46 years after I was held hostage at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, I have never seen protests against the Islamic Republic like this—so profound, powerful, and sustained. Thirteen days and counting, nationwide. 2. These protests are remarkable not just for their scale, but for where they began: the bazaar—once the clergy’s strongest ally. Rampant inflation, a moribund economy, corruption, and mismanagement have fractured the country. 3. The regime has cut off the internet to contain the outrage. Yet videos continue to emerge, showing chants calling for the end of the Islamic Republic and “Death to the Dictator (Khamenei).” 4. Iranians are also protesting catastrophic mismanagement: stolen public funds, systemic corruption, and a country literally drying up—running out of water. 5. Beneath it all is something deeper: a people who have had enough of a brutal authoritarian state that murders innocents, imprisons human rights activists, and has destroyed civil society 6. The chant says it all: “Poverty, corruption, rising prices—we will continue until overthrow.”

In isolation, we’ll never flourish’. An insightful read on what Iranians think about the protests and bringing an end to the Islamic Republic: theguardian.com/global-devel…

The Lion of Iran has awakened. Iranians are rejecting Islam, the Islamic Republic, and Sharia Law en masse. I've never been more proud to be Iranian. ❤️

The great unravelling of the post-WWII international order is in full swing. First it happens gradually, then suddenly. A reminder on why humanity must not let this happen: nytimes.com/2026/01/06/opini…

A powerful thread of verified content from the #IranProtests

Imagine fearing and hating your own people so much that you have to stop them from communicating with the rest of the world. The mullah regime is finished. #Iran #IranProtests

Internet shutdown continues! So does our concern about the authorities increasing brutality against the protesters! Countries with diplomatic relations with IRI must send a strong signal to the Islamic Republic authorities that shooting at protesters will not be tolerated! #IranProtests

We’re only a few days in, but 2026 already feels like a year of potentially momentous shifts and changes. Of course, much of the global news cycle has focused on developments in Venezuela, following the US intervention to remove dictator Nicolas Maduro from power. Toppling Maduro seemed like the easy part – almost too easy. Managing a just and peaceful transition to democracy and economic renewal is the hard part, and things are not looking great. But leaving all public muscle-flexing aside, Venezuela is still a sovereign nation, and those with a clear popular mandate to lead, notably the widely recognised winners of the rigged 2024 elections, must be given the opportunity to do so. Venezuelans deserve to be free and to prosper – on their own terms. Similarly, the US campaign to annex Greenland – whether by economic means or by force - has startled America’s allies, foreshadowing greater rifts to emerge in the coming months. It’s a move that threatens to unravel NATO and do irreparable damage to vital strategic relationships the US has spent decades to build. The truth is that President Trump already holds many cards: he can increase his US military presence in Greenland to Cold War levels if he’s inclined to do so, and there is openness by both Greenland and Denmark to deepen commercial ties with the US, including the extraction of natural resources. None of this requires a land grab like the one being bandied about now. Who treats a loyal ally like that? While the Greenland fracas is creating headlines, I wish the same attention were given to the wave of popular protests that have been spreading rapidly across Iran over the last few days. Hundreds of thousands of Iranians have been taking to the streets in frustration over the dreadful state of their nation’s economy and the crushing impact of soaring inflation resulting in dramatic cost-of-living increases. The discontent is reminiscent of the “Woman. Life. Freedom.” uprising spurred by the brutal police murder of Kurdish-Iranian Mahsa Amini in 2022, but it is also now a struggle for survival and dignity. Angrier than perhaps ever before, ordinary Iranians have had enough – of a government incapable of governing, and of a totalitarian establishment that seems to care more about regional power dynamics than about its own people. The corrupt and self-serving mullah regime, not known for empathy, nor for its economic prowess, is responding to the protests in the way it always does – with more repression and violence. As far as we know, the crackdown on demonstrators has already cost dozens of lives, likely even more. Yet the more Khamenei and his cabal prioritise self-preservation and the defence of an untenable status quo, the stronger this revolution will grow. I have no doubt that the masses in the streets, led and buoyed by a fearless generation of young women and men, will ultimately prevail. To paraphrase Rumi, one of Persia’s most beloved poets: Iranians know they were born with wings, and so they are no longer willing to crawl through life. We should use every opportunity to put a spotlight on Iran, amplify the voices of dissent and document the regime’s crimes.

Nicolás Maduro’s corrupt and inept reign has caused endless suffering for the Venezuelan people and brought this beautiful country to the verge of economic and social collapse. He will not be missed. But a just and fair transition means handing power to Venezuelans, and especially to those with a clear mandate to lead. By many accounts, Edmundo González won the 2024 Presidential election by a wide margin. He and the Plataforma Unitaria Democrática under Maria Corina Machado have the support and the respect of most Venezuelans. They must be given the opportunity to lead their nation into a better future. washingtonpost.com/opinions/…