Global
Cross-regional, system-level stories that span multiple theaters, alliances, and strategic domains.
692 Dispatches
Starting the Iran War Was Easy. Stopping It Will Be Hard
Why Washington, the Gulf states, and Israel cannot agree on an off-ramp from the Iran war, and why Tehran may end up deciding when the fighting stops.
Could Iran Become a Failed State? The War's Darkest Endgame
Why a collapsed Iran—divided among warlords, separatists, and proxies—may be the one war outcome the US and Israel could quietly live with.
Cuba Is Next: Inside Washington's Pressure Campaign to Topple Havana
How a US fuel blockade, financial strangulation, and backchannel talks aim to force regime change in Cuba without firing a shot.
Pakistan and Afghanistan Are Still at War: The Cross-Border Conflict the World Stopped Watching
As the Iran war dominates headlines, Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban have descended into open conflict, with airstrikes on Kabul, daily border skirmishes, and tens of thousands displaced.
Iran's New Supreme Leader: Mojtaba Khamenei and the War's Second Week
Mojtaba Khamenei is named Iran's next Supreme Leader as the Iran-Israel-US war enters its second week, with strikes spreading across the Gulf.
The Middle East Agrees: Iran Must Fall
Nineteen days into the Iran war, Israeli strikes have killed two repression chiefs, the Gulf has turned on Tehran, and a second front rages in Lebanon.
Why Russia and China Abandoned Iran in Its Hour of Need
Iran expected its partners to rally when the US and Israel struck. Instead, Russia and China stood aside—and the reasons reveal a hard strategic logic.
The Iran Ceasefire: What We Know and What We Don't
A two-week ceasefire pauses the Iran war as competing US and Iranian peace plans, immense pressure, and an open question over whether it holds.
Why NATO Would Lose a Drone War Tomorrow
Two recent wargames exposed how cheap drones can defeat NATO's conventional mass, and why the alliance's countermeasures are years behind Russia and Ukraine.
Why Hasn't America Attacked Iran Yet? Reading the Buildup Behind the Pause
The US massed overwhelming force around Iran, then held fire. Reading the military movements and back-channel talks to explain Washington's pause.
Mexico Is at War: The Killing of El Mencho and the CJNG's Day of Vengeance
How the killing of CJNG boss El Mencho turned Jalisco into a warzone, what it means for Mexico's drug war, and the fight to come over his empire.
Assad Loyalists Are Plotting a Comeback in Syria — and It's Falling Apart
Exiled Assad loyalists in Russia and Lebanon are competing to revive the old Syrian regime, but money, rivalry, and a stabilizing Syria are sinking the plot.