Argument
America First?
Segments of the MAGA base, the Western left, Global South solidarity networks and the Iranian regime itself have converged, improbably, on the same talking point: This is not America First. They are all wrong. The Iran war is actually the purest expression of America First, its direct consequence.
The Weight of Other People’s Wars
The war has occasioned an anguished debate among Iranians. The division that has emerged — between those who will not support a war on their own country and those who have, through suffering and desperation, arrived at support for the war — is real and painful and will not be resolved easily.
What the Islamic Republic Learned About Repression From Syria
Like the Assad regime that it assisted, the Islamic Republic has responded to mass protests by committing atrocities and claiming that protesters are foreign-backed “terrorists and spies.” The parallels indicate how far Iran is willing to go to ensure its survival.
Alawite Politics After Assad
After the fall of the Assad regime, Syria’s Alawites are navigating collective blame, political exclusion and existential fear. With no armed force, no institutions and no trusted leadership, their turn to religious protest reflects not sectarian ambition but a desperate search for survival.
The Academic Justification for Male Supremacy
Jeffrey Epstein funded academic research to the tune of around $20 million per year. As the names of academics started appearing in news headlines, I checked the Epstein files myself, which revealed the names of old associates and painted a picture of a cozy circle of mutually supporting elites.
The New South Asian Power Brokers in the United States
For decades, “South Asian” in the U.S. meant affluent Indian Americans in tech and business tied to corporate power and Hindu nationalism. But Zohran Mamdani’s rise signals a more expansive identity, one that is also working-class, coalition-driven, critical of nationalist politics — and includes Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Nepali and Indo-Caribbean communities.
The Limited Power of Iran’s President
When President Masoud Pezeshkian suggested that Iran should avoid escalating tensions with its Arab neighbors, observers speculated that the country’s leadership was splintering. But the presidency, which once appeared to embody the executive authority of the Islamic Republic, has been steadily eroding for decades.