The Long Shadow of the Iran-Iraq War
The Iran-Iraq War cast a very long shadow, one that looms over the current conflict and continues to influence the strategic culture of the Islamic Republic. It created a siege mentality and the idea of “faith and firepower.” Weeks into the current war, Iran has not run out of either.
An Iranian’s Dispatch From the Digital Darkness
Journalist Nilo Tabrizy shares an essay by “Bijan,” an Iranian labor activist and former political prisoner who, during a 20-day communications blackout in January 2025, wrote about his experience in solitary confinement and being severed from the world. He has been unreachable since U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran began.
In Search of a Story for Syria
With the recent reincorporation of northeastern Syria under central rule, the existential risk of national dissolution that Syrians feared seems to have passed. But stitching up the bonds between communities will be a longer and more difficult task than defeating separatist militias.
Nigeria’s Coastal Heritage Is Being Swept Out to Sea
Once a thriving Christian commune, the small Atlantic village of Ayetoro is being rapidly eroded by rising tides. After successive government sea walls failed, residents have taken the battle against the encroaching ocean into their own hands.
Why Iran Doesn’t Need a Navy To Threaten Global Energy
The IRGC's strategy in the Strait of Hormuz isn't about naval power, it's about exploiting geography. By selectively allowing some vessels to pass while raising the commercial risk for others, Iran is turning the world's most critical energy choke point into a tool of coercive leverage.