U.S. Department of State, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

At dawn in Iran, the state speaks in the language it knows best: silence and secrecy. This week, as global attention fixed on the escalating confrontation between Washington and Tehran, the Islamic Republic executed four political prisoners in two days. Their names—Babak Alipour, Pouya Ghobadi, Akbar Daneshvarkar, Mohammad Taghavi‑Sangdehi—will not appear in ceasefire proposals or [...]

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Since the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, world politics have been shaped by sovereignty-centered belligerence. When considered over time, especially as technologies of military destruction become more widespread and indiscriminate, this seventeenth-century system of competitive nationalism portends one overarching deficit: It is destined to fail. What should be done, especially by the world’s “superpowers” and [...]

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The International Criminal Court (ICC), established under the Rome Statute, has jurisdiction over war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, destruction of historic and religious monuments, and witness intimidation. It has prosecuted several individuals for these crimes, and in 2024, issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for the [...]

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Strait of Hormuz (file photo). Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons.

The current war in West Asia, now in its second month following US and Israeli attacks on Iran beginning February 28, has rapidly escalated beyond the belligerents, imposing severe indirect burdens on neutral states. On March 11, Iranian retaliatory actions, missile and drone strikes against Israel, US bases, and Gulf allies, spread to commercial shipping, [...]

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Around the world, algorithms are increasingly being asked to do something once reserved for human judgment: help decide who should remain free and who should be deprived of liberty. In recent years, algorithmic risk assessment tools have grown more deeply embedded in criminal justice systems worldwide. From bail decisions to sentencing recommendations, predictive technologies promise [...]

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The escalating armed conflict between the United States of America and Iran has plunged the region into crisis, gripping global attention as the skies over the Middle East are shrouded in smoke and fumes. Rarely has any country come out in open support of the US-Israel. Britain has reluctantly agreed to share its airbase for [...]

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One year ago, Louisiana broke a 15-year halt on executions by debuting nitrogen hypoxia. Officials called Jessie Hoffman Jr.’s death “flawless,” yet their own reports noted “convulsive activity,” and media witnesses described twitching, clenched hands, head movements, and jerking as the gas took hold. This contradiction should shape our reflection a year later. The real [...]

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Julian Lupyan, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Do you approve the text of the law revising Articles 87, paragraph 10, 102, paragraph 1, 104, 105, 106, paragraph 3, 107, paragraph 1, and 110 of the Constitution, approved by Parliament and published in the Official Gazette no. 253 of 30 October 2025 under the title ‘Provisions Governing the Judicial System and the Establishment [...]

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A scientist, whether theorist or experimenter, puts forward statements or systems of statements, and tests them step by step. Karl R. Popper, The Logic of Scientific Discovery (1959) In the many-sided conflict now underway against Iran (i.e., simultaneous and complementary operations led by the United States and Israel), little concern has been expressed for a [...]

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The establishment of the Special Tribunal on the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine (STCA) marks a historic moment in the defense of the international legal order. Russia’s full‑scale invasion of Ukraine represents the most blatant act of aggression in Europe since the Second World War. The international community has responded with determination, culminating in the [...]

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