A deal between the US and China on TikTok that was finalized on January 22 concludes a years-long saga that put in peril the social media platform’s ability to function in the United States. US officials had long argued that TikTok, previously owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, posed national security risks. In particular, US [...]
The ongoing Rohingya crisis in Myanmar is a significant humanitarian and legal challenge now before the International Court of Justice. The Gambia’s accusations of genocide have placed Myanmar’s conduct under close legal scrutiny, with the merits proceedings examining questions of state responsibility and accountability under international law. What is the origin of the current dispute? [...]
It has been a month since the internet was cut off in Iran. I know nothing—and it is precisely this not-knowing that allows me to think from multiple positions at once: from myself, from my brother, from my father, and from my mother. Each of us occupies a different role, a different exposure, a different [...]
“I tell you, ye have still chaos in you.” Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra On January 27, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists advanced the hands of its “doomsday clock” to eighty-five seconds before midnight. This unprecedented move signified that the world has never been closer to nuclear war. Ipso facto, there could be no [...]
On January 22, the White House released a statement on its website: “Today, in an historic ceremony in Davos, Switzerland, President Donald J. Trump formally ratified the Charter of the Board of Peace—establishing it as an official international organization. President Trump, who is serving as the Board’s Chairman, was joined by Founding Members representing countries [...]
“I don’t give a shit what you call it,” US Vice President JD Vance replied last year to suggestions that killing Venezuelan civilians without any due process would be described a war crime. That comment was in relation to the US bombing boats suspected of drug trafficking in the Caribbean and Pacific in over 30 strikes, [...]
The global security system is creaking under the weight of crises it can’t seem to manage. Wars grind on in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, and elsewhere. The Security Council is paralyzed by veto politics. The Secretary‑General is criticized from all sides. And into this moment of institutional fatigue steps a new player: President Trump’s “Board of [...]
During the very week of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, the Israeli Knesset continues to debate a monstrous proposed bill to resurrect capital punishment in the ostensible Jewish state. Such a spectacle is nothing short of an abject desecration of that sacred day. Drawing directly on his Holocaust experience, Nobel Laureate and acclaimed [...]
The cold winter weather cut across the National Mall this past weekend as thousands of pro-life marchers filed past the Capitol dome, many clutching signs against the threat of a winter storm. At one end, near the stage where US Vice President J.D. Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson addressed the crowd, banners declared “Equality [...]
“Armies are equipped and trained to vanquish enemies. If turned inward, they can easily become an instrument of tyranny.” —Elizabeth Goitein, Senior Director for Liberty & National Security, Brennan Center for Justice The United States has long drawn a bright line between military power and civilian law enforcement. The Posse Comitatus Act (PCA) embodies that [...]
