A recent investigation by RFE/RL’s Schemes unit revealed that a senior Russian commander shared a meme among fellow officers that read, “It’s not a war crime if it was fun.” The sentiment is shocking, but it is not surprising—particularly given the context in which it was shared: alongside messages documenting the mutilation of prisoners, the [...]
As we stand in February 2026, there is no industry or area of our daily lives that has not been infiltrated, touched, or impacted by Artificial Intelligence (AI)—whether we are aware of it or not. This is not just true globally but even here in South Africa. If it’s not being used by your search [...]
Paramilitary forces in Sudan unleashed “a wave of intense violence…shocking in its scale and brutality” during their final offensive to seize the city of El Fasher last October, according to the UN human rights office. That clinical phrasing barely conveys what actually happened: a city starved, surrounded, and then assaulted in a way that left [...]
I feel lost, as if I have misplaced myself somewhere between silence and clamor. The world withdrew the moment the internet was cut off, not merely into disconnection but into a condition of being unwitnessed. What disappeared was not information, but circulation, visibility, and political presence. In that imposed solitude, an old question returned with [...]
The war in Ukraine has entered a phase defined not by movement but by immovable political realities. Russia will not relinquish the Donbas or Crimea, territories it now treats as integral to its domestic narrative and strategic posture. Ukraine cannot accept any settlement that legitimizes territorial seizure by force without violating its constitution, undermining its [...]
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 [...]
