My piece from 2020 in @TheAtlantic seems especially relevant today.

I had immense difficulty reading through this interview with my friend @Elizrael , describing the torture and assault she was subjected to by Iraqi militias in her 2.5 years of captivity. I can only imagine the courage it took to resist and to speak. nytimes.com/2025/11/05/world…

Raqqa province is witnessing a dangerous outbreak of leishmaniasis, with the town of Al-Heisha in northern Raqqa turning into a hotspot after recorded cases there alone exceeded 350 infections. Local health centers are sounding the alarm and calling for an urgent, coordinated medical response to confront this rapidly spreading disease that is hitting Raqqa hard, amid limited resources and the absence of organized control campaigns.

Why This Shutdown Is So Dangerous The way the president is disrupting essential services shows the dangers of his vision for big government theatlantic.com/newsletters/…

Israel launched one of its heaviest strikes on Lebanon since last year’s ceasefire The Middle East is on edge: fragile Gaza truce; near-daily strikes on Lebanon; a largely closed Red Sea; risk of a renewed Iran-Israel war 2/5 bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

5 things that happened this week: Qatar is wiring $3.5 billion to Egypt by year-end & $30 billion over 7 years In return, it gets land on the North Coast The cash could unlock a delayed IMF review — a similar UAE deal ended Egypt’s crisis last year 1/5 bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

It’s hard to overstate the scale of death in Darfur. “These are people being shot in the back and shot while they’re trying to escape. It’s as bad as it could possibly get,” a former Africa analyst for the C.I.A. said. newyorkermag.visitlink.me/qV…

NEW: Top NSC officials, led by Sebastian Gorka and Rudy Atallah, traveled to Beirut today, carrying strong messages for Lebanon on Hezbollah’s disarmament and ongoing efforts to rehabilitate its military and financial networks, per sources familiar

When covering an existential threat like climate change it can sometimes be hard to hold on to hope, so as British naturalist David Attenborough releases a much-awaited documentary, here’s what he told me about finding hope in nature and in humanity.

"When I picked up my granddaughter from the federal agents, she had a dirty diaper, a bruise on her face, and was developing a rash. She was exhausted and cried… My heart aches knowing this could happen to others, to my kids, or even me, despite being U.S. citizens.”

Ambassador Michael Ratney is a particularly astute observer of the Saudi US relationship. Worth watching this interview. piped.video/BRmyvjRcPgU?si=Eksf… via @CSIS

My latest in @FT The danger is that both Washington and Israel think they can achieve a grand Middle East peace by putting together all the small pieces — except the central Palestinian one — and silencing the rejectionists with more war. ft.com/content/50055f82-b483…

💥#Boom: Reuters scoop explains everything about Netanyahu's efforts to scapegoat the IDF JAG and complete destruction of Israel's judiciary. "US intel found that Israeli military lawyers warned there was evidence of Gaza war crimes." reuters.com/world/us/us-inte…

Their faces are not masked, they know no one will arrest them for entering and trashing Palestinian homes. This violence is completely state-backed.

Yuval Noah Harari: Only generosity can secure peace between Israelis and Palestinians ft.com/content/04078017-18b1… via @ft

Insightful piece by @ajaltamimi about the state of the small Syrian Shia community & Seyyeda Zainab shrine after the fall of the Assad regime syriaintransition.com/en/hom…

“Like a self-help guru, the US president is trying to manifest a different Middle East with affirmations, hoping to speak it into existence.” “The Lebanese government is on a collision course with either Washington or Hezbollah” By @KimGhattas ft.com/content/50055f82-b483…

Kim Ghattas: Trump cannot manifest Middle East peace via @FT ⁦@KimGhattas⁩ on.ft.com/43PqfzT

Excellent by @KimGhattas on ground reality in the Middle East: Trump cannot manifest Middle East peace ft.com/content/50055f82-b483… via @ft

Prescient warning by @KimGhattas : “The danger is that both Washington and #Israel think they can achieve a grand Middle East peace by putting together all the small pieces — except the central Palestinian one — and silencing the rejectionists with more war.”