Inkstick

Inkstick Inkstick is foreign policy for the rest of us. We like foreign policy, but we’d rather skip the stuffy back room and talk about it over a beer.

At Inkstick – military slang for a plain, black pen – we believe the pen is mighty, but the person behind it is mightiest. We’re tired of jargony acronyms and contrived technicalities. And we can’t help feeling like most of today’s national security and foreign policy outlets are written by and for the same set of voices in the same boring tone. Put simply: It breaks down the news you want and nee

d to know without droning on. When it matters, it also dives deeper to show you the people behind the policy and the stories they have to tell. Inkstick isn’t afraid to laugh, cry, or suggest an alternative to that Aleppo pepper in your favorite dish – and when we do grab that beer, we’ll be dying for you to ask us about our kids, or our favorite band, or just about anything that shows us you’re a living breathing person just like us. It’s okay, we’ll find our way back to the issues eventually. We just don’t feel the need to be tough. After all, we already have the big guns.

As the European Union ramps up its fight against smugglers, member countries target refugees and migrants.
11/09/2024

As the European Union ramps up its fight against smugglers, member countries target refugees and migrants.

As the European Union ramps up its fight against smuggling, member countries target refugees and migrants.

Central Asian leaders want Beijing’s security support to help maintain power.
10/09/2024

Central Asian leaders want Beijing’s security support to help maintain power.

Fearing a slate of separatist movements across the region, Central Asian leaders want Beijing’s security support to help maintain power.

As the war presses on, Ukrainians in Odesa search for respite at the beach.
10/09/2024

As the war presses on, Ukrainians in Odesa search for respite at the beach.

As Russia's full-scale war on Ukraine presses on, Ukrainians in Odesa search for respite at the beach after years of shore closures.

Since becoming president, Javier Milei has set about attacking Argentina's collective memory of dictatorship-era crimes.
09/09/2024

Since becoming president, Javier Milei has set about attacking Argentina's collective memory of dictatorship-era crimes.

Since coming to office, Argentina's far-right president Javier Milei has set about erasing collective memory of dictatorship-era crimes.

And the EU will come to terms with it.
09/09/2024

And the EU will come to terms with it.

And the EU Will Come to Terms With It.

"Philippines Scam Centers, US Migration, Lebanon on the Brink, and More": Subscribe to Inkstick's Substack to get the la...
09/09/2024

"Philippines Scam Centers, US Migration, Lebanon on the Brink, and More": Subscribe to Inkstick's Substack to get the latest in your inbox every Monday.

The latest at Inkstick Media.

A new paper examines the way civilians make use of social media during war.
06/09/2024

A new paper examines the way civilians make use of social media during war.

Using Syria as a case study, a new paper in the American Journal of Political Science examines the way civilians use social media during war.

Vast levels of destruction visited upon this planet by two world wars left an opening for Washington to attempt to domin...
06/09/2024

Vast levels of destruction visited upon this planet by two world wars left an opening for Washington to attempt to dominate everywhere.

During World War II, American leaders proudly proclaimed this country the “arsenal of democracy,” supplying weapons and related materiel to allies like Great Britain and the Soviet Union. To cite just one example, I recall reading about Soviet armored units equipped with US Sherman tanks, thoug...

"A love letter to my adopted home, and a plea for restraint."
05/09/2024

"A love letter to my adopted home, and a plea for restraint."

Lebanon has experienced economic crisis for several years. Now, fears of a full-scale war have made life yet more challenging.

Subscribe to our (free) Substack to get the Critical State newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday!
05/09/2024

Subscribe to our (free) Substack to get the Critical State newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday!

If you read just one thing … read about conservation plots!

And what would it mean for ASEAN countries at large?
04/09/2024

And what would it mean for ASEAN countries at large?

At a time of high US-China tensions, what would a Kamala Harris presidency mean for the Philippines and the broader region?

It just takes political will, resources, and a plan.
03/09/2024

It just takes political will, resources, and a plan.

The United States can effectively and justly manage migration. It just takes political will, resources, and a plan.

30/08/2024

A new paper takes a look at the support behind radical left parties in Southern Europe.

As the last generation of partition survivors grows older, the project hopes to offer some closure. And document their s...
29/08/2024

As the last generation of partition survivors grows older, the project hopes to offer some closure. And document their stories before it's too late.

A virtual reality project aims to reconnect India-Pakistan partition survivors with their ancestral lands and homes.

Elections aren't until Oct. 20, but disinformation campaigns are in full swing in Iraqi Kurdistan.
28/08/2024

Elections aren't until Oct. 20, but disinformation campaigns are in full swing in Iraqi Kurdistan.

With elections approaching on Oct. 20, the so-called "shadow media" in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region gets to work.

What endless budget increases mean for US national security and military effectiveness.
27/08/2024

What endless budget increases mean for US national security and military effectiveness.

Pitch us!!
26/08/2024

Pitch us!!

Since Hasina’s ouster and the subsequent appointment of Mohammad Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, as leader of an inte...
26/08/2024

Since Hasina’s ouster and the subsequent appointment of Mohammad Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, as leader of an interim government, violence has continued.

The recent protests in Bangladesh have led to Sheikh Hasina's resignation as well as sparked a political crisis and communal violence.

GMO Corn in Mexico, Harris on Foreign Policy, US Nuclear Production, and More -- Get the every Monday by signing up for ...
26/08/2024

GMO Corn in Mexico, Harris on Foreign Policy, US Nuclear Production, and More -- Get the every Monday by signing up for Inkstick's Substack:

The latest at Inkstick Media.

FDR's policy wasn't perfect, but under a Harris administration, it could be just what America needs.
23/08/2024

FDR's policy wasn't perfect, but under a Harris administration, it could be just what America needs.

Sin Maíz no Hay País is a decades-long campaign in Mexico to defend traditional and heirloom corn varieties that was gal...
22/08/2024

Sin Maíz no Hay País is a decades-long campaign in Mexico to defend traditional and heirloom corn varieties that was galvanized by the discovery in 2001 of genetically modified corn in the fields of Indigenous peasant farmers in the southwestern state of Oaxaca, considered one of the birthplaces of the domesticated corn eaten throughout Mexico and Central America. The campaign was mounted with thousands joining in its heyday, and the Demanda Colectiva won an injunction to suspend the planting of GMO corn in Mexico from a Mexico City judge in 2013, a judgment upheld by Mexico’s Supreme Court in 2020. Both judgments apply an international legal concept called “the precautionary principle,” a decision to take precautions when “scientific evidence about an environmental or human health hazard is uncertain and the stakes are high,” as stated in a European Parliament briefing on the topic. In the case of Mexico and the Demanda Colectiva, applying the precautionary principle allows authorities to reject requests for permits to plant GM crops on the basis that they may damage the health of the Mexican people and environment.

The 2020 decree was immediately challenged by biotechnology and seed giants such as Bayer (now Bayer-Monsanto), who filed for suspension of the decree arguing that the use of glyphosate during the food production process in farming is safe and that a phase-out could be detrimental to the yields of Mexican farmers. After Mexico refused Bayer a permit to plant GMO seeds in 2021, 76 members of the US Congress petitioned President Biden to push President AMLO to reduce the barriers for GMO imports or use the USMCA to force his hand.

https://buff.ly/3XdFNuk

A new paper asks whether depictions of Berlin in contemporary Anglophone fiction amount to more than "literary tourism."
22/08/2024

A new paper asks whether depictions of Berlin in contemporary Anglophone fiction amount to more than "literary tourism."

A new paper looks at how Berlin appears in recent Anglophone fiction — and asks if it means something more than “literary tourism.”

If Kamala Harris becomes president in November, she will not only be breaking what former Secretary of State Hillary Cli...
20/08/2024

If Kamala Harris becomes president in November, she will not only be breaking what former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called “the highest, hardest glass ceiling.” She will be taking the reins of American power during the largest European conflict since World War II. The values, the team, and the mindset Harris brings to the table could offer a number of positive implications for relationships with Washington’s European allies.

https://buff.ly/3M9bAGG

Driving through the serene semi-arid desert landscape of southeastern Washington State, you might be surprised to learn ...
19/08/2024

Driving through the serene semi-arid desert landscape of southeastern Washington State, you might be surprised to learn of your proximity to the most contaminated nuclear site in the United States. At the Hanford Site, 56 million gallons of radioactive waste linger in 177 tanks, many of which are being utilized well beyond their intended lifespan. This decommissioned nuclear site produced plutonium for more than two-thirds of the US nuclear arsenal. And the consequences were longstanding. “Every bomb we produced created massive amounts of contamination at Hanford,” said Rep. Gerry Pollet, of the Washington House of Representatives and executive director of Heart of America Northwest.

The Holistic Negotiations Agreement, which was made public in April 2024, outlines a plan for cleaning up the tank waste. The agreement provides a path forward “for the next 15-20 years to treat millions of gallons of radioactive and chemical waste for safe disposal that protects Hanford workers, the public and the environment,” according to Geoff Tyee, a spokesperson for the Department of Energy at Hanford. “The agreement will get more tank waste retrieved, treated and safely disposed of on schedule,” he added. Conversely, Hanford cleanup advocates like Pollet are not so quick to celebrate and have expressed concerns that many of the timelines are not likely to be met or are too little, too late. What the extensive process reveals is the nuclear half-life, so to speak — the long-term repercussions at home of America’s wars abroad.

https://buff.ly/4dP4bbq

The assassination of Ismail Haniyeh only puts several diplomatic efforts at greater risk.
16/08/2024

The assassination of Ismail Haniyeh only puts several diplomatic efforts at greater risk.

Israel's assassination of a Hamas leader in Iran has left the Gaza-based group in the hands of a more militant faction.

A decades-long war has shifted toward a conclusion as more countries recognize Morocco’s claim of sovereignty over the W...
15/08/2024

A decades-long war has shifted toward a conclusion as more countries recognize Morocco’s claim of sovereignty over the Western Sahara.

A new paper looks at how Leoluca Orlando, as mayor of Palermo, championed an image of the city as both local and cosmopo...
15/08/2024

A new paper looks at how Leoluca Orlando, as mayor of Palermo, championed an image of the city as both local and cosmopolitan.

In photos: A spate of wildfires tore through forest lands and reached deep into the suburbs of Athens.
14/08/2024

In photos: A spate of wildfires tore through forest lands and reached deep into the suburbs of Athens.

Recent wildfires in Greece forced evacuations, tore through forest lands, and reached deep into the suburbs of Athens.

Abdulla Said, MEND’s joint head of community engagement, said the reluctance of the Labour government to meet the repres...
13/08/2024

Abdulla Said, MEND’s joint head of community engagement, said the reluctance of the Labour government to meet the representatives of Muslim groups has upset the community leaders, calling the response “inadequate.”

In a video statement, Zara Mohammed, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, the largest Muslim body in UK, blamed “mass media and misinformation” and incitement by political leaders for the rise in attacks.

“There needs to be laws to protect Muslims from discrimination,” Said told Inkstick. “Politicians and media refused to call it Islamophobic. It is a failure to see what is happening.”

All the Muslim community leaders who spoke with Inkstick appreciated the solidarity marches by people during the turbulent times.

https://buff.ly/3WLG3iH

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Italy has long been the “sick man of Europe.” It is, at times, the weak underbelly of the European Union. But how far could Meloni dismantle a government and society that had frayed long before her arrival? What would the next several months look like with her as prime minister? I wasn’t certain it’d be all bad. https://inkstickmedia.com/a-letter-from-melonis-italy/

Did I millennial pause? 👀👵🏻 Check out more q&a at our takeover of @macfound’s gram all this week.

Putin’s war in Ukraine has European nations scrambling to cut off their supplies of Russian gas — both to further penalize Russia and to ensure the country can’t withhold its energy supplies as a blackmail tool. That transition has many European leaders turning to the Arctic for solutions like wind energy. But some Sámi activists in Arctic Europe say they’ve been backed into a corner after years of industrial development, and that what’s left of their traditional territory is not up for negotiation. https://inkstickmedia.com/cold-front-tromso/

Putin’s war in Ukraine has European nations scrambling to cut off their supplies of Russian gas — both to further penalize Russia and to ensure the country can’t withhold its energy supplies as a blackmail tool. That transition has many European leaders turning to the Arctic for solutions like wind energy. But some Sámi activists in Arctic Europe say they’ve been backed into a corner after years of industrial development, and that what’s left of their traditional territory is not up for negotiation. https://inkstickmedia.com/cold-front-tromso/

China’s business activity in the Arctic has been attracting a lot of eyeballs. Its state-sponsored construction companies have been securing contracts for important infrastructure, and the country sees the resources in the polar regions as key to its future stability. That interest has the United States, sometimes called the “reluctant Arctic state,” perking up its ears. But all this new competition in the region — it puts Arctic peoples at the center of a tricky geopolitical tango. We speak to two leaders in Greenlandic governance about how the country is managing that dance. https://inkstickmedia.com/cold-front-beijing/

China’s business activity in the Arctic has been attracting a lot of eyeballs. Its state-sponsored construction companies have been securing contracts for important infrastructure, and the country sees the resources in the polar regions as key to its future stability. That interest has the United States, sometimes called the “reluctant Arctic state,” perking up its ears. But all this new competition in the region — it puts Arctic peoples at the center of a tricky geopolitical tango. We speak to two leaders in Greenlandic governance about how the country is managing that dance. https://inkstickmedia.com/cold-front-beijing/

China’s business activity in the Arctic has been attracting a lot of eyeballs. Its state-sponsored construction companies have been securing contracts for important infrastructure and the country sees its resources in the polar regions as key to its future stability. That interest has the United States, sometimes called the “reluctant Arctic state,” perking up its ears. https://inkstickmedia.com/cold-front-beijing/

“The Changing of a Continent” is a column by journalist Kenneth R. Rosen that focuses on the US trans-Atlantic relationship and Europe’s future. https://inkstickmedia.com/the-sick-man-of-europe-stumbles/

The near-collapse of the Italian government threatens the bloc and its unified response to a resurgent Russia. https://inkstickmedia.com/the-sick-man-of-europe-stumbles/

For decades, leaders of Arctic countries like Russia, Norway and the USA could set aside their differences and find common ground on environmental issues in the region. The Arctic was treated less like a zone of competition, and more like a tool to build diplomatic rapport. But Russia’s war in Ukraine has totally upended that dynamic — and shattered the trust of the West. So — in a region where Russia controls half of the Arctic shoreline — how do we fight climate change now? https://inkstickmedia.com/cold-front-yellowknife/

Manning an educational Indigenous fish camp an ice road away from Yellowknife, Canada, they slice and dice fish out of Great Slave Lake and chop wood to keep people warm in the subzero spring temperatures. It’s cold — and they like it this way. https://inkstickmedia.com/cold-front-yellowknife/

Why the court limited the agency’s ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and how it makes us vulnerable to climate change. https://inkstickmedia.com/the-supreme-court-just-made-the-epas-job-a-lot-harder/

For decades, leaders of Arctic countries like Russia, Norway and the USA could set aside their differences and find common ground on environmental issues in the region. The Arctic was treated less like a zone of competition, and more like a tool to build diplomatic rapport. But Russia’s war in Ukraine has totally upended that dynamic — and shattered the trust of the West. So — in a region where Russia controls half of the Arctic shoreline — how do we fight climate change now? https://inkstickmedia.com/cold-front-yellowknife/

For decades, leaders of Arctic countries like Russia, Norway and the USA could set aside their differences and find common ground on environmental issues in the region. The Arctic was treated less like a zone of competition, and more like a tool to build diplomatic rapport. But Russia’s war in Ukraine has totally upended that dynamic — and shattered the trust of the West. So — in a region where Russia controls half of the Arctic shoreline — how do we fight climate change now? https://inkstickmedia.com/cold-front-yellowknife/

For decades, leaders of Arctic countries like Russia, Norway and the USA could set aside their differences and find common ground on environmental issues in the region. The Arctic was treated less like a zone of competition, and more like a tool to build diplomatic rapport. But Russia’s war in Ukraine has totally upended that dynamic — and shattered the trust of the West. So — in a region where Russia controls half of the Arctic shoreline — how do we fight climate change now? https://inkstickmedia.com/cold-front-yellowknife/

Cold in the North means connectivity, as people zip around on ice roads and snowmobiles. It makes for soft, marketable furs for trappers and cozy nights at home. And as the temperature warms, those things are at risk. https://inkstickmedia.com/cold-front-yellowknife/

https://inkstickmedia.com/the-supreme-court-just-made-the-epas-job-a-lot-harder/

https://inkstickmedia.com/the-supreme-court-just-made-the-epas-job-a-lot-harder/

A rolling anxiety is not new to Europe, which for the last decade alone has weathered a refugee crisis, Brexit, populist movements and terrorism, a debt crisis (even as a new one looms), and the pandemic. Nevertheless, it has provided Europeans a sense of stability since the 1950s and shows no signs of facing ruin. https://inkstickmedia.com/europe-can-heal-a-wounded-global-order-if-it-unifies/

https://inkstickmedia.com/europe-can-heal-a-wounded-global-order-if-it-unifies/

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