Impossible to disagree with a single word that Ben Rhodes (Obama era NSC official) is saying here:

Wars are reported through the language of strategy. News coverage follows missile strikes, air defence systems, and military targets. The US-Israeli attacks on Iran are no exception. But wars are lived very differently by the people caught inside them. heavencrawley.substack.com/p/between-a-...

In times when Iran is spoken about mostly in the language of conflict, its food reminds us of something quieter and older: a culture built around beauty, hospitality, and the shared pleasure of a meal. heavencrawley.substack.com/p/when-the-p...

Wars are reported through the language of strategy. News coverage follows missile strikes, air defence systems, and military targets. The US-Israeli attacks on Iran are no exception. But wars are lived very differently by the people caught inside them. heavencrawley.substack.com/p/between-a-...

Denmark has *far* worse outcomes - economic, social and integration - than the UK. Just a fantasyland for those who want an excuse for their own xenophobia and/or are incapable of doing the hard work of confronting the UK's real problems. www.thetimes.com/world/europe...

This paper with @j-hagen-zanker.bsky.social questions the extent to which deterrence policies have their intended or assumed effects. Preferred destinations are rarely identified solely, or even primarily, on the basis of migration policies onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Indeed. My research and that of many others has shown this over and over (and over…) again heavencrawleydotcom.wordpress.com/migrant-deci...

As someone who worked with Labour when they came into power in 1999 and spent much of my time explaining why competing with the right wouldn’t help, I couldn’t agree more. Pandering to anti-immigrant narratives has taken us to some horrible places.Good leadership on migration is desperately needed

What an utterly disgusting misrepresentation from the Daily Mail, reinforcing every stereotype of an anti-Western ‘Middle East’. Israel slaughters 100s of Iranian school girls and the US kills 100s of citizens in Teheran but somehow Iran is the protagonist. Also, when did Dubai become ‘Western’?

I only have 5 chickens but over the last week they’ve decided it’s spring!

“Take that rag off your head” Once upon a time racism in the UK was pernicious but often subtle. Not any more www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/...

This from @jasonhickel.bsky.social sums up my utter despair and frustration at what’s happening right now. Two bullies. Zero accountability

It's horrifying, so I don't say it lightly: US soldiers and Iranian kids are dying for nothing. America wasn't in danger from Iran in 2026. What Trump is doing is protecting his Israeli patrons, his Saudi/UAE golf courses and "Trump Gaza." And he's known this is coming for years.

Iranians protesting against the regime (and in support of US and Israeli strikes) are respectable "expats" according to the BBC and therefore completely unrelated to the Iranian "migrants", "asylum-seekers" and "refugees" whom they regularly demonise.

Another splendid 'debunk' from @monkemma.bsky.social. It's hard to overestimate just how much work it takes to excavate, accurately and in detail, the layers of half-truth, falsity, misinterpretation etc. of these kinds of stories: monkdebunks.substack.com/p/the-500k-b...

Isabel Wilkerson, THE WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS: THE EPIC STORY OF AMERICA'S GREAT MIGRATION

I spent 8 years of my life leading MIDEQ and even today I don’t think I’ve managed to read everything our brilliant team of researchers has written 🙌🏼

Delis make you think of family gathering and community. These meeting points helped immigrants find their footing in second homes. Hand-sliced pastrami and knishes helped shape American culture. #FoodHistory #FoodCulture #FoodHeritage #Delis #DeliCounters foodculturebites.com/how-delis-be...

I'm fascinated by the work of Ayrson Heráclito who places Black bodies in direct contact with rice, corns and dendê, Brazilian staples shaped by Atlantic slavery and African agricultural knowledge. My Substack reflections on why this matters heavencrawley.substack.com/p/food-memor...

Like many of my generation, I grew up being fed the lie that the British Royal Family were something to aspire to and be proud of. Coronation mugs and plates were a thing. This piece by my brilliant sister Fay Bound-Alberti unpacks the lie www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

A few years ago on a work trip to Manila I came across the incredible migration stories that lie behind halo-halo. Now my conversations about the Philippines more often than not end up returning to the subject of this bizarre and colourful dessert beloved by so many. substack.com/home/post/p-...

Many American dishes trace their roots to African agricultural expertise. These influences that have gone unrecognized. Acknowledging these contributions helps tell a fuller, more accurate story. #FoodHistory #FoodCulture #FoodHeritage #BlackHistoryMonth foodculturebites.com/the-overlook...

This time last year I was at Feira de São Joaquim market in Salvador where rice sits alongside spices, fabrics, and ritual objects, an echo of survival and memory, but also inequality rooted in slavery and exploitation. Read my full Substack piece here: lnkd.in/d5g4jqRx

'Some'?? If there were safe and legal routes all deaths at sea would be completely avoidable heavencrawleydotcom.wordpress.com/journeys-ove...

I co-edited a book, the internet downloaded it 422k times and counting. Open access = global readership. Proof that collective Global South scholarship travels far when it’s not bound by Global North profit. Grateful to everyone who’s read, taught, and shared. link.springer.com/book/10.1007...

I spent 35 years of my life, including 2 years at the UK Home Office, trying to understand the causes of forced migration and why people end up where they do. The fact that these simplistic narratives still dominate British politics drives me crazy 🤯 You can read the findings here bit.ly/4aeI0ey

Hello BlueSky 👋🏼 I’m new to this platform and need my feed to be full of smart, thoughtful, kind people who can cut through the tedious Twitter-style nonsense the algorithm has decided to send my way. Hit me up if you are interested in #migration #power #food or any combination of the three!

This ⬇️

Received a message from @hebagowayed.bsky.social which reminded me not to completely let go of 35 years working in the migration space, even as I try to find new ways to critically engage with how we got here If you are interested in my back catalogue you can find it here: www.heavencrawley.com

I’ve stepped away from Twitter in search of my people. After 35 years working on migration, I’m currently writing The Taste of Power — a book about food, power and how five everyday foods have shaped the world we live in. I will be sharing reflections from research, travel, and work in progress.