Ethiopia dominated my talks with policymakers in Washington and Europe. Here’s why the country’s northernmost region, Tigray, has become a powder keg potentially threatening all the Horn of Africa. us2.campaign-archive.com?e=[UNIQID]&u...

Just saying ⤵️ “The blunt reality is that when there are no consequences, we humans are capable of immense depravity toward those we are taught to scorn as subhuman.” www.nytimes.com/2026/05/11/o...

What he says he won’t do: “intervene in foreign country’s internal politics. It was the way of Orbán to intervene into the western Balkans, U.S., Spain, Slovakia. It’s not the task of a Hungarian Prime Minister to intervene into other countries’ internal politics.”👏🏽 www.newyorker.com/news/the-new...

The Trump-Xi summit looms large in Beijing. Against the backdrop of war in the Middle East, tensions over Taiwan and tariffs, I explain why Xi enters talks with a strong hand: mailchi.mp/crisisgroup....

Strait of Hormuz closure leading to disproportionate impact on poorer nations: ➡️fuel shortages spreading ➡️disruption to food supplies + fertiliser; “risk of malnourishment where agricultural yields have already been hit by climate shocks” ➡️weaker remittance flows giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

DC's posture: hard to decipher. It may be an attempt to reshape the conflict rather than end it. Trump appears eager to find off-ramp from what he hoped would be a short-lived military engagement. His repeated declarations of victory have air of wishful thinking. www.crisisgroup.org/bnt/middle-e...

🗒️NEW ANALYST’S NOTEBOOK | Latest Sudan Conference Shows Diplomacy is Backsliding Crisis Group President @comfortero.crisisgroup.org and Horn of Africa Director Alan Boswell reflect on this week’s Sudan conference in Berlin. www.crisisgroup.org/anb/africa/s...

"The hard truth is that diplomacy has simply not met the scale of ​this crisis.” @comfortero.crisisgroup.org tells @reuters.com as Sudan enters its fourth year of war today, with little hopes for resolution. www.reuters.com/world/africa...

For Sudan, lack of common vision for the war’s endgame undermines efforts to secure a humanitarian truce. Even if one is attained, if the US, its Arab partners or anyone else is to have best shot at achieving success, they’ll have to tackle range of thorny endgame questions sooner rather than later.

“In most countries that have been at war, cease-fires are a welcome development…or Israel’s maximalist leaders, cease-fires are too often seen as getting in way of efforts to finish the job. And even when Israel enters cease-fires, it continues to fire unilaterally.” www.nytimes.com/2026/04/13/o...

A very cool read: Streep and Wintour “living their best lives as the Girl Bosses to end them all.” giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... How Streep and Wintour dealt with the Devil — and won

“Defeat for Orbán after 16 years in office would deprive nationalist conservatives across the world of a trailblazer and ideological champion, robbing both the White House and the Kremlin of a highly trusted ally.” giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

After six weeks of war, the U.S. and Iran have announced a ceasefire. An important question remains. What will happen now in the Strait of Hormuz after its closure sparked economic crises in countries near and far? We explain in our new Q&A. www.crisisgroup.org/qna/global/i...

The world must not lose sight of other hotspots even as they focus on war in the Middle East. Myanmar is one of them. @crisisgroup.org looks at why Rakhine state could prove pivotal in shaping the civil war. crisisgroup.org/visual-expla...

What took them so long, you might ask!?!: “more than a year into Mr. Trump’s return to the White House, the Europeans, and much of the world, have concluded that no amount of bowing or scraping will win more than fleeting approval from him.” www.nytimes.com/2026/04/09/o...

"It took Israel only 10 minutes to carry out one of the worst mass-killings in Lebanon since the end of the country’s civil war in 1990." “..what I’m most sad about is that my pretty Lebanon, our beautiful Lebanon, soon it will all be brought down to the ground.” www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

Escalatory pressures abound with Iran hitting energy infrastructure and a desalination plant in Kuwait and a reported Iranian shoot down of a U.S. fighter jet. Regardless of Trump’s intentions, it will only get harder to contain this spiral.

“Most diasporas cultivate nostalgic notions about the “old country”. Trump and Musk are attached to a bygone white UK. Today’s multicultural country dismays them.The ancestral homeland has become a terrible warning, redeemed only by royals and storied golf courses” giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

We @crisisgroup.org , and a range of prominent individuals, are calling for an initiative to protect global food security as the crisis deepens in the Strait of Hormuz. With war raging between Iran, the U.S., and Israel, here's how to ease the transit of food www.crisisgroup.org/stm/global/i...

The beginning of 2026 has offered more or less a textbook example of what a slippery slope looks like when it comes to degradation of international rule of law. Our Spring Edition for the EU Watch List. www.crisisgroup.org/euw/global/w...

Brilliant piece: “America does not know how to exist in a world it does not control. Since its inception, America has assured itself it was simply too big, too far away and too richly endowed to suffer any serious consequences for its actions. But there will be no escaping the cataclysm in Iran.”

🚨We just published the Spring Edition for our Watch List for the European Union. This special @crisisgroup.org report highlights global crises that the #EuropeanUnion has the potential to address in 2026. Here are our latest updates: www.crisisgroup.org/euw/global/w...

📩 🚨 Welcome to The Month Ahead - helping you make sense of a world lurching from crisis to crisis. Nearly four weeks into the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, the global shockwaves are only beginning. I analyse the fallout and what might come next: mailchi.mp/crisisgroup....

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said talks have already begun on the issue, as U.S. President Donald Trump again called for help from Tokyo and others in the key waterway.

In a nutshell @economist.com

“I used to think that Trump’s sole good point was that he did not want to fight wars…turns out he loves them, but cannot bother to think through how he is going to win them. Maybe he will learn something useful from this war. But first of all he must find a way to end it.” www.ft.com/content/86be...

Major test and pressure for Japan’s PM Takaichi Sanae when she meets Mr Trump: “Japan has minesweepers that could help open the strait. But polling suggests 75% of Japanese oppose the conflict. There are also tricky questions about Japan’s pacifist constitution.” economist.com/asia/2026/03...

Well now. @theguardian.com on UK’s man at Iran talks, but words of UK FM to parlia are crucial: “We did think that was an important track and we did want it to continue. That is one of the reasons for the position we took on the initial US strikes that took place” www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Exciting news! Julius Gaudio is joining Susana Malcorra as Co-Chair of our Board. As we enter our 4th decade, Julius’s global outlook will be vital for our new strategic direction. Deep thanks to Frank Giustra for his incredible partnership. www.crisisgroup.org/who-we-are/c...

In case you missed this one⤵️ “Remember the Board of Peace (BoP)?” ~ @edwardluce.bsky.social “With Trump now committing to a massive war without a clear ending, it may be a while before the board has its next board meeting.” ~ @gideonrachman.bsky.social giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

“🇺🇸has not thought this through. It’s not aware of the long tail of events, about how short-term victories, even if they are achievable — & at this point in the conflict, I’m not even sure of that — sometimes come back to haunt you down the road.” @alivaez.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/03/14/o...

Trump to the UK, 6 March: "We don't need them any longer... We don't need people to join wars after we've already won!" Trump six days later: Publicly begs for the UK to send warships.

“Trump cannot leave the world alone, and might fairly be called a globalist. It is not just the armed adventures: Nigeria, Yemen, Venezuela. It is also the almost unprecedented interest in the inner life of other democracies. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

“Netanyahu does not need a clean victory — he just needs a durable narrative. This is also about cementing an Israeli national security doctrine that always trumps diplomacy.” www.nytimes.com/2026/03/13/o... ~ @crisisgroup.org @mairavz.bsky.social

“Takaichi faces a delicate task, not only in building rapport with Trump while speaking “candidly” about the conflict in the Middle East, but also reinforcing U.S. alliance while preserving the normative basis of Japan’s foreign policy.” ~ @mzwheeler.bsky.social www.crisisgroup.org/anb/asia-pac...

Gulf states lose $15bn in energy revenues since start of war ft.trib.al/HIKBysU

In the year when “affordability” is a priority concern for ordinary Americans, $11.3 billion estimated cost for a war of choice in Iran in the first six days alone … and counting. And this doesn’t include costs linked to buildup to the war. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/11/w...

Lindsey’s diplomacy working wonders in UAE.

“A bet that rests on no clear historical model and ignores the resilience of entrenched authoritarian systems.” In the wake of Israel & U.S. attacks, @alivaez.bsky.social explains how their latest strikes risks opening a Pandora’s box in the Gulf. www.foreignaffairs.com/iran/trump-i...

“In word and deed, senior members of Trump’s cabinet have expressed outright contempt for the legal guardrails.” @stevepomper.bsky.social examines how to curb Trump’s unilateral rampage, and why decades of bipartisan practice has led us to this moment. www.crisisgroup.org/opd/united-s...

Mood in most Gulf capitals can be summed up in a word: crisis. List of anxieties starts with how much damage they will sustain from Iran’s retaliation & how much more they may suffer in the future if the war does not end in a settlement that leaves them secure. www.crisisgroup.org/cmt/middle-e...

“Israel is hammering Iran. [But] the question is, how long can we go on like this? What is the endgame?” Our analyst Mairav Zonszein reports from Tel Aviv as the U.S., Israel and Iran enter a perilous new phase of direct confrontation. www.crisisgroup.org/how-we-work/...

After Taliban attacks on Pakistan’s border areas, Pakistani jets hit Taliban targets across eastern and southern Afghanistan overnight. New @crisisgroup.org report urges peaceful ways to settle differences away from the battlefield. www.crisisgroup.org/rpt/asia-pac...

🔥Risk of descending into a new conflict in an already volatile Horn of Africa. While all sides appear wary of igniting a new war, simmering grievances, overblown rhetoric and military preparations indicate core actors are readying themselves for that eventuality. www.crisisgroup.org/brf/africa/e...

Great event, featuring opening remarks from @annikennorway.bsky.social and discussion between @ishaantharoor.bsky.social and @crisisgroup.org President @comfortero.crisisgroup.org of our 2026 10 Conflicts to Watch.

At a time when the AU is needed the most, it is arguably at its weakest since it was inaugurated. It’s time to put less weight on its institutional role & recognise that, right now, the key to conflict prevention most often lies in the hands of other players. www.crisisgroup.org/brf/africa/b...

“Ms. Takaichi’s supporters hope that her victory will help send a message that Tokyo will not back down in the face of Chinese threats.” She’ll surely use her impending March visit to D.C. to seek assurances about U.S. commitments in the region. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/08/w...

As I wrote last spring: "In short, the United States behaving as a predatory hegemon unconstrained by the UN Charter and threatening other states with territorial conquest...may spur more countries to acquire their own atomic insurance policies." www.justsecurity.org/109537/upend...

1/2 The countries signing on to the new institution in Davos include some—such as Egypt and the United Arab Emirates—that have backed different sides in Sudan’s grim civil war. ~ @fortid.crisisgroup.org foreignpolicy.com/2026/01/22/t...