The world urgently needs the Strait of Hormuz to reopen. We explain how global economic consequences are mounting around the planet as diplomacy between the U.S. and Iran remains gridlocked. www.crisisgroup.org/visual-expla...

The blockage of the Strait of Hormuz is a contentious element in negotiations to end the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran and an issue of significant interest to countries worldwide. Get to grips with its role in the conflict so far with our new visual explainer. www.crisisgroup.org/visual-expla...

NEW VISUAL EXPLAINER | The State of the Strait: The Role of Hormuz in the Middle East War So Far Over three months of conflict, Iran and the U.S. have used the Strait of Hormuz to demonstrate resolve while inflicting economic pain. www.crisisgroup.org/visual-expla...

Spoke to @Freedland @guardian about why Trump keeps changing his mind on what to do to end the war. www.theguardian.com/politics/aud...

The latest Ebola outbreak underscores a central flaw with the global preparedness model.

Congrats to my @ecfr.eu colleague (and world-renowned Iran expert) Ellie Geranmayeh on this important and timely new publication. The Iran Nuclear Monitor tracks Iranian nuclear activity and screens it against 6 possible scenarios, showing which is most likely. Check it out ⬇️

The fact that this (by @jacobjudah.bsky.social citing well-regarded analysts like @yguichaoua.bsky.social and @simnasr.bsky.social) ran within days of our own piece by Corinne Dufka suggests to me that JNIM is strongly pushing the Syria/HTS parallel as a talking point.

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“I don’t like the framing a lot of people use to say this is just a defeat for the U.S., or a win for Iran. This had really turned into a lose-lose dynamic for both sides” @alivaez.bsky.social speaks to @nytimes.com on the possibility of a deal to end the Iran war. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/24/w...

I talk to @theobserveruk.bsky.social about the UN SG race. “If we get a good energetic secretary general, there’s just a glimmer of hope that they might be able to navigate the storm.” observer.co.uk/news/interna...

NEW REPORT | Shielding the Amazon from Organised Crime The world’s largest rainforest is under assault as criminal groups wreak havoc on the environment and society. Governments, residents and the private sector all have roles to play in protecting the Amazon.

NEW COMMENTARY | The Struggle to Pacify Syria’s Foreign Legions The new government has integrated thousands of foreigners who fought the Assad regime into its state forces. Many Syrians and international partners worry about keeping them under arms. www.crisisgroup.org/cmt/middle-e...

I still love the theory a Year 6 child proposed to me that David Attenborough is actually God and he got fed up with people not noticing the amazing things he'd created, so he made documentaries to show off.

Operation Massive Tantrum.

I briefly worked for Louise at the UN. She's incredibly smart and incisive, but above all we finally have a Head of State who was mates with Leonard Cohen.

I appear - sounding old and resentful of young people - at the start of this new @foreignpolicy.com/UNF podcast on the selection of the next UNSG. open.spotify.com/episode/0DwU...

"China does not have to do much to gain more influence around the UN when the US is pulling back. Beijing gains credibility and influence by default." Me to @passblue.bsky.social. passblue.com/2026/05/04/h...

“La ONU ha perdido mucha credibilidad como institución de paz en un momento en que las guerras van en aumento y el Consejo de Seguridad se encuentra regularmente estancado sobre cómo reaccionar ante conflictos importantes”, dijo @richardgowan1.bsky.social a @elpais.com.

🇺🇳 🆕 As UN member states prepare to select the next Secretary-General, our Executive Director @savitapawnday.bsky.social writes that this moment demands bold, politically courageous leadership to restore the UN’s relevance and mobilize action. Read our new commentary ⬇️ bit.ly/49q0IzY

Washington Struggled to Narrow UN Peace Ops in Volatile South Sudan passblue.com/2026/04/30/w...

I appear - sounding old and resentful of young people - at the start of this new @foreignpolicy.com/UNF podcast on the selection of the next UNSG. open.spotify.com/episode/0DwU...

Some useful public speaking tips from Freud here.

#NewPodcastAlert 📻 As the #UN Secretary-General race kicks off into high gear this week, tune into the first episode of World Toughest Job, a new series from @foreignpolicy.com + United Nations Foundation. Listen: regroupplaybook.org/p/what-kind-... #NewPodcastAlert#UN#UNSG #UN80 #UNReform #UNSecretaryGeneral

Don't always agree with @nuclearban.bsky.social but this is an absolutely key point.

📩 The Month Ahead | The Xi-Trump Summit: Three Things to Watch @comfortero.crisisgroup.org explores the looming meeting in Beijing, and why China’s leader enters talks with a strong hand. mailchi.mp/crisisgroup....

🗒️NEW ANALYST’S NOTEBOOK | Palestinian Authority Claims Success in Local Elections amid Spiralling Crises Amjad Iraqi explains the outcome of municipal elections in the West Bank and in one Gazan city, and why their impact is likely to be limited. www.crisisgroup.org/anb/middle-e...

"External military interventions freeze conflicts instead of resolving them. Both France and Russia prolonged Mali’s agony by providing just enough support to keep dysfunctional governments in power, but never enough to address why people were fighting in the first place."

And above all it's DAMP SQUIB.

Farewell meeting between Amb. Pascale Baeriswyl and UN Secretary-General António Guterres last week. Thank you to SG Guterres for his collaboration, commitment to multilateralism & dedication to values that matter deeply to 🇨🇭. Video recap of Amb. Baeriswyl’s tenure in NYC here: bit.ly/4vUQce0

Great @crisisgroup.org Türkiye/Cyprus Project photo essay about a frozen conflict that people outside the immediate region tend to forget about. Well done @dibanigar.bsky.social and colleagues. www.crisisgroup.org/phe/europe/c...

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/...

I had a good 10-minute chat with @nickbryantoz.bsky.social about the state of the UN Secretary-General race. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

I talk to @foreignpolicy.com about Latin America and the UN. foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/24/u...

Why Guterres’s UN Plan to Get Fertilizer Flowing in Hormuz Is Stalling passblue.com/2026/04/22/w...

📨 Zones de tensions | La nouvelle édition de notre newsletter en français vient de sortir. Au menu : succession à la tête de l’ONU et menaces jihadistes en Afrique de l’Ouest. us2.campaign-archive.com?e=[UNIQID]&u...

Ali Vaez: “At sea, neither Washington nor Tehran is de-escalating so much as testing the limits of coercion. As long as the double blockade stays in place, every interdiction, warning shot or ship seizure becomes a possible trigger for a wider relapse into conflict.” www.wsj.com/world/middle...

Told @WSJ: This cease-fire is inherently unstable. At sea, neither side is deescalating so much as testing the limits of coercion. As long as the double blockade stays in place, every interdiction, warning shot or ship seizure could trigger conflict. www.wsj.com/world/middle...

In Devex alongside @benaldson.bsky.social and @plataformacipo.bsky.social teasing a report we've been working on which should be out shortly on the history of the backroom deals that underlie, and sometimes undermine, Secretary-General selections www.devex.com/news/no-more...

I talk to @afp.com about the state of the UNSG race. www.france24.com/en/live-news...

Earlier this week I joined friends @ecfr.eu to talk about middle powers. The video is here 👇 www.youtube.com/watch?v=N67W...

From my colleague Lahib Higel on the political and economic effects of the Iran war on Iraq. The war will likely reshape US-Iraq relations and may hasten plans for downgrading US military and diplomatic engagement. www.crisisgroup.org/qna/middle-e...

The organization needs to once again show that it is serious about its founding mission of solving conflicts.

New from @crisisgroup.org's @fortid.crisisgroup.org @foreignpolicy.com - the next UNSG will need to ficus on war and peace. foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/20/u...

NEW Q&A | Iraq in the Vice Despite declaring neutrality in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, Baghdad has been unable to keep Iraq out of the fray. @lahibhigel.bsky.social explains how the conflict is harming Iraq.

I tell @apnews.com why this year's UNSG race is different to 2016. "There was no real cost associated with losing [in 2016],” Gowan said. "This time around, potential candidates and the governments who sponsor them are much more cautious." www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/0...

This looks amazing, and the good news is lard is still available.

🗒️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...

Required reading for UNSG candidates - and UN watchers - from @fortid.crisisgroup.org @crisisgroup.org. www.crisisgroup.org/cmt/global/p...