The hottest International Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top International Topics

Sweden Is Letting Gangs Get Away with Murder

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 700 implied HN points • 18 Mar 26
🌐 International Crime Immigration Public Safety Law enforcement Social Policy Europe
  1. Sweden prides itself on strong children's rights, having banned corporal punishment decades ago and incorporated the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into its law.
  2. Despite that record, violent gangs in mainly immigrant neighborhoods are grooming children to commit serious crimes.
  3. Critics argue that child-protection laws plus weak enforcement are leaving gaps the gangs exploit, making it harder to stop youth violence and hold offenders accountable.

How Israel Is Helping Iran’s Opposition

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 380 implied HN points • 19 Mar 26
🌐 International Geopolitics Military Intelligence Foreign Policy Human Rights Middle East Security
  1. Israel is actively targeting Iranian security forces blamed for killing protesters, aiming to weaken those who crushed demonstrations.
  2. Israeli forces may provide air cover if another uprising breaks out, suggesting readiness to intervene more directly during future protests.
  3. This pattern shows Israel moving beyond diplomatic support toward clearer military or covert backing for Iran’s opposition.

Top Links 1039 Oil profit spikes and who benefits. China needs a better welfare state. The origin of the Cumberland sausage and the second life of drop tanks.

Chartbook • 643 implied HN points • 12 Mar 26
🌐 International Geopolitics Economics Energy Trade History Policy
  1. Oil prices and profits have jumped, and the gains are flowing unequally to companies and owners rather than to workers or consumers.
  2. China needs a stronger welfare state to give people better social protection and to help reduce inequality.
  3. Small histories reveal surprising stories — from the origin of the Cumberland sausage to how military drop tanks were reused, everyday objects can have unexpected second lives.

The Home Front of the Iran War

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 820 implied HN points • 16 Mar 26
🌐 International Terrorism Iran Middle East Geopolitics Counterterrorism Antisemitism Homeland security
  1. A vehicle packed with explosives was driven into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan while about 140 children under five were attending preschool, and the building was set on fire.
  2. The suspect, identified as Lebanese-born U.S. citizen Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, was later found dead; a security guard was struck and more than 50 first responders were treated for smoke inhalation.
  3. The piece frames the attack as the war in Iran spilling onto American soil and argues that we can’t defeat terrorism if we’re afraid to identify its source.

Singapore: Where your home loses value & everyone's better off

The Novelleist • 532 implied HN points • 05 Mar 26
🌐 International Urban planning Housing policy Public Finance Taxation Social Welfare
  1. The government owns most land and sells only time-limited leases, so homes lose value as leases run down and eventually revert to the state, making housing a place to live rather than a long-term investment.
  2. Control over leases and planned lease expirations lets the state auction land to developers, capture value through fees, and master-plan redevelopment on a 40–50 year horizon to increase density and modernize the city.
  3. Revenues from land leases and sovereign-wealth investments fund low taxes and broad social services—universal healthcare, subsidized education, CPF pensions, and near-universal affordable housing—helping deliver high living standards and strong economic performance.
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Top Links 1036 India’s trade deficit, CO2 Emissions of Chocolate, and US Bases in Italy.

Chartbook • 515 implied HN points • 09 Mar 26
🌐 International Trade Economics Geopolitics Energy Environment Defense Data
  1. India’s trade deficit is largely shaped by oil imports, with the rest of goods adding to the shortfall.
  2. Chocolate production has a significant CO2 footprint, showing that everyday foods can carry meaningful environmental costs.
  3. The network of US military bases in Italy is a notable strategic and political factor, influencing both regional geopolitics and domestic debates.

Big Joe Jafurah

Doomberg • 7264 implied HN points • 31 Jan 26
🌐 International Energy Geopolitics Commodities Trade Infrastructure Environment Middle East
  1. The Middle East still burns a huge amount of oil for electricity — roughly 1.8 million barrels per day — showing local energy use has been wasteful and oil-heavy.
  2. Many countries in the region have underdeveloped natural gas sectors: even with Iran, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia included, overall gas output trails major producers and flaring has risen to nearly 5 billion cubic feet per day, wasting valuable fuel.
  3. That is changing fast—global LNG and gas infrastructure expansion is pushing the Middle East to develop and export its gas, and the region’s gas landscape will look very different within the next five years with major global impacts.

The Second Phase of the Iran War

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 259 implied HN points • 16 Mar 26
🌐 International War Nuclear Military Security Diplomacy Foreign Policy Middle East
  1. The U.S. and Israel have spent the first phase trying to decapitate Iran’s leadership and weaken its military power.
  2. Their announced next goal is to end Iran’s nuclear program for good.
  3. This represents a strategic shift toward targeting nuclear infrastructure and signals a potentially longer, more intense campaign with big regional and diplomatic consequences.

Matt Pottinger: Trump Could End the War Tomorrow. I Don’t Think He Will.

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 389 implied HN points • 10 Mar 26
🌐 International Foreign Policy National Security Military Affairs Middle East Energy markets Geopolitics
  1. The president said he could declare the Iran war over right now and claimed key objectives, like rolling back Iran’s weapons programs, have been met.
  2. At the same time he kept emphasizing reasons to keep fighting long enough to make results stick, suggesting an impulse to “finish the job” rather than quit early.
  3. A former deputy national security adviser thinks the president probably won’t take the offered off‑ramp and is more likely to let the conflict continue for weeks to ensure durable outcomes.

Chartbook 433 Globalization as a eurasian story.

Chartbook • 1659 implied HN points • 15 Feb 26
🌐 International Global Trade Labor markets Supply Chains Macroeconomics Development
  1. The vast majority of jobs tied to international trade are in Asia and Europe/Central Asia, so globalization today is primarily an Eurasian story.
  2. The share of employment linked to trade has been roughly stagnant since 2012, with drops after 2008 and 2020 and only a partial rebound by 2024, meaning trade helped drive the post‑COVID job recovery in most regions but not the Americas.
  3. Looking only at U.S. deficits and Chinese surpluses is misleading; gross trade flows and integrated supply chains show Europe, East Asia, and Southeast Asia are the real centers whose choices will shape the future of globalization.

Top Links 1025 Late German Government spending. The Phoebus cartel. The pivot to that Asia has failed.

Chartbook • 472 implied HN points • 26 Feb 26
🌐 International Economic Policy Fiscal policy Economic History Geopolitics Government spending Trade policy Corporate Power
  1. The German government has only now begun the large spending surge it promised in spring 2025, despite earlier talk about it.
  2. The Phoebus cartel is a featured subject, highlighting historical corporate collusion that deliberately shortened product lifespans.
  3. The pivot to Asia is judged to have failed, signaling a major reassessment of policy and strategy toward the region.

The Case Against the War

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 500 implied HN points • 02 Mar 26
🌐 International Conflict Security Foreign Policy Geopolitics Military Middle East
  1. Even if a war looks like it could succeed, it’s very easy to imagine it spiraling out of control and causing huge, unintended harm.
  2. Opponents shape the course of a war, so plans can be derailed and you can’t assume events will go as intended.
  3. Firsthand combat experience highlights the deep human cost and lasting reminders of loss that come with military action.

The Scottish island that bought itself

The Novelleist • 890 implied HN points • 12 Feb 26
🌐 International Urbanism Local Governance Housing policy Renewable Energy Tourism
  1. Communities can buy and own the land they live on: on Eigg residents formed a trust to buy the island, sell 99-year leases to locals, and use the income to reinvest in the community.
  2. The trust acts like a tiny government with representatives from residents, the local council, and a wildlife trust, and it runs infrastructure and services. They built a renewable energy grid and manage tourism so money benefits locals instead of absentee landlords.
  3. Scotland scaled this idea with public funds and land-reform laws that give communities first rights to buy land, leading to hundreds of community-owned estates. This creates many small, self-supporting, resident-controlled places that could be a blueprint for better cities.

On the Ground in Nigeria’s Religious Killing Fields

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 533 implied HN points • 27 Feb 26
🌐 International Conflict Human Rights Security Africa Displacement Governance
  1. Coordinated raids in Plateau State are emptying entire villages and destroying Christian communities and their land.
  2. The violence is cyclical and relentlessly lethal, and the government largely looks away while the international community remains silent.
  3. The attacks have sparked a growing humanitarian crisis, with displaced families, malnourished children, and towns overwhelmed by poverty and basic needs.

The Rescuers Who Go Where the U.S. Government Can’t

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 366 implied HN points • 02 Mar 26
🌐 International Security Humanitarian Military Intelligence Nonprofits Middle East Latin America
  1. A private nonprofit made up of former special-operations and intelligence veterans runs daring international rescue and evacuation missions where governments can’t or won’t act.
  2. They’ve pulled off high-profile extractions using covert tactics and mixed transport like cars, boats, and private planes, and are getting many urgent requests from Americans stuck in dangerous places.
  3. Facing high-risk situations, the team is mobilizing to evacuate people from Middle East conflict zones and other hotspots, highlighting growing demand for private rescue options.

Why Cape Town May End Up Safer Than Dubai

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 190 implied HN points • 08 Mar 26
🌐 International Security Migration Governance Economy Geopolitics
  1. Cities in larger countries like Cape Town or parts of Brazil may offer more durable security than tiny tax-haven hubs, because they have broader local institutions and populations to sustain order.
  2. Tax havens such as Dubai attract people with low taxes and amenities but often depend on outside powers for protection, which can make them vulnerable if geopolitics shifts.
  3. When choosing where to move, think about long-term governance and who will provide security, not just tax rates, weather, or short-term comforts.

Missiles Fall Nearby, but Dubai’s Expats Don’t Want to Leave

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 273 implied HN points • 05 Mar 26
🌐 International Middle East Conflict Security Tourism Migration
  1. Missile debris from regional strikes hit a luxury hotel in Dubai, causing damage, a fire, and injuries and showing the conflict can reach the city.
  2. Many expats felt scared at first but still say they feel safe and have no plans to leave even after nearby attacks.
  3. Dubai’s reputation as a safe oasis with malls, beaches, and convenient services keeps people living there despite the regional war.

Trump’s Rules of War

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 255 implied HN points • 04 Mar 26
🌐 International Foreign Policy Military Strategy National Security Middle East U.S. Politics Iran Diplomacy
  1. He set clear rules for using U.S. military power — no ground troops, no nation‑building, and quick “one‑and‑done” strikes.
  2. In the current Iran confrontation he’s breaking those rules, moving away from brief strikes toward a potentially multi‑week campaign.
  3. His approach to war is changeable: in recent days he has broken some rules, kept others, and abandoned a long American taboo, showing his tactics shift with circumstances.

Niall Ferguson: The Arrogance of Trump’s Foreign-Policy Critics

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1609 implied HN points • 25 Jan 26
🌐 International Foreign Policy Diplomacy Geopolitics Global Economy Security
  1. Many critics act as if the president can never be right, rushing to condemn him without considering that he might sometimes make good decisions.
  2. His showing at a major international forum surprised many and suggests he can win over skeptical audiences, challenging conventional wisdom.
  3. Observers would do better to be humble and accept that any administration can get some things right and some things wrong.

The Gringo Dream Burns in Puerto Vallarta

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 380 implied HN points • 25 Feb 26
🌐 International Organized Crime Public Safety Tourism Security Mexico
  1. Puerto Vallarta’s gringo dream was built by Hollywood and tourism growth, drawing retirees and remote workers who saw it as a safe, Americanized beach town.
  2. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel launched blockades and arson after its leader was killed, torching vehicles and buildings, halting flights, and forcing people to shelter in place.
  3. The violence shows Puerto Vallarta is not immune to Mexico’s wider security problems, disproving the idea that it’s a place without Mexican problems.

population decline can be fine

bad cattitude • 163 implied HN points • 27 Feb 26
🌐 International Population Immigration Economics Public Policy Development Urbanization
  1. Population decline can be fine — what matters more is per‑person prosperity and quality of life, not raw headcounts, and many countries with falling populations still see rising per‑capita wealth.
  2. Population growth is an overrated route to economic success; mass immigration or bigger population size does not automatically raise per‑capita GDP and can worsen housing, wages, and fertility incentives.
  3. Policy should prioritize housing, institutions, human capital, and productivity rather than chasing population numbers; with good laws and investment in people, a stable or shrinking population can still thrive.

Developing countries: A follow-up

Noahpinion • 18176 implied HN points • 14 Jul 25
🌐 International Economic Development Global Trade Industrial Policy Political Economy
  1. Many developing countries are still facing challenges after the pandemic, but some are showing hope for industrial growth. Countries like India and Vietnam have potential but need to overcome significant obstacles to grow faster.
  2. Political stability is key for economic growth in developing countries. Places like Bangladesh have suffered from unrest, which hurt their economies significantly, while Ghana has remained stable and seen moderate success.
  3. Some countries have managed to rise to developed status through good policies and investment, like Poland and Malaysia. Their journeys offer valuable lessons for other nations striving for similar progress.

Tina Brown: An Arrested Ambassador, a Fallen Prince, and Britain’s Epstein Reckoning

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 301 implied HN points • 24 Feb 26
🌐 International UK politics Scandal Law Investigations International relations Corruption
  1. High-profile UK arrests — including Peter Mandelson and Prince Andrew — are cutting through the long stalemate around the Epstein scandal and could trigger significant political consequences.
  2. Mandelson’s deep, decades-long ties across British politics and elite social circles mean his arrest could unleash a flood of damaging revelations that touch many powerful people.
  3. The UK crackdown is exposing elite networks in ways the U.S. has not yet, so more British figures may be implicated while prominent Americans remain largely untouched for now.

cats with stats: safety in the east

bad cattitude • 207 implied HN points • 21 Feb 26
🌐 International Crime Immigration Statistics Europe Demographics
  1. Warsaw and Poland look meaningfully safer than comparable Western European cities and countries, with a custom crime composite ranking Warsaw well below Paris, London, and several other capitals.
  2. A city’s overall immigrant share correlates with higher crime on the composite index, and that relationship is statistically significant, though Zurich is a notable outlier with high immigration but low crime.
  3. The percentage of immigrants from non‑European origins explains much more of the variation — the regression against non‑European immigrant share gives a very high R² (~0.87) and a very low p‑value (~0.0003) — but the result comes with methodological caveats and some imputed values.

Write for ChinaTalk!

ChinaTalk • 844 implied HN points • 26 Jan 26
🌐 International China Technology Economy Energy Science Security Diplomacy Infrastructure
  1. They’re seeking deeply reported, analytically sharp pitches that go beyond headlines and are willing to pay and edit work from first-time or non-native-English writers.
  2. Priority topics include China’s escalation and economic-coercion options, energy and data-center build-out (and its ties to AI), China’s global tech and infrastructure influence, scientific and biotech progress, and Taiwan’s democratization.
  3. Reporters with local language skills, on-the-ground access, archival finds, or ideas for novel formats (interactive pieces or economic modeling) are especially encouraged and can earn higher pay.

Rethinking Immigration

Heterodox STEM • 227 implied HN points • 25 Feb 26
🌐 International Immigration Economics Inequality Policy History Assimilation
  1. Large-scale immigration has often brought economic and political benefits to host countries, but those gains depend heavily on context like cultural fit, immigrant skills, and institutional responses.
  2. Mass low-skilled immigration can increase inequality, strain public services, and reduce assimilation pressures, producing social and economic costs that differ from past historical cases.
  3. A practical policy approach is to welcome high-skilled, high-achieving immigrants while greatly restricting low-skilled immigration to protect a high-wage, innovation-focused society.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali: The Intifada Comes to Australia

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 2480 implied HN points • 14 Dec 25
🌐 International Terrorism Antisemitism Extremism Security Religious freedom Human Rights
  1. A deadly terror attack at Bondi Beach killed 16 people during a Hanukkah gathering, turning a place of family and faith into a killing ground.
  2. Among the victims were a devoted rabbi and a Holocaust survivor who protected his wife. The attack deliberately targeted Jewish civilians and echoed history's worst hatred.
  3. The massacre shows Australia is not immune to intifada-style violence and raises urgent questions about security and prevention. It suggests authorities tolerated or failed to confront extremist threats before they turned deadly.

Top Links 991 How TSMC makes money. Japan's demography. Highways to Hitler. Debating Zbig.

Chartbook • 586 implied HN points • 23 Jan 26
🌐 International Geopolitics Economics Technology Demography History Trade
  1. The collection explains how Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) makes money and what that means for global chip supply chains.
  2. It examines Japan's demographic challenges, highlighting population decline and the economic and social consequences.
  3. It revisits contested historical and geopolitical topics, like the role of highways in Nazi Germany and debates around the Cold War figure known as 'Zbig', showing how infrastructure and personalities shape history.

I Wrote a Novel About War. Now I’m Watching It Unfold in Iran.

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 134 implied HN points • 26 Feb 26
🌐 International Middle East Iran Military Geopolitics Security Russia
  1. Scenarios once written as fiction—Russian warships operating near Iran, hypersonic threats to U.S. carriers, and a regime desperate to survive—are now playing out in reality.
  2. Sudden events like the drone strike that killed General Qasem Soleimani can rapidly upend strategic assumptions and force analysts to rewrite their plans.
  3. Collaborating with experienced military thinkers can help fiction anticipate real crises, highlighting how fragile and fast-changing international security has become.

Meet the Ukrainian Refugees Being Forced Out of the U.S.

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 282 implied HN points • 11 Feb 26
🌐 International Refugees Immigration Humanitarian Aid Migration policy
  1. Many Ukrainians who fled the war used programs like Uniting for Ukraine to come to the U.S. and quickly built lives and small businesses while chasing the American Dream.
  2. Their humanitarian parole status is temporary and is set to expire, putting their legal right to stay at risk.
  3. As parole periods end, families are being forced to uproot again — some moving to Canada or abandoning the businesses and stability they worked hard to create.

Trump Can’t Win Greenland Without Losing Europe

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 607 implied HN points • 20 Jan 26
🌐 International Geopolitics Foreign Policy European Politics Trade policy Security Sovereignty
  1. The European right is winning by promising sovereignty and dignity, and aggressive U.S. moves over Greenland would undercut those political messages.
  2. Using tariffs to pressure countries into selling Greenland is a petulant, coercive tactic that risks alienating conservative allies in Europe.
  3. Even if Greenland is strategically important, trying to seize it through extortion will likely damage U.S.–European relations and turn any gain into a costly loss.

The Davos Crowd Is Wrong About Globalization

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 561 implied HN points • 22 Jan 26
🌐 International Globalization Trade Geopolitics Economy Diplomacy Foreign Policy
  1. Elites at Davos claim globalization is retreating, but broader trends suggest it's still accelerating. Outside of elite circles, countries and markets keep integrating and trading more.
  2. Protectionist moves can have unintended effects, pushing other countries to open their markets instead. For example, U.S. tariffs helped nudge Canada to allow Chinese-made electric cars.
  3. Wider access to foreign goods like cheaper electric cars brings clear consumer benefits while security worries are real but likely limited and manageable. Local bans or safeguards can address specific risks without stopping overall trade gains.

Top Links 981 Deutsche Bank is back (kinda). The "in-between" places of crowded Africa. The Abraham accords and the Moroccan-Algerian arms race.

Chartbook • 529 implied HN points • 13 Jan 26
🌐 International Geopolitics Global Finance Banking Middle East Development Security
  1. Deutsche Bank is making a comeback in global finance, but its return is partial and comes with important caveats.
  2. Across Africa, crowded urban and rural areas coexist with overlooked 'in-between' places, creating distinct social and economic pressures.
  3. The Abraham Accords are reshaping regional alliances, and those shifts are tied to a rising military competition between Morocco and Algeria.

Is a Country Rising or Falling? Watch Its Currency.

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 510 implied HN points • 18 Jan 26
🌐 International Economics Geopolitics Currency Exchange rates Monetary Policy Political Risk
  1. A country’s currency value gives a quick signal about whether it’s rising or falling on the world stage.
  2. When a currency collapses or becomes effectively untradeable, as with Iran’s rial, it signals deep uncertainty about the country’s future and discourages foreign trading.
  3. Big moves in major currencies — like a weak yen or a strong dollar — reflect wider economic and political shifts that matter internationally, not just for travelers.

Iran’s Silent Revolution

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1029 implied HN points • 17 Dec 25
🌐 International Human Rights Women's Rights Protests Civil Unrest Middle East Authoritarianism
  1. Many Iranian women are openly defying the compulsory hijab by walking without headscarves and doing everyday things like riding motorcycles, turning ordinary acts into a quiet revolution.
  2. The morality police and other enforcers are appearing less often, and that reduced crackdown has allowed more women to show visible dissent despite past violent repression.
  3. These everyday acts of resistance are culturally powerful, reclaiming rights and honoring a longer history of struggle even though the Islamic Republic remains in place.

The Iran War: Our Complete Coverage

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 37 implied HN points • 06 Mar 26
🌐 International Middle East Geopolitics Military Diplomacy Security Energy Sanctions
  1. The Iran war is a fast-moving, world-shaping crisis that the United States is deeply involved in and that divides political opinion at home and abroad.
  2. The conflict’s outcome is unclear—experts debate regime change, who will lead Iran next, and whether groups like the Kurds will shape the country’s future.
  3. The war has big practical consequences: it threatens energy supplies and trade routes, raises the risk of wider regional or global escalation, and sparks legal and humanitarian debates.

María Corina Machado: The Nobel Prize Speech I Couldn’t Give in Person

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 918 implied HN points • 10 Dec 25
🌐 International Latin America Venezuela Democracy Human Rights Authoritarianism Diplomacy
  1. MarĂ­a Corina Machado was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize but could not attend in person because she had been hiding for months and it was too dangerous to leave Venezuela.
  2. Her daughter accepted the prize for her and announced that Machado had secretly left the country and was expected to arrive in Oslo soon.
  3. The prize and her announced departure happened amid rising international pressure on Nicolás Maduro’s government, including a recent U.S. seizure of a sanctioned oil tanker.

Top Links 968 K-shaped economy. China's East-West data and energy economy & mourning a hoplite.

Chartbook • 543 implied HN points • 31 Dec 25
🌐 International Global Economy Geopolitics China Energy Data History
  1. The economy is becoming K-shaped, with some sectors and people recovering strongly while others fall further behind.
  2. China shows an east–west split where a new data-and-energy economy is concentrating growth in some regions while others lag.
  3. A cultural reflection on 'mourning a hoplite' uses classical imagery to explore themes of loss, memory, and changing identity.

The Bible Is on Trial in Europe

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 983 implied HN points • 03 Dec 25
🌐 International Religious freedom Human Rights Free speech Criminal law Politics
  1. A Finnish member of parliament quoted Romans 1:27 to criticize her church's support for Pride, and she was later investigated and charged under hate-speech / Crimes Against Humanity laws.
  2. The case has reached Finland's Supreme Court and asks a central question: can quoting the Bible be treated as a crime, with big consequences for religious freedom and hate-speech rules in Europe.
  3. The probe began after a citizen complaint and has dragged on for years, even though she once served as interior minister and had previously overseen the police.

Natan Sharansky’s Letter to Jimmy Lai

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 783 implied HN points • 15 Dec 25
🌐 International Human Rights Political prisoners Authoritarianism Hong Kong China relations Soviet history
  1. Keep your inner freedom no matter how long or harsh the imprisonment feels. That inner liberty can't be taken away by false charges or solitary confinement.
  2. Standing up for democracy and truth is a brave and honorable act, even when the cost is imprisonment. Such resistance inspires others and preserves human dignity.
  3. Those who use fear and repression to control others end up living as slaves themselves, bound by lies and coercion. In the long run, the moral victory belongs to those who resist.