Ahead of today’s scheduled Russo-American peace talks in Alaska, Russian President Vladimir Putin has unveiled what he describes as a “historic and spiritual mission” to reclaim the territory for Russia. Speaking to state media before departing Moscow, Putin described Alaska as “an inseparable part of Greater Russia, part of our destiny and spiritual heritage, which was temporarily interrupted by a regrettable 19th-century property transaction.”

Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu holding a call to “discuss regional stability” in the Middle East is rather like a pair of arsonists congratulating each other on their commitment to fire safety.

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nominated Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. In the same breath, he endorsed Trump’s plan to transform the depopulated ruins of southern Gaza — where over 57,000 Palestinians have been documented killed by Israel to date — into a luxury resort. This grotesque flourish topped a day of backroom deals in Washington, where Trump pushed a ceasefire not as a path to peace, but as leverage for a normalization agreement with Syria.

Israel’s latest military strike on Iran, dubbed 'Operation Rising Lion', was more than a show of force—it was a political signal. While missiles targeted IRGC infrastructure and killed its head, the operation’s name also raised immediate questions: was this a nod to Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last Shah, who uses the lion as his personal symbol and brand?

It was another fine speech. UN Secretary-General António Guterres, with his usual mournful gravity, warned the world this week that the situation in Gaza had reached “the cruellest phase yet.” A humanitarian catastrophe. Famine. Children dying. “A moral outrage,” he called it. And then what? A press release. Another grim statement filed under “Too Late, Again.” If the UN were judged not by the eloquence of its leaders but by the lives it failed to save, its headquarters might as well be a mausoleum.

The UN’s Original Sin: Doing Nothing Loudly

The European Union yesterday (Wednesday May 21) announced a formal review of its decades-old Association Agreement with Israel, citing the "catastrophic" humanitarian situation in Gaza. This decision comes amid mounting international criticism of Israel's military actions, which have resulted in over 53,000 Palestinian deaths since October 2023, with over 100 civilians killed in Israeli bombardment of Gaza on Wednesday and at least 38 civilians by noon today.

US President Donald Trump today concludes a historic whirlwind Middle East tour, but the message he leaves behind is louder than any press conference: Saudi Arabia is in ascendance, and Israel — under Benjamin Netanyahu — is being shown the door.