Three thoughts on the first month of The Leopard, a new publication on world affairs from Europe: 1. I'm really enjoying myself 2. Quite happy with those numbers, one month after a cold launch 3. I'd love to welcome guest writers! If you have an original idea, get in touch ✍️

A bright 29-year-old has had his career derailed simply for being in a WhatsApp group where *other people* sent 'offensive' messages 3+ years ago. He could hardly leave - the group was created by his then-boss. And we wonder why capable people don't go into public life.

A short guide to Iran, the world's most enigmatic country, from the Cyrus Cylinder to nuclear weapons.

@IBengtzboe Luckily we're in Belgium so none of it is actually enforced

There's currently no Palestinian faction capable of keeping the peace in Gaza. An Israeli occupation would be provocative. So the best hope is an Arab-led peacekeeping and reconstruction effort until Palestinian institutions can be developed. More here:

If anyone is tempted to venture over there, please drop me a follow at

I wrote about this a few months ago, concluding that the mysterious power of inertia has created a mountain of regulation that nobody actually wants. If someone has a solution other than war or revolution, LMK!

With the world changing at warp speed, everyone should read more science fiction. It's home to interesting ideas beyond conventional politics and economics. This week's essay is an optimistic view of demographic and technological change:

POV: You know how to get money out of Belgium before the new government takes office

This reflects my own observations in Thailand a few weeks ago, which I wrote about here:

Falling trust in media has very little to do with standards. As the culture war drags on, many media are operating on ideological assumptions that much of the population rejects. When this happens, standards are irrelevant. Bullshit in, bullshit out.

Great stuff from @MKarnitschnig on the press being instrumentalised at Davos

"Will President Trump even notice Europe?" Volodymyr Zelensky asks. Europe's armies are less than the sum of their parts. The best solution is to integrate - but centuries of tradition are in the way. A piece I wrote last year that's still relevant:

On the unhappy fate of Palestinian refugees in Arab countries.

South-East Asia is nicer than Europe, and not just because of the weather. This is probably rose-tinted because I was on holiday, but a lot has changed in the past ten years.