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Eli Stokols [ [link removed] ]reported [ [link removed] ] for Politico that US President Donald Trump urged NATO allies to shoot down Russian aircraft violating their airspace, reversing earlier suggestions that Ukraine should cede occupied territory.
After meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the UN General Assembly, Trump declared Ukraine could reclaim all its land with European support. For months, he had pushed for peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, implying Ukraine must accept territorial losses.
Stokols described Trump’s shifting rhetoric as a sign of frustration with Putin’s intransigence and a failed diplomatic strategy.
Still, during the public meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump would not outright say he no longer trusted Putin. “I’ll let you know in about a month from now,” he said.
On Sunday, Trump said he “would” back Poland and the Baltic countries if Russia continued to escalate.
Polish officials welcomed his tougher stance, while Trump remained noncommittal about recent Russian drone incursions into Danish airspace, saying he was “not yet sure” about Russian violations of Denmark’s airspace.
His comments reflected growing tension between strategic ambiguity and alliance commitments.
If You Read One More Thing: The End of Hunger Data
At The New Republic, Grace Segers [ [link removed] ]reported [ [link removed] ] that the Trump administration’s USDA abruptly terminated its long-running Household Food Security report, a key tool for tracking hunger in the United States.
Segers explained that the department removed the report’s webpage and dismissed the survey as “redundant” and “politicized.” Experts warned that eliminating the report would hinder efforts to assess food insecurity, especially amid rising economic hardship and cuts to nutrition programs.
The data had informed policy decisions for nearly three decades, guiding food banks, schools, and researchers.
Segers noted that the move reflected a broader trend of political interference in federal data collection, raising concerns about transparency and accountability in social policy. The final edition of the report is expected later this year.
A Beltway Rehash
At The Nation, Chris Lehmann [ [link removed] ]critiqued [ [link removed] ] the launch of the Searchlight Institute, a centrist Democratic think tank founded by Adam Jentleson. Lehmann argued that Searchlight recycled outdated Beltway strategies aimed at steering the party rightward, echoing the legacy of the Democratic Leadership Council.
He described the institute’s mission as a retreat from progressive priorities like climate action and LGBTQ+ rights, framing it as a careerist maneuver rather than a populist revival.
Through historical comparison and policy analysis, Lehmann portrayed Searchlight as emblematic of a broader failure within Democratic leadership to confront MAGA authoritarianism with bold, transformative alternatives.
Deep Dive: What’s Driving Sectarian Violence in Syria?
Human Rights Watch’s (HRW) September 2025 report, “Are You Alawi? Identity-Based Killings During Syria’s Transition [ [link removed] ],” documents a wave of atrocities committed by Syrian government forces and allied armed groups in early March 2025, targeting Alawi-majority communities across Tartous, Latakia, and Hama governorates. The report, produced in collaboration with Syrians for Truth and Justice and Syrian Archive, draws on over 100 interviews, hundreds of verified videos and photographs, and satellite imagery to expose systematic abuses carried out under the guise of security operations.
The report comes as interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa attends the United Nations. Current and former US officials, including David Petraeus, who led US forces during Washington’s invasion of Iraq and arrested al-Sharaa, have warmly greeted the new Syrian leader.
The violence erupted following coordinated insurgent attacks on March 6, which killed at least 200 government personnel. In response, Defense and Interior Ministry units, along with armed volunteers and government-aligned militias, launched what they called “combing” operations to root out regime loyalists and confiscate weapons. However, these operations quickly devolved into identity-based massacres. The question “Are you Alawi?” became a deadly litmus test during house-to-house raids, with the answer often determining whether a person lived or died.
Between March 7 and March 10, government forces swept through more than 30 Alawi-majority towns and villages. The report included estimates that at least 1,400 civilians were killed. Survivors described masked men in military fatigues or civilian clothes storming homes, demanding sectarian identification, looting valuables, and executing residents — including children and the elderly — often while using anti-Alawi slurs. In some cases, entire families were wiped out.
One survivor recounted that forces came to their home and asked her husband if he was Alawi. “They didn’t ask about his work or anything,” she recalled. “They just shot him.”
Another described detainees being forced to crawl and bark like a dog before being executed. Videos verified by researchers showed older detainees being beaten on camera and homes set ablaze after looting.
HRW emphasized that these atrocities were not isolated incidents. “Participation in the abuses by individuals who were not part of the security forces, officially portrayed as spontaneous and voluntary, further undermines the authorities’ narrative.”
HRW said that interviews “with fighters and volunteers reveal that men unaffiliated with the security forces were actively recruited, armed, organized, and deployed alongside formal units by Defense Ministry representatives.”
These volunteers “were embedded in official operations and, in some cases, directed by Ministry of Defense officials,” according to the report.
The report accused the transitional government of failing to investigate or hold senior officials accountable, despite public promises of justice.
The Syrian transitional government acknowledged the violence but framed it as a necessary response to insurgent threats. However, the report challenges this narrative, arguing that the operations were disproportionate and deliberately targeted civilians based on their sectarian identity.
HRW also documented the destruction of property, including homes, schools, and religious sites. Satellite imagery confirmed widespread burning and looting of Alawi neighborhoods. Detainees were subjected to torture and degrading treatment, with some held in makeshift detention centers without legal oversight.
HRW called for international accountability mechanisms to be activated, including referrals to the International Criminal Court and independent investigations into command responsibility. The report urges the transitional government to allow access to international monitors and to reform its security apparatus to prevent further abuses.
“The government’s acknowledgment of atrocities is a step forward,” Hiba Zayadin, senior Syria researcher at Human Rights Watch [ [link removed] ]noted in a press release [ [link removed] ], “but it falls short of ensuring justice for higher-level officials who enabled or failed to stop them.” Without accountability, the report warns, Syria risks further cycles of sectarian violence and impunity.
The report presented a harrowing account of identity-based killings during Syria’s fragile transition. It underscores the urgent need for justice, transparency, and institutional reform. The report stands as both a record of suffering and a call to action for domestic and international actors to confront the legacy of sectarian violence and prevent its recurrence.
Show Us the Receipts
In a new essay at Inkstick, Ghada Abu Muaileq [ [link removed] ]recounted [ [link removed] ] the haunting experience of living under Israeli bombardment in Gaza. She described sleepless nights filled with the buzz of drones, distant gunfire, and the looming threat of airstrikes. Abu Muaileq conveyed how the psychological strain of war permeated even moments of quiet, leaving residents in a state of constant alert. Her narrative illustrated the dissonance between the outside world’s silence and Gaza’s unrelenting trauma. Through vivid personal reflection, she portrayed how war reshapes time, memory, and the body’s response to fear, offering a deeply intimate account of survival amid siege.
Lital Khakin [ [link removed] ]reported [ [link removed] ] on Pakistan’s mass deportation of Afghan refugees, including those who fled Taliban persecution. The government issued a deadline for undocumented migrants to leave, triggering widespread fear and uncertainty. Khakin described how refugees faced harassment, arrests, and forced returns, often without legal recourse. Many had lived in Pakistan for decades and now confronted displacement with few options. Human rights organizations condemned the policy, warning of humanitarian fallout and violations of international law. Khakin’s reporting underscored the precarious status of Afghan refugees and the geopolitical tensions driving their expulsion, amid Pakistan’s shifting domestic priorities and strained regional dynamics.
For The World, Karen Brown [ [link removed] ]examined [ [link removed] ] Norway’s tightly regulated gambling system and its potential relevance for the United States. Brown described how Norway’s government-run model limited advertising, enforced loss caps, and required ID verification to curb addiction. These measures, she reported, helped reduce gambling-related harm while still generating public revenue. Experts interviewed questioned whether such controls could be adopted in the US, where gambling is largely privatized and politically entrenched.
Got a Story? Pitch Inkstick
Inkstick is on the lookout for US-related pitches [ [link removed] ]. We’re especially interested in reported features and personal essays that examine issues like the weapons industry, the increasing militarization on the US-Mexico border and within the country, domestic extremism, and the people in power pushing for more wars abroad.
Critical State is written by Inkstick Media in collaboration with The World.
The World is a weekday public radio show and podcast on global issues, news, and insights from PRX and GBH.
With an online magazine and podcast featuring a diversity of expert voices, Inkstick Media is “foreign policy for the rest of us.”
Critical State is made possible in part by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

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