Holiday Greetings Responsible Statecraft Readers!
The news has been a virtual firehose since Donald Trump's inauguration in January: conflict, peace, corruption, power politics, all. RS has been right in the middle of the fire. Our reporters have been working doggedly to cover each roiling development, whether it be in Gaza, Iran, Ukraine, Venezuela, Africa, China, and the absolute circus in Washington. I am so proud of what they have accomplished.
No doubt you've seen a reference, at least once, to pro-Israel influencers getting paid "$7,000" for a single post. RS broke that story ([link removed]) . Nick Cleveland Stout, a real lobby/influence gumshoe for the Quincy Institute, wrote it. We've been lucky to get his research and reporting all the year through.
Stavroula Pabst has been all over the military industrial complex, starting with Trump nominating venture capitalists and arms contractors for top slots ([link removed]) in his new administration. Boondoggles like the war in space race ([link removed]) and Golden Dome ([link removed]) abound. Silicon Valley tech bros have been doing their very best to depose the old industry guard, but are they just a new paint job on an old freight train barreling towards war? We will find out in 2026.
Connor Echols returned to reporting for us in 2025 and all to our benefit! His sights are locked on the stories below the surface in the Middle East, and the influencers and politics steering our foreign policy in Washington. Check out his recent "Inside Israel's shadow campaign to win over American media ([link removed]) ," and "Why Israel's defenders want US aid to stop ([link removed]) ."
For my part, I've tried to focus on breaking news and the angles that get lost, like when our soldiers are killed in far flung places for unclear reasons, ([link removed]) powerful pro-Israel moguls try to control the message by buying the medium ([link removed]) , and neoconservative remnants smear and sabotage ([link removed]) the smattering of realists working inside the Trump administration today.
Meanwhile, our managing editor Ben Armbruster's piece on Mike Waltz being fired ([link removed]) over his meetings with Benjamin Netanyahu went viral in May. Jim Lobe stayed on neocon watch and nailed it with this Dick Cheney obituary ([link removed]) in November.
Our Ukraine War coverage continues to be top notch. QI experts George Beebe ([link removed]) , Anatol Lieven ([link removed]) , and Mark Episkopos ([link removed]) are furiously writing about the peace talks, and without the Washington establishment bias that has been plaguing the news on this front for four years.
And we are so grateful for our regular correspondents: Molly O'Neal ([link removed]) , Ian Proud ([link removed]) , Eldar Mamedov ([link removed]) , Jack Hunter ([link removed]) , and Paul Pillar ([link removed]) — they make our coverage colorful, smart, and above all timely. Because of them and so many outside RS contributors, we were able to keep up with that firehose of news, from the Iran bombing and US-China tensions, to the run up to war in Venezuela, and everything in between.
Next year we hope to continue punching above our weight. The American polity is deeply divided but that doesn't mean we cannot address war and conflict in an independent, truth-seeking manner devoid of partisan agendas. Please consider supporting us with a tax-exempt, year-end donation so we can expand our reach into new audiences in 2026 ([link removed]) . We want to compete with the tired legacy War Party media and your support tells us we are on the right track.
All the best for healthy and peaceful holidays, and Happy New Year!
Kelley Vlahos
Editor-in-Chief
ResponsibleStatecraft.org ([link removed])
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