The Signal

Aug. 01, 2025 | SGNL

The weaponization of everything

The specter of famine in Gaza—and what complicates getting it straight. … The things you can do with tariffs: What Trump’s Brazil gambit says about trade policy without trade logic. … & Bukele rewrites El Salvador’s constitution to rule longer. Well, then. … The member’s despatch, Week XXXI.

20 minute read

Jul. 30, 2025 | Stefan Eich & Gustav Jönsson

Declarations of independence

What’s driving political attacks against central banks around the world? Stefan Eich on an emerging legitimacy crisis.

11 minute read

Jul. 25, 2025 | SGNL

Promises, promises

Getting the questions straight on Trump’s Epstein gamble. … A reckoning in Gaza for the post–World War II humanitarian-relief system. … & How much of a threat is violence toward Syria’s Druze minority—for the country and the Middle East as a whole? … The member’s despatch, Week XXX.

25 minute read

Jul. 23, 2025 | Allison Braden & Tim Naimi

Last call

Why are so many people in so many countries around the world drinking less? Tim Naimi on the spread of sobering research about alcohol’s adverse health effects, the tightening of economic pressures, and the myth of the moderate European drinker.

8 minute read

Jul. 21, 2025 | Seth Harp & Gustav Jönsson

Just a shot away

Why the spread of major crime within the U.S. Special Forces? Seth Harp on a dark legacy of America’s war on terror.

12 minute read

Jul. 18, 2025 | SGNL

As you were

What are the stakes of Trump’s ultimatum to Putin in Ukraine? … The Epstein case: What happens when a movement to out conspiracies takes over institutions it was meant to expose? … & Are crackdowns in El Salvador and Cambodia part of a global dictators’ playbook? … The member’s despatch, Week XXIX.

24 minute read

Jul. 16, 2025 | Allison Braden & Yi-Ling Liu

Requiem for a slogan

What happened to the Chinese dream? Yi-Ling Liu on declining opportunities, increasing malaise, and a waning of ambition in the People’s Republic.

8 minute read

Jul. 14, 2025 | Sir Paul Collier & Gustav Jönsson

‘Deplorable’

Around the world, some cities and regions are getting wealthier; others are increasingly left behind. Why? Sir Paul Collier on hyper-centralization and the economic origins of the populist blame game.