Last week, we released The Signal’s latest newsprint extra, Altered States, on the question of the influence China, Russia, the big powers of the Persian Gulf, and other autocratic governments have over democratic life—in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, and around the world. Visually, Altered States has the feel of a crime story. And in some cases, it literally is one, though in others, it’s just a lot of money—but perfectly legal. In which case, what’s the issue? As Justin Callais puts it, “Autocracies are structurally corrupt; they build systemic corruption into the structure of the state.” So what happens when you do business with something that’s structurally corrupt?

Limited copies available. Order yours now.

—John Jamesen Gould

This week:

  • Why is the U.S. bombing in Yemen? Vali Nasr on the repercussions of Iran’s new weakness in a transformed Middle East.
  • Is there really a “new oligarchy” in America? Quinn Slobodian on why so many Silicon Valley billionaires have gotten so involved in everyday American politics.
  • What’s Beijing’s strategy for dealing with Donald Trump? Scott Kennedy on where China sees the threats and opportunities from the new U.S. administration.
  • What’s the conflict over government surveillance in America really about? Anthony Gregory on privacy rights, national security, and the reality of being a global superpower.

+ Does Europe have a free-speech problem? Can the U.S. court system restrain Donald Trump? & Are we living through an age of “techno-feudalism”? Music from Σtella, Mamalarky, Clipping, Chappell Roan, and The Horrors. & Weather report: 50.2673° N, 19.7333° E.

But first …

  • War is uninterrupted in Ukraine. It restarts in Gaza. & The White House has at the U.S. Education Department in Washington. + Your desktop can now forecast the weather—faster than a conventional supercomputer. Dark energy could be evolving. & There may be a lot more people on Earth than we thought.

Developments

The world in brief, March 15-21

War uninterrupted in Ukraine

By the middle of the week, it looked like U.S. President Donald Trump had brokered a partial ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 18; the following day, he spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. After the latter call, Trump and Zelenskyy said the sides had agreed to a 30-day halt on attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure, prisoner exchanges, and talks about security in the Black Sea. 

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