Madelyn Dewey

It’s happening in plain sight—and no one’s even trying to hide it. By John Jamesen Gould July 2026 On March 17, the U.S.-based news startup Semafor published an interview between Mohammed Sergie, the editor of its Semafor Gulf vertical, and Badr Jafar, one of its investors — who happens also to be the special envoy of the United Arab Emirates’ minister of foreign affairs for business and philanthropy.

From state officials taking selfies amid the rubble to soldiers looting, Venezuela’s earthquake response reveals why corrupt authoritarian governments fail so badly when disasters strike. By Maryhen Jiménez, Rebecca Hanson, Benedicte Bull, and Verónica Zubillaga July 2026 Disasters expose governments. Not because they are exceptional events, but because they are revealing ones. When the ground shakes, the state either functions or is seen not to.

Peruvians just narrowly elected Keiko Fujimori their next president. But the country’s political fragmentation combined with the manipulation of illiberal incumbents has left the majority of the country feeling unrepresented.