Humanotions

At a press conference held in July 2024, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly addressed the slogan "Gays for Gaza." Referring to pro-Palestinian demonstrators, he remarked, "Some of these protesters hold up signs proclaiming 'Gays for Gaza.' They might as well hold up signs saying 'Chickens for KFC'" (Walker, 2024). His statement is believed to refer to the case of Mahmoud Ishtiwi, a former Hamas member who was tortured and executed for alleged homosexual acts (Walker, 2024).

A missed phone call from Tehran can unravel an entire workday. Friends who once laughed together now avoid conversations about Iran altogether. Family gatherings become emotionally charged as fear, hope, grief, and politics collide around the same table. Political events thousands of miles away are experienced not as distant news, but as disruptions to ordinary family life. Geopolitics doesn’t just change opinions. It changes relationships.

Georgia’s relationship with China appears to be deepening rapidly. Over the last four years, the two countries have signed a strategic partnership, expanded infrastructure cooperation, and portrayed one another as close political partners. Yet the relationship is notably asymmetric.

On June 7th, Armenians voted to reinstate Pashinyan and his party, Civil Contract, to lead their government. These elections have been touted as the most pivotal since Armenia’s independence in 1991, and in this case, the hype is warranted. Pashinyan and his opposition represented two distinct paths. Pashinyan’s trajectory pushes Armenia towards Western alliances, diversifying relations, peace with Azerbaijan, and normalisation with Türkiye.

The 2026 MET Gala Controversy In the first week of May 2026, the Metropolitan Museum of Art hosted its annual Costume Institute Gala, widely known as the Met Gala. Among the event’s sponsors was Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who reportedly spent an eight-figure sum to co-host the gala alongside his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos.

Our gods, our rulers since time immemorial. Their adventures, values, and codes have transformed into myths; those myths into traditions; and traditions into collective memory. Thus, managing to remain an integral part of our post-modern consciousness.

Europe is often imagined through treaties, institutions, and carefully negotiated compromises. Its story is told through summits in Brussels, speeches in Strasbourg, and declarations drafted in diplomatic language. Yet some of the most revealing moments about European coexistence happen far away from plenary chambers. Sometimes, they happen in a canteen.

In December 2025, Iran’s currency officially hit a record low (Amwaj.media, 2025). Protests in Tehran quickly erupted thereafter and were led by merchants in the capital’s grand bazaar, the backbone of Iran’s economy. What first began as economic protests quickly turned into a nationwide uprising against the government.

Our gods, our rulers since time immemorial. Their adventures, values, and codes have transformed into myths; those myths into traditions; and traditions into collective memory. Thus, managing to remain an integral part of our post-modern consciousness.

Ukraine is a proxy war for Asian powers” (Hornung, 2024). The Sudanese civil war is a proxy war (ADF, 2025). “Iran is becoming a Ukrainian-Russian proxy war” (Boot, 2026). Nearly every conflict today has been called a proxy war. The label is so freely used that it provides little to no information and risks promoting misconceptions. This is, in part, because there is no agreed-upon understanding of what a proxy war is. There is, however, a stigma around the term ‘proxy’.