Aircraft carrier or lobby: more thoughts on U.S.-Israeli relations

Path dependence and elite socialization have forced the U.S. to bear ever-increasing costs for a proxy of questionable value.

Sep 21 • 

Matthew Petti

12

1

August 2025

'Kidnapping Has Begun': Inside the Epstein Files I Obtained

The case of wealthy sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, who died in custody in 2019, has left a lot of unresolved mysteries that demand answers.

Aug 31 • 

Matthew Petti

13

July 2025

At the foothills of Mount Druze

Some notes and illustrations on the geography of a region suffering crisis.

Jul 23 • 

Matthew Petti

8

‘A land so white and savage’

I went to the Canadian Arctic and found the world.

Jul 10 • 

Matthew Petti

7

May 2025

Friends of the Syrian revolution?

The debate over sanctions has revealed who was consistently concerned with Syrian well being — and who saw the revolution as a way to keep the country…

May 18 • 

Matthew Petti

9

Can a military occupation be ‘liberal’?

A newly disclosed U.S. government study reveals the clash between martial law and rule of law in the West Bank.

May 13 • 

Matthew Petti

9

Be careful what you wish for

Tablet Magazine claimed in July 2023 that it really just wanted the U.S. to leave Israel alone. Well, isn't that happening now?

May 11 • 

Matthew Petti

14

You can just do things

I went to the Arctic. Here's some of what I saw.

May 2 • 

Matthew Petti

13

April 2025

What should I do if they ask to search my phone at border control?

A guide to dealing with the everyday civil liberties issue you're increasingly likely to encounter.

Apr 8 • 

Matthew Petti

12

December 2024

Does Iran really 'care' about Palestine?

Support for the Axis of Resistance was not about selfishness or selflessness, but about a convergence of interests around opposing the U.S.-led order.

Dec 16, 2024 • 

Matthew Petti

21

The Axis of Submission

For all the triumphalism about defeating its enemies in the Middle East, the United States doesn't have a positive order to replace them with.

Dec 9, 2024 • 

Matthew Petti

15

Blowback

Bashar al-Assad's history of double-dealing has finally come around.

Dec 9, 2024 • 

Matthew Petti

31