In 2003, when the U.S. Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba was formed its objective was presented bluntly: to “hasten the regime’s downfall.” Their second report revealed in 2006 similarly concluded that the “implementation of the CAFC II recommendations will hasten the day Cubans will be free to elect their leaders.” This also included calls in “planning support for a Cuban Transition Government.” By 2008, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) had committed more than $11 million to the Cuban Civil Society Support Program in an effort to implement the recommendations...

With Cuba seemingly becoming the next focus for the Trump administration, it is worth looking into previous efforts by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in the country. Today, we turn toward the agency’s connection with Cuban hip-hop. In 2008, USAID launched the Cuban Civil Society Support Program, an initiative focused on supporting independent organizations and building communication networks on the island. Implemented by Creative Associates International, the four-year program ran until 2012. While presented as a democracy promotion initiative, internal...

With Maggie Haberman’s new book Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump generating plenty of headlines—including from President Trump himself—I decided to give it a listen on Spotify. One passing comment stuck with me. During a segment, Haberman notes how the Russia investigation impacted Donald Trump Jr.’s marriage. Later in the book, Haberman mentions former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s return to the president’s good graces after her 2025 disclosures surrounding the Russia investigation. These moments gave instant flashbacks to the Russia saga...

When President Donald Trump declared Cuba an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to U.S. national security in a January 2026 Executive Order, the designation was accompanied by a series of sweeping claims. Among them were accusations that Cuba “provides support” to Russia, China, Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah, that it “supports terrorism,” and that the Cuban government supports actors who “seek to destroy the United States.” What began as a discussion over Cuban intelligence capabilities has now expanded into a much broader narrative that presents Havana as a link between America’s foreign...

In a moment when global attention remains fixed on conflicts in the Middle East, political turmoil in Venezuela, Sudan’s ongoing war, and Cuba’s deepening humanitarian crisis, the unfolding situation in Albania has slipped out of view. That relative silence comes despite one of the country’s largest civic mobilizations in years. In May, a section of coastline in Zvërnec—near Vlora—was fenced off and placed under private security, restricting access to part of the Vjosa-Narta protected area as bulldozers arrived on site. One of Europe's most sensitive coastal wetlands and part of the wider...

In 2026, the world’s first trillionaire—following the recent stock debut of SpaceX—Elon Musk has remained one of the most influential figures in American politics. After campaigning for Donald Trump in 2024 and initially playing a leading role in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk has remained a constant presence in the headlines. One of his latest political clashes came with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) over the impact of DOGE's cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Citing a 2025 Lancet study, Khanna argued the reductions were "potentially a death...

Poison once sang that every rose has its thorn. Georgia’s Rose Revolution had plenty. Eduard Shevardnadze returned to Georgia in 1992 after the collapse of the Soviet Union, stepping into a country already torn apart by civil war and ethnic divisions. He was seen early on as a stabilizing figure and had enough international credibility to hold things together. Washington quickly built ties in Tbilisi, and high-level engagement followed, including visits from Secretary of State James Baker. While Georgia leaned more toward the West, its trajectory was anything but certain. Meanwhile, the...