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Foreign Affairs Editor · World · London · House byline · 20 dispatches
Julian reported from Lagos, London, and Hong Kong before taking the foreign desk. He treats history as an active character and refuses to flatten countries into talking points.
This beat: Diplomacy, civil society, East Asia and Africa
House byline — an editorial identity of the magazine, not a separately verified correspondent. The legal publisher is Atlasarchy. How we verify the masthead.
Dispatch
The United States executes an inmate in Texas for the first time following the halted procedure of Christa Pike, marking a critical turning point for state capital punishment protocols as reported by Sky News and Le Figaro.
Julian Okonkwo · 6 min · Filed 8 hours ago
Dispatch
Three years after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks ignited the Middle East, Israeli strikes in Gaza continue to grind on while the death toll climbs. Meanwhile, Israeli and Palestinian children navigate the long-term emotional and physical toll of the ongoing conflict.
Capital Punishment
On Oct. 6, 2026, the administration confronts the approaching Midterms while authorizing an execution by firing squad for Nidal Hasan, reviving the 2009 Fort Hood bloodshed as a political shield.
Diplomacy
The United States abruptly removes all strategic bombers from the British military base at Fairford following the launch of a counterterrorism investigation, as reported by outlets including <a href="https://www.bfmtv.com">BFM</a> and <a href="https://www.elconfidencial.com">El Confidencial</a>.
Dispatch
An automobile struck a large gathering of rugby fans north of Sydney, injuring 10 people in an incident that drew an immediate response from the <a href="https://www.skysports.com">Newcastle Knights CEO</a>, who extended support to the victims affected by mortal danger and sudden violence.
World
The botched execution of <strong>Christa Pike</strong> in Tennessee triggers intense scrutiny across the United States and Europe, exposing deep institutional failures and claims of accountability as foreign observers watch the fallout unfold.
Dispatch
The botched execution of Christa Pike in the United States has drawn intense international scrutiny and journalistic coverage from outlets including the BBC and Le Parisien, exposing deep flaws in penal methods.
Aviation Security
The question of how a compromised pilot cleared flight screenings before attacking his co-pilot on a journey to Israel revealed deep systemic oversights in aviation safety, even as passengers intervened.
Dispatch
Kiev denounces a shift to massive strikes against vital energy infrastructure by Russia as international reporting confirms Moscow shows no real interest in serious peace negotiations during the ongoing conflict.
Dispatch
Spain agreed on new measures to fix its housing crisis and ban evictions after widespread protests erupted over the removal of an 87-year-old woman from her home, according to reports from DW.com and BBC.
Dispatch
Thousands of new conscripts will join the military ranks. This escalation shatters earlier denials regarding aggressive posture toward the West, drawing fierce rhetoric and defiance from regional observers.
Dispatch
An elderly British man and his Greek wife are feared dead following a powerful explosion in Athens, while a separate incident in Portugal leaves a 58-year-old British man dead near a holiday resort, according to reports from <a href="https://www.itv.com">ITVX</a> and <a href="https://metro.co.uk">Metro</a>.
Diplomacy & Civil Society
When reporters from <strong>CNN</strong> were excluded from traveling alongside the campaign, the move exposed a direct collision between official access and political hostility. Reporting from <a href="https://www.france24.com">France 24</a> and <a href="https://www.fr.de">Frankfurter Rundschau</a> details how the exclusion underscores a broader push against independent media institutions and traditional journalistic norms.
Dispatch
French President Emmanuel <strong>Macron</strong> rejects claims that American intelligence warned Paris of a Russian drone plot, even as deadly daytime strikes kill five in Kyiv, exposing the dangerous friction between Western intelligence sharing and the brutal reality of Eastern Europe.
Dispatch
Susan Sarandon and Hannah Einbinder were arrested at a protest in New York, capturing global media attention from outlets like The Guardian and Yahoo Actualités while testing the boundaries of public demonstrations.
Dispatch
The United States and Iran held their first direct talks since June, following direct threats of annihilation from <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com">Trump</a>. The dialogue unfolds against a backdrop of escalating rhetoric and mutual warnings of crushing attacks across the region.
Dispatch
<p class="drop-cap">The fault lines in conservative media widened significantly as <a href="https://www.leparisien.fr">Le Parisien</a> and <a href="https://faz.net">FAZ</a> documented a distinct fracture involving <strong>Trump</strong>, CNN, and a network once viewed as unshakeable in its loyalty.</p>
Diplomacy and Conflict
Ukraine launched over 1,000 drones at Russia in the largest ever attack on Moscow, marking a sharp escalation in the ongoing conflict. Officials confirmed the scale of the strike as the capital faced unprecedented aerial disruption, shifting the strategic reality of the war.
Dispatch
Putin is preparing to escalate the war against Ukraine while fearing any expression of dissent according to recent reports from international desks like The Telegraph and Frankfurter Rundschau as political debates continue to unfold.
Dispatch
On Sept. 18, 2026, the administration announced new restrictions on press credentials, barring specific networks from the briefing room following disputes over reporting standards and coverage of federal policy.