Journalism that unpacks the global authoritarian toolkit
Current
Armed Conflict
In this current, we take a deep dive into how digital technology is re-defining armed conflicts
A Trump corridor through the Caucasus
Having forged peace between rivals who fought two wars, the White House seeks dividends in Armenia and Azerbaijan while undermining Russia in its backyard
The exodus of hope
As Israel invades Gaza City, even those who have committed themselves to staying to help their people are being forced out, perhaps never to return
The Big Idea
The Age of Exile
What does displacement look like in the era of digital connection? Our series explores how exile has evolved from historical punishment into a defining condition of our time.
Current
Polarization
Who you are and what you believe have been weaponized in new ways in the power struggles of the 21st century. We track what price individuals and societies pay for these identity battles.
Always on the outside: Exile isn’t about the country you leave
When a lie about Haitians in Ohio spread nationwide, a pioneering Haitian-American journalist was forced to ask if belonging will always be conditional, that exile is not about geography, it’s the distance between who you are and who the nation insists you must be.
The Identitarians are back: How a discredited worldview dominates the global agenda
In 2019, Germany formally classified a nativist movement as extremist. In 2026, the movement’s ideals are standard mainstream politics
An execution stayed: Why the Islamic Republic might cling to power in Iran
Thousands of protesters have been killed but, as the world urges caution, the Trump administration holds back from intervening
THE THINKERS
“The Politics of Dysfunction”
THE THINKERS from Coda Media: bold ideas, urgent questions, and the people behind them.
Recorded at ZEG Storytelling Festival.
Author and researcher Peter Pomerantsev has spent years dissecting how modern authoritarianism works — and why democracies keep losing ground. In this conversation, he explains how strongmen are learning to network across borders, why “getting-shit-done” politics is winning people over, and what treating information like a weapon does to our public life. He also reveals the one group he thinks will shape our future — and why, despite everything, he still finds a sliver of hope.
Current
Rewriting History
In this current, stories on how those in power shape our future by weaponized the past and manipulating our memories
Russia lost Venezuela. Putin won everything else
By unseating Nicolas Maduro, the US has left even allies like the Philippines fearing a future in which great powers do as they like regardless of international law
Erasing August: How Russia Rewrites Georgia’s Story
On the anniversary of Russia’s 2008 invasion of Georgia, an increasingly autocratic Georgian government toes the Kremlin line, blaming its predecessors for “instigating” war
The Big Idea
The Playbook
History doesn’t repeat, but it sure does rhyme. In this special series, we expose the tactics that powerful leaders use to change societies—tactics that follow surprisingly similar patterns wherever they appear
Current
Surveillance and Control
Today’s most innovative police states owe more to Mark Zuckerberg than to Joseph Stalin. From weaponizing copyright to biometric syste~ms, in this current we explore the security-technology complex and what’s at the nexus of the apparatus of surveillance and control.
Georgian nightmare: did a government knowingly poison its people?
In Tbilisi, the authorities are blaming the BBC and the global ‘deep state,’ but refuse to say what chemicals they sprayed on protesters that left their skin burning and their breathing damaged
Comrades in arms: Putin and Modi meet in Delhi
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi was at the airport on Thursday. In a move heavily trailed by the Indian media (thus defeating the purpose somewhat), Modi intended to surprise his good friend, the Russian president Vladimir Putin. Back in September, at a summit in China, Modi had been photographed with Putin as they rode chummily
