A Deal or a Pause? Inside the U.S.-Iran Agreement Ahead of the G7 Olga Nesterova June 15, 2026 – 1 min read Share this post Diplomatic Notes Diplomatic Note: Carney in New York, BlackRock in Japan, and the Quiet Race for Capital By Olga Nesterova • 1 min read Diplomatic Notes NPT: Meetings Cancelled, Diplomacy Moves Behind Closed Doors By Olga Nesterova • 1 min read Diplomatic Notes Diplomatic Note: NPT Review Conference By Olga Nesterova • 1 min read Deep Dive How America Went From Paying Down Its Debt to $40 Trillion This article is part of ONEST’s Financial & Geopolitical Literacy Series, made possible by generous donors who support independent ONEST journalism and allow us to keep this reporting public. By Olga Nesterova • 13 min read Portuguese F-16 near a Russian Su-35 fighter and An-12 transport aircraft over the Baltic Sea, May 6, 2026. Source: NATO Allied Air Command. Daily Brief ONEST Brief | August 21, 2026 Russia is testing NATO’s edges, Ukraine is dealing with both a devastating Russian attack and growing political turbulence at home, Washington is preparing a new economic front against Iran, and China is quietly expanding its room to maneuver from Seoul to artificial intelligence. Here’s what matters today. SLOVENIA’ By Olga Nesterova • 11 min read Explained China’s Quiet Role in the Middle East War Türkiye is moving into Syria’s oil and gas sector. Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on August 19 that Ankara is ready to cooperate with Damascus on oil and gas exploration, adding another layer to Türkiye’s rapidly expanding role in post-Assad Syria. At first glance, this is By Olga Nesterova • 11 min read U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Joaquin Dela Torre Daily Brief ONEST Brief: U.S. cuts Korea drills and escalates its fight with the ICC PEOPLE BEHIND THE MOMENT Before the news: something new from ONEST. I’m launching People Behind the Moment — a new series built around a simple idea: behind every institution, business, crisis, headline and ordinary day are people doing work we rarely stop to notice. We spend so much time talking By Olga Nesterova • 9 min read Explained As Washington Pulls Back in Asia, Who Fills the Space? The last U.S. aircraft carrier in the western Pacific is heading to the Middle East. Trump is cutting exercises with South Korea while praising Kim Jong Un. North Korea is still testing missiles. Russia is challenging Japan. And China has little reason to object. By Olga Nesterova • 7 min read Deep Dive What Does a Billionaire Owe the State? From California and Britain to Monaco and China, governments have radically different answers. Tesla shows why taxation is only part of the story. By Olga Nesterova • 13 min read
Diplomatic Notes Diplomatic Note: Carney in New York, BlackRock in Japan, and the Quiet Race for Capital By Olga Nesterova • 1 min read
Diplomatic Notes NPT: Meetings Cancelled, Diplomacy Moves Behind Closed Doors By Olga Nesterova • 1 min read
Deep Dive How America Went From Paying Down Its Debt to $40 Trillion This article is part of ONEST’s Financial & Geopolitical Literacy Series, made possible by generous donors who support independent ONEST journalism and allow us to keep this reporting public. By Olga Nesterova • 13 min read
Portuguese F-16 near a Russian Su-35 fighter and An-12 transport aircraft over the Baltic Sea, May 6, 2026. Source: NATO Allied Air Command. Daily Brief ONEST Brief | August 21, 2026 Russia is testing NATO’s edges, Ukraine is dealing with both a devastating Russian attack and growing political turbulence at home, Washington is preparing a new economic front against Iran, and China is quietly expanding its room to maneuver from Seoul to artificial intelligence. Here’s what matters today. SLOVENIA’ By Olga Nesterova • 11 min read
Explained China’s Quiet Role in the Middle East War Türkiye is moving into Syria’s oil and gas sector. Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on August 19 that Ankara is ready to cooperate with Damascus on oil and gas exploration, adding another layer to Türkiye’s rapidly expanding role in post-Assad Syria. At first glance, this is By Olga Nesterova • 11 min read
U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Joaquin Dela Torre Daily Brief ONEST Brief: U.S. cuts Korea drills and escalates its fight with the ICC PEOPLE BEHIND THE MOMENT Before the news: something new from ONEST. I’m launching People Behind the Moment — a new series built around a simple idea: behind every institution, business, crisis, headline and ordinary day are people doing work we rarely stop to notice. We spend so much time talking By Olga Nesterova • 9 min read
Explained As Washington Pulls Back in Asia, Who Fills the Space? The last U.S. aircraft carrier in the western Pacific is heading to the Middle East. Trump is cutting exercises with South Korea while praising Kim Jong Un. North Korea is still testing missiles. Russia is challenging Japan. And China has little reason to object. By Olga Nesterova • 7 min read
Deep Dive What Does a Billionaire Owe the State? From California and Britain to Monaco and China, governments have radically different answers. Tesla shows why taxation is only part of the story. By Olga Nesterova • 13 min read
