Deep Dive What If the U.S. Dollar Lost Its Place at the Center of the Global Financial System? 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 • 11 min read
Lake Ontario Daily Brief ONEST Brief | August 27, 2026 NEPAL & TIBET: MORE THAN 1,400 MISSING AFTER CATASTROPHIC FLOODS More than 360 people are dead and over 1,400 remain missing after catastrophic flooding tore through communities along the Nepal-Tibet border. Hundreds of foreigners are among those unaccounted for. Damaged roads and bridges are complicating rescue operations, By Olga Nesterova • 5 min read
Explained South Korea Is Testing a New Arctic Trade Route. The Bigger Story Is Who Controls It. A South Korean container ship left Busan this weekend carrying auto parts, chemicals and hundreds of containers bound for Europe. Ordinarily, that sentence would not be particularly remarkable. The route is. Instead of sailing south toward the traditional Asia-Europe corridor and passing through the Suez Canal, the PanStar Acro By Olga Nesterova • 10 min read
Image shared by the Office of the President of Ukraine Explained Ukraine at 35: Independence Day Brings New Defense Deals, Missiles and a Show of Allied Support This year, Ukraine marked its 35th Independence Day not with the traditional military parade that once moved through central Kyiv, but with something much more representative of the country fighting to preserve that independence. At dawn, Ukrainian-made ground robotic systems moved along Khreshchatyk. Naval drones crossed the Dnipro. Interceptor By Olga Nesterova • 6 min read
Explained What Happens If China Pushes Back Against Trump’s Iran Sanctions? The Trump administration has declared what it calls an “Economic D-Day” against Iran. But the most important targets may not actually be in Iran. On Monday, the U.S. Treasury launched Operation Economic Outcast, a broader campaign intended to sever Iran’s remaining international financial and commercial lifelines. Treasury By Olga Nesterova • 8 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
Explained America Is Redefining What It Means to Be an Ally Washington is testing NATO countries for political alignment, putting an outspoken critic of Western Europe atop State Department intelligence, and taxing foreign drones just weeks after promising to buy Ukraine’s. Europe is beginning to respond — but mostly by preparing for a future in which American support can no longer By Olga Nesterova • 8 min read
