| Dear reader,
Turn on the television news in the United States today and you'll find the familiar cycle of talking heads, polling coverage and political gossip – even as the White House takes unprecedented action to end the international postwar order, potentially expel millions of people and shock the global economy through tariffs.
It’s at moments like these that I am particularly thankful to report on US foreign policy for the Guardian, where our global perspective allows us to show our readers how transformative – and transgressive – the past few months have been.
As a former international correspondent with first-hand experience of authoritarian regimes, I believe no journalist can afford to downplay what is happening in the United States right now.
Before coming to Washington, I spent 12 years in Russia, reporting on the war in Ukraine from its outbreak in 2014 to Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion in 2022.
I met decision-makers in Russia and frontline soldiers, interviewed dissidents and insiders, and continued to report for nearly a year even as Russia censored, surveilled and even arrested members of the media.
My experience in Russia has given me a singular perspective on how countries can slip further into authoritarianism: there are warning signs, like when sources go quiet over fear of prosecution or leaders begin to contemplate doing away with term limits. When ordinary people begin to think: it's all just politics and fake news. |
