Our e-magazine, Fair Observer Monthly, enables you to take stock of our ever-changing world one month at a time. We compile 15 of our best original articles from the past month for you. In keeping with our ethos, we bring you insights from diverse voices around the world on a multitude of subjects. Our goal is to give our FO° Community a snapshot of the past month. The perspectives in our monthly will inform and educate you. They will take you away from echo chambers, and you will disagree with some. For the discerning reader, Fair Observer Monthly is a good way to make sense of the world at a time of polarization, sensationalism and fake news. So, download our monthly now.

The September 2025 Fair Observer Monthly traces how governance, legitimacy and the struggle for moral authority shape a fractious world. Venezuelan diplomat Alfredo Toro Hardy examines Xi Jinping’s rise as the paramount autocrat of our era. Yemen expert Fernando Carvajal warns that Sudan’s civil war revives the persecution of Christians that was common under the previous military dictator Omar al-Bashir. Mexican political theorist Maciej Bazela defends a “resilient liberalism” that can adapt to disruption without surrendering core freedoms. Retired British Royal Air Force officer Peter Hoskins dissects Europe’s faltering security order under the pressures of Russian aggression and American retrenchment, while Indian economist Amitabh Khanna critiques India’s governance failures.

Ideas of power and culture collide across continents

Spanish academic Laura Pavon dissects how Spain’s Vuelta a España cycling race and arms embargo expose Europe’s divisions over Israel, while Japanese economist Masaaki Yoshimori explains why sovereign debt markets are undergoing structural repricing with historic consequences. Anke Richter, a German investigative journalist now based in New Zealand, gives voice to Sarito Carroll, a survivor of Indian cult leader Osho’s communes, exposing decades of sexual abuse. Brazilian journalist Luiz Cesar Pimentel probes former president Jair Bolsonaro’s conviction. Indonesian analysts Yeta Purnama and Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat chronicle the bloody repression of Jakarta’s protesters demanding fair wages and accountability. Retired European scholar I.M. Manava asks when Gaza’s devastation must finally be called genocide and British sociologist Ellis Cashmore interprets Australia’s “mushroom murders” as a case study in deviance as well as the cultural spectacle of true crime.

But before you read on, we must ask: Do you value independent journalism, free of billionaire owners filtering the news through their agendas? Do you appreciate Fair Observer’s mission to keep dialogue and debate free and uncensored? Do you want benefits that make our site a better user experience?

If yes, please consider donating below. For a one-time or, ideally, recurring payment, you can keep free, fair and independent Fair Observer chugging along. By becoming a sustaining member, you will be able to bookmark pieces, leave comments, engage in discussions and more. So, sign up today.

Note: We are a section 501(c)(3) nonprofit registered in California, and our EIN is 46-4070943. If you pay taxes in the US, your donation is tax-deductible.

Content of Publication

The G Word: When is Gaza Actually a Genocide? – I.M. Manava

Blood on the Streets: Indonesia Silences Its People’s Pleas – Yeta Purnama, Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat

In Memoriam: Giorgio Armani and the Rise of Designer Culture – Ellis Cashmore

Doctor Strangelove: Or How I Said Goodbye To Mickey Mouse And Now Love Pandas – Franthiesco Ballerini

Forty Years After the Oregon Cult Commune: The Girl from the Osho Ranch – Anke Richter

The Trial of Jair Bolsonaro: The Future of Brazilian Democracy – Luiz Cesar Pimentel

The Great Repricing of Sovereign Debt – Masaaki Yoshimori

Suffer the Palestinians: The Flaws in Israel’s Zero-Sum Primativism – Alan Waring

Anatomy of the Mushroom Murders – Ellis Cashmore

Spain Imposes Arms Embargo on Israel as Pro-Palestine Protesters Disrupt Vuelta – Laura Pavon

NATO and European Defense in the Face of Russian Resurgence and America First – Peter Hoskins

India Offers an Informative Lesson in How Not to Govern – Amitabh Khanna

Resilient Liberalism: Reimagining Freedom in an Age of Disruption – Maciej Bazela

Threats Against Christian Communities Grow as Conflict Deepens – Fernando Carvajal

China and Its Mentor, Singapore – Alfredo Toro Hardy