What We Cover in This ePublication

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 Fair Observer Monthly examines how societies worldwide are being reshaped. Europe faces many changes, both economic and political. Japanese economist Masaaki Yoshimori explores the continent’s untapped financial potential, arguing that a complete European financial union could strengthen global competitiveness. Antoine van Agtmael, principal founder, CEO and CIO of Emerging Markets Management LLC, examines if Europe can defend itself while rethinking its reliance on the US within NATO. Meanwhile, former NATO International Staff member Michael Rühle questions the alarmist tone of Germany’s security debate.

Discussions around military competition and international conflict were popular this month. Political scientist and international law scholar Dr. Joanna Rozpedowski examines the militarization of space and how the final frontier has become a new arena for geopolitical rivalry. Taking a look at the US–Iran conflict, research assistant Sajal Shahid looks at the future of AI-enabled drone warfare and former US diplomat Gary Grappo analyzes the confrontation between Washington and Tehran as a battle of wills in the Persian Gulf. Egyptian-American author and counterterrorism expert Cynthia Farahat calls for an end to Qatar’s alleged support for Sudanese Islamists.

Questions of identity, inequality and representation also took center stage. Regional Labor Commissioner at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, Rohit Mani Tiwari argues that the state’s treatment of and reliance on migrant workers contrasts with Kerala’s stated values. Assistant editor Yasmine Haji investigates Morocco’s complicated relationship with its African identity and how social attitudes reinforce racial hierarchies.

Political accountability, social perception and public debate

Political accountability and the forces that shape public debate also take focus this month. Fair Observer’s Chief Strategy Officer Peter Isackson challenges the media’s tendency to devalue complex international issues, arguing that binary narratives obscure causes and context. Assistant editor Francesca Collu examines US President Donald Trump’s finances, raising questions about accountability and the adequacy of laws governing presidential business activities. Resident sociologist Ellis Cashmore takes a different approach to accountability in his analysis of the Lindsay Clancy case, which raises difficult questions about social circumstances surrounding a crime. Meanwhile, Elliot Neaman, a professor of European intellectual history, turns to regime change in Iran and the ideological and social institutions that sustain an authoritarian system.

Brazil’s October 4 general elections has put Brazilian public debate center-stage. Journalist Luiz Cesar Pimentel examines how social media platforms and algorithms are increasingly shaping political competition as established political figures and digital influencers compete for public attention amid institutional disputes. Writer, journalist and filmmaker Franthiesco Ballerini explores the contrast between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s soft-power strengths and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro’s hard-power concerns.

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Content of Publication

The Future of AI-Enabled Drone Warfare After the US–Iran Conflict – Sajal Shahid

Brazilian 2026 Election: Lula’s Soft Power Skills Threatened by a Hard-Power World – Franthiesco Ballerini

To Be African Or Not: Morocco’s Old Struggle – Yasmine Haji

Cassandra Crossing: The Strange Alarmism in Germany’s Security Debate – Michael Rühle

Cut Doha’s Lifeline to Sudan’s Islamist War – Cynthia Farahat

Regime Change: What We Don’t Understand About Both Words – Elliot Neaman

Can Europe Defend Itself? Rethinking the US Role in NATO – Antoine van Agtmael

US vs. Iran: Battle of Wills in the Gulf – Gary Grappo

Brazil’s 2026 Election Is Becoming a Competition for the Algorithm – Luiz Cesar Pimentel

Lindsay Clancy Killed Her Own Children. Is She to Blame? – Ellis Cashmore

In Trump’s Casino, the House Always Wins – Francesca Collu

Which Side Are You On? (And Why That’s the Wrong Question) – Peter Isackson

Empowering the Lost “Guest Workers” of Kerala the Right Way – Rohit Mani Tiwari

Militarizing the Final Frontier — How Space Became the New Battleground – Joanna Rozpedowski

Europe’s Untapped Financial Power: Completing Financial Union for Growth, Innovation, and Competitiveness – Masaaki Yoshimori