International Intrigue

The world didn't get simpler this year. Or last year. Or the year before that.

Between shifting alliances, trade disruptions, AI upheaval, and geopolitical plot twists that would get rejected by a Netflix writers' room — staying genuinely informed has become a full-time job. One that, presumably, you already have.

We built International Intrigue because you deserve a better briefing.

Every weekday, we take the biggest stories across geopolitics, business, and technology — and distill them into something sharp, substantive, and readable in under 10 minutes. Written and vetted by former diplomats who know how to read a room, not just a press release.

The format is tight. The analysis is real. And somewhere along the way, you might even enjoy it.

We know you want to stay in the loop. It's time for you to become an Intriguer: https://vist.ly/42by6

Trump has now faced more assassination attempts than any other US president in modern history. Imagine that?

This weekend's events are a window into rising polarization, collapsing trust, and a structural risk at the heart of US power that every ally and rival is now quietly pricing in.

International Intrigue broke down what these gunshots reveal about America — and what they mean for the rest of the world. Read it here: https://vist.ly/426p2

Tech bros get enough attention, but when they start minting mass contracts with the Pentagon, the Department of Agriculture, Poland’s defence ministry, and even French intelligence, all while becoming a swear word hurled during protests… it’s worth a look.

Throw in a new 22-point manifesto outlining Palantir’s worldview, triggering more debate than whether a hot dog is a sandwich, and you’ve got yourself an Intrigue lead.

Read our comments in full in today's International Intrigue: https://vist.ly/4zjti

"Not by the tweets of some idiot."

Internal chaos, or calculated hardball? Either way: zero ships transiting, oil is back at $90, the ceasefire clock is ticking — and both sides are still arguing about whether talks are even happening.

Read the full breakdown in our newsletter: https://vist.ly/4za3r

How's the weekend going?

Here are a few headlines you might have missed this week (we promise they're not depressing).

Make sure to sign up for our free weekday newsletter for more: https://vist.ly/4yx2s

92% of Venezuelans feel gratitude towards the US (according to one poll). Why? That's 104 days after Delta Force's Caracas cameo ended Nicolás Maduro's 13-year rule.

Repsol just returned with full operational control, oil output is back above 1.2M barrels/day, and GDP growth is eyeing 12%. Inflation? Still 600%.

But while everything's changed, nothing's changed: the interim leader is Maduro's former #2. Delcy Rodriguez has freed political prisoners, ousted some generals, and still won't say the word "elections." Without legitimate institutions, no volume of legal tweaks unlocks Venezuela's potential.

We laid out the full picture — and what Rubio's Cuba comments reveal about Washington's own logic — in today's newsletter: https://vist.ly/4yvdc

You may have noticed Pope Leo is having his moment in the sun this week — both literally in the Algeria-Cameroon-and-Angola sense, but also figuratively in the Trump Tirade™ sense.

Since Italian journalists are on strike, we’re in the pulpit to fill you in.

Get the full plot behind the holy squirmish in today's edition of International Intrigue: https://vist.ly/4yqty