What Caught My Eye (no. 54)
Some interesting articles and podcasts that caught my eye this week
Here’s this week’s edition of articles I thought worth reading and sharing. I’m in New Zealand, trying to focus on what these wonderful islands have to offer, so fewer items than normal.
Joel Schectman, Christopher M. Matthews, and Vera Bergengruen, “He Was Chevron’s Man in Venezuela—and a CIA Informant,” Wall Street Journal, March 15, 2026. The Wall Street Journal reports that former Chevron executive Ali Moshir advised the CIA to pursue a managed transition through Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, rather than to install the democratic opposition led by María Corina Machado. Chevron’s continued presence in Venezuela gave it unusual leverage because it was the only major U.S. company still embedded in the country’s oil sector. It now stands to benefit from the development of Venezuela’s oil reserves.
Kelsey Davenport, “U.S. Negotiators Were Ill-Prepared for Serious Nuclear Negotiations with Iran,” Arms Control Association, March 11, 2026. Davenport, Director of Nonproliferation Policy at the Arms Control Association, argues that the Trump administration never seriously tested whether diplomacy could work because its lead negotiators did not understand the technical components of the negotiation. She takes apart Steve Witkoff’s public claims about the Tehran Research Reactor, arguing that its 20 percent fuel stock was known to the IAEA, stored in fuel assemblies rather than the form needed for easy further enrichment, and did not amount to evidence of covert weapons activity. It was technical ignorance and political impatience that turned a difficult negotiation into a war.
Muhanad Seloom, “The US-Israeli strategy against Iran is working. Here is why,” Al Jazeera, March 16, 2026. Seloom, Assistant Professor of International Politics and Security at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, notes that critics are measuring the war by its immediate costs rather than by its strategic effects. In his view, Iran’s military capabilities, nuclear infrastructure, and proxy networks are all being steadily degraded, serving a clear strategic goal even if the administration’s rhetoric may not sound coherent. While I think Seloom makes an interesting case, I recommend reading Ilan Goldenberg’s response, who argues that these short-term victories are unlikely to translate into long-term strategic benefits.
Vaughn Hillyard, David Rohde, and Ian Sherwood, “Nuclear experts undercut White House claims about Iran reactor at heart of case for war,” MS NOW, March 9, 2026. The Trump administration made the Tehran Research Reactor central to its public justification for strikes, yet experts interviewed for this article argue the reactor cannot do what officials implied, and there is no public evidence it was being used as a facility to build a nuclear weapon. Witkoff and Kushner reportedly participated in the negotiations without nuclear specialists, skipped the technical follow-up talks, and went to war before demonstrating that the reactor posed the urgent threat the White House claimed.
Lawrence Freedman, “The Split-Screen War,” March 15, 2026. Freedman, Professor of War Studies at King’s College London, masterfully dissects the total lack of US strategy in Iran. The war must be watched on two screens at once: on one, the US and Israel dominate Iranian airspace; on the other, Iran is still managing to threaten shipping routes, energy production, and the wider regional economy. His point is that Tehran planned for regime survival and regional disruption, while Washington and Jerusalem seem to have assumed the regime would crack quickly under pressure. The issue is not that Iran is plainly “winning,” but that US-Israeli airpower has not produced the political collapse it was hoping for. As the fighting continues, the economic consequences of the war are increasing the pressure on Washington to find a way out.
Finally, in case you missed it, here are links to some of the things I did and wrote this week.
I was interviewed by Yannis Palaiologos for the Greek newspaper Kathimerini on the war against Iran.
Finally, this week’s World Review focused on the ongoing war in Iran, shifting US-China relations, and the evolving situation in Cuba. The episode will also be streamed on WBEZ on Sunday morning.
Happy reading, watching, and listening!
Did you go to NZ to escape WW3?