We’re just a couple of weeks into 2026 and already it feels like an eternity has passed.
From Venezuela to Greenland, a blitz of revanchist US foreign policy moves by Donald Trump has thrown the world into turmoil. Domestically, it’s little better: in Minneapolis, the killing last week of Renee Nicole Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent – who was defended aggressively by Trump – prompted shock and fury across America.
While some argue that recent events simply represent a more honest, open approach towards US policy goals than in the recent past, others believe such brazen expansionism profoundly threatens the world order.
In a terrific essay this week, our senior international correspondent Julian Borger argues that these events signal a shift away from the postwar rules-based order and into a new age of global imperialism where, alongside Vladimir Putin’s Russia and Xi Jinping’s China, powerful nations use overtly brute force to achieve their objectives.
There’s also coverage of the shocking events in Iran, where Trump has also been threatening to get involved. Mass demonstrations against the Ayatollah’s regime appear to have resulted in a brutal crackdown and the deaths of hundreds, possibly thousands, of protesters.
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Five essential reads in this week’s edition
Spotlight | Iran protests: ‘The streets are full of blood’
After several days of protests amid an information blackout and a brutal crackdown, demonstrators recount their experiences on the frontlines to Deepa Parent and William Christou
Technology | Elon Musk’s pervert chatbot
‘Add blood, forced smile’: Amelia Gentleman and Helena Horton investigate how Grok’s AI nudification tool went viral
Feature | Trump’s assault on the Smithsonian
The US president has vowed to kill off ‘woke’ in his second term in office, and the venerable cultural institution a few blocks from the White House is in his sights. Charlotte Higgins reports
Opinion | As the bombs fell, my family planted hope in a garden in Gaza
Amid constant danger, Taqwa Ahmed al-Wawi’s seed-planting was a tiny act of resistance, offering food – and a sense of achievement among the devastation
Culture | Interview with Park Chan-wook
The South Korean film director talks to Steve Rose about cultural dominance, the capitalist endgame and why we can’t beat AI
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What else we’ve been reading
• Could socialising help you live longer? Neuroscientist Ben Rein thinks so, and wants to prove that being around others can improve recovery from all manner of ailments, as well as just being nice to talk to someone. Either way, it’s a reminder to pick up the phone or drop someone a line during the long, dark northern hemisphere winter. Graham Snowdon, editor
• I’ve discovered a new puzzle obsession in the Guardian app. As well as the daily challenge of Wordle, Worldle and Heardle, I’m now testing my movie knowledge with the Film reveal quiz. The premise is simple – name the films of three given actors according to different categories – but the puzzle is often fiendishly difficult. Clare Horton, assistant editor
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Other highlights from the Guardian website
• Audio | How to sleep well in 2026
• Video | Will anyone end the Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz supremacy?
• Gallery | Week in wildlife: rare gorilla twins, racing camels and a psychedelic spider
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