Global Scans · Totalitarianism · Weekly Summary

A global catastrophic risk is a hypothetical future event that has the potential to damage human well-being on a global scale. Some events could cripple or destroy modern civilization. Any event that could cause human extinction is known as an existential risk.

• Setbacks for Trump ally and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and the world's newfound appreciation for Ukraine's drone-focused defence industry have given Zelenskyy a remarkable reversal of fortune and a much stronger position than Trump could have predicted 14 months ago. HuffPost UK
• Israel will not accept threats from a wannabe dictator in response to Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan warning he could order an invasion of Israel. The Times of Israel
• The real threat facing the United States is far more subtle than the ham-handed hijinks of the world's most inept would-be dictator. Counter Arts
• Freedom from a Trump dictatorship will not come without a struggle, and not without suffering, especially for the most vulnerable: the working poor, people of colour, migrants and refugees, women who need abortions. Los Angeles Times
• Even a casual examination of the state press in Russia or China or Iran will demonstrate that antisemitism is intertwined with totalitarianism. The Washington Post
• South Korea's freedom is under constant threat from communist totalitarian and anti-state forces who are critical of South Korea's deepening ties with the U.S. and Japan. Reuters
• Rather than encourage endless talks, the best way for the United States and Europe to advance peace in the Caucasus will be to shed moral equivalence, sanction Aliyev, and prioritize democracy rather than coddle dictatorship. Middle East Forum
• Putin's mentally unstable dictatorship threatens all of Europe, and stressed the importance of maintaining transatlantic unity and cooperation in the current conditions. ABC News
• International organizations, such as the UN or AI regulatory agencies, which seek to establish a global government to prevent disasters, could become totalitarian structures. FORO PARTICIPATIVO / PARTICIPATIVE FORUM
• Although peace between North and South Korea has held for decades - tyrant Kim Jong-un remains an unpredictable dictator. The US Sun
• As black is the preferred colour of fascists and swarming insects, we can further intimate that totalitarian-leaning regimes will add to their rancid ranks in 2026. New York Post
• Under Mr. al-Shara's stewardship, Syria's interim government will now face a delicate political transition after the overthrow of the dictatorship led by President Bashar al-Assad. The New York Times
• In Nicaragua, the declining health of Daniel Ortega, and the possibility of a successful U.S. effort to end the Maduro regime control of Venezuela, could make the Ortega dictatorship the next target for political change in the Americas. IndraStra Global
• Opposition activists who treat a Trump dictatorship as a fait accompli and repression and rigged elections as inevitable risk creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. Foreign Affairs

Last updated: 22 June 2026