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"The Ed Sheeran fiasco and Gaza's cultural fallout."

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Russ Roberts (https://trendsingeopolitics.blogspot.com).

September 21, 2026

Hi, everyone, and welcome back to the Daily Review.

Today at WPR, columnist James Bosworth explains why Argentine President Javier Milei may soon regret picking a fight with the U.K. over the Falkland Islands. And Simon Waldman points to the major gap that the Mecca defense pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan can’t paper over.

Scroll down for more on those items. But first, here’s our take on today’s top story:

Ed Sheeran performs at Domino Square in New York, Sept. 13, 2025. (Photo by Andy Kropa for Invision via AP)

Ed Sheeran called Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza “unjustifiable and disproportionate” on Saturday, while also condemning what he called “systemic injustice” in the West Bank and characterizing Hamas’ attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, as “horrific.” He made the remarks to open his first performance since his North American tour was upended by controversy over the removal of rap artist Macklemore for having included calls to “free Palestine” in his set on Sept. 4.

The episode highlights the degree to which protest and speech rights, but also art and artistic expression, have become central battlegrounds amid the global fallout from Israel’s war in Gaza, which is widely recognized as a genocide.

The controversy over Sheeran’s tour began when Macklemore posted a statement to social media explaining that he had been …

 
 
 

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President Javier Milei sent a bill to Argentina’s Congress last week that would impose a prison term of up to 20 years on anyone convicted of being involved in resource extraction around the Falkland Islands without his government’s permission. The bill is one of a series of escalations by Milei in recent weeks over his government’s claims to the disputed islands, which Argentina calls the Malvinas.

With his popularity tanking and his economic agenda flagging, Milei is trying to shore up support by appealing to nationalist sentiments ahead of next year’s presidential election. Yet while Milei’s tactics might rally attention, they won’t change the mind of a voter who can’t find a job or afford their weekly grocery bill, WPR’s James Bosworth writes.

Milei’s Renewed Falklands Claims Are Hollow Bluster

With his economic agenda stalled, the Argentine president is trying to shore up support by appealing to nationalist sentiments.

 

Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan made headlines last month when their leaders gathered in the holy city of Mecca to sign a military alliance pledging to treat an armed attack against any one of them as an attack against all. But, Simon A. Waldman argues, the pact lacks a crucial ingredient: a shared strategic threat.

The Mecca Defense Pact and the Limits of Middle-Power Alliances

The absence of a shared overarching threat between Saudia Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan raises doubts about the pact’s mutual defense promise.

U.S.: Politico, CNN and MS NOW jointly sued the Trump administration Monday to restore their access to the White House following President Donald Trump’s announcement that he was banning the outlets for what he described as persistently negative coverage of his administration. The three outlets argue that the ban violates their First Amendment rights. The administration is also facing a separate legal challenge from the Associated Press over restrictions on its reporters’ access to the Oval Office.

Following Trump’s announcement, the White House declined to allow CNN to serve as the television press pool representative, as previously scheduled. That led the five major television networks—ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC—to suspend pooled coverage of Trump.

As Saskia Brechenmacher and Margot Treadwell wrote for WPR last year, the U.S. benefits from a diverse media sector and robust freedom of speech protections. But the experiences of other backsliding democracies show that “even vibrant and pluralistic media sectors can erode under pressure and become less effective at overseeing those in power.”

 
 

Trump Is Using a Familiar Playbook to Erode U.S. Press Freedoms

The experiences of other backsliding democracies demonstrate the dangers facing U.S. media freedoms during his second term.

Mozambique: French oil and gas giant TotalEnergies is under renewed scrutiny as an inquest into the death of a British subcontractor is scheduled to take place in England this week. Philip Mawer was killed in March 2021 while trying to … Purchase your premium subscription now to make sure you don’t miss important news and analysis.

Germany: Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), long considered Germany’s dominant conservative party, suffered major losses in state elections Sunday. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) finished first in the … Purchase your premium subscription now to make sure you don’t miss important news and analysis.

U.S., Greenland: President Trump announced Friday that the United States, Denmark and Greenland reached a security deal allowing Washington to expand … Purchase your premium subscription now to make sure you don’t miss important news and analysis.

 

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