Foreign Correspondence, Vol 134
Hello, 2026
Hello, and happy new year!
In a bid to put as much distance between myself and my laptop as possible during the festive period, I neglected to send my usual end-of-year correspondence. As fulfilling as 2025 was on a personal level — from starting my new role at Reuters to running my first marathon — it wasn’t a year I was particularly eager to look back on. One only need look back on some of its most profound images to understand why.
So in lieu of a thoughtful recap, here’s a brief list of all the things I’ll be taking with me into the new year and everything I’ll be leaving behind in 2025.
Ins:
Unapologetic use of the em dash: Longtime readers of this correspondence will know just how much I love the em dash, which is why I was so alarmed to see its attempted cancellation last year as a marker of AI writing. It should come as no surprise that large language models that are trained on the work of journalists would deploy their favorite form of punctuation. So rather than avoiding it, as some have opted to do, I’m resolving to use it more.
Running everywhere: One of the habits that got me through marathon training was turning every errand — from doctor’s appointments to grocery store runs — into an actual run. In a city as easy to get around as London, this often proved to be faster than my usual rail and bus routes. Plus, as someone who’s somehow always running a bit behind, I can vouch that it does wonders for your pace.
Paying for journalism: In an age of disinformation and AI-generated content that’s becoming eerily difficult to detect, trusted, fact-based journalism is more valuable than ever. So, too, is ensuring its long-term viability. That’s why I’ve renewed so many of my subscriptions this year, and why I’m hoping you’ll do the same — especially if one of them happens to be Reuters, which offers unlimited access to world-class journalism for as little as $1 a week.
Outs:
Asking “Chat”: As valuable and ubiquitous as AI has become, I really don’t want it to become my go-to for answers — especially when it comes to questions I’d ordinarily put to family or friends.
Second-screening: My concentration has noticeably worsened in recent years, as perhaps best evidenced by my newfound inability to give a film or TV show my undivided attention. If I’m binging Netflix, chances are I’m also scrolling Instagram or playing Wordle — a reality that TV executives are already catching on to, with potentially disastrous results. So I’m resolving to stop, because if not, we’ll get the TV we deserve (and no one needs more chewing gum for the eyes like Emily in Paris).
FOMO: I’m loath to say no to an invitation — for fear of what I might miss or, worse, that future invitations might stop altogether. But the older I get, the more I’ve come to realize that there can be a joy in missing out (JOMO?) too, especially if it means getting some much-needed rest.
What I’ve worked on
These Culture Current Q&As with Michelin-starred chef Kirk Haworth on the future of plant-based dining and the man behind Italy’s smallest library
This essay on how AI tools are easing the load at home for India’s women
These Emotional Currency columns on money rules for the new year and the digital nomad who swapped rent for house-sitting
What I’ve read
This profile of California governor — and the Democrats’ presumed 2028 frontrunner — Gavin Newsom:
Newsom slaps his hand on a marked-up hardback of Bill Clinton’s memoir, brought down from the shelf a minute earlier. “Given the choice,” he tells me, summing up a crucial Clinton insight—one many Democrats still can’t quite seem to grasp—“the American people always support strong and wrong versus weak and right.”
This Q&A on the former Trump skeptics getting behind his war on Venezuela:
It’s definitely confusing. My concern would be that if Americans are accepting of him behaving in this way, it’s likely to encourage him further. And I’m wondering if that is a calculation that you are concerned with.
If that’s the case, I think that’s a good thing. I think the U.S. has been too cautious regarding the use of force, especially since Iraq and Afghanistan, because I think we’ve taken the lesson that this stuff never works, when, in fact, sometimes military force is the best option. I think of the strikes against Iran’s nuclear sites in June, when this rogue regime was about to build nuclear weapons. I do think Joe Biden or Kamala Harris probably wouldn’t have taken that shot. So it might be better if it were different, but I think it is a dangerous world and sometimes the use of American military power makes the world a better place.
This piece on Marjorie Taylor Greene’s break with Trump:
The president’s banishment of Greene can be viewed as the most recent of several cracks in a MAGA coalition that seemed shatterproof after Trump’s re-election in 2024. The president’s brash Inauguration Day prediction of a “golden age” has not borne out for most Americans. With polling increasingly showing a drop in his approval ratings and in the Republican forecast for next year’s midterm elections, a few voices on the right have dared to openly question the president’s judgment, even while fighting among themselves over how best to interpret and execute “America First.” Among them, Greene may be the least likely of Trump’s conscientious objectors.
What I’m thinking about
As Foreign Correspondence enters its sixth (!) year, I’ve decided to reduce its frequency to once a month, which should hopefully allow for more thoughtful reflections from me. See you in February!
Until next time,
Yasmeen