Impossible to disagree with a single word that Ben Rhodes (Obama era NSC official) is saying here:

Between a Rock and a Hard Place Afghans in Iran and the Hidden Human Costs of War

Wars are reported through the language of strategy. News coverage follows missile strikes, air defence systems, and military targets. The US-Israeli attacks on Iran are no exception. But wars are lived very differently by the people caught inside them.

heavencrawley.substack.com/p/between-a-...

When the Pot Turns Tahdig and the Hidden Beauty of Iran

In times when Iran is spoken about mostly in the language of conflict, its food reminds us of something quieter and older: a culture built around beauty, hospitality, and the shared pleasure of a meal.

heavencrawley.substack.com/p/when-the-p...

Its despicable what's happening in Lebanon and how little is being said/done about it (nothing)

Between a Rock and a Hard Place Afghans in Iran and the Hidden Human Costs of War

Wars are reported through the language of strategy. News coverage follows missile strikes, air defence systems, and military targets. The US-Israeli attacks on Iran are no exception. But wars are lived very differently by the people caught inside them.

heavencrawley.substack.com/p/between-a-...

A Danish lesson for Labour on how to stop migrants and start winning Like the home secretary, I visited recently to learn how the centre-left is riding high and reclaiming the asylum debate from the populist right

Denmark has *far* worse outcomes - economic, social and integration - than the UK.

Just a fantasyland for those who want an excuse for their own xenophobia and/or are incapable of doing the hard work of confronting the UK's real problems.

www.thetimes.com/world/europe...

Deciding Where to go: Policies, People and Perceptions Shaping Destination Preferences There is considerable interest among European politicians and policymakers in the factors influencing the destination preferences of refugees and other migrants. Drawing on in-depth qualitative inter....

This paper with @j-hagen-zanker.bsky.social questions the extent to which deterrence policies have their intended or assumed effects. Preferred destinations are rarely identified solely, or even primarily, on the basis of migration policies

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Indeed. My research and that of many others has shown this over and over (and over…) again

heavencrawleydotcom.wordpress.com/migrant-deci...

As someone who worked with Labour when they came into power in 1999 and spent much of my time explaining why competing with the right wouldn’t help, I couldn’t agree more. Pandering to anti-immigrant narratives has taken us to some horrible places.Good leadership on migration is desperately needed

What an utterly disgusting misrepresentation from the Daily Mail, reinforcing every stereotype of an anti-Western ‘Middle East’. Israel slaughters 100s of Iranian school girls and the US kills 100s of citizens in Teheran but somehow Iran is the protagonist. Also, when did Dubai become ‘Western’?

I only have 5 chickens but over the last week they’ve decided it’s spring!

‘People here are tired, scared and feel forgotten’: Racism stalks UK towns As hatred is increasingly normalised and assaults rise, ethnic minorities are becoming hypervigilant.

“Take that rag off your head”

Once upon a time racism in the UK was pernicious but often subtle. Not any more

www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/...

This from @jasonhickel.bsky.social sums up my utter despair and frustration at what’s happening right now. Two bullies. Zero accountability

It's horrifying, so I don't say it lightly: US soldiers and Iranian kids are dying for nothing. America wasn't in danger from Iran in 2026. What Trump is doing is protecting his Israeli patrons, his Saudi/UAE golf courses and "Trump Gaza." And he's known this is coming for years.

Iran launches attacks across Middle East after US and Israel strikes on leadership sites Apparent Iranian attacks have been reported in Dubai, Doha, Bahrain, Kuwait, and elsewhere in the region. Earlier, Donald Trump said

Iranians protesting against the regime (and in support of US and Israeli strikes) are respectable "expats" according to the BBC and therefore completely unrelated to the Iranian "migrants", "asylum-seekers" and "refugees" whom they regularly demonise.

Ultimately the objective is to have a puppet leader in Iran so Israel can continue its expansion into the regime without any opposition. None of which makes the Iranian regime one I’d support but I’m sick of US and Israeli colonisation

The £500k “Boat Migrant Payout” Story Isn’t What You Think How unlawful phone seizures, selective reporting and misleading headlines turned a government failure into a culture-war outrage.

Another splendid 'debunk' from @monkemma.bsky.social. It's hard to overestimate just how much work it takes to excavate, accurately and in detail, the layers of half-truth, falsity, misinterpretation etc. of these kinds of stories: monkdebunks.substack.com/p/the-500k-b...

The Warmth of Other Suns In The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson chronicles one of the great untold stories of American history: the decades-lon...

Isabel Wilkerson, THE WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS: THE EPIC STORY OF AMERICA'S GREAT MIGRATION

I spent 8 years of my life leading MIDEQ and even today I don’t think I’ve managed to read everything our brilliant team of researchers has written 🙌🏼

How Delis Became American Legends Behind the Counter Delis make you think of family gathering and community. These meeting points helped immigrants find their footing in second homes filled with familiar smells and language.

Delis make you think of family gathering and community. These meeting points helped immigrants find their footing in second homes. Hand-sliced pastrami and knishes helped shape American culture.
#FoodHistory #FoodCulture #FoodHeritage #Delis #DeliCounters
foodculturebites.com/how-delis-be...

Food, Memory, and the Afterlives of Slavery Sacred substances and the work of Ayrson Heráclito

I'm fascinated by the work of Ayrson Heráclito who places Black bodies in direct contact with rice, corns and dendê, Brazilian staples shaped by Atlantic slavery and African agricultural knowledge. My Substack reflections on why this matters
heavencrawley.substack.com/p/food-memor...

From handsome prince to a ghost behind glass, Andrew’s face tells the story of his decline | Fay Bound-Alberti Royals have always prized their images as ways to assert their lineage and authority. Now this pathetic photo will define the former prince, says historian Fay Bound-Alberti

Like many of my generation, I grew up being fed the lie that the British Royal Family were something to aspire to and be proud of. Coronation mugs and plates were a thing. This piece by my brilliant sister Fay Bound-Alberti unpacks the lie

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Mixing it up in the Philippines The story of halo-halo

A few years ago on a work trip to Manila I came across the incredible migration stories that lie behind halo-halo. Now my conversations about the Philippines more often than not end up returning to the subject of this bizarre and colourful dessert beloved by so many.

substack.com/home/post/p-...

The Overlooked African influence of Many American Foods Many beloved American dishes trace their roots to African agricultural knowledge and culinary traditions, influences that have often gone unrecognized despite traveling across the Atlantic centuries a...

Many American dishes trace their roots to African agricultural expertise. These influences that have gone unrecognized. Acknowledging these contributions helps tell a fuller, more accurate story. #FoodHistory #FoodCulture #FoodHeritage
#BlackHistoryMonth
foodculturebites.com/the-overlook...

This time last year I was at Feira de São Joaquim market in Salvador where rice sits alongside spices, fabrics, and ritual objects, an echo of survival and memory, but also inequality rooted in slavery and exploitation.

Read my full Substack piece here: lnkd.in/d5g4jqRx

🤣🤣🤣

'Some'?? If there were safe and legal routes all deaths at sea would be completely avoidable

heavencrawleydotcom.wordpress.com/journeys-ove...

The Palgrave Handbook of South–South Migration and Inequality This is an open access handbook, which provides a ‘state-of-the-art’ resource on South-South migration, intersectional inequalities and development.

I co-edited a book, the internet downloaded it 422k times and counting.

Open access = global readership.

Proof that collective Global South scholarship travels far when it’s not bound by Global North profit. Grateful to everyone who’s read, taught, and shared.

link.springer.com/book/10.1007...

I spent 35 years of my life, including 2 years at the UK Home Office, trying to understand the causes of forced migration and why people end up where they do. The fact that these simplistic narratives still dominate British politics drives me crazy 🤯

You can read the findings here bit.ly/4aeI0ey