WORLD ROUNDUPDid Iran Use Chemical Weapons on Protesters? | Why Europe Is Talking About Nukes | Why Russia Uses Poison to Silence Enemies, and more

Did Iran Use Chemical Weapons on Protesters?  (Andrea Stricker and Gregory D. Koblentz, National Interest)
The international community should immediately investigate accusations that the Islamic Republic attacked demonstrators with weapons of mass destruction.

Putin Didn’t Know How Good He Had It  (Thomas Graham and Alan Cullison, The Atlantic)
The Russian leader has gotten the world he wished for—and it’s threatening to crush him.
For decades, Russian President Vladimir Putin railed against the world that the United States built after the Cold War. In his account, an international order run by a single power would hinder Russia and produce needless conflict, especially when that power was as self-serving and duplicitous as America.
Now Donald Trump is dismantling the order that Putin had so long abhorred, and a new multipolar world is emerging in its place. Putin had thought he could rise to the top of such a system, in which raw economic and military might outweigh diplomacy and alliances. But he was mistaken: The norms and institutions of the postwar order actually masked Russia’s vulnerabilities. Putin has gotten the world he wished for—and it’s threatening to crush him.
Moscow had assumed that its immense nuclear arsenal, unparalleled natural resources, and extensive territory in the heart of Eurasia would keep Russia competitive with China and the United States. But these assets have been unable to slow its rapid decline. Russia’s economy is at best one-quarter the size of China’s and America’s, and the gap is growing. Meanwhile, it risks becoming an afterthought in the race for technological supremacy in artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and quantum computing. The country’s economy and technology base are even slowly losing ground to India’s.

Why Russia Uses Poison to Silence Enemies Like Alexei Navalny  (Matthew Campbell, The Times)
Revelations that dart frog toxin was used to kill the dissident will come as no surprise to those who know the Kremlin’s dark history of assassination.

The Dart Frog and the Toxin Linked to Alexei Navalny’s Death  (Shaun Lintern, The Times)
Barely a microgram of poisonous epibatidine from this tiny Ecuadorian species can be deadly for humans.

Kim Jong-un’s Daughter Faces Off with Ruthless Aunt in Succession Battle  (Julian Ryall, The Telegraph)
North Korean dictator’s decision to name teenager as his successor could set off a potentially lethal showdown.

The Age of Defensive Democracy  (Nicholas Bequelin, Foreign Policy)
What is at stake today is not whether democracy can spread but whether it can survive at all.

Beyond Blocs  (Wang Huiyao, Foreign Policy)
Europe and China will not align nor compete, but selectively cooperate.

The Clash of Civilizations Was an Inside Job  (Josef Joffe, The Atlantic)
After 9/11, Samuel P. Huntington’s big idea was everywhere. But he missed the coming war within.

Why Europe Is Talking About Nukes  (Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Atlantic)
Declining confidence in America means deepening discussions of collective European deterrence.

Three Roadblocks on Europe’s Path to Defense Independence  (Jason W. Davidson, National Interest)
Dependence on US military equipment, differing priorities, and distinct identities all impede the formation of a unified European defense policy.