Monday Briefing 09.03.26
By Tima Goretsky and Elina Silver
World News
The US and Israeli War in Iran Drags on and Rhetorical Similarities to the Russo-Ukrainian War Appear
The US-Israeli war in Iran has dragged into its second week and shows no signs of slowing down. Despite the unyielding assault, justifying rhetoric from the American government in particular has been sporadic and mixed, in some cases showing parallels to Russian pretext for the war in Ukraine.
Much like Russia’s steadfast usage of the term ‘special military operation’ for the Ukraine war, a large part of the US government has seldom called the bombing campaign a war, preferring to use terms such as ‘operation’ and ‘defensive action’. The American and Israeli government have also both claimed, contrary to their own intelligence, an ‘imminent threat’ from Iran, and posited their acts of war as preventative, drawing comparisons to Putin’s alleged defense of the Russian homeland from supposed Ukrainian Nazis. This comes with American claims that ‘We did not start the war’, a phrase also used by Russian military officials after the invasion of Ukraine.
What message the US and Israel will choose for their campaign remains to be seen. The rhetoric continues to change, and the casualties continue to mount.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/08/us/politics/trump-russia-ukraine-iran-war.html
One in Three Gen-Z Men Believe That Women Should Always Obey Their Husbands
The International Women’s Day yearly study from Ipsos has stirred up a lot of debate over the weekend. The study, covering 29 countries, revealed troubling beliefs among Gen-Z men regarding gender roles and equality. Nearly a third said that women should always obey their husbands, 24% think women should not be ‘too independent’, and 21% believe “a real woman” should never take initiative in sexual matters. These figures are strikingly higher than among Baby Boomers, with a potential causality being the surge of anti-feminist content targeted at the younger generation.
Half of the respondents feel that efforts toward gender equality have gone far enough already, with many expressing fears of losing jobs or being perceived as weak or “unmanly”. So why is it that Gen-Z men have a stronger preference for ‘traditional’ gender roles? One explanation could be that social media has played a role in shaping these attitudes. Influencers promoting anti-feminist ideals, such as Andrew Tate, have become increasingly popular among young men, while so-called “soft lives” content – encouraging women to stay home, anti-careerist, and preferring men to choose for them – has also trended in recent years.
While we’ve this weekend celebrated International Women’s Day, the data shows that we have a long way to go to achieve gender equality, and a lot of effort needs to be toward changing these (mis)perceptions. We urge you to familiarize yourself with the study and continue to fight for gender equality all days of the year.
Read the study: https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2026-03/IWD%202026%20Global%20Charts%20FINAL_0.pdf
European News
Nuclear Frenzy in Europe? Finland Proposes Hosting Nuclear Weapons
Last week, we reported on an update to the French nuclear deterrence doctrine. Since then, France and Germany has announced closer on nuclear deterrence. Now, Finland has joined the discussion. The Finnish government has proposed allowing nuclear weapons to be stationed on its territory again, lifting a decades-old ban.
President Alexander Stubb has described NATO’s deterrence as resting on three pillars: conventional forces, missiles, and nuclear weapons. According to the government, the proposed change would ensure that Finland’s Cold War-era policy against nuclear weapons does not hinder NATO in a potential crisis. Stubb emphasized that the proposal is not a response to any immediate threat, and would not make Finland a nuclear-armed state.
Finland, which shares a 1,340-kilometer border with Russia, ended its long-standing military neutrality when it joined Nato in 2023 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Both the NATO accession and the propoced policy change show how quickly security policies can shift in states that maintained neutrality for decades.
The Kremlin has warned that Russia could respond if the proposal moves forward. Spokesperson Dmitrij Peskov stated that Moscow would view any deployment of nuclear weapons in Finland as a direct threat.
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