A Clearer Purpose

On moving to China, returning to writing, and building something more worthwhile than reactive takes

An explanation is definitely in order.

I haven’t written anything for this publication for quite some time, and then, suddenly, new posts.

Since my last post in 2024, as you might know, I moved to China. It was a lengthy and complicated process, followed by a settling-in period that was a lot rougher than any China YouTuber would tell you up front. Trying to learn the language (我的中文不太好), as well as China’s history, culture, institutions, and political understandings can be very difficult to understand unless one is either born here or married into the culture. Even as an open-minded leftie carrying no Red Scare and Yellow Peril baggage with me, it was quite a rocky transition.

On the upside, the experience of moving here and making new friendships, as well as building ties with the African expat and student community, has changed how I think about writing and commentary.

For one, I’m much less interested in whatever story is dominating news headlines and social media timelines for a few days (especially anything to do with the extended nervous breakdown that passes for American, Canadian, and British politics). I’m much more interested in building a body of work capable of lasting. That means explainers and essays about the historic forces and hegemonic structures behind the news.

Which is why I’ve renamed this publication Full Context.

By listening to the news, or ending up in the wrong corners of social media, one can hardly be faulted for coming to the conclusion that things have either Always Been This Way, or Were Always Going To End Up This Way. And when turning to mainstream sources for context, there is so much distorted, left out, or flat-out lied about, that one would probably be better off not paying attention at all. What I hope to do with my ongoing work (إن شاء الله) is to show readers what came before the headlines, who benefits, what institutions are involved, what material interests are at stake, what history is being erased, and what outcomes the standard media narrative hopes to thwart.

I should also be honest that this relaunch isn’t coming after years of steady output. This re-up is coming after intermittent journalistic output, a long silence, and far too high of a Twitter-Post-to-Sound-Writing ratio. I haven’t been consistent with my writing since my permanent exit from mainstream publishing, after speaking plainly and truthfully that Israel is committing genocide, and that the Palestinian resistance has the moral and historical right to resist the eradication of their people. I continue to pray they win. But for the inconsistency and absences, I apologize.

I’ll also be launching the Full Context YouTube channel soon. It will follow the same purpose as this publication, with explainers, interviews, and historical breakdowns. The Substack will continue to be the main spot for essays, written analysis, and quick notes.

Thank you to everyone who stayed subscribed during the quiet period. Now that I’ve settled into life as a humble salaryman in China, and have gotten my schedule under control for the first time in years, I’m able to write regularly again. And to make sure it stays that way, my goals are simple: cut down on reactive takes, build a library of durable analysis; cut down on content for content’s sake, and build more constructive context.

See you soon.