Iranian officials are planning to increase the country’s military support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by sending, for the first time, “surface-to-surface” missiles intended for use against Ukrainian cities and troop positions.

As demonstrations in Iran reach their fourth week, it is clear that this wave of unrest concerns more than just women’s rights. Protesters are not just demanding reform in Iran, but outright regime change from the current theocratic leadership.

At 11:30 am on the morning of Dec. 11, 2011, Mohamed Bouazizi, a fruit vendor in the small Tunisian city of Sidi Bouzid, publicly committed an ultimately fatal act of self-immolation in protest of his family’s perceived mistreatment by corrupt and repressive local police. Street protests followed across Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Libya, and beyond, kicking off the period of pro-democracy optimism known as the “Arab Spring.” Muammar Al-Gaddafi was forced from power and executed in Libya, Egypt’s long-time dictator Hosni Mubarak stepped down, and Algeria ended the 19-year-long state of emergency that had allowed unchecked abuses by security forces.

On Oct. 5, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its partner nations announced a collective production cut to two million barrels of oil per day, spiking energy prices worldwide. OPEC, primarily led by Saudi Arabia and its Gulf State allies, controls an enormous share of the global energy market and utilizes this leverage with little resistance.

As the Biden administration leads efforts to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Israeli officials have once again expressed their concern that the deal will not be enough to halt Iran’s nuclear development.

More than a month after Russia launched a further invasion against Ukraine, the effects of the war are still reverberating across the world.