MOPS is an independent space for reasoning through markets, politics, and the economic plumbing behind the headlines — not to pretend the answers are obvious, but to ask better questions.

Opening the future by understanding the past.

Thotharis cuts through the noise with expert geopolitical analysis and narrative-driven insights into the strategies shaping our world.

The Ideology Machine is an initiative that explores propaganda, ideological warfare, and authoritarian narratives in the Middle East, with a focus on political anthropology, ethics, and the intellectual traditions that interrogate power and obedience.

My personal Substack

Capital allocation is no longer neutral; it’s strategic. Oil, LNG, minerals, grids, ports, data — hard-power calculations now shape every investment choice. Markets are becoming battlegrounds, and commodity flows are a tool of my personal Substack

Tracing the ruins beneath modern ideology. Essays in Counter-Enlightenment philosophy, the post-Christian condition, the political economy of antisemitism, and the intellectual history of the Arab and Jewish worlds.

Essays on philosophy, ethics, and technology — written by a Ph.D. philosopher, bridging Eastern and Western thought for readers seeking depth, not soundbites.

Write mainly about the history and politics of Iran and occasionally about other things as they come to mind. (https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/history/people/aa51/)

Former US diplomat, exploring themes in American Middle East policy. Author of "Benghazi: A New History", Exit The Colonel, and forthcoming history of the Red Sea. Past contributor to Foreign Affairs, NYT, FT, FA, etc.