It's 21 years since George W. Bush's infamous “mission accomplished” speech became a symbol of premature victory and Western hubris. From my archive this week, the chain reaction caused by Saddam Hussein's defeat in Iraq, and a warning from history about the “day after” in Gaza.

“It’s such an obvious propaganda tool.” Columbia University professor and fmr Biden antitrust architect Tim Wu Tim Wu says the West needs to stop playing “the sucker” on TikTok, and take Chinese control over its communication platforms more seriously.

“I do question how much the university administration understands the concept of free speech,” says USC journalism professor Afua Hirsch. “The point of free speech is that people have the right to say things that you might find uncomfortable or inconvenient,” she tells me.

On the show this week: Are universities confused by the concept of free speech, is TikTok really a threat to democracy, and what an infamous speech foretells about the “day after” in Gaza.
#TheAmanpourHour airs 11aET Saturdays on CNN

On #WorldPressFreedomDay CNN is highlighting some of the organizations defending press freedom all over the world.

Committee to Protect Journalists Rory Peck Trust International Center for Journalists RSF in English

Support their work here cnn.it/3QvfMmD and learn more at CNN.com/Impact.

Excited to host Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi and CNN's Christiane Amanpour in Geneva today, World Press Freedom Day, for the ceremony of the 2024 Kofi Annan Courage in Cartooning Award #WPFD2024
Freedom Cartoonists
👉 freedomcartoonists.com

Marking a somber World Press Freedom Day this year. Remembering all the valiant journalists struggling and dying to tell the story, especially in Gaza.

Palestinian journalists covering Gaza awarded the 2024 UNESCO 🏛️ #Education #Sciences #Culture 🇺🇳 / Guillermo Cano World #PressFreedom Prize.

unes.co/7x4ftp #WorldPressFreedomDay

“I think imperialism… has a powerful hold on the world. Look at what's happening in Russia and Ukraine, that is imperial nostalgia. Look at what China is doing in Africa.” Sathnam Sanghera tells me the psychological influence of the British Empire upon the world remains powerful.

“I was shocked at the cult of personality. His picture is everywhere,” Sathnam Sanghera tells me as Indians go to the polls. “Homeless people… coming up to me, saw that I was a foreigner and they wanted to gloat about how much India had achieved under Modi.”

“My soul is gone.”

Almost 14,000 children killed in Gaza since October 7, according to health authorities.

Jeremy Diamond reported on the deaths of ten children 2 weeks ago.

They are harrowing images, impossible to forget.

Now, his latest report on that Israeli strike.

“They are out there for the right reasons… they are out there not because they are ‘pro-Hamas.' They are out there because they are outraged by what the Israeli government is doing in Gaza.”

Bernie Sanders discusses the student anti-war protests sweeping colleges in America.…

Proud that Amanpour and Company always seeks clarity amidst the complexity. Take a watch.

youtu.be/6FFAcHMO488?si…

Lawyer Kenneth Stern wrote the working definition of “antisemitism,” which he now believes is being weaponized on college campuses. “I disagree with a lot of what [the protestors] are saying, but I don't want them banned,” he says. Michel Martin

Important and timely lesson in history and protest. Worth watching in full.

“They are reasserting control…this is a regime trying to show that it is resilient despite pressure, despite sanctions, despite really a grave economic situation”. Sanam Vakil صنم وكىل looks at the state of Iran right now with internal repression and external tensions

An up-close look at the type of missiles Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps used in its attack on Israel.

Frederik Pleitgen reports from Tehran

'Our safety is tied up in one another's.'

Rabbi Rabbi Sharon Brous visited protests on both Columbia and UCLA campuses, and reflects on what she saw and 'how to build a just and shared future.'

Watch our full conversation.

When I struggle to find the humanity in all this, I also turn to Rabbi Sharon Brous. She’ll be on the show tomorrow night. instagram.com/p/C6UhcpIJPuJ/…

“They are treating us like second-class citizens.”

In India, with elections underway and Prime Minister Modi seeking a third term, many Muslims fear another five years.

Will Ripley reports.