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Holly Dagres
Nonresident senior fellow at Atlantic Council
Professional Background
Holly Dagres is a distinguished nonresident senior fellow at the prestigious Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank known for its influential work in international relations, particularly in the realm of Middle Eastern policies. At the Atlantic Council, she has made significant contributions as the editor of both the IranSource and MENASource blogs, where she provides readers with insight and analysis on issues pertinent to the Middle East, focusing heavily on her area of expertise: Iran. Additionally, she serves as the curator for the popular weekly newsletter, The Iranist, which encapsulates her commitment to fostering dialogue and increasing awareness about developments in Iran and its surrounding regions.
In her role, Holly Dagres capitalizes on her extensive knowledge of the Middle Eastern geopolitical landscape, particularly the dynamics between the United States and Iran. She delves into Iran’s nuclear program, the intricacies of Iranian domestic and foreign policy, and the impact of social movements, such as the Arab uprisings of 2011. Her analytical approach combines both quantitative and qualitative research methods, enabling her to deliver well-rounded perspectives on complex issues.
Holly has gained recognition for her ability to communicate effectively across various platforms. She frequently appears in interviews across radio, television, and print media, collaborating with esteemed organizations including CNN, the Guardian, NBC News, the New York Times, the Telegraph, and the Washington Post. In addition to these, she contributes her insights on BBC News and Monocle, thereby ensuring that her analyses reach a broader audience. Her written work on Iranian affairs and Middle Eastern politics has been featured in reputable publications such as Al Jazeera, BuzzFeed, Foreign Policy, the Huffington Post, TIME, and the Washington Post.
Education and Achievements
Holly Dagres boasts a robust academic background in Political Science. She earned her Master’s degree in Political Science from The American University in Cairo, where she honed her expertise in international relations and developed an in-depth understanding of Middle Eastern politics. Another critical milestone in her educational journey was her Bachelor's degree, a double major in Political Science and French, from the University of California, Los Angeles. This solid educational foundation supports her professional endeavors, allowing her to analyze and interpret complex geopolitical matters effectively.
In addition to her impressive academic qualifications, Holly's achievements in the field of Middle Eastern politics and US-Iran relations are noteworthy. As the editor of IranSource, she plays a pivotal role in shaping discussions about one of the most critical bilateral relationships of the contemporary era. Her expert insights contribute significantly to the public discourse surrounding Iran's nuclear ambitions, cultural identity, and the various challenges faced by the Iranian diaspora.
Achievements
Holly has developed a formidable reputation as a leading voice on Iranian affairs, extensively covering vital topics such as US-Iran relations, Iran’s nuclear program, and the sociopolitical evolution of Iranian society. Her fluency in Persian grants her an edge in her research and reporting, allowing her to access primary sources and engage with Iranian perspectives directly. This competency enhances her publications and analyses, enriching the narratives she presents on platforms globally.
Moreover, her commitment to producing well-researched and accessible content has led to her work being featured in multiple influential publications and platforms. Holly Dagres is not only shaping the conversation around Iran and the Middle East through her writings but also bridging cultural and societal gaps, fostering a deeper understanding of the complex issues at play.
For those interested in a deeper exploration of Holly Dagres’ insights, her publications can be accessed at her website, HollyDagres.com. Whether one is looking to understand the nuances of the Iranian political landscape, the intricacies of US-Iran relations, or the cultural dimensions shaping Iranian society, Holly's work offers invaluable perspectives. Furthermore, Holly Dagres remains engaged with her audience, frequently sharing her expertise and analyses through her Twitter handle @hdagres.
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Highlights
Join us for a timely panel on the ongoing anti-regime protests in Iran, now in their third week 👇🏼 https://t.co/LZqwmZ1TIn
🛜 ON IRAN PROTESTS AND STARLINK
Your phone can connect directly to satellites. No dish. No special equipment.
This tech exists but needs activation and development right now and it could help bypass Iran's internet shutdown.
THE CRISIS Iran has cut off over 90 million people from the internet during the protests. Around 50,000 Starlink dishes are inside the country, but the regime is jamming GPS signals: connection loss hit 80%. And dishes cost $500+ on the black market. This isn't a solution for a whole country.
THE SOLUTION Direct-to-cell (D2C) satellites work differently. They connect to the phone in your pocket using standard cellular signals. No dish. No GPS to jam. This could reach millions of Iranians -not just the thousands. Starlink dishes have gotten to.
THE CATCH D2C currently works through local phone carriers—T-Mobile in the US, Vodafone in Europe, Kyivstar in Ukraine. Iran's carriers are state-controlled. They'll never opt in. Someone needs to flip the switch without them.
WHO HAS THE TECH → SpaceX/Starlink – Operational, awaiting FCC spectrum approval for just US deployment. → AST SpaceMobile – Partnered with Vodafone, AT&T → Apple/Globalstar – Powers iPhone Emergency SOS → Amazon – Building capability, years behind
WHY IT'S NOT HAPPENING ✗ No business model for "humanitarian bypass" ✗ Companies afraid of political blowback ✗ No policy framework exists The barriers are political, not technical.
WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN FCC: Fast-track SpaceX's spectrum deal—this enables D2C without local carriers and helps the technology evolve for later global deployment into countries like Iran. Congress & other governments: Back humanitarian satellite access as critical infrastructure Tech companies: Flip the switch—the tech is ready to be deployed with the right investments.
WHY IT MATTERS When the internet goes dark, atrocities go unseen. Connectivity = documentation = accountability. The technology is ready. The legal path exists. What's missing is political will.
Share this. Tag your representatives. Push for action.
h/t to Mahsa Alimardani at WITNESS who wrote about this here: https://t.co/cDsxZz79qE
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Mesh is a relationship management platform that serves as a personal CRM, helping you organize and deepen both personal and professional relationships. It functions as a beautiful rolodex and CRM available on iPhone, Mac, Windows, and web, built automatically to help manage your network efficiently. Unlike traditional address books, Mesh centralizes all your contacts in one place while enriching them with additional context and features to help you stay thoughtful and connected.
Mesh works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Mesh offers several powerful features including:
- Comprehensive Contact Management: Automatically collects contact data and enriches profiles to keep them up-to-date
- Network Strength: Visualizes the strength of your relationships relative to others in your network
- Timeline: Shows your relationship history with each contact
- Smart Search: Allows you to search using natural language like "People I know at the NYT" or "Designers I've met in London"
- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
- Home Feed: Displays updates about your network including job changes, news mentions, and birthdays
- Groups: Organizes contacts into meaningful categories
- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Mesh is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Mesh is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Mesh as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Mesh offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
Mesh takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Mesh encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Mesh work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Mesh is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Mesh is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Mesh is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Mesh offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Mesh offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Mesh for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Mesh accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Mesh offers extensive integration capabilities. Mesh introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Mesh supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Mesh also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
Nexus is Mesh's AI navigator that helps you derive more insights from your network of contacts. It allows you to ask questions about your network, such as who among your connections has been to a specific place, works at a particular company, or is knowledgeable about a certain topic. Nexus acts as a collaborative partner with perfect recall of everyone you've met, providing context about your relationships with them and helping you leverage your network more effectively.
Mesh makes it much easier to stay in touch with the people you care about. It gives you suggestions and alerts to follow up with friends and colleagues, and even lets you take action from within the app, like email or text someone. Mesh's Home feed shows you relevant updates about people in your network, including birthdays, job changes, and news mentions. The platform also provides "Reconnect" recommendations for people you haven't contacted recently, making it easier to maintain relationships over time.
Mesh is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Mesh stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Mesh excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Mesh is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Mesh offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
Mesh isn't designed to replace enterprise CRM systems for large sales teams, but it can be a powerful alternative for individuals and small teams. Many people use Mesh instead of Salesforce, Hubspot, and Pipedrive. Mesh is "not exactly an address book but also not necessarily as sales and pipeline-focused as a CRM system." The founders refer to their app as a "home for your people," carving out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. For solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams focused on relationship quality rather than sales pipelines, Mesh can absolutely serve as your primary relationship management tool.
Mesh is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Mesh's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Mesh has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Mesh a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Mesh's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Mesh's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Mesh has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Mesh's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Mesh as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Mesh eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.