By Lisa Haven
Something’s up. And the two stories I’m going to share with you today should have everybody asking some rather serious questions. France is reportedly preparing for a nationwide blackout exercise in 2027. And this isn’t just your run-of-the-routine power company drill that we’re talking about here.
According to reporting from Politico Europe, the French government is planning a tabletop simulation involving electricity grid operators, multiple government departments and ministries, and even the French military administration. The purpose is to determine how France—and the French government itself—would continue functioning during a catastrophic loss of electricity. That alone should get your attention. The proposed exercise reportedly centers around a sudden nationwide power outage similar to what Spain and Portugal experienced, or potentially a major cyberattack targeting the electrical grid.
In other words, this isn’t simply about figuring out how quickly the lights can be turned back on. They want to determine how to ensure the continuity of the state and the protection of the population if something paralyzes the country. Preparations discussed in connection with crisis readiness reportedly include emergency blankets, generators, medicines, telecommunications equipment, supplies for law enforcement, and even rare and critical raw materials. And here’s the thing that continues to bother me.
Why Are They Preparing This Far Ahead?
Governments don’t spend years organizing massive nationwide crisis simulations for absolutely no reason. We’re talking about an exercise that isn’t expected until the second half of 2027. Why? Governments prepare for scenarios they believe are at least plausible enough to justify the time, manpower, coordination and resources required to plan for them. That’s what makes my red flags go up.
France isn’t merely asking what happens when a neighborhood loses electricity during a storm. They’re bringing together the military, ministries, government officials and national grid operators to determine how the country functions during a potentially catastrophic nationwide outage. And according to the reporting, one of the scenarios they’re concerned about is a cyberattack against the power grid. That’s important because right now tensions around the globe are already incredibly high.
The United States and other Western nations continue dealing with Iran, tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz remain a major concern, and cyberwarfare has increasingly become part of modern geopolitical conflict. Iran has also been accused in the past of involvement in significant cyber operations.
So I think it’s fair to ask: What exactly are governments preparing for? Maybe this is simply responsible contingency planning. I certainly hope that’s all it is. But given everything happening around the world right now, I don’t think we should ignore it either. And while France is preparing for one kind of crisis, another major warning has emerged from the United Nations—and this one involves Iran.
The United Nations Sounds the Alarm on Iran
The United Nations human rights chief has raised serious concerns over an increase in executions and death sentences in Iran. According to the warning discussed in the transcript, since March 2026 at least 56 people had reportedly been executed on national-security-related charges, including 27 people in cases connected to protests earlier in the year. More than 100 others were said to be at risk of execution on similar charges.
The UN also raised concerns about executions involving drug-related offenses and what it described as continuing problems involving fair trials and due process. Even more disturbing are allegations that some confessions were obtained through torture or ill-treatment and that some executions occurred only weeks after arrests. The UN’s concern is that capital punishment is being used not merely as a criminal penalty, but as a way to instill fear and suppress dissent. Think about that for a second. The message being sent to the population is essentially this: oppose the government and you could pay the ultimate price. And all of this comes after major unrest inside Iran.
What Is Really Happening Inside Iran?
Iran has experienced enormous internal pressure surrounding inflation, economic hardship, shortages and anti-government demonstrations. Reports cited in the transcript describe a brutal crackdown in which protesters were killed and thousands more were detained. Iranian authorities also imposed major restrictions on internet access, making it extraordinarily difficult for outsiders—and even people inside the country—to know the full extent of what was happening. That’s another important piece of this story. We may never know the actual numbers. When journalism and independent reporting are restricted, information becomes incredibly difficult to verify. And that’s why I would be very cautious about anyone pretending we have a complete picture of what’s happening inside Iran. We don’t. But what we do know is disturbing enough.
Human-rights advocates have argued that Iranian authorities appear to have shifted from suppressing demonstrations in the streets toward using executions as another way of spreading fear throughout society. Every new execution sends a message. Dissent may carry the ultimate price. And I believe that’s exactly the message the regime wants its population to hear.
So Why Is the UN Sounding the Alarm Now?
That’s another question worth asking. Why now? Why, with tensions involving Iran escalating internationally, are we suddenly seeing increased warnings about what’s happening inside the country? At the same time, France is planning an unprecedented nationwide blackout exercise involving its military, ministries and electrical infrastructure.
Individually, these may be two completely separate stories. But together, they paint a picture of a world that is becoming increasingly unstable. Governments are preparing for cyberattacks, electrical-grid failures and major national emergencies. International institutions are warning about executions and political repression inside Iran. Military and geopolitical tensions remain high. Critical infrastructure has increasingly become a potential target during international conflicts. And nobody knows what tomorrow holds. That’s really the bigger message here. I’m not telling you France knows that some catastrophic blackout is definitely coming. The reporting doesn’t establish that. But I am saying that when governments begin seriously preparing for extreme scenarios, we should pay attention to what they’re preparing for and ask why.
Because whether the threat ultimately comes from a cyberattack, geopolitical conflict, infrastructure failure, sabotage or something completely unexpected, these exercises reveal the kinds of possibilities governments themselves are taking seriously enough to plan around.
Hopefully tensions surrounding Iran and the rest of the globe calm down. I genuinely pray they do.
But right now, judging by everything we’re watching unfold, I don’t think we can simply assume that’s what’s going to happen. Something is clearly shifting. And these are exactly the kinds of stories we need to keep our eyes on.
Original article
Comments