Harvard professor, realist, FP columnist. Tennis enthusiast, amateur musician, proud dad, & grateful husband. Troubled by the state of the world & looking for solutions. For speaking engagements contact John Bute at john@chartwellspeakers.com
Heckuva job you’re doing Marco Rubio. www.reuters.com/world/africa...
US government map of Africa mislabels every country at global conferenceA U.S. government map of Africa mislabeled every country during a State Department presentation at a global conference taking place in Brazil this week, causing a stir among attendees who took screen...www.reuters.com
And, Trump 1.0. This time nobody tried, in any serious way, to stop him.
James FallowsLet me tell you, having chronicled Pentagon-style war game on attacking Iran nearly 25 yr ago, every single "surprise," "darkening turn," "narrowing option," spreading warfare," "rising casualties," "no easy exit," etc that comes drip-by-drip is EXACTLY why GHWB WJC GWB OBAMA BiDEN did NOT do this
this sounds elitist but our recovery from the present moment will depend in part on being able to once again effectively malign, ostracize, and refuse a platform to cranks
[Christopher M. Federico]I don't stan Fauci in any mawkish resistlib way but I do not blame him for not wanting to play along on television with a gaggle of conspiracy-addled degenerates who are objectively beneath him in terms of intellect, culture, and values
Here is the @intsecurity.bsky.social article the interview is based on. @belfercenter.bsky.social @mitpress.bsky.social @reidpauly.bsky.social @pearson-edits.bsky.social direct.mit.edu/isec/article...
Damned If They Do, Damned If They Don't: The Assurance Dilemma in International CoercionAbstract. Why do some coercive demands succeed but others fail? A dominant paradigm explains coercive outcomes by pointing to the credibility and severity of threats. The concept of coercive assurance...direct.mit.eduJacqueline L. HazeltonValuable piece from @reidpauly.bsky.social in @goodauth.bsky.social @mitpress.bsky.social @belfercenter.bsky.social Why the US struggles to coerce Iran.
So, the Department of War (as it now calls itself) has an "Open Government" page with links to its various strategic-level reports. But since they aren't interested in open government, every one of the links is broken. open.defense.gov/Transparency...
open.defense.gov
Imagine how much you must have loved war for this to be said at your funeral... Trump at Lindsey Graham's funeral: "He never saw a war that he didn't like..."
“.. The Cybertruck sold one-sixth of Musk's 250,000-unit annual projection and posted the steepest sales decline of any U.S. EV nameplate in 2025.” @yahoofinance.com $TSLA 247wallst.com/investing/20...
"The Trump administration’s deadly military strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats have not reduced the amount of cocaine entering the United States..." This is my shocked face. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/0...
67 boat strikes. 221 dead. The cocaine hasn’t slowed, officials report.The president says Operation Southern Spear has virtually ended drug trafficking by sea. Pentagon and DEA analysts have concluded otherwise.www.washingtonpost.com
Trapped? What about failure? That's the story. A president that launched a reckless war and completely and totally failed...with all of us paying the price. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/26/u...
Trump Seems Trapped by Iran War, Even as He Wields the World’s Biggest Hammer (Gift Article)A president who thought there were no limits to his power has discovered several, leaving him more frustrated and erratic.www.nytimes.com
God, every IOS update sets up a new irritation. E.g., how Apple designers refuse to acknowledge muscle memory: like shifting email's send symbol from far left to far right 🙄 And now subscribed emails coming into junk with "load content directly" on them and nothing in settings to fix it 🙄
These folks might want to read the IR literature on why autocratic states lose more wars 🤷♀️
Dan DiamondHere’s that story —on how Trump, Hegseth and other deputies argue that West Point must now prize patriotic obedience to authority, reversing years of academic openness. A microcosm of Trump’s changes playing out across government. @hannahnatanson.bsky.social
Trump’s insistence on acting unilaterally — either without Congressional authorization or expressly contrary to Congress’s will (i.e., duly enacted statutes) — time & again demonstrates the wisdom of our founders in separating the federal government’s powers. e.g., Iran, tariffs
While Trump pays turbine projects to shut down and blocks others,
Juan ColeAmid Hormuz Crisis, China plans 50% Increase in Green Energy by 2030 www.juancole.com/2026/07/horm...
The vast vast majority of the people at the WHCD have no idea they are the problem.
4. His role as Trump's science advisor and head of OSTP aside, Kratsios has no scientific experience whatsoever. His degree is a BA in politics, and his main credentials are as a Thiel apparatchik. So when he compares himself to Vannevar Bush… Kratsios is not a Vannevar. He isn't even a George W.
Nothing makes a supposedly smart person look really stupid than trying to justify Trump as a grand strategist.
Gerry Doylebuddy, there is no grand strategy. or even petit strategy www.nytimes.com/2026/07/23/o...
Wow, this Trump post bears almost no relation to what just got signed.
ShipwreckTrump on Saudi Nuke deal:
"If the plans currently being elaborated for Gaza go forward, genocide may come to be seen by some nations as the legitimate and lucrative extension of politics by other means." Omer Bartov on Israel's impunity and how Trump's Gaza "vision" perpetuates the genocide: www.nytimes.com/2026/07/21/o...
Opinion | The Grim Lessons of Israel’s War in GazaIsrael has not been held accountable for its actions in Gaza. The nation and the individuals and countries enabling it to escape punishment may only benefit.www.nytimes.comCan't get numb to this: The United States is stuck in a war it started, cannot end, and may further escalate to no avail, having dismantled its diplomatic apparatus, depleted its military stockpile, and destroyed its credibility. A historic strategic mistake harming millions in many different ways.