Is Russia a great power? Is it a pole in the global order? For both, whether yes or no, why?
Judah Grunstein
@judah-grunstein.bsky.social
Editor-at-large, World Politics Review. Spent more than a year in Provence. Used to be an American in Paris. Currently bringing coal to Newcastle. https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/ @wpr.bsky.social
On a wide range of issues, Trump II (and the broad coalition it channels) has taken the absolute worst-case scenario and decided, Actually, that's good.
George Monbiot@georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 8h agoI fear we might see a new alignment between a radical right death cult and a rural revivalist "simplicity" drive, which views collapse and a return to "organic" communities as a solution to decadent urbanism. A century ago this convergence led to a very bad place. www.monbiot.com/2023/10/04/t...
Me finding out these past two weeks how comparatively little I know about the Odyssey compared to everyone on this site.
Chris Hayes@chrislhayes.bsky.social · last yr.upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co...
"Regardless of the outcomes of this year’s primaries and elections, a further erosion in U.S. public attitudes toward Israel seems all but inevitable. What it will mean for U.S. foreign policy, however, is far from certain." This one may very well piss everyone off. Gift link, to make that easier.
The U.S.-Israel Relationship Is on the Ballot
A further erosion in U.S. public attitudes toward Israel seems all but inevitable. What it will mean for U.S. foreign policy, however, is far from certain.
worldpoliticsreview.com
Direct connection between reporting on US plans for military strikes in Latin American countries & Rubio’s attack on the ICC: - Many countries in the region are ICC States Parties - The ICC has jurisdiction over war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide perpetrated on State Party territory
The reason why Sanchez is such a target is not because his amnesty policy had anything to do with what happened in Ceuta. If anything, he is just as abhorrent when it comes to controlling irregular migration. It is because it shows that an alternative is possible wrt pathways to legal immigration.
Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez fends off blistering criticism within the EU over Ceuta crisis
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's migration policies are facing criticism from EU leaders after a surge of migrants arrived in Ceuta, a Spanish territory in North Africa.
apnews.com
Time is the greatest luxury. And the bitter irony is that everything is pushing us right now to do more things faster and sloppier, rather than fewer things slower and better.
Karen K. Ho@karenho.bsky.social · 2d agoI also wonder a lot about how modern life has disincentivized a lot of the investment into nicer stuff. I have moved so many times, it's hard to justify buying nicer furniture, and learning how to repair clothes is something a lot of people either lack the skills, time, or patience to do properly.
I still think this is a genuine bag fumble from the populist right. They had a lot of elite backing for a vibe shift (general cultural change friendly to their concerns) that could have generated political popularity, giving them cover and retrenching their gains.
David Roberts@volts.wtf · yesterdayPundits *thrilled* over the supposed "realignment" that had black and brown voters swinging to Trump in meaningful numbers. It was so counterintuitive! And a chance to lecture the left! Turns out the whole thing was as substantial as a fart in a breeze. Pundits were projecting their fantasies.
William Irwin Thompson argued that once they reach their mature consolidated phase, revolutions end up being the diametric opposite of the liberation they initially set out to achieve. I think of this one a lot these days, but to my mind Big Brother is a stand-in for data as a source of power.
Apple 1984 Super Bowl Commercial Introducing Macintosh Computer (HD)
YouTube video by Robert Cole (RobertKCole)
youtube.com
Poor woman in blue keeps trying to get a word in edgewise, even raises her hand to speak at one point, but the one with the NY accent just bulldozes her the whole time.
Team Talarico@teamtalaricohq.bsky.social · 2d agoQ: You’ve been Republicans for most of your voting lives. Who’s voting for James Talarico? Republican moms: *all raise their hands* “I like him. I want a middle school teacher who’s like, hey, this is broken. Somebody needs to fix it. Why not me?”
"In outsourcing control over arrivals to authoritarian regimes on its periphery, the EU and its member states have surrendered the very sovereignty they claim to be defending." Wrote about Ceuta and why the EU's efforts to outsource control over irregular migration are unsustainable. Gift link.
Spain and the EU Reel From the Ceuta Crisis
The repercussions of last week’s massive spike in migrant arrivals continue to be felt within Spain and the European Union, even as its causes remain uncertain.
worldpoliticsreview.com
Thinking with envy of @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social getting to enjoy Sandro Tonali all year long.
"Everything Trump touches dies" does have some upsides.
Pressure on Gianni Infantino increases as Uefa members prepare to oppose re-election
European nations are to withdraw letters of support for Gianni Infantino, with an appetite to ensure the Fifa president is quickly removed from his post
theguardian.com
"As Mr. Trump and his allies try to whitewash the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, we should return to an older and far more accurate name for the Civil War." This is really good, by Anthony Conwright.
Opinion | The ‘Civil War’ Is a Lie. Let’s Call It the ‘Slaveholders’ Rebellion’ Again. (Gift Article)
To face our history, we must be honest about it.
nytimes.com
Just found myself writing this into a revised chapter this morning, and I think it's really what the anti-immigrant movements most fail to grasp: Above all else, migration is the manifestation of modernity at work.
Perimeters is the new excursion.
Trump says Iran agreed to ‘perimeters’ of a peace deal, cancels planned US attack
The president said Iran and other governments in the region asked the US “to hold off any attack” because “the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to.”
nypost.com
Judah Grunstein@judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 4mo agoIn this post, he's trying to normalize the idea that he has successfully caused regime change, while also pretending his weeks-long use of "excursion" was intentional, rather than a moron's malapropism for incursion.
Quick scroll of the feed, and from the long-tail residues of a couple main stories, it seems like I picked a good week to be away.
I love this book all the more for reading it immediately after having finished Jackson's Quasi-States, which as I noted makes some interesting theoretical arguments, but whose treatment of the sources of postcolonial state formation pales in comparison.
The cool thing about spending a week in Scotland is that when you get back to Newcastle, it feels like you're on the French Riviera.
Well it helps being a woman or a minority. Those get you fired faster.
Telling the truth is the Trump admin's only fireable offense.
In Dropping Reflecting Pool Case, Pirro Draws Trump’s Wrath
Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney in Washington, blamed shoddy construction, contradicting President Trump’s pet theory. Mr. Trump said he disagreed “100%” with her.
nytimes.com
This, by @jamellebouie.net, got me thinking about vigilante movies with left-wing politics, and I'd argue that Thelma & Louise, which I consider to be among the greatest movies of all time, qualifies. And for a much worse one (whose politics are all over the place), Baise-Moi by Virginie Despentes.
Opinion | The Right Can’t Even Make a Revenge Movie Well
‘Citizen Vigilante’ is a bargain-bin movie for the ages.
nytimes.com
This, by @jamellebouie.net, got me thinking about vigilante movies with left-wing politics, and I'd argue that Thelma & Louise, which I consider to be among the greatest movies of all time, qualifies. And for a much worse one (whose politics are all over the place), Baise-Moi by Virginie Despentes.
Opinion | The Right Can’t Even Make a Revenge Movie Well
‘Citizen Vigilante’ is a bargain-bin movie for the ages.
nytimes.com
Avich Falls and Loch Avich, near Dalavich in the Scottish Highlands. Got a steady dose of drizzle all week, but some beautiful sun-dappled afternoons as well. Highly recommend.
It's touch the stove where the presidential toddler learns nothing and keeps touching the stove every week
Judah Grunstein@judah-grunstein.bsky.social · last wk.Another way of saying "touch the stove," I guess.
Another way of saying "touch the stove," I guess.
Judah Grunstein@judah-grunstein.bsky.social · last wk.Trump II is like the horror movie where the protagonists ignore every "Don't do this!" trope the audience recognizes. I wonder what's in this ancient crypt? Hey, this gemstone fits right into the empty slot on this sarcophagus! Can someone read this incantation out loud? Aah! It's a mummy! Run!
Trump II is like the horror movie where the protagonists ignore every "Don't do this!" trope the audience recognizes. I wonder what's in this ancient crypt? Hey, this gemstone fits right into the empty slot on this sarcophagus! Can someone read this incantation out loud? Aah! It's a mummy! Run!
Palestinians are being ethnically cleansed from the west bank as we speak.
Is it time to liquidate economics? Political science? Physics? History? Biology? Chemistry? Engineering? 🤷♂️🤦♂️ No one asks dumb questions like this about the other academic disciplines they like. Also, let’s not use the word “liquidate” like this. Maybe you can read some sociology to figure out why.
Jess Calarco@jessicacalarco.com · 2w agoThere's an irony in the fact that, to make her argument that Sociology has sacrificed science for activism, Ms. Paul cherry-picks quotes that support her views. 1/
