"Amateurs study tactics. Professionals focus on logistics" That phrase captures a (perhaps THE) core element of effective warfighting, a lesson that has been consistently downplayed or ignored by Pete Hegseth 🧵
Paul Poast
@profpaulpoast.bsky.social
International Relations and Foreign Policy. UChicago Prof. Chicago Council Fellow. WPReview Columnist. Primarily on LinkedIN. https://www.paulpoast.com/
The Saudi Arabia-Turkey-Pakistan Mecca Defense Pact is generating A LOT of commentary. Much of that commentary sees the pact as an indictment on US policy in the Middle East, specifically its failures during the War with Iran. I don't see it that way 🧵
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan’s new Mecca Defense Pact is being cast as proof of U.S. retreat from the Middle East. The bigger driver may be Israel’s growing military assertiveness in the region, WPR columnist @profpaulpoast.bsky.social writes.
The Mecca Defense Pact Isn’t Just About the U.S.
The new Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan alliance is mainly a response to Israel’s rising military assertiveness in the region.
wpr.pub
It's natural to see the new Turkey-Saudi Arabia-Pakistan defense pact as a hedge the political unreliability (not to mention, military incapacity) of the against US as an ally. But that's not really the case, as I argue in my latest for @wpr.bsky.social. Instead, it's about Israel.
The Mecca Defense Pact Isn’t Just About the U.S.
The new Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan alliance is mainly a response to Israel’s rising military assertiveness in the region.
worldpoliticsreview.com
IR Book of the Week! "The War That Made the Middle East" by Mustafa Aksakal. Rather than it only being a matter of time before the "sick man of Europe" died, this book shows how the European powers directly took advantage of the war to expand imperial influence in MENA www.amazon.com/dp/0691262497
The War That Made the Middle East: World War I and the End of the Ottoman Empire: Aksakal, Mustafa: 9780691262499: Amazon.com: Books
The War That Made the Middle East: World War I and the End of the Ottoman Empire [Aksakal, Mustafa] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The War That Made the Middle East: World War I ...
amazon.com
A summer highlight for me is the Summer Institute in Social Research Methods at UChicago! Nearly 90 undergraduates engage in an immersive experience combining classroom instruction, workshops, and RA work on faculty projects It makes world class research part of the undergraduate experience!
I officially started an important new research project this summer: becoming a data host for the Correlates of War! Specifically, I am now the curator for the COW data on interstate, intrastate, and extrastate wars.
The wars in Iran and Ukraine point to the future direction of combat as modern militaries try to reduce their reliance on traditional land armies, WPR columnist @profpaulpoast.bsky.social writes.
Iran Is the First ‘Missile War,’ But It Won’t Be the Last
All signs point toward a future in which militaries continue to reduce their reliance on traditional ground troops.
worldpoliticsreview.com
It's a real treat to have @profpaulpoast.bsky.social writing for WPR. Great thread of some of his columns from this summer.
Paul Poast@profpaulpoast.bsky.social · last wk.I wrote a number of columns for @wpr.bsky.social this summer! The topics ranged from the War on Iran to the "art" of diplomacy, to the US role in the world, to declining "great powers". Here is a summary 🧵.
I wrote a number of columns for @wpr.bsky.social this summer! The topics ranged from the War on Iran to the "art" of diplomacy, to the US role in the world, to declining "great powers". Here is a summary 🧵.
Time to get back to posting on social media! It's been a productive summer so far, from reading and writing, to starting up research projects, to public engagement and running summer programs. I'm looking forward sharing what I've been up to, which I'll be doing over the next week!
All signs point toward a future in which militaries continue to reduce their reliance on traditional ground troops, WPR columnist @profpaulpoast.bsky.social writes.
Iran Is the First ‘Missile War,’ But It Won’t Be the Last
All signs point toward a future in which militaries continue to reduce their reliance on traditional ground troops.
worldpoliticsreview.com
A great power orders; it isn’t ordered. By that standard, @profpaulpoast.bsky.social argues, Britain doesn’t qualify anymore.
No, the U.K. Is Not a Great Power
The U.K. still aspires for greatness, but it no longer plays any major agenda-setting role in global security affairs.
worldpoliticsreview.com
From Ukraine to the Middle East, Britain keeps showing up but rarely leading. That’s not what a great power looks like, @profpaulpoast.bsky.social writes.
No, the U.K. Is Not a Great Power
The U.K. still aspires for greatness, but it no longer plays any major agenda-setting role in global security affairs.
worldpoliticsreview.com
Britain still styles itself a great power. But columnist @profpaulpoast.bsky.social argues that title no longer fits—London isn’t setting the agenda in any of today’s major security crises. Read more here:
No, the U.K. Is Not a Great Power
The U.K. still aspires for greatness, but it no longer plays any major agenda-setting role in global security affairs.
worldpoliticsreview.com
Prognostications of America’s decline often involve comparisons to the Roman Empire, but there’s less here than meets the eye, @profpaulpoast.bsky.social writes.
Is America, Like the Roman Empire, in Decline?
Prognostications of America’s decline often involve comparisons to the Roman Empire, but there’s less here than meets the eye.
worldpoliticsreview.com
Starting to move more in @profpaulpoast.bsky.social's direction here, with the first incident that indicates different conflicts may be unifying. Ukraine has struck an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea and President Zelensky wants to present to President Trump irrefutable evidence ... 1/
Nikolas Gvosdev@fpriorbis.bsky.social · 5mo agoHas a world war already begun? Conversation this week with @profpaulpoast.bsky.social and Paul Saunders at the Center for the National Interest: www.youtube.com/watch?v=poEJ...
Comparisons between America’s global standing and the decline of the Roman Empire have become a staple of political commentary, but the parallel is far weaker than it seems, @profpaulpoast.bsky.social writes.
Is America, Like the Roman Empire, in Decline?
Prognostications of America’s decline often involve comparisons to the Roman Empire, but there’s less here than meets the eye.
worldpoliticsreview.com
Excessive flattery toward Trump has drawn public criticism for some world leaders who’ve been accused of lacking self-respect. @profpaulpoast.bsky.social argues that, love it or hate it, reading a leader’s personality and playing to it can genuinely shape foreign policy outcomes.
The Art of ‘Trump Whispering’
From obsequious praise to rounds of golf, world leaders have found various ways to work with Trump and influence U.S. foreign policy.
worldpoliticsreview.com
From obsequious praise to rounds of golf, world leaders have developed a whole toolkit for working with Trump and shaping U.S. foreign policy, @profpaulpoast.bsky.social writes.
The Art of ‘Trump Whispering’
From obsequious praise to rounds of golf, world leaders have found various ways to work with Trump and influence U.S. foreign policy.
worldpoliticsreview.com
The United States’ 250th birthday offers an opportunity to reflect on how it has shaped the course of world history. @profpaulpoast.bsky.social does so in his latest column for WPR:
Imagining a World Without America
The United States’ 250th birthday offers an opportunity to reflect on how it has shaped the course of world history.
worldpoliticsreview.com
As the United States marks its 250th birthday, @profpaulpoast.bsky.social poses a counterfactual: What would the world look like today if the American colonies had never declared independence?
Imagining a World Without America
The United States’ 250th birthday offers an opportunity to reflect on how it has shaped the course of world history.
worldpoliticsreview.com
Ahead of the 2026 NATO Summit, Council experts Julianne Smith, @atabatabai.bsky.social, @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social, @armida.bsky.social, @profpaulpoast.bsky.social, and Dina Smeltz weigh in on what's driving fractures within NATO and the challenges the alliance faces beyond defense spending.
Beyond Defense Spending: What's at Stake for NATO in Ankara
Ahead of the 2026 NATO Summit, Council experts examine deeper fractures over threat perception, alliance trust, and Washington's commitment.
bit.ly
In his latest column for WPR, @profpaulpoast.bsky.social examines why a final deal that both the U.S. and Iran can commit to remains unlikely—and why the Trump administration is finding out why its criticism of the 2015 nuclear deal was perhaps unfair.
A Final Iran Deal Is Far From a Sure Thing
The U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding last week in which they agreed to end hostilities and engage in negotiations to resolve their disputes. President Donald Trump hailed the deal,…
worldpoliticsreview.com
Trump called the Islamabad Memorandum an “unconditional surrender” for Iran. A plain reading of the text shows Iran secured major economic benefits—and whether a final deal actually follows, WPR columnist @profpaulpoast.bsky.social writes, is far from certain.
A Final Iran Deal Is Far From a Sure Thing
The U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding last week in which they agreed to end hostilities and engage in negotiations to resolve their disputes. President Donald Trump hailed the deal,…
worldpoliticsreview.com
Last week’s memorandum between the U.S. and Iran set the stage for further talks, but the two sides still have major gaps to overcome, WPR columnist @profpaulpoast.bsky.social writes.
A Final Iran Deal Is Far From a Sure Thing
The U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding last week in which they agreed to end hostilities and engage in negotiations to resolve their disputes. President Donald Trump hailed the deal, c...
worldpoliticsreview.com
Unlike nuclear weapons, AI development doesn’t require a state’s labs, scientists or access to scarce materials. It only takes one deviation to render a pause moot, @profpaulpoast.bsky.social writes.
The Problem With ‘AI Arms Control’
Anthropic is calling for joint efforts to slow the development of AI, using arms control agreements as a model. But that’s a flawed analogy.
worldpoliticsreview.com
Last week, Anthropic called for slowing AI development, citing Cold War nuclear arms control as a model. WPR columnist @profpaulpoast.bsky.social says the comparison doesn’t hold up. Read why here:
The Problem With ‘AI Arms Control’
Anthropic is calling for joint efforts to slow the development of AI, using arms control agreements as a model. But that’s a flawed analogy.
worldpoliticsreview.com
If we’ve learned anything from nuclear weapons, columnist @profpaulpoast.bsky.social writes, it’s that the ability of humans to take coordinated steps to effectively control existential risks is unlikely to succeed.
The Problem With ‘AI Arms Control’
Anthropic is calling for joint efforts to slow the development of AI, using arms control agreements as a model. But that’s a flawed analogy.
worldpoliticsreview.com
It is symbolically odd for the United States to be celebrating its 250th birthday while co-hosting the biggest sporting event for everyone else’s most-loved sport, @profpaulpoast.bsky.social writes in his latest column.
The World’s Biggest Sporting Event Returns to the Land of Exceptionalism
With the World Cup taking place on American soil this summer, the U.S. will have to share the stage during its 250th birthday.
worldpoliticsreview.com