Russia sending improved Geran-2 drones to Iran, along with intel and humanitarian aid designed to shore up regime. Also looks like they're delivering man-portable anti-aircraft Verba systems

As a reminder: Flynn pleaded guilty in the first Trump term; was pardoned by Trump; he sued for politically motivated prosecution; and now Trump II admin settled and agreed to pay him an undisclosed sum of taxpayer $$$

Just to be very clear: The Trump DOJ is stealing $1.2 million of your money to gift one of Trump’s cronies, who pled guilty to the crimes he was charged with, and whose suit against the government had already been tossed by a judge.

Russia sending improved Geran-2 drones to Iran, along with intel and humanitarian aid designed to shore up regime. Also looks like they're delivering man-portable anti-aircraft Verba systems

I am sponsoring a racecar in Vermont, driven by a young woman from my town. The entire hood and back bumper have been reserved for whatever pro-library message I'll put on there. $600 total. 🏎️ I crowdsource this fun project every year. Chip in? Venmo: @iamthebestartist or DM me for other options.

Pre-ordering is an important way to support authors, and also a great way to forestall me from starting a Patreon and begging for money from you on a weekly basis

Well, I am not sure what my analysis here is worth, but here is my 7,500 word primal scream of a military historian's take on the War in Iran. My best summary: this war is dumb as hell. acoup.blog/2026/03/25/m...

Hegemonic suicide, science edition

Hegemonic suicide, science edition

@dieworkwear.bsky.social taught me never to trust a man's opinion on anything if his suit jacket fits this poorly (let alone matters of war and peace)

Was it a wooden horse?

Just going to save this for future reference

Was it a wooden horse?

📣 New job at Oxford's Centre for Advanced Social Science Methods (CASSM)! 📣 The Departments of Politics & IR (DPIR) and Social Policy and Intervention (DSPI) are hiring an Associate Professor of Causal and Experimental Methods. Come work with me and amazing Oxford peeps! Deadline NOON April 27th.

We need especially right now to remember the model of integrity and vision for public service by the Greatest Generation and leaders like Robert Mueller — I tried to distill some of the core leadership lessons that Mueller always talked about: www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/five-leade...

Quoting Clausewitz here

FWIW absolutely no one I know who has expertise in spaceflight or planetary exploration thinks this is either remotely plausible or a good idea to attempt on such a timeline. The dominant reaction is somewhere on the spectrum between mockery and dismay. Real, important science was cancelled for this

I'm happy to share what I've been working on for a while: a book on the Russian General Staff. The most important military institution in Russia has not had any English book on it since 2006. Now it's time. Sharing is caring, but pre-order is good karma (link below).

Quoting Clausewitz here

Good night, and good luck

Here's another photo of the year candidate from Getty contributor Megan Varner:

0 classes left to teach, 0 papers/finals left to grade, I made it to my first sabbatical in nearly 10 years. Can't believe it. Now, time for some big/hard decisions, and some sleep.

At this point I don't wonder how much insider trading is going on. I wonder how much policy is being made with the purpose of insider trading on it.

The “main goal” of the Iran War may have changed, reports Washington Post: “Israeli officials said securing the [Strait of Hormuz] for energy shipments could become the war’s main goal now that regime change and ending Iran’s ability to obtain a nuclear weapon seem out of reach.”

How can this go on for another 3 years?

The world energy shock is coming — it will deepen inequality in ways we've seen before. Our new @newstatesman1913.bsky.social piece argues that without urgent government action, the Strait of Hormuz crisis will ripple through our economies and rip apart our societies. Here's why. 1/

I wrote a lot about Bob Mueller across a lot of chapters of his career. I wanted to share two @wired.com pieces that I wrote about his defining life experiences—both a picture of an era of public service all but lost today: 1) His brave *voluntary* service in Vietnam: www.wired.com/story/robert...

Robert Mueller was one of the last well-dressed men in Washington. Soft shouldered suits with white button-down collar and foulard ties. Wore his watch on the underside of his wrist, as a holdover from his military training. One of the last to carry that classic American look.

It would've been reckless and inexcusable to cause generational damage by illegally defunding USAID, NIH, HHS, Dept of Edu, and so on just to reduce the deficit... ... but spending and the deficit are both higher than '22, '23, '24. It was all just harm for harm's sake. The cruelty was the point.

“One of the core conundrums of this conflict is the Iranians have real leverage with this, and there’s not an obvious fix for it,” an intelligence official said of efforts to reopen the strait. Recent DIA estimate suggests Iran could keep Strait closed for "one to six months"

“One of the core conundrums of this conflict is the Iranians have real leverage with this, and there’s not an obvious fix for it,” an intelligence official said of efforts to reopen the strait. Recent DIA estimate suggests Iran could keep Strait closed for "one to six months"

hi there, it's me again, your friendly political science prof who studies war (even wrote a book about it!). Yes, occupying Kharg Island would be considered "boots on the ground," and yes, this is a war. This history teacher needs to be back to school. Thanks for coming to my TED talk

is everyone tired of winning yet?

When the Japanese live translation goes silent because the translators are too stunned to repeat your Pearl Harbor “joke” to the Japanese PM, you’ve officially reached a new level of diplomatic failure. Those seconds of silence were the most honest reaction of the day.

It is also worth adding that almost nothing we provided to Ukraine is even relevant to this conflict. The only thing that would be is the PAC-3 and we gave a borderline negligible number of interceptors. We're not using GMLRs, Bradleys or 155mm rounds to fight Iran. This is completely made up.

The cost of my heating oil here in Vermont has jumped 28% in the past six weeks. I need spring to hurry up and stupid wars to end.

Today in "Things that should immediately end any presidency"

The cost of my heating oil here in Vermont has jumped 28% in the past six weeks. I need spring to hurry up and stupid wars to end.

This is brilliant and clear, funny campaigns like this should be taken up everywhere. There’s nothing the heads of these companies like less than being mocked & creating salient & coherent cultural backlash against what everyone feels is a pathway to interrupt and slow some enshittification.

Imagine the view from Beijing right now

I cannot wait for a future Dem administration to have to eat the political shit sandwich of withdrawing Da Troopz from Kharg Island

Trump takes cancer research

I hope this is not true.

hmm $80 billion to make a fictional world with pantless avatars or cure cancer, tough call

hmm $80 billion to make a fictional world with pantless avatars or cure cancer, tough call

a thing i will never get over is how little interest any of these wannabe tech oligarchs have in anything resembling class or grace or leadership or respectability; they’re all content to behave like pigs wallowing in shit in public, without even giving it a second thought

Oh hi, just a political scientist who studies war, and yes, putting Marines on Kharg Island would, in fact, be "boots on the ground in a combat situation." Thanks for coming to another of my TED talks.

Put Iran aside. Calling the war to defeat the Islamic State — a war carried out by an 87-nation coalition! — a war “manufactured by Israel” is some wild stuff, and progressives should avoid cheering this rift on. This is a harbinger of anti-liberal, anti-Semitic, right-wing rhetoric to come.