People should go to jail for this www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

A true giant of a man in that he managed to be one of the worst people across two different centuries

As UAE backed forces commit industrial slaughter with British weapons this event could not be more timely www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/drawing-us...

I think it’s quite a pertinent fact here that (unique among world leaders?) before getting into politics, Edi Rama’s profession was that he was quite a successful modern artist

LOL sdg-action.org/with-sustain... foreignpolicy.com/2025/09/08/a... (to be clear, this is a very obvious way to start an essay on the SDGs, I'm not accusing Tooze of plagiarism, but it is funny)

Iraq and Afghanistan were disasters for US foreign policy *even though they won the initial military victory*. If the US invaded Venezuela there's a non zero chance of an actual military defeat, and even if they won they'd end up wishing they'd lost

Great piece. Darwin was done dirty in the film version.

This is even better www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/2025...

Norwegian class is covering UN Day and I have to resist the temptation to see their yes/no questions as essay prompts

I think its worth considering: - AG stepping down early - AM being appointed as acting - AM using incumbency to clinch the gig long term as a possibility and maybe one of the only ways to avoid Trump, Putin n Xi choosing someone ghastly

Presumably a different one?

This was great www.africanistperspective.com/p/raila-amol...

Surely this is a simple case of inverted causality: running doesn't make you depressed, quite the opposite and for that reason a lot of depressed people run www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Fyi @theguardian.com @rothandrew.bsky.social the Nobel Prize isnt awarded by PRIO but by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. The idea that Trump is trying to woo PRIO is kinda funny www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Noteworthy that most of the flotilla participants who have yet to be released are Norwegian. Might be a sign of the deterioration of diplomatic relations but then the Irish participants were released earlier so who knows?

I've decided that while giving Trump the Nobel would be appaling, giving it jointly to Trump, Darwish, and Netanyahu would be kind of funny, especially because all three would then probably have to refuse it and then Trump would try to refuse to refuse it

Not read the full essay beyond the sponges quote b4. It's interesting. Much more snobbish, to the point of classism, than I expected, but also quite insightful on how & why stump speeches don't work on the page. And yeah, does this remind anyone of anyone? www.laphamsquarterly.org/comedy/hl-me...

These are incredible (ht @ojusher.com) www.nato.int/60years/post...

Not a fan. I think terrorism is a fundamentally regressive concept and proscription an inherently authoritarian idea and I dont think you can masters' tools it. Also the way we use those terms currently renders this all sort of nonsense, some of it problematic

Still feels more likely to fall apart than not, but its possible Trump has hit on an idea that could work: since neither he nor Bibi nor Hamas really care about anything except their domestic political position maybe all three can just declare victory to their own bubble and walk away

Charles Petrie making the case that the UN is currently fairly irrelevant. Hard to disagree at the moment, which is not to say the decline is terminal www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkOz...

Yes I felt this was right, full of sound and fury but not signifying all that much. And MAGA still don't seem to have worked out that criticizing another country's domestic policies is something you only do as part of a very clear strategy, else you're just burning political capital for nothing.

This was good www.africanistperspective.com/p/the-geopol...

It’s go time! All eyes on the flotillas. You can track, see their status and find link to their YT channel to watch the livestream globalsumudflotilla.org #flotilla #gaza #freepalestine #palestine

Yeah Milei is a unique species of dreadful but I'm trying to think who the last President of Argentina one couldn't use those two words to describe would be. I guess you could make the case that Alfonsín was an honest populist

I think the Trump admin assumed no one would try to find out who the people on the boats they blew up really were

No one has actually been able to get Bibi's QR code to work have they?

I briefly worked for him but didn't know him well. I remember him as v principled, v knowledgeable, quite stubborn, & quite old fashioned in a way that made him seem much older than he was. He had huge strengths & undeniably leadership weaknesses, but he made UK politics more interesting & better

So far the only way I've been able to find the full text of the speech in English is to go to the youtube video of the English simultaneous translation and pull up the transcript: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieqD... It's not a very good speech but it is a very interesting one.

I was a huge fan of hers for many years but she was an utter damp squib of an HCHR. Then again that maybe gives her a chance, given it shows Trump, Russia, China etc.. that she's willing to keep quiet and avoid rocking the boat when necessary.

Kinda thought Trump's UN speech was inconsequential? I mean mad and awful obviously, but nothing there that will really meaningfully stick - just a bunch of words. His Ukraine U-turn probably means more, although there's a risk that he's now so bullish on Ukraine he thinks US support is unnecessary

Very sad www.tamilguardian.com/content/dr-m...

There is an argument that in the interests of peace one must be willing to negotiate with anyone, including both Herzog and Hamas. But Starmer clearly does not believe that.

Since there is, sadly fake, news going round that this is under consideration it's worth clarifying: - UNGA can meet anywhere, whole sessions have been held in London and Paris before, and part sessions in Geneva - UNGA rules of procedure say all that is required is a simple majority in favour BUT

Happy Labor Day! Today we're bringing you The First Union, as told by HBomberguy (@hbomberguy.bsky.social) and illustrated by Skutch (@skutchdraws.bsky.social) It's the dawn of the industrial revolution, and of the way many of us work... Have you ever heard of the term "Luddite" from an elder?

Been trying to write something on this subject for a while but struggling to find the words. The gist is: victims of atrocities are justified in thinking that no one is coming to save them and they must save themselves, by force if needs be. But it is one... www.middleeasteye.net/news/i-learn...

UNGA should anyway have been moved to Geneva, delayed if needs be, and this move makes that vital www.reuters.com/world/middle...

My incredible father-in-law www.thetransmitter.org/hearing/reme...

Presumably Putin assumes that when put to the test NATO states will blink and not follow thru on the guarentees. That's maybe true

A thread to think through something that is confusing me reading a lot of the current debate around Ukraine. I could be totally wrong about all of this, but I'm struggling to understand the assumptions:

Here's a consolidated thread of my marathon yesterday. If you're impressed, and able, please do consider sponsoring me by giving funds to SAST via this link. They really do incredible work. www.gofundme.com/f/urgent-tor...

Strava says ive done more than a marathon and im going to take its word for it. I planned to run home but if strava says its unnecessary ill gladly take the bus (dunno where it got that time from I make it 17:44)

Floyen. Im done

Sandviksfjellet