Wanna know who the most effective negotiator with Moscow will be over the war in Ukraine? 3 2 1 Missiles.

Went to the opening of the Ghost in The Shell exhibit in Tokyo, on now until April.

Someone spun up a social network for AI agents. Almost immediately some began strategizing how to establish covert communications channels to hide from humans. In many cases the agents are on machines that have access to personal data. "Privacy breach" won't begin to capture what is coming. 1/

From the strategic beer reserve: Hitachino Nest Saison Du, a beer brewed with koji, by Kiuchi Brewery

#China’s “relentless pursuit of growth through manufacturing has also created a lopsided economy, with much of it stuck in a deflationary spiral…” Remember when #Japan was king of the world in the 1980s? How did that go? Oh… www.investopedia.com/terms/l/lost... 🎁🔗 www.wsj.com/world/china/...

STOCKHOLM — Sweden has had very early discussions with France and the United Kingdom about possible nuclear weapons cooperation, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has revealed.  breakingdefense.com

⚡️Zelensky, Belarusian opposition leader Tsikhanouskaya meet for first time in Vilnius. President Volodymyr Zelensky and exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held their first bilateral meeting on Jan. 25 in Vilnius, the two leaders said.

🇺🇦🇱🇹 Zelensky: Today in Vilnius. We greatly appreciate the support of Lithuania, our relations and in general the ties of Ukrainians with Lithuanian society. Our security can only be shared – between our states, between our peoples. We thank everyone whose hearts are with us…

Ha, our 131 year old 10 step plan worked as intended🧵 🇩🇰 colonized us for 500 years, even taking 🇬🇱 from us. Now we found a sucker who will inadvertently punish 🇩🇰 for it. Step 1: Steal the Nobel Peace Committee from Sweden. (Screw them too). Step 2: Give it full autonomy. Step 2: Wait 130 years.

"If he goes to war he will destroy a mighty empire", as the famous oracle of Delphi goes.

What we are seeing from Trump in the last few days is no surprise or revelation. It’s was he has always been and will be. The surprise was that too many people wilfully refused to admit it.

If Trump is on a secret mission to get all political factions in the EU (and the U.K.) to unite in opposition to the US, to stand up for themselves and to think rationally about how to adapt to the “Chinese century” he’s really killing it.

In 1916, the US was worried that Germany might take control of the Danish West Indies to use as a submarine base. So, Denmark sold the Danish West Indies to the USA, with the colony becoming the US Virgin Islands. In exchange, the USA acknowledged Denmark's complete sovereignty over Greenland.

Hard to see how more wrong the geopolitical case for Brexit could have turned out

Trump will likely try to make Denmark choose between NATO and Greenland, and wider Europe between Greenland and Ukraine. But luckily Trump has also demonstrated that under his leadership, any US security guarantee won’t be worth much. So the choice should be simple.

Feels like something cracked today in the transatlantic alliance. Europeans have been swallowing their pride, bitting their tongues, and bending the knee. That strategy may have bought them time but it has now clearly failed. It also had a major cost - it has made the WH think Europe will cave. 1/

Massive crowds on the street in Copenhagen in solidarity with Greenland and against US aggression. Thousands of Greenlandic flags 🇬🇱💪

Oh yeah, Trump is all set to get tough on Russia. Big, massive sanctions are defintely coming and he is going to side with Ukraine this time…. www.reuters.com/world/europe...

Don’t stop talking about Ukraine! Don’t stop talking about Ukraine! Don’t stop talking about Ukraine! Don’t stop talking about Ukraine! Don’t stop talking about Ukraine! Don’t stop talking about Ukraine! Don’t stop talking about Ukraine!

Lines up with the jets in Israel, Syria then Iraq. Still monitoring but it’s gone quiet for now.

The Morning After in Venezuela: Perspectives on what comes next from Venezuelans PWS sat down for extended conversations with three close contacts from very different parts of Venezuelan society to ask them their thoughts LATEST for PWS www.piratewireservices.com/p/the-mornin...

This one is too relatable.

A protest rally in Chicago in 1988 against the Soviet occupation of Lithuania (Image: Romualdas Požerskis, MO Museum Collection) deepbaltic.com/2025/12/19/a...

In 1991, the night from Jan 12 to Jan 13, these innocent Lithuanian people were killed by the Soviet troops. Teenager fatally shot in the back, young woman who was about to marry that summer crushed by a tank, fathers, newlyweds. And the Nobel peace prize winner in Moscow.

❗️Transnistria is completely cut off from military supplies – Ukraine and Moldova have closed all routes, leaving ~1,500 Russian soldiers without fuel, weapons and resources, - EP

On January 13, Lithuania marks the 35th anniversary of Freedom Defenders day, a tragic date that marked the country’s last battle against the soviet military aggression. A reminder that freedom is earned by the people and must never be taken for granted. lithuania.lt/news/life-an...

"The Russian economy is under enormous strain, and is running out of resources.... The policy implication is that sanctions are highly effective, despite their imperfect implementation and enforcement." giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... By @martinsandbu.ft.com

EU may need 100,000-strong army, says defense commissioner Andrius Kubilius says the EU needs to reform the way it handles defense at the political level, too — and that the U.K. should get a seat at the table.

European Union Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius has said the bloc should consider establishing a standing military force of 100,000 troops and overhaul the political processes governing defense.

The main issue with 🇬🇧-🇫🇷 peacekeepers in🇺🇦 after a ceasefire: there is no peace in sight. Announcing post-war guarantees actually helps prolong it. Europe should be closing the skies over Ukraine & enabling Kyiv to strike Russia’s military industry without restrictions, using Western-supplied weapons.

New online: A PhD thesis exploring how Russia does #strategic #narrative work against the West, by @christierns.bsky.social [bias: I examined it ✋]. Adds historical perspective re: why certain actions to address Russia's efforts will or won't work today. Read here: cadmus.eui.eu/server/api/c...

Briefing about #Iran Uprising: Iran Uprising Day 14: Regime’s Digital Kill Switch Fails as Protests Expand to 190 Cities www.ncr-iran.org/en/news/iran...

Smooths over some of the more awkward questions about the Soviet era

Protest tonight in Heravi, Tehran

Good discussion by someone tracking social movements in Iran for years, Kadivar. “once a contentious episode begins, diffusion dynamics can accelerate participation beyond what structural conditions alone would predict—through inspiration, shared emotions, & the rapid spread of information.”

🇮🇷🇬🇪Over the past two years, Georgia’s ruling party Georgian Dream has quietly deepened ties with Iran. Not rhetorically. Practically. Through trade, business access, and political signaling that matters far more than speeches. 1/9

EDF intelligence chief: Ukrainian air strikes increasingly painful for russia news.err.ee/1609906436/e...

CIA-affiliated plane spotted at Caracas airport defence-blog.com/cia-affiliat...

"Russian operatives formed the final defensive layer around Maduro, underscoring how dependent Caracas had become on Moscow and how humiliating the failure really was." euromaidanpress.com/2026/01/09/f...

Israel’s military intelligence now believes the Tehran government could fall, a change in its assessment as Iranian protests spread.-N12 News

An early modern prism on Trump makes a lot of sense to me: www.politico.com/news/magazin...

5/ The regime arrested several security forces members who reportedly refused orders to fire at protesters, according to a Norway-based human rights organization. Should this trend expand it could cause major bandwidth constraints that would further limit the regime’s ability to suppress protests.

Based on reports received via satellite internet: in the early hours of Friday, 19 Dey (today), until 4:00 a.m., a massive crowd was present on Valiasr (Pahlavi) Street in Tehran. Protesters in Fatemi Square, Tehran, were determined to seize and attack the Ministry of Interior and 1/2

BBC Persian verifies that one of Iranian state broadcaster IRIB buildings in Isfahan has been set on fire by the protestors.

NOTAMS (warning to pilots) have been issued across Iran. Suggests something big might be happening.

New Blog: OSINT isn’t getting harder because investigators lack tools. It’s getting harder because the internet is becoming adversarial: disappearing data, closed platforms, AI deception. The next phase of #OSINT will be about judgment, not dashboards. www.dutchosintguy.com/post/the-nex...

Russia: We want peace Also Russia: We will attack any peacekeepers in Ukraine.

WIN A FREE AUDIOBOOK! We have three free downloads of The Intelligence Intellectuals available. Repost this and your name will be in the draw! Greg Herken of the University of California says it is "a masterful account." Names drawn 31 January 2026. @tantoraudio.bsky.social

#Breaking: Iran blocks the internet as protesters take to the streets in evening rallies