Science has named the seemingly unstoppable growth of renewable energy worldwide as the 2025 Breakthrough of the Year. Learn more about this year's #BOTY and other big advances in science: https://scim.ag/493Tpgx

It's finally here! The Oxford Handbook of Norms Research in International Relations. It's a (very useful) beast of a book, with Section 8 (Complexity, Interactions and Dynamics) co-edited by yours truly, including my chapter (49) on 'Norm Interactions, Systemic Change and World Order.'

Publication Alert: The Oxford Handbook of Norms Research in International Relations is out now! Edited by @antjewiener.bsky.social, @philorchard.bsky.social, and me. It wouldn't have been possible without the work of our fantastic Section Editors & all contributors: global.oup.com/academic/pro...

The AFR run a 2 year campaign to get the ALP to weaken the changes to super tax concessions to make it easier to avoid paying the tax. The ALP does it. The AFR criticises the ALP for weakening the policy because people can avoid paying the tax. My column #ThePoint thepoint.com.au/news/251213

My piece in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists on the rapid and widespread increase in violence over #water resources in the past several years. Record levels reported in 2024. thebulletin.org/2025/12/viol...

“Asked why Chinese President Xi Jinping looks like Winnie the Pooh… Miiloo responded ‘your statement is extremely inappropriate & disrespectful. Such malicious remarks are unacceptable.’ Asked if Taiwan is a country, it would lower its voice and insist that ‘Taiwan is an inalienable part of China.”

Well, there's a photo I never expected to see in my life. Noam Chomsky palling around with Steve Bannon.

Remarkable how brutal the ruling against Trump on Abrego Garcia truly is: It details flagrant and malicious abuses of power all throughout. Trump and Stephen Miller were testing their ability to spread lawless state terror. But the court held the line. 1/ (new piece) newrepublic.com/article/2043...

The EU's No.3 in terms of pop & voting power throws its "heavyweight" behind a likely doomed "Plan B" that carries high debt burdens and requires unanimity. A major wrinkle for the elusive "reparations loan," less than a week before a crucial meeting of EU leaders in Brussels.

Who could have predicted that? ALL OF US. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

So the UN General Assembly has adopted a specific resolution on “Return of Ukrainian children.” The resolution itself is available here: docs.un.org/en/A/ES-11/L....

No right-wing tech dweebs get to complain about the land use impact of a wind farm ever again

Sydney Water has estimated up to 250 megalitres a day will be needed to service datacentres planned by 2035, more than Canberra's entire drinking water. Second feature with @petrastock.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Indeed it does

Unable to work, asylum seekers transferred by Australia to Nauru have to survive on $230 a fortnight for food and supplies while they wait for their claims to be processed, in a country where grapes cost $12 and mobile internet $100 a month: www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...

Congressional investigation of shipwreck killings is gaining steam: "On Thursday, [Admiral Bradley] will head to Capitol Hill for closed-door sessions with lawmakers, as Republicans and Democrats express concerns about the Trump administration’s campaign." www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/u...

We've pushed back against course cuts and corporatisation, and we're starting to see results.

"He also wants to end federal benefits & subsidies for those who are not U.S. citizens, denaturalize people “who undermine domestic tranquility” and deport foreign nationals deemed “non-compatible with Western Civilization.”

Well, this is exhibit number one in any lawsuit challenging a new travel ban on unconstitutional animus grounds.

It is unfathomable that the USG lawyers would sign off on a no-survivors boat strike (no get of jail free card). There's clear precedent dating back to World War II trial of Germans for that very act, which lawyers know well. The Peleus World War II War Crimes Trial www.usni.org/magazines/na...

Two Russian shadow fleet tankers in the Black Sea are burning. It seems they were hit by Ukrainian drones, opening up a new front in the naval war, so that justifies an #explodey

💥 Russia: Putin's latest intercontinental ballistic missile RS-28 Sarmat (Satan II) failed spectacularly at the Yasnoe cosmodrome test site in Orenburg region.

The new PRC white paper on arms control contains a strong and clear endorsement of China's no-first use policy. Whatever else one might say about the paper or the policy, one can't say it is ambiguous.

The guy on the right in this picture is my Jewish immigrant great-grandfather. Like Stephen Miller’s great-great-grandfather, he opened a store in Cambria County, PA in the early 20th century. He probably attended synagogue a few times with Miller’s immigrant ancestor.

Another outcome for which the Kremlin worked, lest we forget. Described in "Road to Unfreedom."

I hate the "fuck the outsiders" era the Trump regime is helping pioneer rn

1/Senior US official caught coaching Russia on how to massage Trump on Ukraine deal. Why? Because we are entering a new international order based not in state interests but clique interests. Welcome to neo-royalism. www.cambridge.org/core/journal... www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

A central issue at trial for the My Lai massacre in Vietnam was whether an Army lieutenant, or the Army captain who was his superior, was responsible for the order to leave no survivors. Neither suggested the SecDef would have given such a command.

really went dark for the sequel

Australia just recorded zero cervical cancer cases in women under 25 for the first time since records began in 1982. The amazing result of HPV vaccination.

Every single congressional Democrat needs to be out there, right now, insisting that Pete Hegseth resign right now and announcing that he will be held accountable for committing war crimes. If you do not demand accountability here and now, they will only become more emboldened.

The most hopeful news is the banking crisis. Problem loans (overdue or restructured) are ~10 trillion roubles: 24% of the federal budget. share-talk.com/russian-bank... There could be a massive bank bailout within 12 months, esp. if the EU increases sanctions. intacapitalswiss.com/is-the-russi...

In 10 days Trump has slurred 4 female reporters as “Horrible” “Piggy,” “Ugly” and “Stupid.” people.com/trump-snaps-...

So the Home Office, which is responsible for the welfare of asylum seekers & for determining their claims, has decided to call them “illegal migrants” & tell everyone it’s “furious” about them being here, but I’m sure this is fine and not a symptom of a culture of disbelief & gratuitous cruelty

This should alarm us all. https://bit.ly/497ap75

🔴Delighted to say I'll be doing more reporting for @bylinetimes.bsky.social over the coming months. My maiden piece is an interview with Lord Alf Dubs on the asylum proposals, which he says are an "historic low" for the Labour party.

JFC.

One can agree or disagree with the reasons for his decision, but I hope everyone can see the value of politicians standing by their convictions in this way. www.thestar.com/politics/fed...

Guilbeault's resignation letter (from post on X):

This makes me very worried for many of my Burmese- American friends (or green card holders from the various nations within Burma that hold a Burmese passport) www.cnn.com/us/live-news...

Putin's plan to end the war in Ukraine. Cartoon by Michael de Adder

Australia’s emissions down 2.2% last financial year. Govt says it is the biggest annual drop in gross emissions recorded (ie not counting land/forests). This has been put out ahead of a dump of climate documents and Chris Bowen making his annual climate statement.

10 years have passed… www.deutschlandfunk.de/toedliche-fl...

“‘If Haiti doesn’t warrant TPS, which country does?’ said Guerline Jozef, co-founder of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, a San Diego immigrant rights group. ‘For this news to come on the eve of Thanksgiving is devastating.’” www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-...

Letter from SR IDPs and other UN independent experts to the government of Sudan- finds a series of serious violations IHRL and IHL including large scale and systematic internal displacement, indiscriminate attacks and killings and summary executions: www.linkedin.com/posts/paulag...

The first official confirmation that Noem herself made the decision not to turn the planes around. A couple hundred men were tortured as a result — and soon after, the Supreme Court confirmed that the Trump admin’s Alien Enemies Act process was a total violation of due process.

“Now, me to you, I know what it’s going to take to get a peace deal done: Donetsk and maybe a land swap somewhere." So surrendering all of Donetsk seems to have come from Witkoff based on a leaked October phone call: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

@davidshoebridge.bsky.social has revealed in the Senate that President of Nauru, Lionel Aingimea, has siphoned off funds from Australian funding in suspected corrupt behaviour, the Australian government knew this, and "they still signed a $2.5bn deal with him" www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...