Saw this on the road today. Says, "fighting terrorists since 1861." WTF?

Merz reiterates the goal of the German Bundeswehr becoming “the strongest conventional military in Europe”. #MSC2026

Yey Merz! “Der Kulturkampf der MAGA - Bewegung in den USA ist nicht der unsere!” #MSC2026

I wonder how he spins this accomplishment on his CV.

About that "report" that Israel was evaporating Gazans with thermobaric warheads. open.substack.com/pub/shurkin/...

"officials discovered that the U.S. could not conduct a major offensive as quickly as they had hoped without real risks to American forces, support from allies, and regional stability"

Might be the best comment on my videos yet.

My latest. "Should we bomb Iran?" youtu.be/ee4q0GpdBNg

Always great to be cited in Le Monde. www.lemonde.fr/afrique/arti...

This alone should disqualify someone from elected office in the United States of America in 2026.

Wow.

The CIA just stopped publishing their World Factbook and took every page, including the archived copies of previous versions! This sucks. It was public domain, so I recovered the 2020 edition (the last one published as a zip file) and shared it to GitHub simonwillison.net/2026/Feb/5/t...

Correct.

Too antisemitic for HRW? That's a real accomplishment. If the Guardian objects, that means @hrw.org has done well. Human Rights Watch researchers resign after report on Palestinian right of return blocked | World news | The Guardian share.google/QugRyQ563rwk...

All the talk of US re-engagement with the Sahel makes this a good time to watch my interview from a year ago with the US Ambassador to Mali. youtu.be/CwNIAvJ2aTg

I keep having to address this question, although this time with Venezuela on my mind... open.substack.com/pub/shurkin/...

Busy making new videos. In the mean time, have you watched this yet? "The TikTokization of War - A Conversation with Rya Noordally, aka @noorryan.bsky.social youtu.be/UBWrTCDDoag

Jesus

My latest. youtu.be/0fHUtTcLJMM

Yes it’s called a strategy of denial to deter China in the Pacific yes that’s why the priority is restoring the Monroe Doctrine but in Greenland yes where the only foreign base is already ours yes which is why we’re sending a carrier to the Middle East to bomb Iran yes. I am a strategist yes.

I have to ask: how does one stiffen a wombat?

L’expertise sur l’Arctique est répartie de manière très inéquitable. Vous ne trouverez guère de ressources audiovisuelles en français d’une telle qualité pour éclairer l’actualité, les rapports de forces et les enjeux autour du Groenland. Je ne connais personne qui n’apprendrait rien de cet épisode.

RAND PAUL: What if a country indicts our president for violating a foreign law -- should we extradite him or be okay if they get him by force? RUBIO: We're always going to act in our natl interest PAUL: What I'm saying is our arguments are empty. It's a ruse. We do what we do bc we have the force

Very good analysis and set of questions. Finn PM Stubb initiates values-based realism. It can be argues VBR is law of the jungle wrapped in a thinner lie of values that give way to pragmatism. This would be to not appreciate the pragmatic value of our values - giving Greenland to the US against

“I watched him die… then I watched them maneuver his body like a rag doll— only to discover it was because they wanted to count the bullet wounds and see how many they ‘got’, like he was a deer.”

My take on Carney's speech. open.substack.com/pub/shurkin/...

Have you watched this yet? youtu.be/J-prsdLGqyo

@newlinesmag.bsky.social editorial board guidance for covering Holocaust Remembrance Day: Get in there and make it about Gaza.

Minnesota National Guard members have arrived at a federal building and were directed to distribute donuts, coffee, and hot chocolate to anti-ICE protesters. Guard members were issued reflective vests so they would not be mistaken for federal agents.

It's live. I had the honor of interviewing @olivierschmitt.bsky.social and Esben Salling Larsen of the Royal Danish Defence College about Greenland and Danish defense policy. I learned a TON. Watch, and so will you. youtu.be/J-prsdLGqyo

Just finished editing an amazing interview on Greenland and Danish defense policy with @olivierschmitt.bsky.social and Esben Salling Larsen, of the Royal Danish Defence College. Stay tuned!

I wonder if anyone in the Admin made some well-timed trades.

The is not a new deal - this is Trump surrendering. For now. They have always said that the US & NATO is free to do what it wants in Greenland from a military perspective. Trump said that wasn’t good enough because he needs the US to “own” it. So this is simply Trump backing down

Amazing.

Very interesting analysis of the Greenland shockwaves by @michaelshurkin.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/shurkin/...

This.

I'm trying to get my head around the implications of the Greenland scenario. open.substack.com/pub/shurkin/...

@michaelshurkin.bsky.social spelling it out: without allies America becomes a mere regional power, no longer able to project its power across the globe.

Because it's not really about that at all.

I made this video reluctantly because it seems so self-evident. Rather like having to tell people not to drink the rubbing alcohol. But here we are. youtu.be/5KmuWGT__yc

I feel like I'm living that movie "Idiocracy." I've woken up and everyone in my country is dumber by maybe 20 IQ points. Myself included? Now that's a good question. Would I know what if it were true?

There's too much nonsense being said about Denmark. I hope this helps. open.substack.com/pub/shurkin/...

This is insane.

"Eyewitnesses say gov't forces have begun opening fire, apparently with automatic weapons and at times seemingly indiscriminately, on unarmed protesters...protesters had been coming in with pellet injuries but now with gunshot wounds & skull fractures." www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/w...

C'est un épisode que j'ai en stock depuis plus d'un mois et dont je vais confesser qu'il me brûlait un peu les doigts, parce que je pense qu'il aurait fait du bien au débat, et notamment aux remarques des Clausewitz de bistrot sur l'obsolescence du porte-avions qu'on lit depuis trois semaines.

Another thought-provoking piece from @michaelshurkin.bsky.social “Why is Trump doing this?” My guesses: - He wants to assert himself internationally as the strongman of the Western hemisphere - He wants to make a point domestically: he can do whatever he wants open.substack.com/pub/shurkin/...

All about the Danish military. With thoughts on Greenland and the Pax Americana. youtu.be/bJK-p9Ynpmk

All about the Danish military. With thoughts on Greenland and the Pax Americana. youtu.be/bJK-p9Ynpmk

I coined a new word today.

Danish soldier Sophia Bruun. Killed in action in Afghanistan as part of Task Force Helmand, 2010, at the age of 22.