Keir Starmer’s allies have argued that foreign policy is a reason for him to stay. But he cannot now provide the stable leadership that effective foreign policy, like anything else, requires. With thanks to Emma Burnell for publishing at Labour List. labourlist.org/2026/05/fore...

The case I made on @BBCr4today at 0720 was this. The disclosure of all documents and messages relating to the Mandelson appointment is vital. But the ISC requirement here goes much wider and (perhaps inadvertently) risks collateral damage to UK diplomacy. isc.independent.gov.uk/wp-content/u...

This commentary rightly highlights the fluidity of national identities: they are contested, reshaped over time. The debate about defining Britishness as a national identity is also complex as the UK is a pluri-national state, & with many overlapping factors shaping personal identity experiences.

This by @georgeeaton.bsky.social neatly summarises the Green Party’s NATO own goal. I wonder why they’ve persisted for so long with a stance more extreme, unworkable & presumably off-putting-to-voters, than they needed to in cementing the left-of-Labour vote. www.newstatesman.com/politics/gre...

The green industrial revolution is coming 🖊️ Mariana Mazzucato and Anna Hope Emerson

This is an interesting essay. I think two things missing are (1) assessment of international security risks posed by China and (2) the continuing importance of hard power, notwithstanding the value of pursuing broad multilateral and normative diplomacy.

Corbyn: “An independent foreign policy is one that understands all of the challenges we face: global inequality, displacement and environmental disaster.” Are they really *all* the UK’s challenges? And there’s an implicit assumption, I think, that greater moral clarity is enough to achieve outcomes.

Good @nytimes.com story about recent US use of cyber capabilities as part of integrated operations, particularly noteworthy emphasis on complementarity and the challenge of building a cyber force. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/u...

This is a persuasive case. I also think liberal democracies need to adopt a pro-active, aggressive threat-hunting approach to identifying and extirpating influence/information operations by hostile state actors. You could call it a campaigning, persistent engagement approach.

If done well, and properly resourced, this could improve UK counter-cybercrime efforts.

There’s a good case for a bicameral system leading to more considered legislation. If the elected first chamber employs a legitimacy argument against the unelected second, there’s an obvious solution that a government with a commanding majority could decide to pursue. What might it be?

I think much of what this oped advocates could be achieved without leaving NATO, and that leaving NATO would make the UK’s current situation worse. But its arguments about the need for the UK to reduce reliance on the US are fair.

Worth separating the fact that it could well be smart politics domestically for Polanski to secure this NS oped today, harnessing anti-Trump sentiment as Starmer tries to walk a tight rope, & that some of his arguments (unilateral abolition of nuclear deterrent), are much less smart for UK strategy.

Definitely worth reading this alongside listening to @thegrugq.bsky.social & Tom Uren’s recent discussion of the same topic - role of cyber capabilities in the Venezuela raid. Top line: cyber operations contributed, that wasn’t surprising, & shouldn’t be the main takeaway from the raid.

I think, if you are under fire for lots of U-turns, you should reflect before you repeatedly use the phrase “we are turning the country around.” And around. And around.

This is persuasive, both re: the U-turns and also in the other recent stories about different policy/strategy views emerging in the leadership challenge conversations, and new initiatives to foster intellectual debates across the party. They all highlight the shortcomings of the current centre.

This is a good report about Iranian government efforts to control internet access, including the most recent and most severe cut off during the current protests.

And you need for your MPs to not be increasingly of the view that you yourself are, in fact, a barnacle.

This is an interesting analysis of how treaty commitments would shape NATO member states’ responses to a US attack on Denmark. I wonder about the likelihood of a different scenario - not an attack but a declared fait accompli - and what the response of Denmark’s allies would be in practice.

This is a good report on the latest details about the emerging UK government cyber security refresh, with good expert comments too. The language is positive, but I think Jamie sounds the right note of scepticism in his quoted remarks.

Nothing says Christmas week like sitting down to read about the ghosts of cybersecurity strategies past, present, and yet to come. With thanks to @lawfaremedia.org for publishing.

Two more examples: shielded Jonathan Powell from all but one begrudging private JCNSS meeting (no good reason not to appear, it’s just because he can); & recent ISC report indicates its budget/staff/remit could/should be better. Quick wins for a government serious about doing scrutiny better.

The big aid cut was always going to have international security implications, once decisions started to be made about where it fell. Is this the first reported impact on the UK’s international cyber priorities too?

Exclusive: The UK's elections watchdog says it's taken three years and at least a quarter of a million pounds to fully recover from a hack that saw the private details of 40m voters accessed by Chinese cyber spies. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

RUSI @rusi.bsky.social invited experts to discuss strengthening UK cyber defences ahead of the new cyber strategy. Dr @joedevanny.bsky.social emphasises doing more with existing resources through strategic collaboration across government, industry & international partners. 🔗Read: bit.ly/423GwQT

Dr Joe Devanny (@joedevanny.bsky.social) explains that "using #foreignfighters is a way for #Russia to increase numbers while mitigating the domestic costs of the war." However, he adds that many have been recruited through coercion and false promises. 🔗Read more: bit.ly/4mR1eeL #UkraineWar

How can #disinformation shape public perception? A report claiming Russia captured UK operatives was false. The image was AI-generated; the individuals don’t exist. "Disinformation doesn't need to be sophisticated to have an impact." - Dr @joedevanny.bsky.social. Read more: 🔗 bit.ly/4mFOdEQ

Another interesting @washingtonpost.com tech story from this weekend, this time a Catholic chatbot. www.washingtonpost.com/religion/202...

A very nostalgic read for people of a certain age, symbolising how the internet changed media consumption incredibly quickly.

💭 In this commentary for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Dr Joe Devanny considers how effectively international efforts are improving global cyber diplomacy 👇 🔗 bit.ly/3ISa9xS #CyberDiplomacy #DigitalDiplomacy @carnegieendowment.org @joedevanny.bsky.social

Is Putin preparing to challenge Europe within three years? Dr @joedevanny.bsky.social highlights the deterrent effect of NATO, stating: "There is a difference between Putin being “ready” to use military force against Nato and his actually deciding to do it". Read more: bit.ly/3ZXE9Os

The SDR outlines sensible steps to improve defence in the cyber domain. But it leaves details to be developed, particularly about how the UK should operate in cyberspace, writes @joedevanny.bsky.social.

London was looking nice today from atop Bush House, for the @warstudieskcl.bsky.social undergraduate open day.

Dr @joedevanny.bsky.social explores the complex challenges facing the Omagh Bombing Inquiry: “There is huge expectation on the Inquiry, but it faces the very difficult task of making contextually complex, historical judgements." @instituteforgov.bsky.social Learn more: bit.ly/4lG3h5M

UK election interference threat grows after Trump's cyber defence cuts | Alongside others, I spoke to @richardholmes.bsky.social for this @theipaper.com article, inews.co.uk/news/uk-elec...

There is huge expectation on the Omagh Bombing Inquiry but it faces a very difficult task of contextually complex, historical judgement. Read our latest guest comment from @joedevanny.bsky.social www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/omag...

So it turns out a delegate from the U.S. National Security Council managed to fluster quite a few European counterparts by suggesting the U.S. might take lethal action against irresponsible spyware companies during the Pall Mall Process conference in Paris last week...

📺South Africa, like other middle ground nations, must navigate the differences in how democratic and authoritarian countries want to regulate the internet. What are its global cybersecurity policies, and what's unique about its cyber statecraft? Full video on our website: bit.ly/4iYzweH

One striking thing in memoirs from Trump 1.0 is how destabilised the admin was by vying for influence. Specifics may be surprising, but the broader trend isn’t. Which isn’t to say this trend is good. Difficult to see how any admin would benefit from this disorder.

🚨We are thrilled to share a new paper on India’s Cyber Statecraft by #EISS Technology Coordinator @apb-laudrain.bsky.social & @joedevanny.bsky.social for @carnegieendowment.org The paper is part of EPSRC-Dstl Cyber Statecraft Proj 🔗 Read the full text here: carnegieendowment.org/research/202...

In a new paper with @joedevanny.bsky.social for @lawfare.bsky.social, we use the "Pacific Rim" campaign by @sophossecurity.bsky.social as an opportunity to further the understanding of norms of responsible behavior in cyberspace and counter-cyber operations (CCO)/active cyber defense (ACD). 🧵/5

Sophos, a developer of endpoint protection software, recently disclosed its active cyber defense campaign, Pacific Rim. Michael Genkin and @joedevanny.bsky.social explore why the campaign was effective and what lessons it has for responding to threat actors in the future.

Allies and cyber operations: UK implications of a reported Trump/Russia decision | A quick post about how decisions in US cyber strategy can affect UK cyber statecraft | joedevanny.substack.com/p/allies-and...

In today’s @kauppalehti.bsky.social, I discuss how access to IT should not be taken for granted. We need to consider the possibility that access to IT will also be utilized as a tool for great power politics. @warstudieskcl.bsky.social @mikaaaltola.bsky.social @joedevanny.bsky.social

Interesting to think through the decision from Trump’s perspective. Vetoing this deal doesn’t exclude a future deal, so is there reason to think a future deal would likely be worse for the US, or that Starmer’s string of negative hypotheticals would likely occur in the meantime?

Can already recommend this as a cyber diplomacy teaching resource. We discussed Michele Markoff’s chapter today in our @warstudieskcl.bsky.social debate on the evolution of the UN cyber norms process.

Humbled and excited to be appointed as Visiting Professor @kingscollegelondon.bsky.social @warstudieskcl.bsky.social ! Links to LinkedIn video in comments. @mikaaaltola.bsky.social | @vpkivimaki.bsky.social www.kcl.ac.uk/people/valtt...

This short thread points out really well some of the conceptual historical challenges the Omagh Inquiry faces.