Elizabeth Saunders

Elizabeth N. Saunders

@profsaunders.bsky.social

22K followers 3.4K following 3K posts

Professor of Political Science & Director of the Saltzman Institute of War & Peace Studies, Columbia. New Book: The Insiders' Game: How Elites Make War and Peace https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691215808/the-insiders-game .. more

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Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · Feb 5

Hard to think through problems when we are in a mode where the current problem gets eaten by a bigger problem within hours.

Reposted by Elizabeth Saunders, Carol J. Adams

Tim Onion @bencollins.bsky.social · 4h

U.K. might lose a prime minister because a guy who worked for him knew another guy who hung out with Epstein. Meanwhile the U.S. opposition party is telling our President, who was Epstein's best friend, that his secret police should get better training so their public street murders look less messy.

Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 5h

Perhaps true domestically, but perhaps internationally on (1) Europe and (2) Trump's foreign policies. Irony is the text messages on Mandelson likely to be the quiet part out loud, i.e., "I'd never pick him but maybe he's the right guy to deal with Trump."

Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 5h

This seems on the money.

Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 5h

I am kidding.

Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 5h

That seems like a pretty good bet, actually.

Of course I was kidding, though wonder if a lame duck Starmer could say some things that nobody else could.

Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 5h

Curious what a real gambling-for-resurrection move would be, thoughts?

Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 5h

Hear me out, Starmer's gambling-for-resurrection move is...calling a referendum on rejoining the EU.

Reposted by Anna O. Law

Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 6h

Knowledge is 30% off! 👇👇👇

Jason "Red5" Lyall @jaylyall.bsky.social · 6h

@princetonupress.bsky.social is having a 30% off sale on new and classic military history books, including work by @profsaunders.bsky.social and yours truly (code: PUP30)

press.princeton.edu/books

Reposted by Elizabeth Saunders, David Darmofal

Jason "Red5" Lyall @jaylyall.bsky.social · 6h

@princetonupress.bsky.social is having a 30% off sale on new and classic military history books, including work by @profsaunders.bsky.social and yours truly (code: PUP30)

press.princeton.edu/books

Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 1d

Not claiming it was novel or determinative. It’s a political question of why this is not discussed as at least unsavory.

Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 1d

I suppose there's also reason to ask why Dimon isn't getting hit in the UK press, though. It being the bonds in the UK he threatened!

Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 1d

Specific advice to “mildly threaten” Brown, conveyed by Epstein from Mandelson, among other things

Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 1d

Yes, though I have a hard time believing that it would be that hard to make a story out of why Dimon was taking advice from Epstein to begin with? In the biggest financial crisis since the Depression?

Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 1d

Yes -- the puzzle is the US, not the UK, where it is being treated as a seismic scandal, related to the disclosure of sensitive gov information (as opposed to the sex crimes which have taken down others like Andrew). Of course all the crimes are intertwined which the UK seems to get.

Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 1d

But it may take down the UK PM. Can't just be that.

Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 1d

That could be part of it. Without minimizing the horrors of what Epstein did to women and girls, this financial part of the story would have had consequences for millions, and there was real anger about this in the post-crisis years. Amazed nobody can make it a story now.

Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 1d

But it's not even his wrongdoing this time! This is the very stuff he ran on. The insiders helping themselves. This is swampian stuff. Why was Dimon taking advice from Epstein and threatening the very foundations of the UK financial system after getting a tip from Epstein via Mandelson?

Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 1d

To be clear, I'm genuinely asking. More plausible is the firehose of news here (can/should this scandal displace the horrors of Minnesota? Or possible war with Iran?). But something about this seems ripe for politicizing and it seems a bit puzzling that it may take down a UK PM and...crickets here.

Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 1d

Put differently: If anger over elite impunity==>populism, & anger over Epstein cover-up==>release of docs, why isn't evidence of elite wrongdoing in the financial crisis, a major event in elite impunity timeline, driving outrage? Too easy to say "elite impunity" when docs released b/c of 2025 anger.

Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 1d

Dumb question: This scandal, considered seismic in Britain, is really about Mandelson leaking confidential, market-moving govt information to Epstein amid the 2008 financial crisis, which Epstein in turn passed to JP Morgan, including advice to Jamie Dimon.

Why is this not hitting Jamie Dimon?

Pippa Crerar @pippacrerar.bsky.social · 1d

BREAKING: Morgan McSweeney quits as Keir Starmer's chief of staff amid fall-out from the Mandelson scandal

Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 1d

Dunno. I am still puzzled that this doesn't appeal to a variety of constituencies, maybe even MAGA. Mandelson isn't quite implicated in the awful sex crimes of Epstein (though maybe knew about it), but this is collusion of elites in the lopsided recovery from the financial crisis. Hugely salient.

Reposted by Elizabeth Saunders

gracegeorge23.bsky.social @gracegeorge23.bsky.social · 1d

Good read!

“Dimon had raised the fact that JP Morgan was one of the biggest purchasers of UK government debt, leaving the clear suggestion in Darling's mind that America's biggest bank could effectively stop lending to Britain.”

😳

Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 1d

Yes, certainly people don't know names, but the 2008 financial crisis is one of the two big events (Iraq the other) where the lack of elite accountability was fuel for populism. This is pretty clear evidence the collusion was real, and Dimon is the head of the biggest bank. Could be made a story.