Dan Nexon
@dhnexon.bsky.social
Professor in the Department of Government and the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.
Power Politics | Empires | International Order
dhnexon.net | https://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com | duckofminerva.com
Power Politics | Empires | International Order
dhnexon.net | https://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com | duckofminerva.com
Pinned
Dan Nexon
@dhnexon.bsky.social
· Oct 4
It has been suggested that i pin this piece, but I never actually posted it myself. So 👇
Reposted by Dan Nexon
oh FOR FUCK'S SAKE, QUINCY. You people literally cannot pass up an occasion to sell Ukraine out!
January 6, 2026 at 4:31 PM
oh FOR FUCK'S SAKE, QUINCY. You people literally cannot pass up an occasion to sell Ukraine out!
I’m also still sticking by something I told a reporter like a year ago. Trump craves status. He needs constant affirmations of his greatness. He wants to be in the “great-power dictator” club with Xi and Putin, and he’s been emulating them. Which means he needs a territorial claim to pursue.
The problem with the status quo is twofold. First, Trump can’t go down in history as the president who added Greenland (or, presumably, Trumpland) to the United States. Second, his cronies can’t get sweet, sweet deals for data centers — or however else they want to extract rents.
What is just crazy about this, aside from the need for this statement at all, is that Greenland already IS in the US sphere of influence. It's far cheaper for the US, in material, security, and reputational terms, to have Denmark continue administering Greenland and work within NATO on security.
January 6, 2026 at 4:29 PM
I’m also still sticking by something I told a reporter like a year ago. Trump craves status. He needs constant affirmations of his greatness. He wants to be in the “great-power dictator” club with Xi and Putin, and he’s been emulating them. Which means he needs a territorial claim to pursue.
Reposted by Dan Nexon
Thucydides did not write the Melian Dialogue for people to forget Athens lost the Peloponnesian War.
January 6, 2026 at 1:42 PM
Thucydides did not write the Melian Dialogue for people to forget Athens lost the Peloponnesian War.
The problem with the status quo is twofold. First, Trump can’t go down in history as the president who added Greenland (or, presumably, Trumpland) to the United States. Second, his cronies can’t get sweet, sweet deals for data centers — or however else they want to extract rents.
What is just crazy about this, aside from the need for this statement at all, is that Greenland already IS in the US sphere of influence. It's far cheaper for the US, in material, security, and reputational terms, to have Denmark continue administering Greenland and work within NATO on security.
Joint Statement of major EU/NATO countries on Greenland, together with Denmark:
January 6, 2026 at 4:23 PM
The problem with the status quo is twofold. First, Trump can’t go down in history as the president who added Greenland (or, presumably, Trumpland) to the United States. Second, his cronies can’t get sweet, sweet deals for data centers — or however else they want to extract rents.
Reposted by Dan Nexon
I had a Facebook tiff yesterday with someone who came to the defense of the Trump Admin's public health folks on the reckless changes to the vaccine schedule, defending Jay on the grounds of his commitment to respectful civic discourse.
I had thoughts. mirandayaver.substack.com/p/bless-thei...
I had thoughts. mirandayaver.substack.com/p/bless-thei...
Bless Their Hearts
"Be civil" is not the prescription for this moment.
mirandayaver.substack.com
January 6, 2026 at 1:36 PM
I had a Facebook tiff yesterday with someone who came to the defense of the Trump Admin's public health folks on the reckless changes to the vaccine schedule, defending Jay on the grounds of his commitment to respectful civic discourse.
I had thoughts. mirandayaver.substack.com/p/bless-thei...
I had thoughts. mirandayaver.substack.com/p/bless-thei...
Reposted by Dan Nexon
What is just crazy about this, aside from the need for this statement at all, is that Greenland already IS in the US sphere of influence. It's far cheaper for the US, in material, security, and reputational terms, to have Denmark continue administering Greenland and work within NATO on security.
Joint Statement of major EU/NATO countries on Greenland, together with Denmark:
January 6, 2026 at 12:49 PM
What is just crazy about this, aside from the need for this statement at all, is that Greenland already IS in the US sphere of influence. It's far cheaper for the US, in material, security, and reputational terms, to have Denmark continue administering Greenland and work within NATO on security.
Reposted by Dan Nexon
So much of what this administration does is performative.
Excellent point here from an expert in international relations. Trump’s brand of authoritarianism is, at its core, an aesthetic. He does not seek to achieve policy goals—he seeks a global reputation for appearing powerful.
What is just crazy about this, aside from the need for this statement at all, is that Greenland already IS in the US sphere of influence. It's far cheaper for the US, in material, security, and reputational terms, to have Denmark continue administering Greenland and work within NATO on security.
January 6, 2026 at 4:14 PM
So much of what this administration does is performative.
It’s easy to attack Denmark and Canada for moral cowardice but they’re in a VERY tough spot. Yes, it will be very bad for the U.S. in the medium-term to do anything really punitive, but both are right to fear Trump’s retaliation. Trump loves performative displays of social-dominance.
January 6, 2026 at 4:13 PM
It’s easy to attack Denmark and Canada for moral cowardice but they’re in a VERY tough spot. Yes, it will be very bad for the U.S. in the medium-term to do anything really punitive, but both are right to fear Trump’s retaliation. Trump loves performative displays of social-dominance.
It can be simultaneously true that the Biden administration screwed this up royally and that SCOTUS was going to run interference for Trump no matter what.
the amount of revisionist history about this on *our* side has been exasperating. you can’t blame this solely on the supreme court. it’s a matter of basic chronology
The failure of our elites to hold Trump accountable for January 6th is as disgraceful as what happened on that awful day.
Since 2010, 35 democratic leaders around the world have been criminally convicted. Only Trump went unpunished and unconstrained.
Now he threatens democracy at home and abroad.
Since 2010, 35 democratic leaders around the world have been criminally convicted. Only Trump went unpunished and unconstrained.
Now he threatens democracy at home and abroad.
January 6, 2026 at 4:04 PM
It can be simultaneously true that the Biden administration screwed this up royally and that SCOTUS was going to run interference for Trump no matter what.
Schumer is playing the inside-Senate politics game; trying to nudge Republicans along to hold hearings and the like. It’s fine. The issue because he’s also trying to do public messaging as well.
Republicans made welfare fraud in Minnesota the most important story in the country. Schumer turned a war for oil into a question about national security briefings.
January 6, 2026 at 3:55 PM
Schumer is playing the inside-Senate politics game; trying to nudge Republicans along to hold hearings and the like. It’s fine. The issue because he’s also trying to do public messaging as well.
In the 10’s the Norwegian Institute for International Affairs turned a paper I’d presented into a grant on the politics of 🇨🇳 and 🇷🇺 providing “goods” to Arctic adjacent states as a an influence mechanism.
They when to 🇬🇱 to see about Chinese involvement.
All they found was a Chinese restaurant.
They when to 🇬🇱 to see about Chinese involvement.
All they found was a Chinese restaurant.
January 6, 2026 at 3:49 PM
In the 10’s the Norwegian Institute for International Affairs turned a paper I’d presented into a grant on the politics of 🇨🇳 and 🇷🇺 providing “goods” to Arctic adjacent states as a an influence mechanism.
They when to 🇬🇱 to see about Chinese involvement.
All they found was a Chinese restaurant.
They when to 🇬🇱 to see about Chinese involvement.
All they found was a Chinese restaurant.
Reposted by Dan Nexon
The correct answer is that he is a lying imperialist who wants to steal someone else's land. www.defensenews.com/news/pentago...
Why Trump is claiming the US ‘needs’ Greenland for Arctic security
Increasing international tensions, global warming and a changing world economy have put Greenland at the heart of the global trade and security debate.
www.defensenews.com
January 6, 2026 at 3:44 PM
The correct answer is that he is a lying imperialist who wants to steal someone else's land. www.defensenews.com/news/pentago...
Reposted by Dan Nexon
Apes do read Thucydides; they just don’t understand him.
Thucydides did not write the Melian Dialogue for people to forget Athens lost the Peloponnesian War.
January 6, 2026 at 3:02 PM
Apes do read Thucydides; they just don’t understand him.
Reposted by Dan Nexon
This is honestly what I expected, but I’m glad @gregsargent.bsky.social is laying it out so clearly here
Will "non-interventionist" MAGA go along? Yup.
A new WaPo poll finds only 40% overall approve of the Maduro capture and only 37% say this was appropriate without Congress.
But 80% of Trump voters support the capture and 78% are fine with not going to Congress. 6/
newrepublic.com/article/2049...
A new WaPo poll finds only 40% overall approve of the Maduro capture and only 37% say this was appropriate without Congress.
But 80% of Trump voters support the capture and 78% are fine with not going to Congress. 6/
newrepublic.com/article/2049...
January 6, 2026 at 2:45 PM
This is honestly what I expected, but I’m glad @gregsargent.bsky.social is laying it out so clearly here
Reposted by Dan Nexon
Put the opposition aside. That's very soft same-party support for a major military action by the President. And it's downright dismal among independents.
The two-day poll showed 65% of Republicans back the military operation ordered by Trump, compared to 11% of Democrats and 23% of independents www.yahoo.com/news/article...
A third of Americans support US strike on Venezuela, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds
By Jason Lange WASHINGTON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - One in three Americans approves of the U.S. military strike on Venezuela that toppled the country's president and 72% worry the U.S. will become too
www.yahoo.com
January 6, 2026 at 3:40 PM
Put the opposition aside. That's very soft same-party support for a major military action by the President. And it's downright dismal among independents.
Please stop.
Increasing international tensions, global warming and a changing world economy have put Greenland at the heart of the global trade and security debate.
Why Trump is claiming the US ‘needs’ Greenland for Arctic security
Increasing international tensions, global warming and a changing world economy have put Greenland at the heart of the global trade and security debate.
www.defensenews.com
January 6, 2026 at 3:40 PM
Please stop.
Reposted by Dan Nexon
IR people who decry gender studies or arguments are fish refusing to believe the study of water is important.
kind of darkly funny that "gender studies" is the stereotypical "useless degree" because gender studies will help you understand a large and important chunk of the current psychosis in american life
January 6, 2026 at 2:23 PM
IR people who decry gender studies or arguments are fish refusing to believe the study of water is important.
Reposted by Dan Nexon
When I first started developing this line of thinking, it still seemed to be a bit obscure and speculative.
Now that I'm developing it into a long-form project, it has become blindingly obvious.
Now that I'm developing it into a long-form project, it has become blindingly obvious.
Another (perhaps final) thought about the Thiel-Vance-Musk school of civilizational thinking: It may start with an impulse to reinforce barriers and expel out groups, but it ends in imperial expansion of barriers and subordination of out groups to subservient/slave status.
1/
1/
Because they are obsessed with their freshman dorm room version of civilizational thinking, they see these things as existential and infused with social Darwinism, a dangerous combination that leads to Great Replacement anxieties and natalist eugenics.
5/
5/
January 6, 2026 at 2:10 PM
When I first started developing this line of thinking, it still seemed to be a bit obscure and speculative.
Now that I'm developing it into a long-form project, it has become blindingly obvious.
Now that I'm developing it into a long-form project, it has become blindingly obvious.
Congress, the civil services, and the military services took an oath to defend the Constitution, not to stand idly by while the President and SCOTUS shred it.
That they do nothing means that our institutions, in their current form, are irretrievably broken.
That they do nothing means that our institutions, in their current form, are irretrievably broken.
January 6, 2026 at 9:19 AM
Congress, the civil services, and the military services took an oath to defend the Constitution, not to stand idly by while the President and SCOTUS shred it.
That they do nothing means that our institutions, in their current form, are irretrievably broken.
That they do nothing means that our institutions, in their current form, are irretrievably broken.
Reposted by Dan Nexon
I hate this stupid timeline so much
also "so force is on the table?" what kind of a question is that. I realize miller is just saying stuff but at least try to engage with how incorrect and bad it is
also "so force is on the table?" what kind of a question is that. I realize miller is just saying stuff but at least try to engage with how incorrect and bad it is
TAPPER: Can you rule out the US is going to take Greenland by force?
MILLER: Greenland should be part of the US. By what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? The US is the power of NATO
T: So force is on the table?
M: Nobody is gonna fight the US militarily over future of Greenland
MILLER: Greenland should be part of the US. By what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? The US is the power of NATO
T: So force is on the table?
M: Nobody is gonna fight the US militarily over future of Greenland
January 6, 2026 at 9:03 AM
I hate this stupid timeline so much
also "so force is on the table?" what kind of a question is that. I realize miller is just saying stuff but at least try to engage with how incorrect and bad it is
also "so force is on the table?" what kind of a question is that. I realize miller is just saying stuff but at least try to engage with how incorrect and bad it is
Reposted by Dan Nexon
The Trump Administration Approved a Big Lithium Mine. A Top Official’s Husband Profited.
Karen Budd-Falen, the No. 3 at the Interior Department, didn’t disclose a $3.5 million water-rights contract between her husband and the developers of a Nevada mine, records show
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/c...
Karen Budd-Falen, the No. 3 at the Interior Department, didn’t disclose a $3.5 million water-rights contract between her husband and the developers of a Nevada mine, records show
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/c...
The Trump Administration Approved a Big Lithium Mine. A Top Official’s Husband Profited.
www.nytimes.com
January 6, 2026 at 9:06 AM
The Trump Administration Approved a Big Lithium Mine. A Top Official’s Husband Profited.
Karen Budd-Falen, the No. 3 at the Interior Department, didn’t disclose a $3.5 million water-rights contract between her husband and the developers of a Nevada mine, records show
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/c...
Karen Budd-Falen, the No. 3 at the Interior Department, didn’t disclose a $3.5 million water-rights contract between her husband and the developers of a Nevada mine, records show
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/c...
Reposted by Dan Nexon
Yet another huge contract, awarded without any competitive bidding process, to Wes Streeting's favourite NHS supplier, the Hard Right US surveillance tech specialists Palantir, for military decision making capability.
Palantir lands biggest ever UK defense deal
The £240 million contract with the Ministry of Defence has renewed a debate about Britain’s dependence on American technology.
www.politico.eu
January 6, 2026 at 7:16 AM
Yet another huge contract, awarded without any competitive bidding process, to Wes Streeting's favourite NHS supplier, the Hard Right US surveillance tech specialists Palantir, for military decision making capability.
Reposted by Dan Nexon
Can state-building disrupt rather than stabilize society? Thrilled to have a new article in @apsrjournal.bsky.social w/ @mikealbertus.bsky.social showing that the expansion of state communication networks spurred rebellion for decades in France before the Revolution.
👉 doi.org/10.1017/S000...
🧵1/7
👉 doi.org/10.1017/S000...
🧵1/7
January 6, 2026 at 8:38 AM
Can state-building disrupt rather than stabilize society? Thrilled to have a new article in @apsrjournal.bsky.social w/ @mikealbertus.bsky.social showing that the expansion of state communication networks spurred rebellion for decades in France before the Revolution.
👉 doi.org/10.1017/S000...
🧵1/7
👉 doi.org/10.1017/S000...
🧵1/7
Reposted by Dan Nexon
January 6, 2026 at 6:03 AM
Reposted by Dan Nexon
I have a hunch that if you or I were running a website doing this the "urgent contact" would involve door rams and handcuffs so I struggle to see why it can't be slightly more pugnacious than this.
Ofcom, which enforces the UK's Online Safety Act, says it is aware of "serious concerns" about Grok undressing people including children on X
“We have made urgent contact with X and xAI to understand what steps they have taken to comply with their legal duties to protect users in the UK," it says
“We have made urgent contact with X and xAI to understand what steps they have taken to comply with their legal duties to protect users in the UK," it says
January 5, 2026 at 2:57 PM
I have a hunch that if you or I were running a website doing this the "urgent contact" would involve door rams and handcuffs so I struggle to see why it can't be slightly more pugnacious than this.