Felix Drost
@felixdrost.bsky.social
Armchair O7 Once an anthropologist & soldier. 🇪🇺 🇳🇱 🇺🇲 Pseudonym.
Defense, Security & Technology.
Stubborn Atlanticist.
Defense, Security & Technology.
Stubborn Atlanticist.
Reposted by Felix Drost
So it looks like the US seized Maduro to protect Chinese oil interests in Venezuela. It certainly was not to free the Venezuelan people as they are still being brutalised by the continuation of the Maduro regime.
www.reuters.com/business/ene...
www.reuters.com/business/ene...
US trying to avoid "damaging" Chinese deals in Venezuela, energy secretary says
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said during a trip to Venezuela on Wednesday legitimate deals by legitimate Chinese companies will be fine in Venezuela, but the Trump administration is trying to av...
www.reuters.com
February 12, 2026 at 3:15 PM
So it looks like the US seized Maduro to protect Chinese oil interests in Venezuela. It certainly was not to free the Venezuelan people as they are still being brutalised by the continuation of the Maduro regime.
www.reuters.com/business/ene...
www.reuters.com/business/ene...
Reposted by Felix Drost
Long story short, DOD/CIA can't kill the CFT because it is congressionally mandated so they are burying it in bureaucracy to make it go away. This weekend we'll have an extensive interview about this on @theteamhouse.bsky.social with @mpolymer1.bsky.social and "Adam" AKA Patient Zero.
Cross-Functional Team for Havana Syndrome transitioning.
"Elbridge Colby wanted it disbanded"
substack.com/@sashaingber...
"Elbridge Colby wanted it disbanded"
substack.com/@sashaingber...
Cross-Functional Team for Havana Syndrome 'transitioning'
This cross-disciplinary support team is shifting to Research and Engineering inside the Department of Defense, where some fear medical support and attribution will diminish.
substack.com
February 12, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Long story short, DOD/CIA can't kill the CFT because it is congressionally mandated so they are burying it in bureaucracy to make it go away. This weekend we'll have an extensive interview about this on @theteamhouse.bsky.social with @mpolymer1.bsky.social and "Adam" AKA Patient Zero.
Thought provoking and fun article by @simonkuper.bsky.social in the @financialtimes.com
Populations in most of the great landmass from Portugal to China will probably halve this century. What might life for our grandchildren look like? Me with an uncharacteristic optimistic take (drawing on the only historical precedent: the 14th-century Black Death)
@financialtimes.com
@financialtimes.com
Life in a depopulating world
[FREE TO READ] With declining fertility rates, many countries will look very different by 2100
as.ft.com
February 12, 2026 at 7:29 PM
Thought provoking and fun article by @simonkuper.bsky.social in the @financialtimes.com
Reposted by Felix Drost
Ishaan’s analysis of global affairs is top notch, please sign up and support him!
Dear friends on Bluesky, it's been an overwhelming week since the mass layoff at the Post. I'll be continuing the work and would be so grateful if you sign up here to keep up with my future journalism. docs.google.com/forms/d/1dlh...
Ishaan Tharoor — Follow my work
Please share your email address so I can keep you posted.
docs.google.com
February 12, 2026 at 4:44 PM
Ishaan’s analysis of global affairs is top notch, please sign up and support him!
Reposted by Felix Drost
"Russia’s approach to AI-enabled command and control reflects a decisive shift away from abstract, large-scale modernization concepts and toward solving concrete battlefield problems." An excellent new report from Kateryna Bondar at @CSIS on AI and Russian C2. www.csis.org/analysis/how...
How Russia Is Reshaping Command and Control for AI-Enabled Warfare
Kateryna Bondar examines how Russia conceptualizes, builds, and adapts its command and control (C2) architecture under wartime pressures, in the first installment of a series on Russia’s use of AI in ...
www.csis.org
February 11, 2026 at 10:58 PM
"Russia’s approach to AI-enabled command and control reflects a decisive shift away from abstract, large-scale modernization concepts and toward solving concrete battlefield problems." An excellent new report from Kateryna Bondar at @CSIS on AI and Russian C2. www.csis.org/analysis/how...
Reposted by Felix Drost
“For many residents, the return of state authority raises fears of renewed repression and communal violence, particularly after recent abuses involving Syrian forces elsewhere in the country.”
Inside the End of Kurdish Self-Rule in Syria
A fragile deal with Damascus means reunification in the country’s northeast, but fighters remain on alert and civilians are fearful of both the present and future
newlinesmag.com
February 11, 2026 at 11:09 PM
“For many residents, the return of state authority raises fears of renewed repression and communal violence, particularly after recent abuses involving Syrian forces elsewhere in the country.”
Reposted by Felix Drost
For years, the first newsletter I read after waking up & getting the kids to school was @ishaantharoor.bsky.social’s WorldView for the Washington Post. Nothing else in mainstream US media gave readers foreign perspectives on US news. Jeff Bezos and Will Lewis killed it. Today was its last edition.
February 11, 2026 at 1:23 PM
For years, the first newsletter I read after waking up & getting the kids to school was @ishaantharoor.bsky.social’s WorldView for the Washington Post. Nothing else in mainstream US media gave readers foreign perspectives on US news. Jeff Bezos and Will Lewis killed it. Today was its last edition.
Reposted by Felix Drost
23/ 'DSHRG Rusych' agrees, and adds:
"Everything relies on Telegram chats: information exchange, coordinates, broadcasts (often conducted on the now-blocked Discord), and so on. [Peskov's] degree of detachment from reality is simply astounding." /end
"Everything relies on Telegram chats: information exchange, coordinates, broadcasts (often conducted on the now-blocked Discord), and so on. [Peskov's] degree of detachment from reality is simply astounding." /end
February 11, 2026 at 3:57 PM
23/ 'DSHRG Rusych' agrees, and adds:
"Everything relies on Telegram chats: information exchange, coordinates, broadcasts (often conducted on the now-blocked Discord), and so on. [Peskov's] degree of detachment from reality is simply astounding." /end
"Everything relies on Telegram chats: information exchange, coordinates, broadcasts (often conducted on the now-blocked Discord), and so on. [Peskov's] degree of detachment from reality is simply astounding." /end
Reposted by Felix Drost
South Australia is proving to the world that relying largely on wind and solar energy with battery back-up is incredibly cheap, with electricity prices tumbling by 30 per cent in a year and sometimes going negative
This state’s power prices are plummeting as it nears 100% renewables
South Australia is proving to the world that relying largely on wind and solar energy with battery back-up is incredibly cheap, with electricity prices tumbling by 30 per cent in a year and sometimes going negative
www.newscientist.com
February 11, 2026 at 4:17 PM
South Australia is proving to the world that relying largely on wind and solar energy with battery back-up is incredibly cheap, with electricity prices tumbling by 30 per cent in a year and sometimes going negative
Reposted by Felix Drost
Pentagon relocates Havana Syndrome team, raising victims' concerns
Pentagon relocates Havana Syndrome team, raising victims' concerns
Raising Havana Syndrome victim concerns, the Department of War has relocated the Cross Functional Team responsible for investigating AHIs.
www.washingtonexaminer.com
February 11, 2026 at 2:31 PM
Pentagon relocates Havana Syndrome team, raising victims' concerns
Reposted by Felix Drost
Mexican cartels have recently been operating drones along the border, sources say. It’s unclear how many were hit by U.S. military counter-UAS systems this week, but one official says at least one cartel drone was successfully disabled. -CBS News
February 11, 2026 at 5:05 PM
Mexican cartels have recently been operating drones along the border, sources say. It’s unclear how many were hit by U.S. military counter-UAS systems this week, but one official says at least one cartel drone was successfully disabled. -CBS News
Reposted by Felix Drost
The wait is finally over for one of the most highly anticipated foreign intelligence assessments on the NATO eastern flank: the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service's 2026 public report.
www.valisluureamet.ee/en.html
www.valisluureamet.ee/en.html
Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service
Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service
www.valisluureamet.ee
February 11, 2026 at 5:35 AM
The wait is finally over for one of the most highly anticipated foreign intelligence assessments on the NATO eastern flank: the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service's 2026 public report.
www.valisluureamet.ee/en.html
www.valisluureamet.ee/en.html
Reposted by Felix Drost
Trump administration officials have discussed whether to seize additional tankers involved in transporting Iranian oil to pressure Tehran but have held off, concerned about the regime’s near-certain retaliation and the impact on global oil markets.
U.S. Weighs Seizing Tankers Carrying Iranian Oil to Pressure Tehran
But using the same strategy the White House directed at Venezuela is seen as likely to spark retaliation by Tehran and a surge in oil prices.
www.wsj.com
February 10, 2026 at 11:15 PM
Trump administration officials have discussed whether to seize additional tankers involved in transporting Iranian oil to pressure Tehran but have held off, concerned about the regime’s near-certain retaliation and the impact on global oil markets.
Reposted by Felix Drost
Exclusive: President Trump tells me he opposes Israeli annexation steps in the occupied West Bank. My story on
#axios
#axios
Exclusive: Trump says he opposes Israeli annexation steps in West Bank
"We have enough things to think about now. We don't need to be dealing with the West Bank."
www.axios.com
February 10, 2026 at 11:16 PM
Exclusive: President Trump tells me he opposes Israeli annexation steps in the occupied West Bank. My story on
#axios
#axios
Reposted by Felix Drost
Co-founders of Musk’s xAI join exodus from start-up’s tech team ft.trib.al/9QiK2Bc
Co-founders of Musk’s xAI join exodus from start-up’s tech team
Jimmy Ba will be the sixth member of the founding team to depart
ft.trib.al
February 11, 2026 at 12:36 AM
Co-founders of Musk’s xAI join exodus from start-up’s tech team ft.trib.al/9QiK2Bc
Reposted by Felix Drost
You go to the United States this can happen to you, too, my fellow Europeans.
"A modern-day concentration camp ... People have been killed by the staff here." Irish citizen Seamus Culleton has been in ICE detention since September, despite having a valid work permit and his own business in the US.
February 10, 2026 at 5:54 PM
You go to the United States this can happen to you, too, my fellow Europeans.
Reposted by Felix Drost
General consensus is that Trump's presidency has ushered in a new world order from which there is no turning back. This view deserves scrutiny, argues @gideonrachman.bsky.social.
Read his column on #FTEdit 👉 ft.trib.al/38QnpBf
Then have your say in today's #FTEdit poll 🗳️ ft.trib.al/PdHOXLf
Read his column on #FTEdit 👉 ft.trib.al/38QnpBf
Then have your say in today's #FTEdit poll 🗳️ ft.trib.al/PdHOXLf
February 10, 2026 at 11:54 AM
General consensus is that Trump's presidency has ushered in a new world order from which there is no turning back. This view deserves scrutiny, argues @gideonrachman.bsky.social.
Read his column on #FTEdit 👉 ft.trib.al/38QnpBf
Then have your say in today's #FTEdit poll 🗳️ ft.trib.al/PdHOXLf
Read his column on #FTEdit 👉 ft.trib.al/38QnpBf
Then have your say in today's #FTEdit poll 🗳️ ft.trib.al/PdHOXLf
Reposted by Felix Drost
"It does not matter who votes, but who counts the votes." ---Stalin
February 9, 2026 at 5:25 PM
"It does not matter who votes, but who counts the votes." ---Stalin
Reposted by Felix Drost
Reposted by Felix Drost
🥴 The Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee has decided that athletes from the Russian Federation and Belarus will be allowed to participate in the Olympic Games under a neutral flag.
February 9, 2026 at 8:36 PM
🥴 The Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee has decided that athletes from the Russian Federation and Belarus will be allowed to participate in the Olympic Games under a neutral flag.
Reposted by Felix Drost
Leaders in Sweden, Norway, Germany and the Netherlands — some of Europe’s most pro-American countries — have publicly confirmed in recent days that they're holding conversations about a European nuclear deterrent to complement the American version.
www.politico.eu/article/us-d...
www.politico.eu/article/us-d...
February 9, 2026 at 9:28 PM
Leaders in Sweden, Norway, Germany and the Netherlands — some of Europe’s most pro-American countries — have publicly confirmed in recent days that they're holding conversations about a European nuclear deterrent to complement the American version.
www.politico.eu/article/us-d...
www.politico.eu/article/us-d...
Likud and Netanyahu strove to get the GOP and Trump in power but by now realize that Kamala Harris would have been the safer option.
No wonder relations between Netanyahu and the Israeli security apparatus (IDF, Shin Bet, and Mossad) are at an all-time low.
No wonder relations between Netanyahu and the Israeli security apparatus (IDF, Shin Bet, and Mossad) are at an all-time low.
“There’s a real concern this is heading toward a deal that’s bad for us,” said one senior Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “It’s not just Kushner and Witkoff—there are many players influencing Trump, and the direction is worrying.”
www.ynetnews.com/article/hk7j...
www.ynetnews.com/article/hk7j...
Netanyahu heads to Washington for closed-door meeting with Trump: what’s he worried about?
PM seeks to press Trump on strict red lines over Iran’s nuclear program and ballistic missiles, even as US allies in the region push for a lighter deal
www.ynetnews.com
February 10, 2026 at 12:37 AM
Likud and Netanyahu strove to get the GOP and Trump in power but by now realize that Kamala Harris would have been the safer option.
No wonder relations between Netanyahu and the Israeli security apparatus (IDF, Shin Bet, and Mossad) are at an all-time low.
No wonder relations between Netanyahu and the Israeli security apparatus (IDF, Shin Bet, and Mossad) are at an all-time low.
Reposted by Felix Drost
😡 Vladyslav Geraskevych was banned from using a “special” helmet at the 2026 Olympics, which depicts killed Ukrainian athletes…
February 9, 2026 at 9:38 PM
😡 Vladyslav Geraskevych was banned from using a “special” helmet at the 2026 Olympics, which depicts killed Ukrainian athletes…
Reposted by Felix Drost
My latest. Key point is that national defense in Europe is not a national sovereign responsibility. This is a fiction. Europe’s states haven’t been sovereign on defense since WWII. Instead they outsourced defense to a foreign power (US). Now Europe has to start working together as Europe on defense
“The most effective way European states can defend themselves without Washington’s backing is to integrate their defense efforts,” writes @maxbergmann.bsky.social. “It is time for the EU to become Europe’s Pentagon.”
Europe Needs an Army
Only collective defense can protect the continent.
fam.ag
February 9, 2026 at 5:54 PM
My latest. Key point is that national defense in Europe is not a national sovereign responsibility. This is a fiction. Europe’s states haven’t been sovereign on defense since WWII. Instead they outsourced defense to a foreign power (US). Now Europe has to start working together as Europe on defense