Hilary Barth
banner
hilarybarth.bsky.social
Hilary Barth
@hilarybarth.bsky.social
Professor of Psychology at Wesleyan U, CT, USA. Tentatively using this to post mostly-science content .. no promises. Still on Ukraine X/Twitter.
Reposted by Hilary Barth
Don’t sanewash this, media. The Trump White House forfeited benefit of the doubt a while ago. They pushed an awful, very Russia-friendly plan for Ukraine, and are now lying to save face.

You can tell because the plan aligns with their year-long efforts, and the current lies contradict each other.
Pretty obvious what happened

Team Trump, high on their own supply and sympathetic to Russia, thought they could make Ukraine surrender and declare Trump a glorious peacemaker.

Then they got out of their bubble into reality, embarrassingly flopped, and are now scrambling to lie trying to save face.
November 23, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Reposted by Hilary Barth
Do I understand correctly that there is now a dispute within the administration about whether this "peace plan" was written by Russians or Americans?
November 23, 2025 at 2:42 AM
Reposted by Hilary Barth
Extended group rejection
November 22, 2025 at 11:10 PM
Reposted by Hilary Barth
So, to recap, Ukraine and Europe understand that America has effectively endorsed a 28-point plan to force Kyiv to capitulate, set a Thursday deadline to accept it, and threatened to cut off all aid.

Now Marco Rubio says it's all wrong, that's not the plan, there's no deadline and no threat.
November 22, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Reposted by Hilary Barth
This is Zelensky putting pressure on Trump. He knows Ukrainians don't want to surrender. He's talking to all Americans across the political spectrum who support Ukraine, love freedom, and hate surrender. He's telling them: "you can't allow Trump to align the US with Ru against Europe". Let's see.
NEW: Brutal to watch Zelensky address his nation just now. On the brink of being abandoned by the US.

"Right now is one of the most difficult moments in our history. At this moment, Ukraine may face a very hard choice: either the loss of dignity, or the risk of losing a key partner."
November 21, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Reposted by Hilary Barth
"The price for keeping the dialogue (with the U.S.) cannot be the sovereignty of Ukraine, which this plan undermines altogether," Inna Sovsun, a lawmaker from the opposition Holos party, told the Kyiv Independent.
'A plan of capitulation' — US push for controversial peace plan met with backlash in Ukraine
Amid mounting pressure from the White House, Kyiv is now grappling with a U.S. 28-point peace plan that many in the country view as a "capitulation." Ukrainian activists, lawmakers, soldiers and vete...
kyivindependent.com
November 21, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Just watched US political scientists present empirical evidence from Ukraine that removing foreign military aid will not make Ukrainians stop resisting, but rather will more likely prolong the war, make it bloodier, and make Ukrainians suffer more.
November 21, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Reposted by Hilary Barth
Zelenskyy has posted a deeply difficult, ten‑minute national address. It is honestly heartbreaking to watch. I’m sure translations are already circulating and you’ll find it online, but the first point you need to hear is this:

"Right now is one of the most difficult moments in our history. ,
November 21, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Reposted by Hilary Barth
Some notable things in what's being called the "Trump peace plan" but which could not have been more clearly written in Moscow if it came with a 2 for 1 deal on tickets to the Bolshoi Ballet. 🧵
November 21, 2025 at 10:06 AM
Reposted by Hilary Barth
"Ukraine agrees to be a non-nuclear state in accordance with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons" Ukraine agreed to that 31 years ago; in exchange it got the Budapest memorandum. Is Russia seriously worried that Ukraine might be having second thoughts?
November 21, 2025 at 10:06 AM
Vintage New England November vibes
November 20, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Reposted by Hilary Barth
Following the Russian missile strike on Ternopil, 26 people have been confirmed killed and 22 remain missing. Search and rescue efforts are still underway.
November 20, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Perhaps will see you at ASEEES. Looking forward to a lot of your presentations.
November 19, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Reposted by Hilary Barth
If the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing all over again while expecting different results, is US policy total insanity? Or just simple incompetence? Or insane incompetence? Incompetent insanity?
New: I can confirm hasty US-Russia proposal being pushed to Ukrainians via Dmitriev-Witkoff to Umerov. It would amount to Ukraine’s capitulation, with people familiar saying it’s Kremlin’s maximalist demands.
-Ukraine army cut 1/2
-Give up certain weapons
-Give up Donbas
-Zelensky displeased
More tk
November 19, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Reposted by Hilary Barth
How about a counter proposal?

— Putin surrenders himself to ICC (along with other war criminals)

— Russia withdraws to pre-2014 territory

— Russia funds rebuilding of Ukraine

— Russia returns all those kidnapped or captured

— Russia indemnifies families of all those killed
New: I can confirm hasty US-Russia proposal being pushed to Ukrainians via Dmitriev-Witkoff to Umerov. It would amount to Ukraine’s capitulation, with people familiar saying it’s Kremlin’s maximalist demands.
-Ukraine army cut 1/2
-Give up certain weapons
-Give up Donbas
-Zelensky displeased
More tk
November 19, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Reposted by Hilary Barth
Honored to join the outstanding team @iphr.bsky.social today to confront Russia’s campaign against Ukraine’s future: its children 🇺🇦

Up next
November 19, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Reposted by Hilary Barth
⚡️Death toll has risen to 20, including children, as a result of Russia's mass attack against Ukraine on Nov. 19.

In the city of Ternopil, which suffered the most damage, the search continues for people who may be trapped under the rubble.
20 killed, 115 injured, emergency power outages across Ukraine as Russia launches mass missile, drone attack
Russia launched 476 drones and 48 missiles at Ukraine, including 47 cruise missiles and one ballistic missile, the Air Force reported.
kyivindependent.com
November 19, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Reposted by Hilary Barth
Alarming that the only president willing to say the truth in this conversation is Michael Roth of Wesleyan University 🎁

‘We Lost Our Mission’: Three University Leaders on the Future of Higher Ed www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/o...
www.nytimes.com
November 19, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Reposted by Hilary Barth
🇺🇦 Today's working conditions in my Kyiv home: no electricity, no heating, no wifi bc of russian strikes on energy infrastructure.

Specialists work around the clock to fix what can be. Keeping my coat & hat at all times.

Silver lining: there is water, 4G & I can work outside 🙏
November 17, 2025 at 11:27 AM
Reposted by Hilary Barth
So the total amount of drones they launched in 2023 is equivalent to one night in 2025
November 16, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Reposted by Hilary Barth
My new column praises Italian Senator Calenda’s viral push back of Ru propaganda and argues that democratic debate requires more of this. "We cannot hide confrontation over facts and truth behind the false-equivalency facade of 'let’s agree to disagree'."
"
www.policymagazine.ca/when-confron...
When Confronting Russian Propaganda, Truth is Not Optional - Policy Magazine
In late October, Italian Senator Carlo Calenda went viral for bluntly calling economist Jeffrey Sachs a liar. During a debate between the two on the Italian
www.policymagazine.ca
November 5, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Reposted by Hilary Barth
My piece on the dramatic changes inside Russian schools since 2022, with weapons training in the classroom and a push from kindergarten to prepare soldiers for future conflicts. “They are preparing kids ideologically & psychologically for war,” said @irgarner.bsky.social www.wsj.com/world/russia...
Putin Is Turning Eighth-Grade Classrooms Into Army Training Grounds
A vast militarization of the education system is gathering pace in Russian classrooms, where students are trained to handle weapons by active soldiers.
www.wsj.com
November 14, 2025 at 11:52 AM
“Building on Ruins: The Russification of Mariupol, One Apartment Block at a Time”
November 14, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Reposted by Hilary Barth
Nine out of 10 residential buildings in Mariupol were damaged or destroyed during Russia’s invasion. Now, the apartment blocks are being rebuilt – and offered for sale to Russians with low-interest mortgages. Residents who survived the siege must become Russian citizens to claim their homes.
November 14, 2025 at 11:19 AM