Alexander Hurst
@iamhurst.bsky.social
Columnist on 🇫🇷 🇪🇺 for The Guardian @theguardian.com / GENERATION DESPERATION (Jan 2026) from Hodder & Stoughton / Hachette (🇬🇧), Goldmann / PRH (🇩🇪)
Rep by @agentbal.bsky.social
Rep by @agentbal.bsky.social
Pinned
Alexander Hurst
@iamhurst.bsky.social
· Nov 20
As bitcoin nears $100,000 here’s a story about how I inadvertently coined the term “desperation capitalism” and then ended up writing a memoir (forthcoming in January 2026) about how I spent a year plunged fully into it, and then another 18 months dealing with the fallout 👇
Reposted by Alexander Hurst
While you're at it, why not read @iamhurst.bsky.social in yesterday's @theguardian.com, too!
Europe must now tell Trump that enough is enough – and cut all ties with the US | Alexander Hurst
How do you retain a space of democracy in a world that is reverting to violent conquest? By building a protective moat of federalism around it, says Paris-based Guardian writer Alexander Hurst
www.theguardian.com
January 15, 2026 at 9:04 AM
While you're at it, why not read @iamhurst.bsky.social in yesterday's @theguardian.com, too!
Will Europe finally choose between Europe and the US? The only thing that can protect us is federalism and a rupture — a real one — with Trump. With the side bonus that just maybe, it will rally Europeans against the far right and shock Americans into action
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Europe must now tell Trump that enough is enough – and cut all ties with the US | Alexander Hurst
How do you retain a space of democracy in a world that is reverting to violent conquest? By building a protective moat of federalism around it, says Paris-based Guardian writer Alexander Hurst
www.theguardian.com
January 14, 2026 at 9:16 AM
Will Europe finally choose between Europe and the US? The only thing that can protect us is federalism and a rupture — a real one — with Trump. With the side bonus that just maybe, it will rally Europeans against the far right and shock Americans into action
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Hey @longreads.com, can I flag you on this narrative longform I did about French Guiana at the intersection of ecological collapse, climate change, European space autonomy, and the French Foreign Legion?
I love the chance to write long things about places that we should be talking more about. A lot of work went into to this — 7 weeks in Guyane, 2 dozen interviews (many thanks to everyone who gave me their time!), and a month and a half spent drafting and editing
www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...
www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...
Rockets, gold and the Foreign Legion: can Europe defend its frontier in the Amazon? | Alexander Hurst
It borders Brazil, but French Guiana is now a remote outpost of the EU. It is home to Europe’s only spaceport, some of the most biodiverse forest on the planet and a military mission that is testing t...
www.theguardian.com
December 12, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Hey @longreads.com, can I flag you on this narrative longform I did about French Guiana at the intersection of ecological collapse, climate change, European space autonomy, and the French Foreign Legion?
Reposted by Alexander Hurst
I love the chance to write long things about places that we should be talking more about. A lot of work went into to this — 7 weeks in Guyane, 2 dozen interviews (many thanks to everyone who gave me their time!), and a month and a half spent drafting and editing
www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...
www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...
Rockets, gold and the Foreign Legion: can Europe defend its frontier in the Amazon? | Alexander Hurst
It borders Brazil, but French Guiana is now a remote outpost of the EU. It is home to Europe’s only spaceport, some of the most biodiverse forest on the planet and a military mission that is testing t...
www.theguardian.com
December 4, 2025 at 8:32 AM
I love the chance to write long things about places that we should be talking more about. A lot of work went into to this — 7 weeks in Guyane, 2 dozen interviews (many thanks to everyone who gave me their time!), and a month and a half spent drafting and editing
www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...
www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...
I love the chance to write long things about places that we should be talking more about. A lot of work went into to this — 7 weeks in Guyane, 2 dozen interviews (many thanks to everyone who gave me their time!), and a month and a half spent drafting and editing
www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...
www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...
Rockets, gold and the Foreign Legion: can Europe defend its frontier in the Amazon? | Alexander Hurst
It borders Brazil, but French Guiana is now a remote outpost of the EU. It is home to Europe’s only spaceport, some of the most biodiverse forest on the planet and a military mission that is testing t...
www.theguardian.com
December 4, 2025 at 8:32 AM
I love the chance to write long things about places that we should be talking more about. A lot of work went into to this — 7 weeks in Guyane, 2 dozen interviews (many thanks to everyone who gave me their time!), and a month and a half spent drafting and editing
www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...
www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...
Reposted by Alexander Hurst
European leaders, however, would be wise not to wait. While the White House and the Kremlin are preparing their summit, Europe can calmly set the terms of the debate, outlining what a sustainable peace does and doesn’t look like. And they can prepare a worse-case response.
/8
/8
August 6, 2025 at 8:06 PM
European leaders, however, would be wise not to wait. While the White House and the Kremlin are preparing their summit, Europe can calmly set the terms of the debate, outlining what a sustainable peace does and doesn’t look like. And they can prepare a worse-case response.
/8
/8
Genuinely confused at how so many people (not Margaret!) read this as an EU bashing column, or ‘hard Brexit’ equivalent, when it’s the opposite
Brexit was delusional bc it involved a small power attempting to act like a big one; the EU is actually. Large power but acts like a small one. 1/
Brexit was delusional bc it involved a small power attempting to act like a big one; the EU is actually. Large power but acts like a small one. 1/
Ja.
"Europeans hate Trump & would probably unify in the face of a full-blown trade war... The first European politician to tell Trump where to shove it, in a crude, unapologetic & very public way, is going to surf a wave of never-before-seen emotion & support."
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
"Europeans hate Trump & would probably unify in the face of a full-blown trade war... The first European politician to tell Trump where to shove it, in a crude, unapologetic & very public way, is going to surf a wave of never-before-seen emotion & support."
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The EU is a colossus. So why is it cowering before Trump like a mouse? | Alexander Hurst
With its woeful trade deal, Europe prostrated itself before the president. We need a leader who will tell him where to shove it, says Guardian Europe columnist Alexander Hurst
www.theguardian.com
August 6, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Genuinely confused at how so many people (not Margaret!) read this as an EU bashing column, or ‘hard Brexit’ equivalent, when it’s the opposite
Brexit was delusional bc it involved a small power attempting to act like a big one; the EU is actually. Large power but acts like a small one. 1/
Brexit was delusional bc it involved a small power attempting to act like a big one; the EU is actually. Large power but acts like a small one. 1/
Reposted by Alexander Hurst
“It’s not just me. There is an entire internet subgenre of content extolling the virtues of French butter, or involving Americans who come to France and realise that this is what peaches, or strawberries, really taste like,” writes @iamhurst.bsky.social.
Touché.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Touché.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
I grew up on American food. Trust me, it’s the last thing Europe needs | Alexander Hurst
The EU is under pressure to strike a trade deal with Trump, but an influx of mass-produced, low-quality food must be off the table, says Guardian Europe columnist Alexander Hurst
www.theguardian.com
June 20, 2025 at 8:49 AM
“It’s not just me. There is an entire internet subgenre of content extolling the virtues of French butter, or involving Americans who come to France and realise that this is what peaches, or strawberries, really taste like,” writes @iamhurst.bsky.social.
Touché.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Touché.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Perfect time to repost me from last month on why the EU should learn the right lesson (enfin, putain 🙄) and stand up for itself for once
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The big lesson for Europe? Trump backed down under pressure | Alexander Hurst
The EU neither ‘kissed ass’ nor unleashed its most powerful trade weapon. Now it must provide the world with an alternative to US chaos
www.theguardian.com
May 23, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Perfect time to repost me from last month on why the EU should learn the right lesson (enfin, putain 🙄) and stand up for itself for once
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Alexander Hurst
"Electricity supply from new wind, solar and nuclear capacity was enough to cut coal-power output even as demand surged, whereas previous falls were due to weak growth."
NEW – Analysis: Clean energy just put China’s CO2 emissions into reverse for first time | @laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social
Read here: buff.ly/6eAcjRU
Read here: buff.ly/6eAcjRU
May 15, 2025 at 12:00 PM
"Electricity supply from new wind, solar and nuclear capacity was enough to cut coal-power output even as demand surged, whereas previous falls were due to weak growth."
Reposted by Alexander Hurst
Poisoning the air of a Black community for a fucking chatbot.
'How come I can’t breathe?': Musk's data company draws a backlash in Memphis
The company’s turbines — enough to power 280,000 homes — run without emission controls in an area that leads Tennessee in asthma hospitalizations.
www.politico.com
May 10, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Poisoning the air of a Black community for a fucking chatbot.
Can’t wait to see how Netflix, Max, Peacock, Apple TV, Disney, Prime react to being hit with a response tariff on their streaming subscriptions (the revenues from which should be earmarked for European public broadcasters) and same for Fox, Warner, Disney, Paramount, Universal (to fund local film)
Trump says movies produced outside the U.S. are a national security threat. So he’s imposing a 100% tariff on all movies that are “produced in foreign lands.”
May 5, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Can’t wait to see how Netflix, Max, Peacock, Apple TV, Disney, Prime react to being hit with a response tariff on their streaming subscriptions (the revenues from which should be earmarked for European public broadcasters) and same for Fox, Warner, Disney, Paramount, Universal (to fund local film)
Reposted by Alexander Hurst
I don't understand how the Times can never determine whether Trump is lying but can say with certainty when he is joking.
President Trump on Tuesday joked to reporters that he would like to be the next Pope. He took it a step further on Saturday, sharing what appeared to be an A.I.-generated photo of himself wearing the traditional vestments of the pontiff.
Trump Posts an Image of Himself as Pope
The president has joked about being the next pontiff, but the image, which appeared to be A.I.-generated, took things a step further and drew some pushback.
www.nytimes.com
May 3, 2025 at 3:32 PM
I don't understand how the Times can never determine whether Trump is lying but can say with certainty when he is joking.
Reposted by Alexander Hurst
this would be so funny if this guy wasn’t president
April 30, 2025 at 3:33 PM
this would be so funny if this guy wasn’t president
I love stumbling onto the original influence for an artists sound
Like - with alll due respect to LP - I thought their voice was quite unique, and then I listened to Pavlov’s Dog from the 70s…
Like - with alll due respect to LP - I thought their voice was quite unique, and then I listened to Pavlov’s Dog from the 70s…
April 30, 2025 at 4:34 PM
I love stumbling onto the original influence for an artists sound
Like - with alll due respect to LP - I thought their voice was quite unique, and then I listened to Pavlov’s Dog from the 70s…
Like - with alll due respect to LP - I thought their voice was quite unique, and then I listened to Pavlov’s Dog from the 70s…
Reposted by Alexander Hurst
This is the message. You may like Pritzker, you may not, but whomever the new leaders of a reformed democratic party are, they will carry this message. This is the way to win. My two cents.
Pritzker: The reckoning is here. And now that this culture of timidity is on display, these same do-nothing Democrats want to blame our losses on the defense of Black people, trans kids, and immigrants, instead of on their own lack of guts and gumption.
April 29, 2025 at 6:34 PM
This is the message. You may like Pritzker, you may not, but whomever the new leaders of a reformed democratic party are, they will carry this message. This is the way to win. My two cents.
I’ve made several actual, real friends by talking to strangers
this has been quote dunked far and wide so I'd like to say that the OP has my axe, talking to strangers when you're out and about in the world is nice and you don't realise what you're losing if you voluntarily shut yourself away from it
Unpopular opinion: I know it's cool to wear your earbuds and carry a book while pasting a disinterested, don't-talk-to-me expression on your face, but I like to talk to the person sitting beside me on airplanes. I liked it when we were willing to be inconvenienced by strangers.
April 27, 2025 at 1:21 PM
I’ve made several actual, real friends by talking to strangers
Reposted by Alexander Hurst
From an American doctor friend volunteering in Gaza: "So many dead little kids. This man showed up to the hospital today carrying this burlap bag asking for help. He said it held the remains of his daughter after his home was bombed yesterday. All he found was her head, her leg, and her hand."
April 25, 2025 at 8:42 PM
From an American doctor friend volunteering in Gaza: "So many dead little kids. This man showed up to the hospital today carrying this burlap bag asking for help. He said it held the remains of his daughter after his home was bombed yesterday. All he found was her head, her leg, and her hand."
This is a Rubicon moment
so, arresting judges should be more than enough reason for complete obstruction at in the house and senate. complete obstruction. anything you can do. interrupt proceedings, deny consent, holds on nominations.
everything.
everything.
April 25, 2025 at 4:24 PM
This is a Rubicon moment
Reposted by Alexander Hurst
I’m pretty sure I know who is targets are here … www.nytimes.com/2025/04/21/o...
Opinion | Larry David: My Dinner With Adolf (Gift Article)
When a private meeting goes unexpectedly.
www.nytimes.com
April 23, 2025 at 6:38 AM
I’m pretty sure I know who is targets are here … www.nytimes.com/2025/04/21/o...
Ce qui le fait vraiment inexcusable, c'est que cette série est une coprod européenne, notamment française...
Et vous l'avez rendu tellement ennuyeux à vissionner en faisant ça 👇 que franchement, j'ai pas envie de continuer @cineteve.bsky.social
Et vous l'avez rendu tellement ennuyeux à vissionner en faisant ça 👇 que franchement, j'ai pas envie de continuer @cineteve.bsky.social
There's something that really annoys me, which is when shows/movies are filmed in English for scenes where the characters obviously wouldn't be speaking English to each other
I.e., "Kaboul" -- 0% chance the French ambassador would be speaking English to his French head of security.
I.e., "Kaboul" -- 0% chance the French ambassador would be speaking English to his French head of security.
April 22, 2025 at 9:43 AM
Ce qui le fait vraiment inexcusable, c'est que cette série est une coprod européenne, notamment française...
Et vous l'avez rendu tellement ennuyeux à vissionner en faisant ça 👇 que franchement, j'ai pas envie de continuer @cineteve.bsky.social
Et vous l'avez rendu tellement ennuyeux à vissionner en faisant ça 👇 que franchement, j'ai pas envie de continuer @cineteve.bsky.social
There's something that really annoys me, which is when shows/movies are filmed in English for scenes where the characters obviously wouldn't be speaking English to each other
I.e., "Kaboul" -- 0% chance the French ambassador would be speaking English to his French head of security.
I.e., "Kaboul" -- 0% chance the French ambassador would be speaking English to his French head of security.
April 22, 2025 at 9:40 AM
There's something that really annoys me, which is when shows/movies are filmed in English for scenes where the characters obviously wouldn't be speaking English to each other
I.e., "Kaboul" -- 0% chance the French ambassador would be speaking English to his French head of security.
I.e., "Kaboul" -- 0% chance the French ambassador would be speaking English to his French head of security.
Reposted by Alexander Hurst
Pope Francis' final Easter message vs POTUS Easter message.
A lot to be sad about today, but also some clarity. If you ever doubt it matters who your leaders are, re-read these two.
A lot to be sad about today, but also some clarity. If you ever doubt it matters who your leaders are, re-read these two.
April 21, 2025 at 8:34 AM
Pope Francis' final Easter message vs POTUS Easter message.
A lot to be sad about today, but also some clarity. If you ever doubt it matters who your leaders are, re-read these two.
A lot to be sad about today, but also some clarity. If you ever doubt it matters who your leaders are, re-read these two.