Iskander Rehman
@irehman.bsky.social
Senior Political Scientist at the RAND Corporation. Applied history, grand strategy and Asian security.
Pinned
Iskander Rehman
@irehman.bsky.social
· Nov 11
An Algorithmic Loosening of the Atomic Screw? Artificial Intelligence and Nuclear Deterrence - Modern War Institute
“It did not take atomic weapons to make man want peace. But the atomic bomb was the turn of the screw. The atomic bomb made the prospect of future war unendurable. It has led up those last few steps t...
mwi.westpoint.edu
What might the growing use and integration of advanced AI mean for nuclear stability and deterrence? Delighted to see this research get published today by the Modern War Institute at Westpoint:
mwi.westpoint.edu/an-algorithm...
mwi.westpoint.edu/an-algorithm...
Excellent video, but how disheartening--and patently surreal-- to see the young citizens of a model ally referencing US threats as a key driver in their desire to serve in their nation's military.
www.dw.com/en/denmark-e...
www.dw.com/en/denmark-e...
Denmark expands conscription amid tensions with US
Denmark is boosting its ranks by lengthening conscription from four to 11 months and making service gender-neutral. The move comes as security worries in Copenhagen increase amid tensions over Greenla...
www.dw.com
February 11, 2026 at 8:40 PM
Excellent video, but how disheartening--and patently surreal-- to see the young citizens of a model ally referencing US threats as a key driver in their desire to serve in their nation's military.
www.dw.com/en/denmark-e...
www.dw.com/en/denmark-e...
Reposted by Iskander Rehman
In this debate, @maxboot.bsky.social and I made the case the Trump administration is doing real damage with threats to Greenland
U.S. Presence in Greenland: Necessary or Not?
YouTube video by Open to Debate
www.youtube.com
February 6, 2026 at 10:17 PM
In this debate, @maxboot.bsky.social and I made the case the Trump administration is doing real damage with threats to Greenland
Reposted by Iskander Rehman
Excellent set of articles by Sinéad Baker @businessinsider.com highlighting another reason why it's in our interest to continue to support Ukraine: the training runs both ways, with Ukrainians imparting invaluable lessons to their less battle-hardened trainers
www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-stun...
www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-stun...
Ukrainian troops were 'stunned' to learn their British trainers weren't using anti-drone nets, UK officer says
Ukrainian soldiers getting combat training from the UK are feeding back key modern warfare lessons that the British Army is adopting.
www.businessinsider.com
February 11, 2026 at 8:30 PM
Excellent set of articles by Sinéad Baker @businessinsider.com highlighting another reason why it's in our interest to continue to support Ukraine: the training runs both ways, with Ukrainians imparting invaluable lessons to their less battle-hardened trainers
www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-stun...
www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-stun...
Reposted by Iskander Rehman
I mean, they’re not even reading the Melian Dialogue, just a couple of lines from it and a general vibe.
February 11, 2026 at 3:55 PM
I mean, they’re not even reading the Melian Dialogue, just a couple of lines from it and a general vibe.
Reposted by Iskander Rehman
NEW from APLN: A comprehensive examination of how middle powers assess South China Sea escalation risks.
Six experts analyse perspectives from 🇰🇷🇯🇵🇫🇷🇩🇪🇬🇧🇵🇭, revealing how this #maritime region connects Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic security.
www.apln.network/projects/mar...
Six experts analyse perspectives from 🇰🇷🇯🇵🇫🇷🇩🇪🇬🇧🇵🇭, revealing how this #maritime region connects Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic security.
www.apln.network/projects/mar...
External Stakeholders in the South China Sea: Linking security in Asia and Europe? | Asia-Pacific Leadership Network
www.apln.network
January 20, 2026 at 8:32 AM
NEW from APLN: A comprehensive examination of how middle powers assess South China Sea escalation risks.
Six experts analyse perspectives from 🇰🇷🇯🇵🇫🇷🇩🇪🇬🇧🇵🇭, revealing how this #maritime region connects Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic security.
www.apln.network/projects/mar...
Six experts analyse perspectives from 🇰🇷🇯🇵🇫🇷🇩🇪🇬🇧🇵🇭, revealing how this #maritime region connects Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic security.
www.apln.network/projects/mar...
Reposted by Iskander Rehman
I think a bit of mourning is appropriate. The liberal international order got a lot of flack, it was hard to explain (was it even real?), US hypocrisy, etc. But frankly it is the best global order that ever existed. The goal should be to salvage as much as possible. The alternative is so much worse.
“The old order is not coming back. We should not mourn it. Nostalgia is not a strategy.”
As a piece of prose and geopolitical analysis Carney’s Davos speech feels history-making. paulwells.substack.com/p/the-carney...
As a piece of prose and geopolitical analysis Carney’s Davos speech feels history-making. paulwells.substack.com/p/the-carney...
The Carney doctrine
Open comment thread on the PM's Davos speech
paulwells.substack.com
January 20, 2026 at 8:55 PM
I think a bit of mourning is appropriate. The liberal international order got a lot of flack, it was hard to explain (was it even real?), US hypocrisy, etc. But frankly it is the best global order that ever existed. The goal should be to salvage as much as possible. The alternative is so much worse.
Reposted by Iskander Rehman
I think this speech will be talked about for a long time, honestly.
From Carney's Davos speech: "A country that cannot feed itself, fuel itself or defend itself has few options. When the rules no longer protect you, you must protect yourself" www.cbc.ca/news/politic...
'The old order is not coming back,' Carney says in provocative speech at Davos | CBC News
Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a frank assessment of how he views the world in a provocative speech in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday, where he said the longstanding U.S.-led, rules-based international...
www.cbc.ca
January 20, 2026 at 4:12 PM
I think this speech will be talked about for a long time, honestly.
Always a rousing experience to comb through British parliamentary debates during WWII.
(Here Lt. Col. Rayner, MP for Totnes, in February 1942)
(Here Lt. Col. Rayner, MP for Totnes, in February 1942)
December 4, 2025 at 10:42 PM
Always a rousing experience to comb through British parliamentary debates during WWII.
(Here Lt. Col. Rayner, MP for Totnes, in February 1942)
(Here Lt. Col. Rayner, MP for Totnes, in February 1942)
A remarkable find by my little sister in a family cellar—several hundred page volumes of diaries written by an ancestor from the French trenches of WWI. Here in 1915 he states that he has been hoping that "a major offensive will soon rid French soil of these barbarians. "
December 4, 2025 at 10:38 PM
A remarkable find by my little sister in a family cellar—several hundred page volumes of diaries written by an ancestor from the French trenches of WWI. Here in 1915 he states that he has been hoping that "a major offensive will soon rid French soil of these barbarians. "
The @warontherocks.bsky.social
holiday reading list is out. My two recommendations this year:
@jrovner.bsky.social 's Strategy & Grand Strategy & The Arsenal of Democracy: Technology, Industry & Deterrence in an Age of Hard Choices by Ecyk Freymann & Harry Halem
warontherocks.com/2025/11/the-...
holiday reading list is out. My two recommendations this year:
@jrovner.bsky.social 's Strategy & Grand Strategy & The Arsenal of Democracy: Technology, Industry & Deterrence in an Age of Hard Choices by Ecyk Freymann & Harry Halem
warontherocks.com/2025/11/the-...
The 2025 War on the Rocks Holiday Reading List
It wouldn’t be the holidays without our annual War on the Rocks book roundup. Check off your gift list or pick a book to enjoy by the fire. Happy reading.
warontherocks.com
November 29, 2025 at 4:12 AM
The @warontherocks.bsky.social
holiday reading list is out. My two recommendations this year:
@jrovner.bsky.social 's Strategy & Grand Strategy & The Arsenal of Democracy: Technology, Industry & Deterrence in an Age of Hard Choices by Ecyk Freymann & Harry Halem
warontherocks.com/2025/11/the-...
holiday reading list is out. My two recommendations this year:
@jrovner.bsky.social 's Strategy & Grand Strategy & The Arsenal of Democracy: Technology, Industry & Deterrence in an Age of Hard Choices by Ecyk Freymann & Harry Halem
warontherocks.com/2025/11/the-...
"In America, the frontier bred a myth of conquest & continual striving — restless, inventive, & impatient with limits. In Australia, it was a myth of endurance & communal resilience." Great, historically-informed piece on 🇺🇸/🇦🇺 alliance in @warontherocks.bsky.social
warontherocks.com/2025/11/how-...
warontherocks.com/2025/11/how-...
How the Frontier Spirit and the Outback Temperament Collide in AUKUS
Ten months was a long wait for Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s first visit to the Trump White House. But the timing — just days before
warontherocks.com
November 19, 2025 at 9:42 PM
"In America, the frontier bred a myth of conquest & continual striving — restless, inventive, & impatient with limits. In Australia, it was a myth of endurance & communal resilience." Great, historically-informed piece on 🇺🇸/🇦🇺 alliance in @warontherocks.bsky.social
warontherocks.com/2025/11/how-...
warontherocks.com/2025/11/how-...
Reposted by Iskander Rehman
"Before November ends, Russia will probably suffer its millionth casualty since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, based on current trends of about 1,000-1,200 soldiers killed or injured every day."
Vladimir Putin’s sickening statistic: 1m Russian casualties in Ukraine
His regime uses payouts to salve Russian families’ grief
www.economist.com
November 13, 2025 at 3:20 PM
"Before November ends, Russia will probably suffer its millionth casualty since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, based on current trends of about 1,000-1,200 soldiers killed or injured every day."
I remember the effect this stirring monologue by Andrew Neil , full of righteous fury and moral clarity, had on me ten years ago, after hours spent frantically checking on the safety and whereabouts of my family & loved ones in Paris. Well worth rewatching
m.youtube.com/watch?v=WIKg...
m.youtube.com/watch?v=WIKg...
Andrew Neil's message to Paris attackers - BBC News
YouTube video by BBC News
m.youtube.com
November 13, 2025 at 4:30 PM
I remember the effect this stirring monologue by Andrew Neil , full of righteous fury and moral clarity, had on me ten years ago, after hours spent frantically checking on the safety and whereabouts of my family & loved ones in Paris. Well worth rewatching
m.youtube.com/watch?v=WIKg...
m.youtube.com/watch?v=WIKg...
On Veterans/Armistice Day, re-upping the piece that, out all of my essays for @warontherocks.bsky.social over the years, was perhaps the most meaningful—and enjoyable—to write
warontherocks.com/2018/10/from...
warontherocks.com/2018/10/from...
From the Trenches to Mordor and Back: World War I and British Fantasy Literature
In 1889, two and a half decades before the outbreak of World War I, Mark Twain published a short and whimsical novel entitled A Yankee in King Arthur’s
warontherocks.com
November 11, 2025 at 3:42 PM
On Veterans/Armistice Day, re-upping the piece that, out all of my essays for @warontherocks.bsky.social over the years, was perhaps the most meaningful—and enjoyable—to write
warontherocks.com/2018/10/from...
warontherocks.com/2018/10/from...
What might the growing use and integration of advanced AI mean for nuclear stability and deterrence? Delighted to see this research get published today by the Modern War Institute at Westpoint:
mwi.westpoint.edu/an-algorithm...
mwi.westpoint.edu/an-algorithm...
An Algorithmic Loosening of the Atomic Screw? Artificial Intelligence and Nuclear Deterrence - Modern War Institute
“It did not take atomic weapons to make man want peace. But the atomic bomb was the turn of the screw. The atomic bomb made the prospect of future war unendurable. It has led up those last few steps t...
mwi.westpoint.edu
November 11, 2025 at 3:00 PM
What might the growing use and integration of advanced AI mean for nuclear stability and deterrence? Delighted to see this research get published today by the Modern War Institute at Westpoint:
mwi.westpoint.edu/an-algorithm...
mwi.westpoint.edu/an-algorithm...
Reposted by Iskander Rehman
Fascinating paper from IFRI, and the framing itself is a sign of the times - a Europe-Russia power balance.
The intro sets the scene in stark words: "European countries can no longer avoid the “Russian Question” as Russia has chosen war."
The intro sets the scene in stark words: "European countries can no longer avoid the “Russian Question” as Russia has chosen war."
🇪🇺🇷🇺 #Europe - #Russia: Political Systems and Societal Resilience.
🔎 Read Ifri's new collective Study: "Europe-Russia: Balance of Power Review". www.ifri.org/en/studies/e...
🔎 Read Ifri's new collective Study: "Europe-Russia: Balance of Power Review". www.ifri.org/en/studies/e...
November 5, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Fascinating paper from IFRI, and the framing itself is a sign of the times - a Europe-Russia power balance.
The intro sets the scene in stark words: "European countries can no longer avoid the “Russian Question” as Russia has chosen war."
The intro sets the scene in stark words: "European countries can no longer avoid the “Russian Question” as Russia has chosen war."
“By divine design, we have been put here, the archipelago has been put here,” said Rear Admiral Roy Trinidad, the Philippine Navy’s spokesperson. “It just so happened that we are the toll gate between the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean.”
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
A narrow Pacific waterway is at the heart of U.S. plans to choke China’s vast navy
The U.S. has deployed troops and anti-ship missiles into the northern Philippines as part of almost continuous, joint war drills throughout the country. One goal: to block the Bashi Channel and deny Chinese warships access to the Pacific Ocean if Beijing attacks Taiwan.
www.reuters.com
November 7, 2025 at 11:09 PM
“By divine design, we have been put here, the archipelago has been put here,” said Rear Admiral Roy Trinidad, the Philippine Navy’s spokesperson. “It just so happened that we are the toll gate between the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean.”
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
Reposted by Iskander Rehman
Possibly more relevant than sightings near airports
The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that there have been 187 drone sightings near high-security military establishments across the UK since the start of 2025.
ukdefencejournal.org.uk/nearly-200-d...
ukdefencejournal.org.uk/nearly-200-d...
Nearly 200 drone sightings near UK military sites this year
The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that there have been 187 drone sightings near high-security military establishments across the UK since the start of 2025.
ukdefencejournal.org.uk
November 5, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Possibly more relevant than sightings near airports
Lovely story on perhaps my favorite place in New York
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/01/n...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/01/n...
One Bookstore, 3 Sisters and 100 Years
www.nytimes.com
November 1, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Lovely story on perhaps my favorite place in New York
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/01/n...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/01/n...
Reposted by Iskander Rehman
Project Gutenberg is one of those places that exemplifies what the internet was initially all about: studying, preserving, and celebrating the arts, especially the written word, and Greg Newby was a huge part of that.
Thank you, Greg, and rest well.
Thank you, Greg, and rest well.
We are deeply saddened by the loss of Greg Newby, who led Project Gutenberg ( @gutenberg.org ) with passion and purpose. Greg’s belief in free and open access to knowledge continues to inspire us and so many others working to preserve our shared culture online. gutenberg.org/about/newby....
October 23, 2025 at 2:08 AM
Project Gutenberg is one of those places that exemplifies what the internet was initially all about: studying, preserving, and celebrating the arts, especially the written word, and Greg Newby was a huge part of that.
Thank you, Greg, and rest well.
Thank you, Greg, and rest well.
I was just let go as part of this RIF, along with many dedicated and talented colleagues. I am now open to opportunities in defense and strategy across think tanks, FFRDCs and academia. RAND is a fine institution, and I am proud to have worked there.
October 21, 2025 at 4:27 PM
I was just let go as part of this RIF, along with many dedicated and talented colleagues. I am now open to opportunities in defense and strategy across think tanks, FFRDCs and academia. RAND is a fine institution, and I am proud to have worked there.
"Authorities are now prying children as young as four from their homes. The campaign reflects the convictions of Xi Jinping, who said the country needs to reach children as babies “so that the red gene seeps into their blood and permeates their hearts.”
www.wsj.com/world/china/...
www.wsj.com/world/china/...
China Steals Language and Home Life From Tibetan Kids as Young as 4
Beijing is building a broad network of preschools across Tibetan areas, seeking to inculcate loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party early in life.
www.wsj.com
October 19, 2025 at 7:58 PM
"Authorities are now prying children as young as four from their homes. The campaign reflects the convictions of Xi Jinping, who said the country needs to reach children as babies “so that the red gene seeps into their blood and permeates their hearts.”
www.wsj.com/world/china/...
www.wsj.com/world/china/...
Wonderful to talk about the past, present & future of military competition in beautiful Idaho. Very impressed by the level of interest in foreign and defense policy from BSU students & Idahoans young and old. Thanks again to the Boise Committee on Foreign Relations for the kind invitation.
October 15, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Wonderful to talk about the past, present & future of military competition in beautiful Idaho. Very impressed by the level of interest in foreign and defense policy from BSU students & Idahoans young and old. Thanks again to the Boise Committee on Foreign Relations for the kind invitation.
Fascinating discovering the vibrant Basque culture in Boise, Idaho. The more one travels this vast land, the more one realizes it defies easy generalizations.
October 14, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Fascinating discovering the vibrant Basque culture in Boise, Idaho. The more one travels this vast land, the more one realizes it defies easy generalizations.