Marcel Dirsus
@marceldirsus.com
Political scientist and author of How Tyrants Fall: And How Nations Survive. Writing The Hundred, a politics newsletter. www.marceldirsus.com
Pinned
Interview: What Putin Wants
#91: With Hanna Notte
thehundred.substack.com
Since you're here anyway, you should subscribe to my (free) newsletter. I ask experts about rare earths or Putin or Greenland and then they tell me things. It's not quite as amazing as the chart but hopefully a bit more informative
thehundred.substack.com/p/interview-...
thehundred.substack.com/p/interview-...
Is it bad for the government to be shut down? Seems bad
November 7, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Is it bad for the government to be shut down? Seems bad
AI could end scarcity, end humanity - or boost trend growth by 0.2 percentage points
November 7, 2025 at 1:24 PM
AI could end scarcity, end humanity - or boost trend growth by 0.2 percentage points
United States of America, 2025: "One air traffic controller earns cash by hanging Christmas lights for his neighbors. Another stocks grocery store shelves for six hours before heading in for his shift. A third drives for DoorDash after clocking out."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/t...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/t...
Odd Jobs and DoorDash: How Air Traffic Controllers Are Surviving
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:16 PM
United States of America, 2025: "One air traffic controller earns cash by hanging Christmas lights for his neighbors. Another stocks grocery store shelves for six hours before heading in for his shift. A third drives for DoorDash after clocking out."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/t...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/t...
Reposted by Marcel Dirsus
America is Killing Itself
America seems strong, but it’s getting weaker by the day.
thehundred.substack.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:22 AM
Reposted by Marcel Dirsus
Great article👇
Keep using his analogy-the US is like a giant cruise liner with a mad captain steering towards an iceberg as the crew sell the engines for parts & drill holes in the hull as half the passengers cheer them on.
Size and momentum will keep it afloat and moving forward.
For a short time.
Keep using his analogy-the US is like a giant cruise liner with a mad captain steering towards an iceberg as the crew sell the engines for parts & drill holes in the hull as half the passengers cheer them on.
Size and momentum will keep it afloat and moving forward.
For a short time.
America seems strong, but it’s getting weaker by the day and Donald Trump is to blame
open.substack.com/pub/thehundr...
open.substack.com/pub/thehundr...
America is Killing Itself
America seems strong, but it’s getting weaker by the day.
open.substack.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Great article👇
Keep using his analogy-the US is like a giant cruise liner with a mad captain steering towards an iceberg as the crew sell the engines for parts & drill holes in the hull as half the passengers cheer them on.
Size and momentum will keep it afloat and moving forward.
For a short time.
Keep using his analogy-the US is like a giant cruise liner with a mad captain steering towards an iceberg as the crew sell the engines for parts & drill holes in the hull as half the passengers cheer them on.
Size and momentum will keep it afloat and moving forward.
For a short time.
America seems strong, but it’s getting weaker by the day and Donald Trump is to blame
open.substack.com/pub/thehundr...
open.substack.com/pub/thehundr...
America is Killing Itself
America seems strong, but it’s getting weaker by the day.
open.substack.com
November 6, 2025 at 3:25 PM
America seems strong, but it’s getting weaker by the day and Donald Trump is to blame
open.substack.com/pub/thehundr...
open.substack.com/pub/thehundr...
Before we accept new members, we should find a way to kick countries out of the European Union. It would just be nice to have that option, you know
November 5, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Before we accept new members, we should find a way to kick countries out of the European Union. It would just be nice to have that option, you know
Absolutely no way this goes wrong: "Aides say that far more planning has gone into striking at the Maduro government than on what it would take to govern Venezuela should the operation succeed."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/u...
November 5, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Absolutely no way this goes wrong: "Aides say that far more planning has gone into striking at the Maduro government than on what it would take to govern Venezuela should the operation succeed."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/u...
The fact that we're about to see eight thousand op-eds about the meaning of Mamdani's victory for like the Norwegian Labour Party or leftists in Nepal once again demonstrates just how much soft power America still has. If a mayor got elected basically anywhere else, nobody would care
November 5, 2025 at 1:27 PM
The fact that we're about to see eight thousand op-eds about the meaning of Mamdani's victory for like the Norwegian Labour Party or leftists in Nepal once again demonstrates just how much soft power America still has. If a mayor got elected basically anywhere else, nobody would care
This isn't my area of expertise, but I get the impression that Europe (aside from ASML) is mostly irrelevant when it comes to AI. Is that correct?
The companies said they would renovate an existing data center in Munich, Germany, and power it with up to 10,000 Nvidia Blackwell graphics processing units…Deutsche Telekom said the facility would bolster AI computing power in Germany by around 50%.
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/nvid...
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/nvid...
Nvidia, Deutsche Telekom to Build AI Factory in Europe Under $1.15 Billion Partnership
The planned facility in Munich is expected to increase AI computing power in Germany by around 50%, a boost for the European Union as it seeks to catch up to the U.S.
www.wsj.com
November 5, 2025 at 11:28 AM
This isn't my area of expertise, but I get the impression that Europe (aside from ASML) is mostly irrelevant when it comes to AI. Is that correct?
Belgium is still blocking the use of frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine
www.politico.eu/article/russ...
www.politico.eu/article/russ...
November 5, 2025 at 10:40 AM
Belgium is still blocking the use of frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine
www.politico.eu/article/russ...
www.politico.eu/article/russ...
"Thousands who fled a key frontline city in Sudan's war as it fell to paramilitaries were targeted in killing fields around it by the group, after the military's top brass secured their own safe passage."
news.sky.com/story/tens-o...
news.sky.com/story/tens-o...
Thousands targeted in 'killing fields' around Sudanese city in paramilitary group's hands
A Sky News joint investigation with Sudan War Monitor and Lighthouse Reports reveals the harrowing fate of civilians and soldiers who fled Al Fashir in the hours after senior commanders and officers l...
news.sky.com
November 5, 2025 at 10:35 AM
"Thousands who fled a key frontline city in Sudan's war as it fell to paramilitaries were targeted in killing fields around it by the group, after the military's top brass secured their own safe passage."
news.sky.com/story/tens-o...
news.sky.com/story/tens-o...
Reposted by Marcel Dirsus
In my latest Watching China in Europe, I delve into the flawed Trump-Xi deal, Germany's "speak loudly and carry a small stick" approach with China, and the fallout for Europe from the dual crises of rare earths and Nexperia
www.gmfus.org/news/watchin...
www.gmfus.org/news/watchin...
Watching China in Europe—October 2025
www.gmfus.org
November 5, 2025 at 9:06 AM
In my latest Watching China in Europe, I delve into the flawed Trump-Xi deal, Germany's "speak loudly and carry a small stick" approach with China, and the fallout for Europe from the dual crises of rare earths and Nexperia
www.gmfus.org/news/watchin...
www.gmfus.org/news/watchin...
Reposted by Marcel Dirsus
Dick Cheney, among other things, directed the single largest drawdown of nuclear weapons in US history at the end of the Cold War www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/D...
November 4, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Dick Cheney, among other things, directed the single largest drawdown of nuclear weapons in US history at the end of the Cold War www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/D...
If we rely on Americans for our security, we are doomed
“Our negotiators had never seen this before in any international talks,” said one European official, who had spoken to negotiators. “People being summoned to the U.S. Embassy in London — intimidation...threats of family members losing visas.”
www.politico.eu/article/us-a...
www.politico.eu/article/us-a...
US accused of threatening EU diplomats during bid to kill green shipping rules
Negotiators at shipping talks in London were told both they and their countries could be punished unless they voted with the U.S.
www.politico.eu
November 4, 2025 at 12:21 PM
If we rely on Americans for our security, we are doomed
“Our negotiators had never seen this before in any international talks,” said one European official, who had spoken to negotiators. “People being summoned to the U.S. Embassy in London — intimidation...threats of family members losing visas.”
www.politico.eu/article/us-a...
www.politico.eu/article/us-a...
US accused of threatening EU diplomats during bid to kill green shipping rules
Negotiators at shipping talks in London were told both they and their countries could be punished unless they voted with the U.S.
www.politico.eu
November 4, 2025 at 12:21 PM
“Our negotiators had never seen this before in any international talks,” said one European official, who had spoken to negotiators. “People being summoned to the U.S. Embassy in London — intimidation...threats of family members losing visas.”
www.politico.eu/article/us-a...
www.politico.eu/article/us-a...
Reposted by Marcel Dirsus
BREAKING: Dick Cheney, a driving force behind the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 who was considered by presidential historians as one of the most powerful vice presidents in US history has died at age 84, his family said in a statement reut.rs/4nyyHdN
November 4, 2025 at 11:45 AM
BREAKING: Dick Cheney, a driving force behind the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 who was considered by presidential historians as one of the most powerful vice presidents in US history has died at age 84, his family said in a statement reut.rs/4nyyHdN
Every now and then, I remember this quote by Donald Rumsfeld (2002):
November 4, 2025 at 11:43 AM
Every now and then, I remember this quote by Donald Rumsfeld (2002):
In hindsight, does anyone actually think Brexit went well?
November 4, 2025 at 11:31 AM
In hindsight, does anyone actually think Brexit went well?
Reposted by Marcel Dirsus
I wrote about the stranger-than-fiction miracles of coevolution in nature and human society—and a smarter framework to understand ourselves. (Or: what connects avocados, ants who farm fungus, karma, and our relationship with dogs?)
"Good Heavens what insect can suck it?"
The stranger-than-fiction miracles of coevolution in nature and human society. (Or: what connects avocados, ants who farm fungus, karma, and our relationship with dogs?)
www.forkingpaths.co
November 4, 2025 at 10:38 AM
I wrote about the stranger-than-fiction miracles of coevolution in nature and human society—and a smarter framework to understand ourselves. (Or: what connects avocados, ants who farm fungus, karma, and our relationship with dogs?)
A lot of people really underestimate just how unpopular Trump is. The base likes him, obviously. But most Americans don't
Will be on the FiftyPlusOne website shortly. Interested to see how this impacts the average — which has been trending away from Trump pretty aggressively for the last 2 weeks already fiftyplusone.news/polls/approv...
November 3, 2025 at 2:21 PM
A lot of people really underestimate just how unpopular Trump is. The base likes him, obviously. But most Americans don't
Check out Conversations by ABC. I found out about it when I visited Australia and they have the most random selection of guests. One week it's someone bitten by a shark, the next it's a historian talking about Singapore during WWII. The hosts are great
November 3, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Check out Conversations by ABC. I found out about it when I visited Australia and they have the most random selection of guests. One week it's someone bitten by a shark, the next it's a historian talking about Singapore during WWII. The hosts are great
What's your favourite podcast?
November 3, 2025 at 12:38 PM
What's your favourite podcast?
