Scott Hielen
@scotthielen.bsky.social
Geopolitical Risk • Government Affairs • Flew Navy • Veteran • Nebraskan • Kid and Cat Dad • Itinerant by Design 🌍 🇺🇸🇳🇱🇹🇷🇩🇪🇧🇪
📍Brussels
📍Brussels
Once upon a time, as a student Naval Flight Officer in an E-2C Hawkeye mission simulator, we controlled a maritime strike against a positively identified hostile ship -- not "suspected," not "probable." The instructors tempted us with radio calls from a sim Hornet, asking to strafe the survivors.
Exclusive: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave an order to “kill everybody” in the first strike on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean. After two men survived, the mission commander ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions, according to two sources.
Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order to kill all crew members in the Sept. 2 strike on a suspected drug boat. Navy SEALs fired a second missile.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 28, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Once upon a time, as a student Naval Flight Officer in an E-2C Hawkeye mission simulator, we controlled a maritime strike against a positively identified hostile ship -- not "suspected," not "probable." The instructors tempted us with radio calls from a sim Hornet, asking to strafe the survivors.
"Russians" by Sting (1985)
Thesis: 'We share the same biology, regardless of ideology
But what might save us, me and you
Is if the Russians love their children too'
Anti-thesis: a society ruled by authoritarians for a century, submerged in fatalism won't self-right
open.spotify.com/track/0MBYW7...
Thesis: 'We share the same biology, regardless of ideology
But what might save us, me and you
Is if the Russians love their children too'
Anti-thesis: a society ruled by authoritarians for a century, submerged in fatalism won't self-right
open.spotify.com/track/0MBYW7...
Russians
open.spotify.com
November 28, 2025 at 2:22 PM
"Russians" by Sting (1985)
Thesis: 'We share the same biology, regardless of ideology
But what might save us, me and you
Is if the Russians love their children too'
Anti-thesis: a society ruled by authoritarians for a century, submerged in fatalism won't self-right
open.spotify.com/track/0MBYW7...
Thesis: 'We share the same biology, regardless of ideology
But what might save us, me and you
Is if the Russians love their children too'
Anti-thesis: a society ruled by authoritarians for a century, submerged in fatalism won't self-right
open.spotify.com/track/0MBYW7...
Reposted by Scott Hielen
International Criminal Court judge, "sanctioned" by the USA for doing his job, blocked from using internet services worldwide, credit cards, banking... And nobody cares...
November 21, 2025 at 8:58 AM
International Criminal Court judge, "sanctioned" by the USA for doing his job, blocked from using internet services worldwide, credit cards, banking... And nobody cares...
Weaponizing children. "Who could it be now?"
The Europol Executive Director, Catherine De Bolle, "even suggested that children and young people are being used by hostile states and hybrid threat perpetrators as unwitting spies to eavesdrop on government buildings." www.politico.eu/article/chil...
The Europol Executive Director, Catherine De Bolle, "even suggested that children and young people are being used by hostile states and hybrid threat perpetrators as unwitting spies to eavesdrop on government buildings." www.politico.eu/article/chil...
Children groomed for murder through video games, Europol warns
The biggest criminal threat to European society is now children who are manipulated into violence, says Catherine De Bolle.
www.politico.eu
November 21, 2025 at 8:48 AM
Weaponizing children. "Who could it be now?"
The Europol Executive Director, Catherine De Bolle, "even suggested that children and young people are being used by hostile states and hybrid threat perpetrators as unwitting spies to eavesdrop on government buildings." www.politico.eu/article/chil...
The Europol Executive Director, Catherine De Bolle, "even suggested that children and young people are being used by hostile states and hybrid threat perpetrators as unwitting spies to eavesdrop on government buildings." www.politico.eu/article/chil...
For someone who wrote an elegy to hillbillies, he doesn't seem to know much about feuds.
🇺🇸🧐 US Vice President J.D. Vance:
Why don't Russians and Ukrainians, instead of killing each other, start trading, visiting each other's countries, and engaging in some kind of cultural exchange? That's his [Trump's - ed.] fundamental worldview, the one he adheres to.
Why don't Russians and Ukrainians, instead of killing each other, start trading, visiting each other's countries, and engaging in some kind of cultural exchange? That's his [Trump's - ed.] fundamental worldview, the one he adheres to.
November 21, 2025 at 8:22 AM
For someone who wrote an elegy to hillbillies, he doesn't seem to know much about feuds.
An ambassador becomes more than a job title only when their credentials are accepted by the host nation's head of state. They're accepted for as long as they are acceptable and viewed as useful to the relationship.
Also, Michigan is a top 10 retirement location. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/w...
Also, Michigan is a top 10 retirement location. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/w...
U.S. Ambassador to Canada Channels Harsh Trump Tone
www.nytimes.com
November 21, 2025 at 8:00 AM
An ambassador becomes more than a job title only when their credentials are accepted by the host nation's head of state. They're accepted for as long as they are acceptable and viewed as useful to the relationship.
Also, Michigan is a top 10 retirement location. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/w...
Also, Michigan is a top 10 retirement location. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/w...
⚡️“Beijing has already shown that it will use dependencies as geoeconomic weapons, from rare earths to automotive chips. Europe’s grid could be next.” ecfr.eu/article/how-...
How China could crash Europe’s energy grid and what the EU can do about it
Europe’s solar boom has quietly handed Beijing remote access to hundreds of gigawatts of its power capacity. Without a 5G-type toolbox banning untrustworthy suppliers of inverters and other grid…
ecfr.eu
November 20, 2025 at 7:35 PM
⚡️“Beijing has already shown that it will use dependencies as geoeconomic weapons, from rare earths to automotive chips. Europe’s grid could be next.” ecfr.eu/article/how-...
“Shutting them down for good requires close co-operation with China, which these days is in short supply.”
As if the activity isn’t state-sponsored or at least tacitly allowed.
www.economist.com/internationa...
As if the activity isn’t state-sponsored or at least tacitly allowed.
www.economist.com/internationa...
How Chinese underground banks became the world’s biggest money-launderers
They connect rich Chinese, drug cartels and North Korean hackers—without anyone meeting
www.economist.com
November 20, 2025 at 7:26 PM
“Shutting them down for good requires close co-operation with China, which these days is in short supply.”
As if the activity isn’t state-sponsored or at least tacitly allowed.
www.economist.com/internationa...
As if the activity isn’t state-sponsored or at least tacitly allowed.
www.economist.com/internationa...
“The Kremlin wants Europeans to feel that they are at war, or close to it, and therefore that supporting Ukraine is no longer worth the risk.”
Hitting people where they live tends to inspire them to grab a bat and come out swinging. 🏏 www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-at...
Hitting people where they live tends to inspire them to grab a bat and come out swinging. 🏏 www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-at...
Russia’s shadow war: How the Kremlin uses sabotage to wear down Europe
Moscow’s goal is not just to damage infrastructure but also to sow distrust inside Western societies.
www.atlanticcouncil.org
November 20, 2025 at 7:18 PM
“The Kremlin wants Europeans to feel that they are at war, or close to it, and therefore that supporting Ukraine is no longer worth the risk.”
Hitting people where they live tends to inspire them to grab a bat and come out swinging. 🏏 www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-at...
Hitting people where they live tends to inspire them to grab a bat and come out swinging. 🏏 www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-at...
Did someone forget to slip the NATO backgrounder on consensus decision making into the welcome aboard binder?
Ceding leadership is quitting the field — if you consider yourself a global power.
Ceding leadership is quitting the field — if you consider yourself a global power.
🇺🇸🇩🇪 The US would like Germany to take over the command of Nato forces in Europe, Whitaker said, - The Times
In remarks that elicited shock from a German Nato general seated next to him, Whitaker said it was US long-term “aspirational goal” that Berlin should appoint supreme allied commander Europe.
In remarks that elicited shock from a German Nato general seated next to him, Whitaker said it was US long-term “aspirational goal” that Berlin should appoint supreme allied commander Europe.
November 20, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Did someone forget to slip the NATO backgrounder on consensus decision making into the welcome aboard binder?
Ceding leadership is quitting the field — if you consider yourself a global power.
Ceding leadership is quitting the field — if you consider yourself a global power.
Reposted by Scott Hielen
📢The Swedish Defence University is recruiting TWO fully-funded, salaried PhD positions to conduct research on Artificial Intelligence and War, supported by the national WASP-HS programme - a unique opportunity. Please share widely! www.fhs.se/en/swedish-d...
PhD positions in War Studies with specialisation in AI - Swedish Defence University (SEDU)
www.fhs.se
November 19, 2025 at 12:43 PM
📢The Swedish Defence University is recruiting TWO fully-funded, salaried PhD positions to conduct research on Artificial Intelligence and War, supported by the national WASP-HS programme - a unique opportunity. Please share widely! www.fhs.se/en/swedish-d...
How do companies react to geoeconomic pressures? Good substack by Joachim Klement.
"Tariffs are particularly devastating to businesses in the country that imposes tariffs and less to businesses in the rest of the world." open.substack.com/pub/klemento...
"Tariffs are particularly devastating to businesses in the country that imposes tariffs and less to businesses in the rest of the world." open.substack.com/pub/klemento...
How do companies react to geoeconomic pressures?
Geoeconomics, the interplay of geopolitics and economics, has become the main driving force in global markets in 2025.
open.substack.com
November 19, 2025 at 12:16 PM
How do companies react to geoeconomic pressures? Good substack by Joachim Klement.
"Tariffs are particularly devastating to businesses in the country that imposes tariffs and less to businesses in the rest of the world." open.substack.com/pub/klemento...
"Tariffs are particularly devastating to businesses in the country that imposes tariffs and less to businesses in the rest of the world." open.substack.com/pub/klemento...
Reposted by Scott Hielen
A reminder that seven years ago almost to the day, the CIA determined that Mohammed Bin Salman ordered the killing of @washingtonpost.com journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
I hired and worked with Jamal for a year.
www.washingtonpost.com/world/nation...
I hired and worked with Jamal for a year.
www.washingtonpost.com/world/nation...
CIA concludes Saudi crown prince ordered Jamal Khashoggi’s assassination
Audio recordings, intercepted phone calls and other intelligence link Mohammed bin Salman to killing that Saudis say was conducted by rogue elements.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:05 PM
A reminder that seven years ago almost to the day, the CIA determined that Mohammed Bin Salman ordered the killing of @washingtonpost.com journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
I hired and worked with Jamal for a year.
www.washingtonpost.com/world/nation...
I hired and worked with Jamal for a year.
www.washingtonpost.com/world/nation...
How do business leaders get political diplomacy skills now? Answer: hire a Diplomat / Foreign Service / Foreign Affairs Officer hbr.org/podcast/2025... @afsaorg.bsky.social #geopolitics #diplomacy
Why Business Leaders Need Political Diplomacy Skills Now
A conversation with ESSEC Business School’s Srividya Jandhyala on how to navigate the shifting geopolitical landscape.
hbr.org
November 18, 2025 at 3:38 PM
How do business leaders get political diplomacy skills now? Answer: hire a Diplomat / Foreign Service / Foreign Affairs Officer hbr.org/podcast/2025... @afsaorg.bsky.social #geopolitics #diplomacy
Who at McDonald's thought having such a deeply polarizing and controversial figure on stage was good for the brand? www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
Trump says Americans are ‘damn lucky’ he’s in office in first affordability pitch
The president returned to campaign mode as he touts economic progress.
www.politico.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Who at McDonald's thought having such a deeply polarizing and controversial figure on stage was good for the brand? www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
This should spice things up around Brussels. www.reuters.com/business/aer... Belgium buys defensive kamikaze drones to counter incursions
November 18, 2025 at 2:59 PM
This should spice things up around Brussels. www.reuters.com/business/aer... Belgium buys defensive kamikaze drones to counter incursions
Reposted by Scott Hielen
“Time and again, these agents — and the broader DHS and White House policies behind it — are being exposed not for their strength, but their weakness. Ordinary Americas are stronger — braver and better.”
Must read (and subscribe) from @vermontgmg.bsky.social:
www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/trump-bord...
Must read (and subscribe) from @vermontgmg.bsky.social:
www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/trump-bord...
Trump, Border Patrol Retreat in Failure from Chicago
Five important lessons of the first six months of Trump’s immigration raids — and why CBP’s Greg Bovino is the Nathan Bedford Forrest of the Trump era.
www.doomsdayscenario.co
November 18, 2025 at 2:01 PM
“Time and again, these agents — and the broader DHS and White House policies behind it — are being exposed not for their strength, but their weakness. Ordinary Americas are stronger — braver and better.”
Must read (and subscribe) from @vermontgmg.bsky.social:
www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/trump-bord...
Must read (and subscribe) from @vermontgmg.bsky.social:
www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/trump-bord...
This is a must-read - an excellent piece of writing. "A classified memo cannot wash blood from the conscience of an institution once defined by its restraint. The rule of law that once distinguished American power from the impunity of tyrants has been deliberately dismantled, one opinion at a time."
We’re killing people at sea without trial or oversight. A secret memo now promises immunity.
This is what happens when a system built to obey forgets how to take a moral stand.
My LA Times op-ed: “Do our military leaders have the backbone to disobey illegal orders?”
www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...
This is what happens when a system built to obey forgets how to take a moral stand.
My LA Times op-ed: “Do our military leaders have the backbone to disobey illegal orders?”
www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...
Contributor: Do our military leaders have the backbone to disobey illegal orders?
A recently uncovered memo promises U.S. soldiers immunity for the killing of more than 80 people in boat strikes throughout the Caribbean, effectively conceding it crossed a line.
www.latimes.com
November 18, 2025 at 11:48 AM
This is a must-read - an excellent piece of writing. "A classified memo cannot wash blood from the conscience of an institution once defined by its restraint. The rule of law that once distinguished American power from the impunity of tyrants has been deliberately dismantled, one opinion at a time."
A step towards building national resiliency through individual preparedness. Goed zo! Why 72-hours? Recovery takes time, first response will be prioritized, don't make yourself a burden on others; NATO Article 3, but for YOU. Great example. nltimes.nl/2025/11/18/d...
Dutch households to receive manual for surviving first 72 hours after national emergency
In the coming weeks, every Dutch household will receive a 33-page government manual on preparing for an emergency. The manual provides tips for surviving the first three days of a disaster, when the g...
nltimes.nl
November 18, 2025 at 8:33 AM
A step towards building national resiliency through individual preparedness. Goed zo! Why 72-hours? Recovery takes time, first response will be prioritized, don't make yourself a burden on others; NATO Article 3, but for YOU. Great example. nltimes.nl/2025/11/18/d...
Trump I kicked NATO Ally Türkiye out of F-35 in 2019 when Ankara stuck with its S-400 purchase, based on legit concerns. Trump II dismisses those concerns, which should be even more amplified in 2025. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/u...
Trump Says U.S. Will Sell F-35s to Saudis, Despite Pentagon Concerns
www.nytimes.com
November 18, 2025 at 8:06 AM
Trump I kicked NATO Ally Türkiye out of F-35 in 2019 when Ankara stuck with its S-400 purchase, based on legit concerns. Trump II dismisses those concerns, which should be even more amplified in 2025. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/u...
Reposted by Scott Hielen
"A recent report from the Defense Intelligence Agency, part of the Pentagon, raised concerns that China would be able to access F-35 technology if the United States finalized a deal to sell Saudi Arabia the warplanes, as Riyadh and Beijing have a security partnership."
Breaking News: President Trump said he would sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, despite Pentagon officials’ concerns that China could steal the technology.
Trump Live Updates: Latest News on Epstein Files, F-35 Jets and More
nyti.ms
November 17, 2025 at 9:52 PM
"A recent report from the Defense Intelligence Agency, part of the Pentagon, raised concerns that China would be able to access F-35 technology if the United States finalized a deal to sell Saudi Arabia the warplanes, as Riyadh and Beijing have a security partnership."
There’s something symbolic about this Administration “going to war” and face-planting. Can’t even get the window dressing right.
Immediately after the president signs the executive order, defense.gov redirects to war.gov but it's crashing.
September 5, 2025 at 8:46 PM
There’s something symbolic about this Administration “going to war” and face-planting. Can’t even get the window dressing right.
Reposted by Scott Hielen
Not only has Columbia agreed to give political commissars oversight over admissions, including a mandatory annual data transfer, they did so while agreeing to language emphasizing that nothing in the deal prevents the government from launching more investigations, reviews, and litigation.
Columbia University has handed over its undergraduate admissions process to Donald Trump and his MAGA allies, who will now decide at their sole discretion whether the university has admitted enough white people. It's no longer an independent institution.
July 24, 2025 at 3:08 AM
Not only has Columbia agreed to give political commissars oversight over admissions, including a mandatory annual data transfer, they did so while agreeing to language emphasizing that nothing in the deal prevents the government from launching more investigations, reviews, and litigation.
Reposted by Scott Hielen
You’re tortured by a U.S. backed junta.
Then you’re given asylum by the U.S., where you build a life and are a model citizen for decades.
Then when you’re old the U.S. govt snatches you, throws you into a squalid prison, and you wind up hospitalized in a third country with no info to your family.
Then you’re given asylum by the U.S., where you build a life and are a model citizen for decades.
Then when you’re old the U.S. govt snatches you, throws you into a squalid prison, and you wind up hospitalized in a third country with no info to your family.
July 19, 2025 at 5:31 PM
You’re tortured by a U.S. backed junta.
Then you’re given asylum by the U.S., where you build a life and are a model citizen for decades.
Then when you’re old the U.S. govt snatches you, throws you into a squalid prison, and you wind up hospitalized in a third country with no info to your family.
Then you’re given asylum by the U.S., where you build a life and are a model citizen for decades.
Then when you’re old the U.S. govt snatches you, throws you into a squalid prison, and you wind up hospitalized in a third country with no info to your family.
Reposted by Scott Hielen
again, no mention at all that the incoming new owners of CBS are the Ellison family, billionaire friends of Trump, who are already shaping the trajectory of the new CBS via Skydance execs before the deal ink is dry
that's apparently just not relevant enough to mention
that's apparently just not relevant enough to mention
Trump Says ‘I Absolutely Love’ That Stephen Colbert Got ‘Fired’ and ‘I Hear Jimmy Kimmel Is Next’
Trump weighed in on CBS's announced cancelation of Stephen Colbert's late-night talk show and is seemingly hopeful Jimmy Kimmel will be next to get axed.
variety.com
July 18, 2025 at 8:03 PM
again, no mention at all that the incoming new owners of CBS are the Ellison family, billionaire friends of Trump, who are already shaping the trajectory of the new CBS via Skydance execs before the deal ink is dry
that's apparently just not relevant enough to mention
that's apparently just not relevant enough to mention