Matthew Ford
@warmatters.bsky.social
Saarf-Londoner. Cat Dad. Associate Professor in War Studies at the Swedish Defence University. PhD from KCL. Associate, IWM Institute. Senior fellow at Global & National Security Institute, University of South Florida. ex-West Point fellow. FRHistS.
Pinned
Matthew Ford
@warmatters.bsky.social
· Sep 16
Yesterday I was number 2 on the Amazon US best seller list for Military Sciences.
Today I am number 1.
Many thanks to all those who bought a copy. Feedback and comments very welcome!
a.co/d/5TGkwrB
Today I am number 1.
Many thanks to all those who bought a copy. Feedback and comments very welcome!
a.co/d/5TGkwrB
Reposted by Matthew Ford
Time to reshare this piece on the pitfalls of following the road Denmark has taken on immigration: ukandeu.ac.uk/denmarks-mig...
November 8, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Time to reshare this piece on the pitfalls of following the road Denmark has taken on immigration: ukandeu.ac.uk/denmarks-mig...
Reposted by Matthew Ford
“There are some people who hate London, and hate New York,” Mayor Sadiq Khan told me, on Bloomberg TV. “There's a reason why they demonize London, and now, indeed, New York. Why? Because we are progressive cities. We are liberal cities. We are multicultural cities. And we are incredibly successful.”
November 3, 2025 at 7:51 PM
“There are some people who hate London, and hate New York,” Mayor Sadiq Khan told me, on Bloomberg TV. “There's a reason why they demonize London, and now, indeed, New York. Why? Because we are progressive cities. We are liberal cities. We are multicultural cities. And we are incredibly successful.”
Reposted by Matthew Ford
"The state’s exclusive control over the legitimate use of force is quietly eroding—apparently with its own consent."
Eroding Sovereignty in the Age of “War as a Service”. An op-ed opinion piece I wrote with @rbarretttaylor.bsky.social for @opiniojuris.bsky.social
opiniojuris.org/2025/11/03/e...
Eroding Sovereignty in the Age of “War as a Service”. An op-ed opinion piece I wrote with @rbarretttaylor.bsky.social for @opiniojuris.bsky.social
opiniojuris.org/2025/11/03/e...
Eroding Sovereignty in the Age of “War as a Service”
[Dr Rupert Barrett-Taylor is a Research Fellow at the Alan Turing Institute focused on the ethical, operational, and epistemological implications of Artificial Intelligence in military operations. …
opiniojuris.org
November 3, 2025 at 4:27 PM
"The state’s exclusive control over the legitimate use of force is quietly eroding—apparently with its own consent."
Eroding Sovereignty in the Age of “War as a Service”. An op-ed opinion piece I wrote with @rbarretttaylor.bsky.social for @opiniojuris.bsky.social
opiniojuris.org/2025/11/03/e...
Eroding Sovereignty in the Age of “War as a Service”. An op-ed opinion piece I wrote with @rbarretttaylor.bsky.social for @opiniojuris.bsky.social
opiniojuris.org/2025/11/03/e...
"The state’s exclusive control over the legitimate use of force is quietly eroding—apparently with its own consent."
Eroding Sovereignty in the Age of “War as a Service”. An op-ed opinion piece I wrote with @rbarretttaylor.bsky.social for @opiniojuris.bsky.social
opiniojuris.org/2025/11/03/e...
Eroding Sovereignty in the Age of “War as a Service”. An op-ed opinion piece I wrote with @rbarretttaylor.bsky.social for @opiniojuris.bsky.social
opiniojuris.org/2025/11/03/e...
Eroding Sovereignty in the Age of “War as a Service”
[Dr Rupert Barrett-Taylor is a Research Fellow at the Alan Turing Institute focused on the ethical, operational, and epistemological implications of Artificial Intelligence in military operations. …
opiniojuris.org
November 3, 2025 at 4:27 PM
"The state’s exclusive control over the legitimate use of force is quietly eroding—apparently with its own consent."
Eroding Sovereignty in the Age of “War as a Service”. An op-ed opinion piece I wrote with @rbarretttaylor.bsky.social for @opiniojuris.bsky.social
opiniojuris.org/2025/11/03/e...
Eroding Sovereignty in the Age of “War as a Service”. An op-ed opinion piece I wrote with @rbarretttaylor.bsky.social for @opiniojuris.bsky.social
opiniojuris.org/2025/11/03/e...
Reposted by Matthew Ford
Twice in one day! Opinio Juris has published a piece written by @warmatters.bsky.social and I. We are deeply concerned by the erosion of Weberian sovereignty from encroachment of the private sector into control and mediation of violence. Please do read and share!
opiniojuris.org/2025/11/03/e...
opiniojuris.org/2025/11/03/e...
Eroding Sovereignty in the Age of “War as a Service”
[Dr Rupert Barrett-Taylor is a Research Fellow at the Alan Turing Institute focused on the ethical, operational, and epistemological implications of Artificial Intelligence in military operations. …
opiniojuris.org
November 3, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Twice in one day! Opinio Juris has published a piece written by @warmatters.bsky.social and I. We are deeply concerned by the erosion of Weberian sovereignty from encroachment of the private sector into control and mediation of violence. Please do read and share!
opiniojuris.org/2025/11/03/e...
opiniojuris.org/2025/11/03/e...
Reposted by Matthew Ford
I finally have a peer-reviewed publication to my name! I'd appreciate it if you all would be kind enough to read and share. I'm trying to comment on the reductive nature of the 'apex' form of techno-process driven war that seems to be the limit of martial imagination.
doi.org/10.1057/s429...
doi.org/10.1057/s429...
The reductive nature of military process - Digital War
Modern warfare is a reductive pursuit shaped by digital technologies that promise an idealised, precise conflict. Martial cultures aspire to hyper-surveillance systems driven by advanced technologies ...
doi.org
November 3, 2025 at 1:33 PM
I finally have a peer-reviewed publication to my name! I'd appreciate it if you all would be kind enough to read and share. I'm trying to comment on the reductive nature of the 'apex' form of techno-process driven war that seems to be the limit of martial imagination.
doi.org/10.1057/s429...
doi.org/10.1057/s429...
How are you unwittingly involved in your own surveillance? @byrontau.bsky.social's interesting discussion of his book Means of Control, explains how.
@andrewhoskins.bsky.social & I discussed data surveillance in the context of war in our 2022 book Radical War.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT3s...
@andrewhoskins.bsky.social & I discussed data surveillance in the context of war in our 2022 book Radical War.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT3s...
Means of Control, Byron Tau book talk and discussion
YouTube video by Patrick Smith
www.youtube.com
November 3, 2025 at 10:25 AM
How are you unwittingly involved in your own surveillance? @byrontau.bsky.social's interesting discussion of his book Means of Control, explains how.
@andrewhoskins.bsky.social & I discussed data surveillance in the context of war in our 2022 book Radical War.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT3s...
@andrewhoskins.bsky.social & I discussed data surveillance in the context of war in our 2022 book Radical War.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT3s...
Pleased to be talking with @patrickbriansmith.bsky.social and Miglė Bareikytė about my book at @salforduni.bsky.social' Emergent Nonfiction Lab on 3 December at 16:00 Stockholm time.
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/war-in-the...
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/war-in-the...
War in the Smartphone Age, book talk and discussion with Matthew Ford
Matthew Ford on his new book War in the Smartphone Age: Conflict, Connectivity and the Crises at Our Fingertips + respondent Miglė Bareikytė
www.eventbrite.co.uk
November 3, 2025 at 10:10 AM
Pleased to be talking with @patrickbriansmith.bsky.social and Miglė Bareikytė about my book at @salforduni.bsky.social' Emergent Nonfiction Lab on 3 December at 16:00 Stockholm time.
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/war-in-the...
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/war-in-the...
AWS cloud goes down just as Amazon is spending $100bn in 2025 on compute power. At the same time they’re letting go 30k staff, including many at AWS. So AWS are expanding compute power while replacing software engineers with AI? 🤔 www.planetearthandbeyond.co/p/amazon-jus...
Amazon Just Proved AI Isn't The Answer Yet Again
You would think they would learn their lesson. But nope!
www.planetearthandbeyond.co
November 2, 2025 at 6:54 AM
AWS cloud goes down just as Amazon is spending $100bn in 2025 on compute power. At the same time they’re letting go 30k staff, including many at AWS. So AWS are expanding compute power while replacing software engineers with AI? 🤔 www.planetearthandbeyond.co/p/amazon-jus...
Reposted by Matthew Ford
We in the UK will work out far too late that this is a bad thing.
NEW from me:
Political hostility, high visa fees and (in the case of the UK) stagnant incomes are making the UK and US less attractive destinations for top international talent.
That steep decline in the appeal of moving to the US after 2016 is 👀
Political hostility, high visa fees and (in the case of the UK) stagnant incomes are making the UK and US less attractive destinations for top international talent.
That steep decline in the appeal of moving to the US after 2016 is 👀
November 1, 2025 at 6:32 AM
We in the UK will work out far too late that this is a bad thing.
Reposted by Matthew Ford
I used em-dashes before Chat GPT told me to do so...
November 1, 2025 at 3:50 AM
I used em-dashes before Chat GPT told me to do so...
Reposted by Matthew Ford
Premium newsletter: Meta, Google, Amazon and Microsoft need $2 Trillion in AI revenue by 2030 or they've wasted their capex. The massive cost of building data centers and constant decay in value of expensive-to-run GPUs may make AI profits impossible to achieve.
www.wheresyoured.at/big-tech-2tr/
www.wheresyoured.at/big-tech-2tr/
Big Tech Needs $2 Trillion In AI Revenue By 2030 or They Wasted Their Capex
As I've established again and again, we are in an AI bubble, and no, I cannot tell you when the bubble will pop, because we're in the stupidest financial era since the great financial crisis — though,...
www.wheresyoured.at
October 31, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Premium newsletter: Meta, Google, Amazon and Microsoft need $2 Trillion in AI revenue by 2030 or they've wasted their capex. The massive cost of building data centers and constant decay in value of expensive-to-run GPUs may make AI profits impossible to achieve.
www.wheresyoured.at/big-tech-2tr/
www.wheresyoured.at/big-tech-2tr/
Reposted by Matthew Ford
trump himself may not be able to be prosecuted for this but every other person in the chain of command who carries these strikes out can, and should be
Trump: "I don't think we're necessarily going to ask for a declaration of war, I think we're just gonna kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. We're going to kill them. They're going to be, like dead."
October 23, 2025 at 8:35 PM
trump himself may not be able to be prosecuted for this but every other person in the chain of command who carries these strikes out can, and should be
Reposted by Matthew Ford
An enjoyable and productive visit to the Swedish Defence University this week; managed to fit in a quick look around the Army Museum in Stockholm. Thanks to @warmatters.bsky.social for hosting!
October 24, 2025 at 8:35 PM
An enjoyable and productive visit to the Swedish Defence University this week; managed to fit in a quick look around the Army Museum in Stockholm. Thanks to @warmatters.bsky.social for hosting!
Reposted by Matthew Ford
My new book, Elemental, is out in March. It's about the geopolitics of climate change. You can order it now, and I'd be really happy if you do.
One of the things that has happened is that things I wrote about have come true rather quicker than expected.
1/4
www.waterstones.com/book/element...
One of the things that has happened is that things I wrote about have come true rather quicker than expected.
1/4
www.waterstones.com/book/element...
Elemental: How We Will Live on a Warming Planet by Arthur Snell | Waterstones
Buy Elemental: How We Will Live on a Warming Planet by Arthur Snell from Waterstones today! Click and Collect from your local Waterstones or get FREE UK delivery on orders over £25.
www.waterstones.com
October 22, 2025 at 9:11 PM
My new book, Elemental, is out in March. It's about the geopolitics of climate change. You can order it now, and I'd be really happy if you do.
One of the things that has happened is that things I wrote about have come true rather quicker than expected.
1/4
www.waterstones.com/book/element...
One of the things that has happened is that things I wrote about have come true rather quicker than expected.
1/4
www.waterstones.com/book/element...
The war of 1812 was clearly the high point in White House architectural design
Trump waves around renderings of his new ballroom, which appears to be entirely gold
October 22, 2025 at 9:39 PM
The war of 1812 was clearly the high point in White House architectural design
Is it me or has Rutte got an oversized head?
❗️I canceled my meeting with Putin, We will do it in the future, - Trump.
October 22, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Is it me or has Rutte got an oversized head?
Bananas
"As of Monday, roughly 8 per cent of American warships deployed globally were in the Caribbean, according to a fleet tracker from the US Naval Institute." ft.com/content/dc10...
The US forces threatening Venezuela
Donald Trump has made no secret of his desire to see Nicolás Maduro ousted. Here are the forces he has sent to the region
ft.com
October 22, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Bananas
The direction of that AI revolution spelt out: The new AI overlords will be able to tell us what we think BEFORE we think it & sell us the thing we didn’t know we wanted, taking money directly out of our bank accounts without us even knowing. It will save so much time. We will all be so much happier
October 21, 2025 at 9:16 AM
The direction of that AI revolution spelt out: The new AI overlords will be able to tell us what we think BEFORE we think it & sell us the thing we didn’t know we wanted, taking money directly out of our bank accounts without us even knowing. It will save so much time. We will all be so much happier
You wonder why people are surprised by this story.
Trump taking Putin’s side is the only reliable thing about Trump.
Trump taking Putin’s side is the only reliable thing about Trump.
NEW:Trump urged Zelenskyy to accept Russia’s terms for ending its war in a volatile White House meeting on Friday, warning that Putin had said he would “destroy” Ukraine if it did not agree.
The meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy descended many times into a “shouting match” on.ft.com/3WMSQSu
The meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy descended many times into a “shouting match” on.ft.com/3WMSQSu
Trump urged Zelenskyy to accept Putin’s terms or be ‘destroyed’ by Russia
US president tossed aside maps of Ukraine frontline in volatile White House meeting
on.ft.com
October 19, 2025 at 9:24 PM
You wonder why people are surprised by this story.
Trump taking Putin’s side is the only reliable thing about Trump.
Trump taking Putin’s side is the only reliable thing about Trump.
Reposted by Matthew Ford
Assistant prof position in sociology, University of Limerick, Ireland:
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOX816/a...
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOX816/a...
Assistant Professor in Sociology (Racism(s), Criminology, Cultural Sociology) at University of Limerick
Discover Assistant Professor in Sociology (Racism(s), Criminology, Cultural Sociology) jobs and more in higher education on jobs.ac.uk. Apply for further details on the top job board.
www.jobs.ac.uk
October 18, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Assistant prof position in sociology, University of Limerick, Ireland:
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOX816/a...
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOX816/a...
Very much enjoyed talking to the smart folks @cvtrc.bsky.social. Was grateful to @benoloughlin.bsky.social for chairing & @akilnawan.bsky.social for inviting me.
Was very pleased to get questions from distinguished scholars like @lizzypearson.bsky.social as well several undergrads.
Was very pleased to get questions from distinguished scholars like @lizzypearson.bsky.social as well several undergrads.
October 16, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Very much enjoyed talking to the smart folks @cvtrc.bsky.social. Was grateful to @benoloughlin.bsky.social for chairing & @akilnawan.bsky.social for inviting me.
Was very pleased to get questions from distinguished scholars like @lizzypearson.bsky.social as well several undergrads.
Was very pleased to get questions from distinguished scholars like @lizzypearson.bsky.social as well several undergrads.
Very pleased to have the opportunity to talk to the smart folks at the @theturing.bsky.social about my book.
Many thanks to @rbarretttaylor.bsky.social for inviting me.
cc: @hurstpublishers.bsky.social @greyhoundliterary.bsky.social
Many thanks to @rbarretttaylor.bsky.social for inviting me.
cc: @hurstpublishers.bsky.social @greyhoundliterary.bsky.social
October 15, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Very pleased to have the opportunity to talk to the smart folks at the @theturing.bsky.social about my book.
Many thanks to @rbarretttaylor.bsky.social for inviting me.
cc: @hurstpublishers.bsky.social @greyhoundliterary.bsky.social
Many thanks to @rbarretttaylor.bsky.social for inviting me.
cc: @hurstpublishers.bsky.social @greyhoundliterary.bsky.social
I am very pleased to be joining the @ejisbisa.bsky.social as an Associate Editor.
Looking forward to working with Andrew Mumford, @ruthdeyermond.bsky.social, Sergio Catignani, Simone Tholens, @olivierschmitt.bsky.social and Amira Jadoon.
www.bisa.ac.uk/news/update-...
Looking forward to working with Andrew Mumford, @ruthdeyermond.bsky.social, Sergio Catignani, Simone Tholens, @olivierschmitt.bsky.social and Amira Jadoon.
www.bisa.ac.uk/news/update-...
An update from the European Journal of International Security
Our journal bring you updates on new associate editors and FirstView articles.
www.bisa.ac.uk
October 13, 2025 at 3:52 PM
I am very pleased to be joining the @ejisbisa.bsky.social as an Associate Editor.
Looking forward to working with Andrew Mumford, @ruthdeyermond.bsky.social, Sergio Catignani, Simone Tholens, @olivierschmitt.bsky.social and Amira Jadoon.
www.bisa.ac.uk/news/update-...
Looking forward to working with Andrew Mumford, @ruthdeyermond.bsky.social, Sergio Catignani, Simone Tholens, @olivierschmitt.bsky.social and Amira Jadoon.
www.bisa.ac.uk/news/update-...
That “AI” Big Tech business sales model redescribed as it actually is
That defence AI job creation exercise in full.
The US Deferred Resignation Program is a great way to lose people.
It also happens to create personnel gaps in military decision making.
Happily this can be replaced by automated systems.
Hey presto! Decision Support Defence Tech share prices go up!
The US Deferred Resignation Program is a great way to lose people.
It also happens to create personnel gaps in military decision making.
Happily this can be replaced by automated systems.
Hey presto! Decision Support Defence Tech share prices go up!
October 10, 2025 at 9:03 PM
That “AI” Big Tech business sales model redescribed as it actually is