William D. James
@wdjames.bsky.social
Asst. Professor in Strategic Studies at NTU Singapore. Author of British Grand Strategy in the Age of American Hegemony (OUP, 2024). Research: Alliances, UK foreign & defence policy, European security & transatlantic relations.
www.williamdjames.com
www.williamdjames.com
Pinned
William D. James
@wdjames.bsky.social
· Nov 13
A nice surprise to see so many new followers. By way of intro, I'm based at NTU Singapore, where I teach on alliances and defence policy. My first book examines how the UK, as a 2nd tier power, makes grand strategy while underneath the US security umbrella. See here for more info: williamdjames.com
Reposted by William D. James
UK to make fresh push to join EU defence fund ft.trib.al/DCofR1f
UK to make fresh push to join EU defence fund
Talks that are due to take place next month take on fresh urgency after the transatlantic rupture in Davos
ft.trib.al
January 23, 2026 at 3:58 PM
UK to make fresh push to join EU defence fund ft.trib.al/DCofR1f
Reposted by William D. James
"'We are discussing how to protect Europe with a nuclear deterrent with or without the United States,' one of the European officials said. Another described the discussions among European leaders about ways to guard against a nuclear-armed Russia without the U.S. as 'intense and productive.'"
Doubting U.S. resolve, Europe looks to bolster its own nuclear arsenal
The discussions have taken on new urgency as President Trump escalates his criticism of Europe. Germany and Poland already have suggested France’s nuclear weapons could be expanded to defend their cou...
www.nbcnews.com
January 23, 2026 at 6:02 AM
"'We are discussing how to protect Europe with a nuclear deterrent with or without the United States,' one of the European officials said. Another described the discussions among European leaders about ways to guard against a nuclear-armed Russia without the U.S. as 'intense and productive.'"
For reasons unknown, my first book, British Grand Strategy in the Age of American Hegemony, is on sale for £28.99 on Amazon UK - a 62% reduction in price! It would be rude not to at that discount! H/T to @jfb1066.bsky.social www.amazon.co.uk/British-Gran...
Amazon.co.uk
www.amazon.co.uk
January 23, 2026 at 8:10 AM
For reasons unknown, my first book, British Grand Strategy in the Age of American Hegemony, is on sale for £28.99 on Amazon UK - a 62% reduction in price! It would be rude not to at that discount! H/T to @jfb1066.bsky.social www.amazon.co.uk/British-Gran...
Reposted by William D. James
Latest post tries to catch up with the back and forth on Greenland. I argue that rather this being a rupture (as Mark Carney suggested) the European response shows a transition to a rebalanced transatlantic relationship with diminished US power. (£/free trial), open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/t...?
To Greenland and Back
Does NATO carry on as before?
open.substack.com
January 22, 2026 at 10:40 AM
Latest post tries to catch up with the back and forth on Greenland. I argue that rather this being a rupture (as Mark Carney suggested) the European response shows a transition to a rebalanced transatlantic relationship with diminished US power. (£/free trial), open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/t...?
Reposted by William D. James
Denmark has been a stalwart ally to America. Forty-four Danish troops were killed in Afghanistan, the highest per capita death toll among coalition forces.
Danish veterans of US wars say they feel betrayed by Greenland threats
Denmark has been a stalwart ally to America. Forty-four Danish troops were killed in Afghanistan, the highest per capita death toll among coalition forces.
www.defensenews.com
January 21, 2026 at 12:55 PM
Denmark has been a stalwart ally to America. Forty-four Danish troops were killed in Afghanistan, the highest per capita death toll among coalition forces.
Reposted by William D. James
Reposted by William D. James
It’s come to this: “Catholic members of the US armed forces could in good conscience consider disobeying orders to attack Greenland if such orders were issued, according to Archbishop Timothy Broglio, the bishop responsible for the pastoral care of US military personnel.”
Military archbishop: Troops could refuse orders on Greenland
Speaking to Britain's Sunday program on BBC, Archbishop Timothy Broglio reiterated that conscience could permit refusal of an unjust military order.
aleteia.org
January 20, 2026 at 1:24 AM
It’s come to this: “Catholic members of the US armed forces could in good conscience consider disobeying orders to attack Greenland if such orders were issued, according to Archbishop Timothy Broglio, the bishop responsible for the pastoral care of US military personnel.”
Reposted by William D. James
Thatcher wrote in her memoirs: “I was to have many disputes with President Mitterrand in later years. But I never forgot the debt we owed him for his personal support throughout the Falklands crisis.”
Defence Secretary John Nott: “In so many ways Mitterrand and the French were our greatest allies”.
Defence Secretary John Nott: “In so many ways Mitterrand and the French were our greatest allies”.
Untrue, of course. UK got lots of support, and never asked for military intervention. But it's not the South Atlantic Treaty Org. At US insistence to avoid colonial wars, NATO only covers Europe, N. America, and the Atlantic north of the Tropic of Cancer. e.g. Hawaii and Guam aren't covered, either.
January 18, 2026 at 8:36 PM
Thatcher wrote in her memoirs: “I was to have many disputes with President Mitterrand in later years. But I never forgot the debt we owed him for his personal support throughout the Falklands crisis.”
Defence Secretary John Nott: “In so many ways Mitterrand and the French were our greatest allies”.
Defence Secretary John Nott: “In so many ways Mitterrand and the French were our greatest allies”.
Spoke with the Beeb earlier today about Trump's coercive diplomacy over Greenland, its implications for NATO, and diverging European responses. Thanks to Vandhna Bhan for going easy on me in my first live media interview. Clips below.
January 20, 2026 at 8:15 AM
Spoke with the Beeb earlier today about Trump's coercive diplomacy over Greenland, its implications for NATO, and diverging European responses. Thanks to Vandhna Bhan for going easy on me in my first live media interview. Clips below.
Reposted by William D. James
I feel for future historians trying to make sense of the ‘Greenland crisis’.
January 20, 2026 at 8:04 AM
I feel for future historians trying to make sense of the ‘Greenland crisis’.
If you're interested in UK foreign policy in relation to the Middle East, check out this @h-diplo.bsky.social roundtable on Nigel Ashton's excellent book, False Prophets: British Leaders' Fateful Fascination with the Middle East from Suez to Syria - with an intro by yours truly. hdiplo.org/to/RT27-6
January 20, 2026 at 6:41 AM
If you're interested in UK foreign policy in relation to the Middle East, check out this @h-diplo.bsky.social roundtable on Nigel Ashton's excellent book, False Prophets: British Leaders' Fateful Fascination with the Middle East from Suez to Syria - with an intro by yours truly. hdiplo.org/to/RT27-6
Reposted by William D. James
I am greatly encouraged that Lars Lokke Rasmussen - Denmark's foreign minister - looks like the sort of chap who could avert a schism in the international order.
January 14, 2026 at 5:51 PM
I am greatly encouraged that Lars Lokke Rasmussen - Denmark's foreign minister - looks like the sort of chap who could avert a schism in the international order.
Reposted by William D. James
The audacious raid in Venezuela reveals how technological advances are expanding the United States' geopolitical options.
America’s techno-imperial moment | Christian Ruth
engelsbergideas.com/notebook/ame...
America’s techno-imperial moment | Christian Ruth
engelsbergideas.com/notebook/ame...
America’s techno-imperial moment
The audacious raid in Venezuela reveals how technological advances are expanding the United States' geopolitical options.
engelsbergideas.com
January 13, 2026 at 10:47 AM
The audacious raid in Venezuela reveals how technological advances are expanding the United States' geopolitical options.
America’s techno-imperial moment | Christian Ruth
engelsbergideas.com/notebook/ame...
America’s techno-imperial moment | Christian Ruth
engelsbergideas.com/notebook/ame...
Reposted by William D. James
😂👏 Not quite "My centre is giving way, my right is retreating, situation excellent, I am attacking!" is it?!
Thursday’s @thetimes.com cartoon times.newsprints.co.uk/morten-morla...
January 15, 2026 at 7:42 AM
😂👏 Not quite "My centre is giving way, my right is retreating, situation excellent, I am attacking!" is it?!
Reposted by William D. James
@blagdendavid.bsky.social and I in the New Statesman on Britain's predicament over Greenland and beyond. Muddling through to finesse Trump's instincts & save the status quo will not work. Its hard, but time to pick a poison.
www.newstatesman.com/internationa...
www.newstatesman.com/internationa...
To survive Trump, Starmer must think the unthinkable
Britain can no longer avoid the costs of appeasing America’s predatory president
www.newstatesman.com
January 15, 2026 at 10:06 AM
@blagdendavid.bsky.social and I in the New Statesman on Britain's predicament over Greenland and beyond. Muddling through to finesse Trump's instincts & save the status quo will not work. Its hard, but time to pick a poison.
www.newstatesman.com/internationa...
www.newstatesman.com/internationa...
Reposted by William D. James
🎧The EI Podcast: The Monroe Doctrine explained
@jackfdickens.bsky.social is joined by Charlie Laderman to discuss how the United States’ hemispheric ambitions emerged from great-power competition.
audioboom.com/posts/883473...
@jackfdickens.bsky.social is joined by Charlie Laderman to discuss how the United States’ hemispheric ambitions emerged from great-power competition.
audioboom.com/posts/883473...
The Monroe Doctrine: The United States’ hemispheric strategy explained
EI's Jack Dickens (https://engelsbergideas.com/author/jack-dickens/) is joined by Charlie Laderman (https://engelsbergideas.com/author/charlie-laderman/) , associate professor at the University of...
audioboom.com
January 15, 2026 at 12:20 PM
🎧The EI Podcast: The Monroe Doctrine explained
@jackfdickens.bsky.social is joined by Charlie Laderman to discuss how the United States’ hemispheric ambitions emerged from great-power competition.
audioboom.com/posts/883473...
@jackfdickens.bsky.social is joined by Charlie Laderman to discuss how the United States’ hemispheric ambitions emerged from great-power competition.
audioboom.com/posts/883473...
I spoke about Trump’s bid for Greenland and its implications for European security on the @usp-rsis.bsky.social podcast this week. With events moving at a dizzying pace, I tried to add some historical perspective. Thanks to Collin Koh & Kevin Chen for the invitation. open.spotify.com/episode/0rtE...
Episode 35 - Trump's Desire for Greenland and Its Implications for the International Order
open.spotify.com
January 15, 2026 at 12:04 PM
I spoke about Trump’s bid for Greenland and its implications for European security on the @usp-rsis.bsky.social podcast this week. With events moving at a dizzying pace, I tried to add some historical perspective. Thanks to Collin Koh & Kevin Chen for the invitation. open.spotify.com/episode/0rtE...
John Bew on form: "It cannot be healthy that more energy is spent in European capitals assessing the legality of Maduro’s toppling than on a post-mortem on the failure to mobilise frozen Russian assets in support of Ukraine at the most critical point in the war". www.newstatesman.com/internationa...
The age of invasion
How Trump’s new global strategy will assert Washington’s hemispheric ambitions
www.newstatesman.com
January 7, 2026 at 1:32 PM
John Bew on form: "It cannot be healthy that more energy is spent in European capitals assessing the legality of Maduro’s toppling than on a post-mortem on the failure to mobilise frozen Russian assets in support of Ukraine at the most critical point in the war". www.newstatesman.com/internationa...
I spoke with @channelnewsasia.bsky.social yesterday about the prospect of 🇺🇸 trying to acquire Greenland by force. FWIW, I think it’s unlikely given the fallout (also at odds with mood music on Ukraine), but such coercive diplomacy is still undermining trust at a critical time. tinyurl.com/3snyuawh
January 7, 2026 at 1:52 AM
I spoke with @channelnewsasia.bsky.social yesterday about the prospect of 🇺🇸 trying to acquire Greenland by force. FWIW, I think it’s unlikely given the fallout (also at odds with mood music on Ukraine), but such coercive diplomacy is still undermining trust at a critical time. tinyurl.com/3snyuawh
This is a strong, well-crafted statement. Still, it’s incredibly disheartening that we’ve reached the point where this needs to be said.
Joint Statement of major EU/NATO countries on Greenland, together with Denmark:
January 7, 2026 at 12:11 AM
This is a strong, well-crafted statement. Still, it’s incredibly disheartening that we’ve reached the point where this needs to be said.
An admirable commitment, but strategy must align objectives and resources. With defence spending at 2.5% and the British Army's modernisation plans in crisis, this is strategically illiterate. www.bbc.com/news/article...
UK and France to send troops to Ukraine if peace deal agreed with Russia
The announcement was made by UK PM Sir Keir Starmer after a meeting of Ukraine's allies in Paris.
www.bbc.com
January 6, 2026 at 11:51 PM
An admirable commitment, but strategy must align objectives and resources. With defence spending at 2.5% and the British Army's modernisation plans in crisis, this is strategically illiterate. www.bbc.com/news/article...
Reposted by William D. James
Not a credible position for the Labour leadership to take. If they were serious about the threat we face, after 18mths we'd have ramped up our capabilities, have factories and stockpiles in place, people would have been fired and talent brought in to shake up UK defence. Instead, we've tinkered.
This sounds like defensive briefing straight from a Morgan McSweeney Whatsapp group in denial about how an ineffective leader unwilling to face the breakdown of US-Europe relations might not be the best figure to lead the UK into a post-American order
December 13, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Not a credible position for the Labour leadership to take. If they were serious about the threat we face, after 18mths we'd have ramped up our capabilities, have factories and stockpiles in place, people would have been fired and talent brought in to shake up UK defence. Instead, we've tinkered.
Reposted by William D. James
Logical consequence: 75% of Germans think the country should thus seek a nuclear umbrella from France and the United Kingdom.
December 8, 2025 at 8:08 AM
Logical consequence: 75% of Germans think the country should thus seek a nuclear umbrella from France and the United Kingdom.
📢 RSIS/NTU Singapore is hiring tenure-track positions in Strategic Studies (particularly keen on candidates working at the intersection of tech & strategy), Asian Studies, IR, and IPE.
Deadline: 31 Jan 2026. Please RT & share with anyone on the market!
ntu.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/Careers/job/...
Deadline: 31 Jan 2026. Please RT & share with anyone on the market!
ntu.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/Careers/job/...
Assistant Professor in Strategic Studies / International Relations (Tenure-Track) [RSIS]
Assistant Professor in Strategic Studies / International Relations (Tenure-Track) The S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, is seeking to...
ntu.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com
December 8, 2025 at 7:18 AM
📢 RSIS/NTU Singapore is hiring tenure-track positions in Strategic Studies (particularly keen on candidates working at the intersection of tech & strategy), Asian Studies, IR, and IPE.
Deadline: 31 Jan 2026. Please RT & share with anyone on the market!
ntu.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/Careers/job/...
Deadline: 31 Jan 2026. Please RT & share with anyone on the market!
ntu.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/Careers/job/...
Reposted by William D. James
Out next week in the US (sadly not until March in Uk). Lots of essays from a bit of autobiography to pieces on people (Michael Howard, Mandela, Putin), praising tactics, zugzwang v stalemate, retrospects on Iraq war, and even the strategy of Barbie. global.oup.com/academic/pro...
December 7, 2025 at 12:07 PM
Out next week in the US (sadly not until March in Uk). Lots of essays from a bit of autobiography to pieces on people (Michael Howard, Mandela, Putin), praising tactics, zugzwang v stalemate, retrospects on Iraq war, and even the strategy of Barbie. global.oup.com/academic/pro...