Bessma Momani
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bmomani.bsky.social
Bessma Momani
@bmomani.bsky.social
3.2K followers 1K following 350 posts

Professor at the University of Waterloo and Senior Fellow at CIGI, interested in International Affairs and Geopolitics of Technology.

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Political science 34%
Economics 31%
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bmomani.bsky.social
Bessma Momani @bmomani.bsky.social · Dec 30
My latest op-ed in Globe and Mail on AI race between China and US. Trump’s war on talent in universities and international scholars may kill what pwas US has had www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...
Opinion: In the roiling cold war for AI supremacy, the U.S. has let China back in the race
Decisions by the Trump White House – particularly ones dissuading the world’s top AI talent from going to America – have allowed China to assert itself
www.theglobeandmail.com

Reposted by Bessma Momani

robin-j-brooks.bsky.social
Robin Brooks @robin-j-brooks.bsky.social · 14h
Gold is back above $5,000. The rally in precious metals is reckless and crazy, but so is global fiscal policy. At some point over the past 20 years, policy makers who believe in keeping public debt stable stopped existing. Makes sense to buy safe havens...
robinjbrooks.substack.com/p/does-frida...

Reposted by Bessma Momani

thestar.com
Toronto Star @thestar.com · 17h
Air Canada suspends flights to Cuba amid aviation fuel shortage
Air Canada suspends flights to Cuba amid aviation fuel shortage
Cuba has been facing a worsening energy crisis amid a U.S. blockade of oil to the Caribbean nation.
www.thestar.com

Reposted by Bessma Momani

devex.com
Devex @devex.com · 17h
Opinion: Maternal deaths remain catastrophically high across the continent despite decades of mobile health interventions. Artificial intelligence offers personalized, predictive care — if designed with the right safeguards.
What will it take for AI to work for women’s health in Africa?
What will it take for AI to work for women’s health in Africa?
www.devex.com

Reposted by Bessma Momani

alexboyd.bsky.social
Alex Boyd @alexboyd.bsky.social · 18h
Listening to Cross Country Checkup's very good conversation about Alberta separatism and it's striking to me how often COVID health measures or the convoy come up as a motivating factor for separatists. Post pandemic politics strike again. www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...
© CBC/Radio-Canada 2026. All rights reserved.
www.cbc.ca

Reposted by David S. Cohen, Bessma Momani

404media.co
404 Media @404media.co · 18h
“In an extreme case, two users sent very similar messages describing symptoms of a subarachnoid hemorrhage but were given opposite advice,” the study’s authors wrote. “One user was told to lie down in a dark room, and the other user was given the correct recommendation to seek emergency care.”
Chatbots Make Terrible Doctors, New Study Finds
Chatbots provided incorrect, conflicting medical advice, researchers found: “Despite all the hype, AI just isn't ready to take on the role of the physician.”
www.404media.co

Reposted by Bessma Momani

financialtimes.com
Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 19h
Cuba has told international airlines that it will not be able to supply them with jet fuel from Tuesday. The measure, at the height of the tourist season, is expected to hit US, Spanish, Panamanian and Mexican airlines. ft.trib.al/fRmayws

Reposted by Bessma Momani

justinhendrix.bsky.social
Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 1d
"Around a third of countries attending a military AI summit agreed on Thursday to a declaration on how to govern deployment of the technology in warfare, but military heavyweights China and the U.S. opted out." www.reuters.com/business/aer...
US, China opt out of joint declaration on AI use in military
Around a third of countries attending a military AI summit agreed on Thursday to a declaration on how to govern deployment of the technology in warfare, but military heavyweights China and the U.S. op...
www.reuters.com

Reposted by Bessma Momani

robertscotthorton.bsky.social
Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 1d
David E Rosenberg: Some 42% of Americans believe that US military aid to Israel “should be reduced or ended, more than those favoring an increase or keeping it at its current level, according to an Aug YouGov poll.” The trend line is very clear, and the hardline Israel supporters are dying out.
The End of U.S. Military Aid to Israel?
Once sacrosanct, the enormous aid package is now in doubt.
foreignpolicy.com

Reposted by Bessma Momani

davidheniguk.bsky.social
David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 1d
I'm pretty sceptical of the excitability around India's trade deals with the EU and US. Plenty of tariff reduction, but as we should have learnt in the last ten years, there's a lot more to trade and economics. Formidable non-tariff barriers remain. www.ft.com/content/f2bb...
India embraces free(er) trade
Narendra Modi’s government pushes historic opening of traditionally insular economy
www.ft.com

Reposted by Bessma Momani

economist.com
The Economist @economist.com · 1d
Political battles have long raged over money for renewable-energy research. But Donald Trump’s assault on science goes beyond funding
In America science-sceptics are now in charge
The Trump administration seems to want less clean energy and more preventable diseases
econ.st

Reposted by Bessma Momani

bmoens.bsky.social
Barbara Moens @bmoens.bsky.social · 1d
European countries are edging closer to broad social media bans for children, even as doubts persist over how to implement them and the risk of a new battle with US tech groups.

A deep dive with Leila Abboud & @NicFildes

www.ft.com/content/cf46...
Can Europe get kids off social media?
Move follows Australia’s decision to introduce age restrictions over child safety concerns
www.ft.com

Reposted by Bessma Momani

us.theconversation.com
The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 2d
Data centers use MASSIVE amounts of water

Just one Google data center in Iowa used 1 BILLION gallons of water in 2024 -- enough to supply all of Iowa's residential water use for 5 days. ⬇️

Reposted by Bessma Momani, Valentina De Marchi

washingtonpost.com
The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 2d
The domino effect from the tech industry’s $700 billion AI spending spree is diverting resources and attention from other sectors of the economy, making finding an electrician or a reasonably priced smartphone increasingly difficult.
The AI boom is so huge it’s causing shortages everywhere else
The hundreds of billions of dollars being spent by tech companies on AI projects are diverting resources from other parts of the economy.
www.washingtonpost.com

Reposted by Bessma Momani

globalextremism.bsky.social
Global Project Against Hate and Extremism @globalextremism.bsky.social · 2d
Donald Trump threatened to resume nuclear weapons testing, repeating false claims about other countries and echoing Project 2025’s push for “immediate test readiness.” Experts warn it wouldn’t make the U.S. safer, but would benefit rivals while rolling back long-standing nuclear safety protections.
Project 2025 February 4th Update
This week we look at how Trump declared America will resume nuclear weapons testing for the first time in 33 years while his Department of Energy quietly gutted the radiation safety rules that have pr...
globalextremism.org

Reposted by Bessma Momani

globalextremism.bsky.social
Global Project Against Hate and Extremism @globalextremism.bsky.social · 3d
Austrian white nationalist Martin Sellner appeared with Brandenburg AfD state MP Lena Kotré at a closed-door event in Germany promoting “remigration.” The conference highlights how ideas once confined to neo-Nazi circles are being normalized by elected officials and reframed as migration policy.
White supremacist and German State MP Hold “Remigration” Conference
Austrian white nationalist Martin Sellner appeared alongside Brandenburg state MP Lena Kotré of the far-right AfD at a closed-door event in Vetschau, Germany, promoting “remigration.” The conference u...
globalextremism.org

Reposted by Bessma Momani

economist.com
The Economist @economist.com · 3d
Trust in the news media has declined across the rich world. Some people may not care much when they hear that journalism is in trouble. Yet it is in their interest to care
As global press freedom dwindles, corrupt politicians rejoice
Less scrutiny, more booty
econ.st

Reposted by Miles Corak, Bessma Momani, Larry W. Hunter

robertscotthorton.bsky.social
Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 3d
As Rupert Murdoch TV hammers away telling its viewers that Canadians are their enemies, Republican views of Canada shift on cue. At this point, Murdoch's propaganda machine can make its viewership believe absolutely anything, no matter how absurd.

Reposted by Bessma Momani

reuters.com
Reuters @reuters.com · 3d
In Trump’s war on global justice, court staff and U.N. face terrorist‑grade sanctions reut.rs/4rFxVyl
In Trump’s war on global justice, court staff and U.N. face terrorist‑grade sanctions
Trump’s sanctions on U.N. expert Francesca Albanese and the International Criminal Court froze assets and disrupted war crimes investigations. The clash is part of the broader campaign by his administration to strongarm allies, enemies and world bodies into toeing the U.S. line.
reut.rs

Reposted by Bessma Momani

us.theconversation.com
The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 4d
In 2023, a sci-fi magazine shut down submissions after being flooded with AI-written stories. That problem is now everywhere — AI-generated text overwhelming courts, journals, newsrooms, and HR departments.
AI-generated text is overwhelming institutions – setting off a no-win ‘arms race’ with AI detectors
People are using generative AI to flood courts with filings, legislatures with constituent letters and publications with submissions. AI detectors are no silver bullet.
buff.ly

Reposted by Bessma Momani

washingtonpost.com
The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 4d
A new study puts a number on the potential human toll of sharp aid cuts over the past year, projecting an extra 9.4 million deaths by 2030 if the current trends persist.
Global aid cuts could lead to 9.4 million deaths by 2030, study projects
The Lancet study examines how the dismantling of international aid by the U.S. and other countries could undo decades of health gains.
www.washingtonpost.com

Reposted by Steve Peers, Bessma Momani

bobwolfe.bsky.social
Robert Wolfe @bobwolfe.bsky.social · 4d
two things are obvious in this clip:
a) Kennedy is trying to describe USMCA
b) Bessent has no idea how USMCA works
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 4d
KENNEDY: If Canada came to the US and said, 'We're going to 0 tariffs on the US, all of them are off,' would you and the president go to 0 tariffs and let Canadian companies and American companies compete on a level playing field?

BESSENT: Absolutely not

Reposted by Steve Peers, Bessma Momani, Juanjo Medina , and 1 more

pickardje.bsky.social
Jim Pickard @pickardje.bsky.social · 4d
FT exclusive:

“The US state department is set to fund Maga-aligned think-tanks and charities across Europe to disseminate Washington’s policy positions and challenge perceived threats to free speech.”

via @annasophiegross.bsky.social and colleagues

Reposted by Meredith Broussard, Steve Peers, Robert C. Richards , and 6 more

dell.bsky.social
dell cameron @dell.bsky.social · 4d
NEW: Records reviewed by WIRED show DHS’s facial recognition app (Mobile Fortify) isn’t designed to actually "verify" identity—despite DHS claims and its agents relying on its matches to support probable cause in the field.
ICE and CBP’s Face-Recognition App Can’t Actually Verify Who People Are
ICE has used Mobile Fortify to identify immigrants and citizens alike over 100,000 times, by one estimate. It wasn't built to work like that—and only got approved after DHS abandoned its own privacy r...
www.wired.com

Reposted by Bessma Momani

justinhendrix.bsky.social
Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 4d
A ProPublica report on plans to use AI to write regulations at the US Department of Transportation should be a warning signal for public interest advocates and litigators, writes Jordan Ascher, policy counsel at Governing for Impact. It’s time to prepare for a flood of machine-generated rules.
Trump Administration Official Says Quiet Part Out Loud on AI-in-Government Plans
A ProPublica report on plans to use AI to write regulations at the US Department of Transportation should be a warning signal, writes Jordan Ascher.
www.techpolicy.press

Reposted by Bessma Momani, Aviel Roshwald

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 4d
Rep. Ben Cline at the National Prayer Breakfast: "We are reminded that leadership is not only about policy and power, but about character, conscience, and the recognition that all authority that all authority is ultimately accountable to God. We are honored to welcome President Bukele."

Reposted by Robert Wolfe, Bessma Momani

nvondarza.bsky.social
Nicolai von Ondarza @nvondarza.bsky.social · 4d
Fascinating graph based on UN General Assembly votes showing the growing distance from the EU and other Western allies to the US under Trump.

Note especially the movement of Canada and the UK. A symbol of soft power loss.
patrickjfl.bsky.social Patrick Flynn @patrickjfl.bsky.social · 4d
The geopolitical centre of gravity is shifting towards China, driven primarily by Europe's increased distance from the US under the Trump II era.

We analysed decades of UN voting data to create a new US-China axis, and found the US advantage is at its lowest level this century.

Reposted by Kori Schake, Bessma Momani

noahbarkin.bsky.social
Noah Barkin @noahbarkin.bsky.social · 4d
The earlier belief in Berlin and other capitals was that Russia wouldn’t be able to threaten NATO until 2029 or so. There is now a growing consensus that such a crisis could come much sooner—before Europe is in a position to fight back

www.wsj.com/world/europe...
A Wargame Shows Just How Vulnerable Europe Is to a Russian Attack
With America disengaging, Russia might be ready for a new war much sooner than previously estimated.
www.wsj.com

Reposted by Kori Schake, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Bessma Momani

economist.com
The Economist @economist.com · 4d
Everyone should mourn how an asset that is an investors’ haven is increasingly tainted by risks the whole world must now bear econ.st/3M4LgRF

Reposted by Steve Peers, Robert Wolfe, Bessma Momani , and 1 more

patrickjfl.bsky.social
Patrick Flynn @patrickjfl.bsky.social · 4d
The geopolitical centre of gravity is shifting towards China, driven primarily by Europe's increased distance from the US under the Trump II era.

We analysed decades of UN voting data to create a new US-China axis, and found the US advantage is at its lowest level this century.

Reposted by Bessma Momani

kevinrothrock.me
Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 5d
Late-Jan poll by Kyiv Int'l Institute of Sociology shows 40% support for ceding Donbas in exchange for security guarantees. In May 2022, a survey that didn't mention security guarantees found that 82% of Ukrainians opposed surrendering territory under any circumstances. kiis.com.ua?lang=eng&cat...
Press releases and reports - Public opinion in the context of Russia's attempts to plunge Ukraine into darkness and cold: results of a survey conducted on January 23-29, 2026
kiis.com.ua