Bernie Kaussler
@bernie-kaussler.bsky.social
Professor of Political Science at JMU. 🇺🇸 Thinking out loud about geopolitics and security. ✍️Author of several books on Middle East security and U.S. foreign policy. Latest 📖: “Proxy War in Yemen” ( 2023) from 🇩🇪🇪🇺, educated in 🇬🇧 (views are my own)
CNN: He‘s in the files!
CBS: He‘s in the files!
QVC: He‘s in the files!
FOX: Our best Thanks Giving recipes!
Thanks Giving TV: He‘s in the files!
CBS: He‘s in the files!
QVC: He‘s in the files!
FOX: Our best Thanks Giving recipes!
Thanks Giving TV: He‘s in the files!
November 13, 2025 at 2:30 PM
CNN: He‘s in the files!
CBS: He‘s in the files!
QVC: He‘s in the files!
FOX: Our best Thanks Giving recipes!
Thanks Giving TV: He‘s in the files!
CBS: He‘s in the files!
QVC: He‘s in the files!
FOX: Our best Thanks Giving recipes!
Thanks Giving TV: He‘s in the files!
It is safe to say that nuclear negotiations are not going well…
Trump says any country that buys oil from Iran will not be allowed to do any business with U.S.
The Trump administration said it wants to prevent Iran from building a nuclear bomb. Iran has denied that it seeks such a weapon.
www.cnbc.com
May 2, 2025 at 1:25 AM
It is safe to say that nuclear negotiations are not going well…
The „secure the border“ team seems very keen on forcing Ukraine to redraw theirs.
April 22, 2025 at 10:22 PM
The „secure the border“ team seems very keen on forcing Ukraine to redraw theirs.
Reposted by Bernie Kaussler
On the latest episode of “The Foreign Affairs Interview,” Fiona Hill discusses Donald Trump’s admiration for Vladimir Putin—and why his push for warmer relations with Moscow is raising alarms across European capitals:
What Does Trump See in Putin?
A Conversation With Fiona Hill
fam.ag
March 13, 2025 at 8:44 PM
On the latest episode of “The Foreign Affairs Interview,” Fiona Hill discusses Donald Trump’s admiration for Vladimir Putin—and why his push for warmer relations with Moscow is raising alarms across European capitals:
Not surprisingly Russia moved the goalposts today and is essentially demanding for the U.S. and Europe to completely abandon Ukraine during the cease fire period. Of course that is also Putin‘s long term goal.
March 13, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Not surprisingly Russia moved the goalposts today and is essentially demanding for the U.S. and Europe to completely abandon Ukraine during the cease fire period. Of course that is also Putin‘s long term goal.
Some of my thoughts European/Canadian leadership and deterrence amidst the trans-Atlantic chaos that unleashed by the Trump administration.
La double peine imposée à l’Ukraine par Donald Trump
Les États-Unis bafouent un engagement de 30 ans à assurer la souveraineté et la sécurité de l’ex-république soviétique.
www.ledevoir.com
March 6, 2025 at 12:07 AM
Some of my thoughts European/Canadian leadership and deterrence amidst the trans-Atlantic chaos that unleashed by the Trump administration.
Reposted by Bernie Kaussler
Stanford University has announced a staff hiring freeze to ward against “potential financial uncertainties” from the Trump administration’s efforts to cut research funding and to tax endowments.
Stanford freezes staff hiring, citing possible federal cuts and increased taxes
Stanford freezes staff hiring, citing possible federal cuts in research funding and increased taxes.
www.sfchronicle.com
February 27, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Stanford University has announced a staff hiring freeze to ward against “potential financial uncertainties” from the Trump administration’s efforts to cut research funding and to tax endowments.
A JL Partners poll that was mentioned in Politicos this morning asked 1001 voters who they view as the U.S. closest ally:
🇬🇧 UK: 43%
🇨🇦 Canada: 24%
🇫🇷 France: 6%
🇷🇺 Russia: 6%
🇨🇳 China: 5%
🇩🇪 Germany: 4%
🇲🇽 Mexico: 4%
🇺🇦 Ukraine: 3%
That makes upending the int. liberal order a little easier to sell at home
🇬🇧 UK: 43%
🇨🇦 Canada: 24%
🇫🇷 France: 6%
🇷🇺 Russia: 6%
🇨🇳 China: 5%
🇩🇪 Germany: 4%
🇲🇽 Mexico: 4%
🇺🇦 Ukraine: 3%
That makes upending the int. liberal order a little easier to sell at home
February 27, 2025 at 9:40 PM
A JL Partners poll that was mentioned in Politicos this morning asked 1001 voters who they view as the U.S. closest ally:
🇬🇧 UK: 43%
🇨🇦 Canada: 24%
🇫🇷 France: 6%
🇷🇺 Russia: 6%
🇨🇳 China: 5%
🇩🇪 Germany: 4%
🇲🇽 Mexico: 4%
🇺🇦 Ukraine: 3%
That makes upending the int. liberal order a little easier to sell at home
🇬🇧 UK: 43%
🇨🇦 Canada: 24%
🇫🇷 France: 6%
🇷🇺 Russia: 6%
🇨🇳 China: 5%
🇩🇪 Germany: 4%
🇲🇽 Mexico: 4%
🇺🇦 Ukraine: 3%
That makes upending the int. liberal order a little easier to sell at home
Reposted by Bernie Kaussler
US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff referred to the early 2022 Istanbul protocols as offering "guideposts" for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. An agreement based on those protocols would be a capitulation document.🧵 (1/9)
February 23, 2025 at 9:50 PM
US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff referred to the early 2022 Istanbul protocols as offering "guideposts" for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. An agreement based on those protocols would be a capitulation document.🧵 (1/9)
Reposted by Bernie Kaussler
We're all Gaullists now, says Dutch - yes, Dutch - foreign minister, in response to Merz remarks on Trump & European defence.
"The era that started at the fall of the Berlin Wall is now over," says Caspar Veldkamp.
"The era that started at the fall of the Berlin Wall is now over," says Caspar Veldkamp.
Europe facing up to new era due to Trump, Dutch minister says
Europe is "at the start of a new era" and needs to learn to rely on itself, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said on Monday as the continent scrambles to react to U.S. President Donald Trump's stunning reversal of decades of major U.S policies.
www.reuters.com
February 24, 2025 at 11:57 AM
We're all Gaullists now, says Dutch - yes, Dutch - foreign minister, in response to Merz remarks on Trump & European defence.
"The era that started at the fall of the Berlin Wall is now over," says Caspar Veldkamp.
"The era that started at the fall of the Berlin Wall is now over," says Caspar Veldkamp.
Reposted by Bernie Kaussler
ARD vs. ZDF choose your fighter
February 23, 2025 at 5:07 PM
ARD vs. ZDF choose your fighter
Reposted by Bernie Kaussler
Während bei der vergangenen Bundestagswahl um 14 Uhr lediglich 36,5 Prozent der Wahlberechtigten ihre Stimme abgegeben hatten, waren es diesmal 52 Prozent. Vor-Ort-Eindrücke, Faktenchecks und Live-Analysen im SPIEGEL-Blog.
Bundestagswahl 2025: Wahlbeteiligung gegenüber 2021 offenbar massiv gestiegen
Während bei der vergangenen Bundestagswahl um 14 Uhr lediglich 36,5 Prozent der Wahlberechtigten ihre Stimme abgegeben hatten, waren es diesmal 52 Prozent. Vor-Ort-Eindrücke, Faktenchecks und Live-Analysen im SPIEGEL-Blog.
www.spiegel.de
February 23, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Während bei der vergangenen Bundestagswahl um 14 Uhr lediglich 36,5 Prozent der Wahlberechtigten ihre Stimme abgegeben hatten, waren es diesmal 52 Prozent. Vor-Ort-Eindrücke, Faktenchecks und Live-Analysen im SPIEGEL-Blog.
A good reminder that Putin doesn’t want peace but seeks to dominate Ukraine. Even if one would call this power-based negotiations helping Russia to gain more leverage ( think of Nixon‘s 1972 Christmas bombing), Moscow does this with impunity. Team Rubio continues to reach out its hand to Lavrov.
Russia launches 267 drones into Ukraine, setting new record ahead of invasion's anniversary
Russia launched 267 drones into Ukraine on Saturday night, according to the Ukrainian air force, in the largest such attack of the war.
abcnews.go.com
February 23, 2025 at 2:47 PM
A good reminder that Putin doesn’t want peace but seeks to dominate Ukraine. Even if one would call this power-based negotiations helping Russia to gain more leverage ( think of Nixon‘s 1972 Christmas bombing), Moscow does this with impunity. Team Rubio continues to reach out its hand to Lavrov.
MAGA talking points these last 7 days:
- EU democracies are the real problem
- far right pro-Russian party needs to win in 🇩🇪
- No to Ukrainian territorial integrity
- No NATO membership
- Zelensky must go
- 🇺🇸🇷🇺 talks without Europe
- and now: ❗️Ukraine started it all
- EU democracies are the real problem
- far right pro-Russian party needs to win in 🇩🇪
- No to Ukrainian territorial integrity
- No NATO membership
- Zelensky must go
- 🇺🇸🇷🇺 talks without Europe
- and now: ❗️Ukraine started it all
February 19, 2025 at 12:59 AM
MAGA talking points these last 7 days:
- EU democracies are the real problem
- far right pro-Russian party needs to win in 🇩🇪
- No to Ukrainian territorial integrity
- No NATO membership
- Zelensky must go
- 🇺🇸🇷🇺 talks without Europe
- and now: ❗️Ukraine started it all
- EU democracies are the real problem
- far right pro-Russian party needs to win in 🇩🇪
- No to Ukrainian territorial integrity
- No NATO membership
- Zelensky must go
- 🇺🇸🇷🇺 talks without Europe
- and now: ❗️Ukraine started it all
Appeasment of Russia today may pave the way for it to wage large scale war. According to Danish intelligence "Russia is likely to be more willing to use military force in a regional war against one or more European NATO countries if it perceives NATO as militarily weakened or politically divided,"
February 13, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Appeasment of Russia today may pave the way for it to wage large scale war. According to Danish intelligence "Russia is likely to be more willing to use military force in a regional war against one or more European NATO countries if it perceives NATO as militarily weakened or politically divided,"
Reposted by Bernie Kaussler
We shouldn't take anything off the table before the negotiations have even started.
It is clear that any deal behind our backs will not work.
You need the Europeans, you need the Ukrainians.
Extracts from my doorstep ahead of NATO Defence Ministers meeting ↓
It is clear that any deal behind our backs will not work.
You need the Europeans, you need the Ukrainians.
Extracts from my doorstep ahead of NATO Defence Ministers meeting ↓
February 13, 2025 at 2:58 PM
We shouldn't take anything off the table before the negotiations have even started.
It is clear that any deal behind our backs will not work.
You need the Europeans, you need the Ukrainians.
Extracts from my doorstep ahead of NATO Defence Ministers meeting ↓
It is clear that any deal behind our backs will not work.
You need the Europeans, you need the Ukrainians.
Extracts from my doorstep ahead of NATO Defence Ministers meeting ↓
After seeing a rather uncomfortable King Abdullah in the Oval Office, Egypt‘s al-Sisi will cancel his White House visit if the forceful displacement of Palestinians is on agenda. Haven’t seen Arab states this united in their opposition to the U.S. - perhaps since 2003…
February 12, 2025 at 3:29 PM
After seeing a rather uncomfortable King Abdullah in the Oval Office, Egypt‘s al-Sisi will cancel his White House visit if the forceful displacement of Palestinians is on agenda. Haven’t seen Arab states this united in their opposition to the U.S. - perhaps since 2003…
This website documents how many U.S. jobs have been lost as a result of the freeze on foreign assistance. So far, employers or employees have reported 10,758 jobs cut since the stop work orders landed on Jan. 24
USAIDStopWork
www.usaidstopwork.com
February 11, 2025 at 4:07 PM
This website documents how many U.S. jobs have been lost as a result of the freeze on foreign assistance. So far, employers or employees have reported 10,758 jobs cut since the stop work orders landed on Jan. 24
Reposted by Bernie Kaussler
The erasure of the Jan. 6 records comes while the administration is also seeking to whitewash the teaching of U.S. history, threatening to withhold funds from schools that teach about America’s troubled history of racial and gender discrimination.
By @alecmac.bsky.social
By @alecmac.bsky.social
Memory-Holing Jan. 6: What Happens When You Try to Make History Vanish?
The Trump administration’s decision to delete a DOJ database of cases against Capitol riot defendants places those who seek to preserve the historical record in direct opposition to their own…
propub.li
February 10, 2025 at 12:00 AM
The erasure of the Jan. 6 records comes while the administration is also seeking to whitewash the teaching of U.S. history, threatening to withhold funds from schools that teach about America’s troubled history of racial and gender discrimination.
By @alecmac.bsky.social
By @alecmac.bsky.social
Reposted by Bernie Kaussler
“I’m eager to see an audit,” said Sen. Roger Wicker (R., Miss.) But Wicker also said, “I have felt for a long time that USAID is our way to combat China’s Belt and Road Initiative.” “So, we need an aid program to match the Chinese effort,” he said. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Trump’s USAID Shutdown Alarms Republican Allies
While GOP lawmakers complained about the agency’s “woke” excesses, they also see it as crucial to American soft power.
www.wsj.com
February 9, 2025 at 6:42 PM
“I’m eager to see an audit,” said Sen. Roger Wicker (R., Miss.) But Wicker also said, “I have felt for a long time that USAID is our way to combat China’s Belt and Road Initiative.” “So, we need an aid program to match the Chinese effort,” he said. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia left the Russian power grid yesterday and synchronized with the EU network today. Quite the symbolism as the final link to the former USSR of those 3 EU members has been cut.
February 9, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia left the Russian power grid yesterday and synchronized with the EU network today. Quite the symbolism as the final link to the former USSR of those 3 EU members has been cut.
Marco Rubio: „U.S. gov vessels can now transit the Panama Canal without charge fees..“
Panamanian President, Jose Mulino today: „I completely reject that statement.“
Looks like one of the two is making up things…. 👀
Panamanian President, Jose Mulino today: „I completely reject that statement.“
Looks like one of the two is making up things…. 👀
February 6, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Marco Rubio: „U.S. gov vessels can now transit the Panama Canal without charge fees..“
Panamanian President, Jose Mulino today: „I completely reject that statement.“
Looks like one of the two is making up things…. 👀
Panamanian President, Jose Mulino today: „I completely reject that statement.“
Looks like one of the two is making up things…. 👀
Reposted by Bernie Kaussler
This is my vote for the other thing to care about and call your reps about this week. An unelected billionaire should not have control of the central money spigot of the United States.
This is a hair-on-fire situation (gift link)
Musk allies (not official government employees, apparently) seek access to "the sensitive systems control the flow of more than $6 trillion annually to households, businesses and more nationwide."
wapo.st/4jH7XYa
Musk allies (not official government employees, apparently) seek access to "the sensitive systems control the flow of more than $6 trillion annually to households, businesses and more nationwide."
wapo.st/4jH7XYa
Senior U.S. official to exit after rift with Musk allies over payment system
A top Treasury career staffer is expected to depart. Surrogates of Musk’s DOGE effort had sought access to sensitive payment systems.
wapo.st
January 31, 2025 at 1:49 PM
This is my vote for the other thing to care about and call your reps about this week. An unelected billionaire should not have control of the central money spigot of the United States.
Reposted by Bernie Kaussler
Just thought it was worth noting that a pretty solid majority of the American public does not support Donald Trump’s foreign policy moves. Like, at all. danieldrezner.substack.com/p/the-pretty...
The Pretty Prudent American Public
Turns out that most Americans do not like being expansionist assholes on the global stage.
danieldrezner.substack.com
January 30, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Just thought it was worth noting that a pretty solid majority of the American public does not support Donald Trump’s foreign policy moves. Like, at all. danieldrezner.substack.com/p/the-pretty...
Reposted by Bernie Kaussler
No country is immune to the far right.
No country is immune to the normalization of the far right.
No country is immune to the normalization of the far right.
January 29, 2025 at 10:00 PM
No country is immune to the far right.
No country is immune to the normalization of the far right.
No country is immune to the normalization of the far right.