Gabriele Cosentino
@cosenote.bsky.social
Brussels-based writer and researcher. Focus on disinformation/post-truth/geopolitics. Bylines: New Lines Magazine, Cairo Review of Global Affairs, The Conversation. Writings: www.gabrielecosentino.com
Pinned
TikTok in Egypt: where rich and poor meet – and the state watches everything
TikTok reveals both the liberating and the repressive effects of social media use in Egypt.
theconversation.com
My contribution to The Conversation:
"TikTok in Egypt: where rich and poor meet – and the state watches everything". TikTok’s ability to expose divisions in Egyptian society and connect citizens across demographic cleavages has unsettled the authorities.
theconversation.com/tiktok-in-eg...
"TikTok in Egypt: where rich and poor meet – and the state watches everything". TikTok’s ability to expose divisions in Egyptian society and connect citizens across demographic cleavages has unsettled the authorities.
theconversation.com/tiktok-in-eg...
Reposted by Gabriele Cosentino
Last year, I was interviewed for a @frontlinepbs.bsky.social documentary about Germany's far right, with a nod to Russia and the US. The documentary came out last month and makes for deeply uncomfortable viewing.
www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontli...
www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontli...
The Rise of Germany's New Right | FRONTLINE | PBS | Official Site | Documentary Series
Watch FRONTLINE's documentary examining how far-right leaders in Germany have risen to the brink of power.
www.pbs.org
December 11, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Last year, I was interviewed for a @frontlinepbs.bsky.social documentary about Germany's far right, with a nod to Russia and the US. The documentary came out last month and makes for deeply uncomfortable viewing.
www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontli...
www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontli...
Reposted by Gabriele Cosentino
White House photo op for the president's granddaughter's new $130 sweatshirt line
September 25, 2025 at 5:41 PM
White House photo op for the president's granddaughter's new $130 sweatshirt line
My article on the controversial impact of TikTok in Egypt - originally appeared on @theconversation.com - was republished by The Globe and Atlas.
theglobeandatlas.com/tiktok-egypt...
theglobeandatlas.com/tiktok-egypt...
TikTok in Egypt: where rich and poor meet and the state watches everything - The Globe and Atlas
TikTok has become immensely popular in Egypt. Authorities have been cracking down on users.
theglobeandatlas.com
July 28, 2025 at 10:47 AM
My article on the controversial impact of TikTok in Egypt - originally appeared on @theconversation.com - was republished by The Globe and Atlas.
theglobeandatlas.com/tiktok-egypt...
theglobeandatlas.com/tiktok-egypt...
Reposted by Gabriele Cosentino
Tried to get at this in my column last night but the wild thing about the Epstein story is that it seems to interest everyone & answers to nobody, even Trump. It is an unstable compound being used by political actors to get attention or score political points but it can easily blow up in their faces
Nobody (Not Even Trump) Can Control the Epstein Story
Welcome to the era of late-stage conspiracism.
www.theatlantic.com
July 17, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Tried to get at this in my column last night but the wild thing about the Epstein story is that it seems to interest everyone & answers to nobody, even Trump. It is an unstable compound being used by political actors to get attention or score political points but it can easily blow up in their faces
"Amusing ourselves to death": in the 1980s, media scholar Neil Postman offered a prescient vision for a future in which entertainment would eat up politics, and where we would die by a thousands laughs.
June 8, 2025 at 9:12 AM
"Amusing ourselves to death": in the 1980s, media scholar Neil Postman offered a prescient vision for a future in which entertainment would eat up politics, and where we would die by a thousands laughs.
Reposted by Gabriele Cosentino
My contribution to The Conversation:
"TikTok in Egypt: where rich and poor meet – and the state watches everything". TikTok’s ability to expose divisions in Egyptian society and connect citizens across demographic cleavages has unsettled the authorities.
theconversation.com/tiktok-in-eg...
"TikTok in Egypt: where rich and poor meet – and the state watches everything". TikTok’s ability to expose divisions in Egyptian society and connect citizens across demographic cleavages has unsettled the authorities.
theconversation.com/tiktok-in-eg...
TikTok in Egypt: where rich and poor meet – and the state watches everything
TikTok reveals both the liberating and the repressive effects of social media use in Egypt.
theconversation.com
May 8, 2025 at 8:29 AM
My contribution to The Conversation:
"TikTok in Egypt: where rich and poor meet – and the state watches everything". TikTok’s ability to expose divisions in Egyptian society and connect citizens across demographic cleavages has unsettled the authorities.
theconversation.com/tiktok-in-eg...
"TikTok in Egypt: where rich and poor meet – and the state watches everything". TikTok’s ability to expose divisions in Egyptian society and connect citizens across demographic cleavages has unsettled the authorities.
theconversation.com/tiktok-in-eg...
Reposted by Gabriele Cosentino
Pope Leo XIV today called on global leaders to stop waging wars during his first major speech to the faithful after his election as the Catholic Church’s new leader.
Pope Leo XIV’s first message to world leaders: End all wars
The new pope called for a “just, authentic and long-lasting” peace in Ukraine and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
www.politico.eu
May 11, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Pope Leo XIV today called on global leaders to stop waging wars during his first major speech to the faithful after his election as the Catholic Church’s new leader.
My contribution to The Conversation:
"TikTok in Egypt: where rich and poor meet – and the state watches everything". TikTok’s ability to expose divisions in Egyptian society and connect citizens across demographic cleavages has unsettled the authorities.
theconversation.com/tiktok-in-eg...
"TikTok in Egypt: where rich and poor meet – and the state watches everything". TikTok’s ability to expose divisions in Egyptian society and connect citizens across demographic cleavages has unsettled the authorities.
theconversation.com/tiktok-in-eg...
TikTok in Egypt: where rich and poor meet – and the state watches everything
TikTok reveals both the liberating and the repressive effects of social media use in Egypt.
theconversation.com
May 8, 2025 at 8:29 AM
My contribution to The Conversation:
"TikTok in Egypt: where rich and poor meet – and the state watches everything". TikTok’s ability to expose divisions in Egyptian society and connect citizens across demographic cleavages has unsettled the authorities.
theconversation.com/tiktok-in-eg...
"TikTok in Egypt: where rich and poor meet – and the state watches everything". TikTok’s ability to expose divisions in Egyptian society and connect citizens across demographic cleavages has unsettled the authorities.
theconversation.com/tiktok-in-eg...
Reposted by Gabriele Cosentino
"The comeback of Donald Trump is the pinnacle of the career of a risk taker with little concern for established norms. But his willingness to bend reality to suit his vision might push global politics to the breaking point."
My piece for The Cairo Review of Global Affairs:
shorturl.at/xMt0P
My piece for The Cairo Review of Global Affairs:
shorturl.at/xMt0P
Donald Trump and the Art of Bending Reality
The gravity-defying political comeback of Donald Trump is the pinnacle of the chaotic career of an extreme risk taker with little concern for established norms. But his willingness to upend rules and ...
shorturl.at
February 19, 2025 at 8:49 AM
"The comeback of Donald Trump is the pinnacle of the career of a risk taker with little concern for established norms. But his willingness to bend reality to suit his vision might push global politics to the breaking point."
My piece for The Cairo Review of Global Affairs:
shorturl.at/xMt0P
My piece for The Cairo Review of Global Affairs:
shorturl.at/xMt0P
Reposted by Gabriele Cosentino
When scholars of authoritarianism and fascism leave U.S. universities because of the deteriorating political situation here, we should really worry.
March 26, 2025 at 12:50 AM
When scholars of authoritarianism and fascism leave U.S. universities because of the deteriorating political situation here, we should really worry.
Reposted by Gabriele Cosentino
Today, thousands of openly-transgender service members will put on their uniform and do what needs to be done because they honor their oath to our country, while Pete Hegseth denigrates their service and violates his oath by brazenly sharing classified intel in text groups.
Just a reminder.
Just a reminder.
March 25, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Today, thousands of openly-transgender service members will put on their uniform and do what needs to be done because they honor their oath to our country, while Pete Hegseth denigrates their service and violates his oath by brazenly sharing classified intel in text groups.
Just a reminder.
Just a reminder.
Disinformation is how autocracies and weak democracies censor the truth: it gets drowned out by a tide of rumours, lies and fabrications.
March 23, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Disinformation is how autocracies and weak democracies censor the truth: it gets drowned out by a tide of rumours, lies and fabrications.
I wonder why
Tesla starts 2025 with sharp drop in sales in Europe
https://www.ft.com/content/cdd0b5c8-2703-4fd4-9ebf-26087cac8523
https://www.ft.com/content/cdd0b5c8-2703-4fd4-9ebf-26087cac8523
Tesla starts 2025 with sharp drop in sales in Europe
Sales down 45% in January for EV maker led by Elon Musk
www.ft.com
February 25, 2025 at 7:51 AM
I wonder why
Reposted by Gabriele Cosentino
The Ukrainian president made his comments as Vladimir Putin praised the US-Russian rapprochement and argued that European leaders had excluded themselves from the talks. www.ft.com/content/dc98...
February 19, 2025 at 3:54 PM
The Ukrainian president made his comments as Vladimir Putin praised the US-Russian rapprochement and argued that European leaders had excluded themselves from the talks. www.ft.com/content/dc98...
"The comeback of Donald Trump is the pinnacle of the career of a risk taker with little concern for established norms. But his willingness to bend reality to suit his vision might push global politics to the breaking point."
My piece for The Cairo Review of Global Affairs:
shorturl.at/xMt0P
My piece for The Cairo Review of Global Affairs:
shorturl.at/xMt0P
Donald Trump and the Art of Bending Reality
The gravity-defying political comeback of Donald Trump is the pinnacle of the chaotic career of an extreme risk taker with little concern for established norms. But his willingness to upend rules and ...
shorturl.at
February 19, 2025 at 8:49 AM
"The comeback of Donald Trump is the pinnacle of the career of a risk taker with little concern for established norms. But his willingness to bend reality to suit his vision might push global politics to the breaking point."
My piece for The Cairo Review of Global Affairs:
shorturl.at/xMt0P
My piece for The Cairo Review of Global Affairs:
shorturl.at/xMt0P
How democracies gradually turn into tyrannies, without people realising, from four witnesses who saw that happen in their own countries. Eye-opening cautionary tales for the US, and for the rest of the world.
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/22/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/22/o...
www.nytimes.com
January 29, 2025 at 11:24 AM
How democracies gradually turn into tyrannies, without people realising, from four witnesses who saw that happen in their own countries. Eye-opening cautionary tales for the US, and for the rest of the world.
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/22/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/01/22/o...
Reposted by Gabriele Cosentino
Trolligarch @elonmusk is an obscenely wealthy fascist, about time that the @EU_Commission takes seriously the huge threat he poses to European democracies.
www.politico.eu/article/elon...
www.politico.eu/article/elon...
Pressure mounts on EU to use legal weapons against Musk’s interference
European Commission says it will study whether X gives unfair boost to far right in German election.
www.politico.eu
January 7, 2025 at 10:42 AM
Trolligarch @elonmusk is an obscenely wealthy fascist, about time that the @EU_Commission takes seriously the huge threat he poses to European democracies.
www.politico.eu/article/elon...
www.politico.eu/article/elon...
Elon Musk true colors in full display, once more
Elon Musk kicked off 2025 by calling for the release of a jailed far-right British activist.
Elon Musk demands release of UK far-right ringleader Tommy Robinson
X owner said a documentary by the English Defense League co-founder was “worth watching.”
www.politico.eu
January 2, 2025 at 10:41 AM
Elon Musk true colors in full display, once more
Reposted by Gabriele Cosentino
Elon Musk’s tech bros have clashed with the Maga rank and file over immigration for Silicon Valley workers, exposing the fragile alliance forged to put Donald Trump in the White House ⬇️
Maga’s uncivil war: Musk and Ramaswamy under fire in ‘culture war’
Vivek Ramaswamy, who will co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency, blamed American ‘culture of mediocrity’ for a lack of talented specialist workers
www.thetimes.com
December 27, 2024 at 8:05 PM
Elon Musk’s tech bros have clashed with the Maga rank and file over immigration for Silicon Valley workers, exposing the fragile alliance forged to put Donald Trump in the White House ⬇️
Reposted by Gabriele Cosentino
There's nothing to return to in Jabaliya refugee camp, every element of human life destroyed.
Palestinians told us about whole blocks being cleared off the map in the past two months and what they describe is so apparent when you look at the aerial imagery.
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
Palestinians told us about whole blocks being cleared off the map in the past two months and what they describe is so apparent when you look at the aerial imagery.
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
‘Everything is gone’: how Israeli forces destroyed Jabaliya refugee camp
A chronicle of Jabaliya’s destruction, using eyewitness accounts, satellite imagery and video footage
www.theguardian.com
December 18, 2024 at 8:01 PM
There's nothing to return to in Jabaliya refugee camp, every element of human life destroyed.
Palestinians told us about whole blocks being cleared off the map in the past two months and what they describe is so apparent when you look at the aerial imagery.
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
Palestinians told us about whole blocks being cleared off the map in the past two months and what they describe is so apparent when you look at the aerial imagery.
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
Reposted by Gabriele Cosentino
A high-ranking Russian general has been killed in an explosion in Moscow less than 24 hours after Ukraine accused him of ordering the use of chemical weapons against its forces
Russian general killed by bomb in scooter outside his Moscow home
Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov died outside his home hours after he was charged by Ukraine with using banned chemical weapons
www.thetimes.com
December 17, 2024 at 9:17 AM
A high-ranking Russian general has been killed in an explosion in Moscow less than 24 hours after Ukraine accused him of ordering the use of chemical weapons against its forces
“To Kill a Novelist” is my first contribution for @newlinesmag.bsky.social. In the essay I revisit the controversy around the 1959 novel "Children of the Alley" by Egyptian novelist and Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz. A short 🧵:
newlinesmag.com/essays/what-...
newlinesmag.com/essays/what-...
What the Stabbing of a Nobel Prize-Winning Novelist Tells Us About Power in Egypt
While the attempted assassination of Naguib Mahfouz 30 years ago is usually seen as a story of Islamist extremism, the original controversy surrounding his work was rooted more in politics than religi...
newlinesmag.com
December 17, 2024 at 9:57 AM
“To Kill a Novelist” is my first contribution for @newlinesmag.bsky.social. In the essay I revisit the controversy around the 1959 novel "Children of the Alley" by Egyptian novelist and Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz. A short 🧵:
newlinesmag.com/essays/what-...
newlinesmag.com/essays/what-...
Reposted by Gabriele Cosentino
Must watch Channel 4 report on the mass graves in Syria, with over 100,000 dead estimated to be buried in just one site. The challenge to forensically document these sites will be huge.
www.channel4.com/news/true-sc...
www.channel4.com/news/true-sc...
True scale of Assad’s slaughter revealed at Syrian mass grave
His prisons held hundreds of thousands of people: relentlessly tortured and abused, many of them did not survive.
www.channel4.com
December 17, 2024 at 9:32 AM
Must watch Channel 4 report on the mass graves in Syria, with over 100,000 dead estimated to be buried in just one site. The challenge to forensically document these sites will be huge.
www.channel4.com/news/true-sc...
www.channel4.com/news/true-sc...