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designated-d.bsky.social
@designated-d.bsky.social
150 followers 1.1K following 10 posts
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designated-d.bsky.social
"🇮🇷a theocracy…other three secular, traditionally socialist nations regard w/ suspicion…🇷🇺&🇨🇳 view the spread of ☪️ fundamentalism w/ alarm…[🇨🇳] taken extreme measures against even moderate Muslims…no shared values beyond vague [multipolar] platitudes"
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/06/u...
China and Russia Keep Their Distance From Iran During Crisis
www.nytimes.com
July 6, 2025 at 7:33 PM
designated-d.bsky.social
“activist groups…from the Nader movement are not merely overly idealistic or ineffective…often counterproductive…[activists want]…more legal power to block new housing & energy infrastructure…[abundance agenda] is premised on taking that power away"

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
The Coming Democratic Civil War
A seemingly wonky debate about the “abundance agenda” is really about power.
www.theatlantic.com
May 27, 2025 at 12:49 AM
designated-d.bsky.social
“🇺🇸 exposure cannot be expanded…desire to decouple…mortgage-backed securities…[can’t add to] existing portfolios “…[🇨🇳] sell long-dated Treasuries as they mature…[shift] into MBS…swap one US asset for another…[shortening] duration of the holdings”"
www.ft.com/content/fdad...
How China is quietly diversifying from US Treasuries
As investors become increasingly anxious about US government bonds, Chinese officials are looking for ways to reduce their exposure
www.ft.com
May 2, 2025 at 4:38 PM
designated-d.bsky.social
"opposing a project no longer had to debate proposals on the merits…no longer about the wisdom of any official’s exercise of discretion but…Procedure was now king…reformers have no real concept of a process that would fairly arbitrate between tradeoffs"
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
The Question Progressives Refuse to Answer
As Democrats became the party of proceduralism, they sidestepped a crucial debate.
www.theatlantic.com
April 2, 2025 at 5:46 PM
designated-d.bsky.social
"pandemic turbocharged the trade…stuck at home…interest in both online shopping & collecting houseplants, posting the more exotic ones [online]…succulents trade today is bigger than that for rhino horns…by syndicate bosses…as far as east Asia"

www.ft.com/content/13af...
The rise of plant poaching: how a craze for succulents is driving a new illegal trade
In the wilds of South Africa’s Northern Cape, poaching ‘green diamonds’ has become an almost irresistible temptation
www.ft.com
January 27, 2025 at 3:57 AM
designated-d.bsky.social
“🇺🇸 [wont say] how they got access to the convos…@CIA …concluded that the 💣 that 💥 in 🇩🇪🇬🇧 & 🇵🇱…part of a “field test” by the G.R.U…to understand what path📦 follow on their way through 🇪🇺…sent from 🇱🇹where 🇷🇺 retain a significant intel presence"

www.nytimes.com/2025/01/13/u...
Biden Aides Warned Putin as Russia’s Shadow War Threatened Air Disaster
The White House scrambled to get a message to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia last year after U.S. intelligence agencies said a Russian military unit was preparing to send explosive packages on ...
www.nytimes.com
January 13, 2025 at 10:05 PM
designated-d.bsky.social
"Kush was the jewel of 🇸🇩 gold boom…as a focal point🇸🇩💪🏾ties w/🇷🇺…🇦🇪 takeover…to diversify the 🇦🇪🛢️-[dependency]… acquire mines & the raw minerals needed for⚡️cars & the transition to ♻️ energy…🇦🇪is arming one side in the war, while funding the other"
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/11/w...
The Gold Rush at the Heart of a Civil War
Famine and ethnic cleansing stalk Sudan. Yet the gold trade is booming, enriching generals and propelling the fight.
www.nytimes.com
December 15, 2024 at 10:18 PM
designated-d.bsky.social
"🇹🇷 military base in the country, trained thousands of 🇸🇴 soldiers, managed Mogadishu’s airport and port, & provided extensive humanitarian and military aid…[🇪🇹] forced the issue to the forefront and secured a deal granting 🇪🇹 access to the 🇸🇴 coast"

www.middleeasteye.net/news/inside-...
Inside the Turkey-backed Somalia-Ethiopia deal
Seven-hour negotiations in Ankara produced a joint statement that satisfied Mogadishu
www.middleeasteye.net
December 12, 2024 at 8:06 PM
designated-d.bsky.social
"A 2020 🇲🇽 intelligence assessment, leaked by a hacker group, found that the Sinaloa Cartel appeared to be recruiting chemistry professors to develop fentanyl precursor chemicals after the pandemic slowed supply chains"
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/01/w...
Mexican Cartels Lure Chemistry Students to Make Fentanyl
Criminals turn college campuses into recruitment hubs, recruiting chemistry students in Mexico with big paydays.
www.nytimes.com
December 1, 2024 at 7:34 PM
designated-d.bsky.social
“🇦🇴 applied for Cuanza River corridor [
@unesconow.bsky.social now site]. “…where African Americans came from”…🇦🇴 tourism minister…hopes that this history will draw 🇺🇸&🇦🇴 closer…battle for influence 🪨&🛢️-rich 🇦🇴 that gives 🇺🇸…ties to 🇦🇴 in ways that 🇨🇳, its rival, cannot” www.nytimes.com/2024/12/01/w...
Angola, the U.S. and a Slavery Connection Few Talk About
When President Biden visits the country this week, he is expected to highlight a largely overlooked bond between Angola and the United States that was born out of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
www.nytimes.com
December 1, 2024 at 5:58 PM