Emma Ashford
@emmamashford.bsky.social
Senior Fellow at Stimson Center, Columnist at Foreign Policy, and Adjunct Prof at Georgetown CSS.
Research on US grand strategy and energy security. Working on a book about US foreign policy in a multipolar world.
All views mine!
Research on US grand strategy and energy security. Working on a book about US foreign policy in a multipolar world.
All views mine!
Reposted by Emma Ashford
Trump’s strikes on Iran don’t fit neatly into the usual binary of U.S. foreign policy, which tends to see isolationism as the only alternative to engagement, writes columnist @emmamashford.bsky.social.
If Trump Is Neither Hawk nor Dove, What Is He?
The president’s recent moves don’t fit the usual binary of U.S. foreign policy—but there is a historical precedent.
foreignpolicy.com
July 14, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Trump’s strikes on Iran don’t fit neatly into the usual binary of U.S. foreign policy, which tends to see isolationism as the only alternative to engagement, writes columnist @emmamashford.bsky.social.
Reposted by Emma Ashford
So much we don’t know yet. But generally agree with @emmamashford.bsky.social thus far.
June 13, 2025 at 12:37 AM
So much we don’t know yet. But generally agree with @emmamashford.bsky.social thus far.
Reposted by Emma Ashford
Europe has a weaker hand than it thinks on Ukraine—By constantly shifting the goalposts — downsizing potential troop deployments and issuing mostly empty threats to Russia — EU leaders have instead signalled their weakness. www.ft.com/content/677e... @emmamashford.bsky.social @financialtimes.com
Europe has a weaker hand than it thinks on Ukraine
The ‘coalition of the willing’ sounds impressive but remains paper thin
www.ft.com
May 31, 2025 at 11:58 PM
Europe has a weaker hand than it thinks on Ukraine—By constantly shifting the goalposts — downsizing potential troop deployments and issuing mostly empty threats to Russia — EU leaders have instead signalled their weakness. www.ft.com/content/677e... @emmamashford.bsky.social @financialtimes.com
Reposted by Emma Ashford
Defeatism or survival?
April 6, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Defeatism or survival?
Reposted by Emma Ashford
“Signal is a tool. If you misuse a tool, bad things are going to happen. If you hit yourself in the face with a hammer, it’s not the hammer’s fault. It’s really on you to make sure you know who you’re talking to.”
SignalGate Isn't About Signal
The Trump cabinet’s shocking leak of its plans to bomb Yemen raises myriad confidentiality and legal issues. The security of the encrypted messaging app Signal is not one of them.
www.wired.com
March 26, 2025 at 7:23 PM
“Signal is a tool. If you misuse a tool, bad things are going to happen. If you hit yourself in the face with a hammer, it’s not the hammer’s fault. It’s really on you to make sure you know who you’re talking to.”
Reposted by Emma Ashford
Not to be a wide-eyed naïf about such things but... am I right in thinking that they levelled an entire building to get to one guy and *that* is not controversial to anyone in the American media or political class, only that this information was recklessly shared in an unsecured chat?
March 26, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Not to be a wide-eyed naïf about such things but... am I right in thinking that they levelled an entire building to get to one guy and *that* is not controversial to anyone in the American media or political class, only that this information was recklessly shared in an unsecured chat?
Mike Waltz denouncing Goldberg resembles nothing so much as a guy trying to frantically explain to his wife why his ex-girlfriend's number is still in his phone contacts. 😂
March 26, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Mike Waltz denouncing Goldberg resembles nothing so much as a guy trying to frantically explain to his wife why his ex-girlfriend's number is still in his phone contacts. 😂
What will you do when DOGE comes for you? In the new It's Debatable for @ForeignPolicy, @MatthewKroenig and I debate whether DOGE cuts to USIP, VOA, and USAID will impact US foreign policy for good or ill. 👇
March 21, 2025 at 3:09 PM
What will you do when DOGE comes for you? In the new It's Debatable for @ForeignPolicy, @MatthewKroenig and I debate whether DOGE cuts to USIP, VOA, and USAID will impact US foreign policy for good or ill. 👇
My @stimsoncenter.bsky.social colleague @evancooper.bsky.social has a new series out: Diplomacy Wins, focusing on the success stories of US diplomats.
Particularly as US soft power is being degraded, we must remember that diplomacy is a vital counterpart to military force in US foreign policy.
Particularly as US soft power is being degraded, we must remember that diplomacy is a vital counterpart to military force in US foreign policy.
March 20, 2025 at 3:21 PM
My @stimsoncenter.bsky.social colleague @evancooper.bsky.social has a new series out: Diplomacy Wins, focusing on the success stories of US diplomats.
Particularly as US soft power is being degraded, we must remember that diplomacy is a vital counterpart to military force in US foreign policy.
Particularly as US soft power is being degraded, we must remember that diplomacy is a vital counterpart to military force in US foreign policy.
Looks like the reaction to the blowout in the oval office has moved the needle a little on Americans' perceptions of Ukraine, but along highly partisan lines.
March 14, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Looks like the reaction to the blowout in the oval office has moved the needle a little on Americans' perceptions of Ukraine, but along highly partisan lines.
Reposted by Emma Ashford
Omg is it Time to Bomb Iran Day again already? It seems to get earlier every year. I didn’t even remember to buy a cake.
🧵A new report from the hawkish Washington Institute for Near East Policy paints a rosy picture of bombing Iran—downplaying risks, ignoring strategic realities, and contradicting itself multiple times.
It even admits this would be a years-long military campaign.
Let’s break it down >>>
It even admits this would be a years-long military campaign.
Let’s break it down >>>
March 14, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Omg is it Time to Bomb Iran Day again already? It seems to get earlier every year. I didn’t even remember to buy a cake.
Nordstream was always the best example of the divergence between Ukrainian interests and broader European ones -- and it will probably continue to be so if a peace is signed.
March 14, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Nordstream was always the best example of the divergence between Ukrainian interests and broader European ones -- and it will probably continue to be so if a peace is signed.
Reposted by Emma Ashford
I know @vgr.bsky.social loves a good 2x2 and this is one of the best I’ve seen in a while
March 14, 2025 at 12:56 PM
I know @vgr.bsky.social loves a good 2x2 and this is one of the best I’ve seen in a while
Donald Trump is every undergrad who forgot to study for the midterm and only barely remembers the lecture, but now they’re on a roll.
March 14, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Donald Trump is every undergrad who forgot to study for the midterm and only barely remembers the lecture, but now they’re on a roll.
Wall Street Journal not mincing words this morning: "We said from the beginning that this North American trade war is the dumbest in history, and we were being kind."
March 13, 2025 at 3:28 AM
Wall Street Journal not mincing words this morning: "We said from the beginning that this North American trade war is the dumbest in history, and we were being kind."
Maybe we could try to redirect DOGE at something more productive, like BRAC.
@capreble and @nick_clevelands make the case.
responsiblestatecraft.org/dog...
@capreble and @nick_clevelands make the case.
responsiblestatecraft.org/dog...
DOGE can help close empty, useless military bases across US
If Elon is up for disruption, we have a BRAC logjam for him
responsiblestatecraft.org
March 12, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Maybe we could try to redirect DOGE at something more productive, like BRAC.
@capreble and @nick_clevelands make the case.
responsiblestatecraft.org/dog...
@capreble and @nick_clevelands make the case.
responsiblestatecraft.org/dog...
Reposted by Emma Ashford
As a few people have asked, a thread on the MV Solong/MV Stena Immaculate collision from your friendly neighbourhood maritime expert.
A big ol' caveat that this is all still developing, but this is what we know.
Please treat all "act of war" talk you see online very carefully at this stage!
A big ol' caveat that this is all still developing, but this is what we know.
Please treat all "act of war" talk you see online very carefully at this stage!
March 12, 2025 at 1:24 PM
As a few people have asked, a thread on the MV Solong/MV Stena Immaculate collision from your friendly neighbourhood maritime expert.
A big ol' caveat that this is all still developing, but this is what we know.
Please treat all "act of war" talk you see online very carefully at this stage!
A big ol' caveat that this is all still developing, but this is what we know.
Please treat all "act of war" talk you see online very carefully at this stage!
As an immigrant to the US after 9/11, I find the idea that immigrants don't have more reason to fear state power to be laughable.
The Khalil case is chilling for free speech, but let's not pretend that US immigration rules have ever been anything other than arbitrary on this question.
The Khalil case is chilling for free speech, but let's not pretend that US immigration rules have ever been anything other than arbitrary on this question.
March 12, 2025 at 1:16 PM
As an immigrant to the US after 9/11, I find the idea that immigrants don't have more reason to fear state power to be laughable.
The Khalil case is chilling for free speech, but let's not pretend that US immigration rules have ever been anything other than arbitrary on this question.
The Khalil case is chilling for free speech, but let's not pretend that US immigration rules have ever been anything other than arbitrary on this question.
Never thought I'd see this sentence in Foreign Affairs, tbh.
March 10, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Never thought I'd see this sentence in Foreign Affairs, tbh.
Reposted by Emma Ashford
🗣️ As Trump and Putin consider meeting, @agathedemarais.bsky.social explores why Moscow’s shrinking fiscal reserves could be pushing the Kremlin to the negotiating table.
With no Plan D to fund its budget deficit, is Putin seeking a financial lifeline?
via @politico.eu 📰
With no Plan D to fund its budget deficit, is Putin seeking a financial lifeline?
via @politico.eu 📰
Why Putin is finally negotiating
Moscow could soon struggle to finance the war, and fiscal breathing room may well be what the Russian leader’s looking for.
buff.ly
February 27, 2025 at 1:51 PM
🗣️ As Trump and Putin consider meeting, @agathedemarais.bsky.social explores why Moscow’s shrinking fiscal reserves could be pushing the Kremlin to the negotiating table.
With no Plan D to fund its budget deficit, is Putin seeking a financial lifeline?
via @politico.eu 📰
With no Plan D to fund its budget deficit, is Putin seeking a financial lifeline?
via @politico.eu 📰
Looks like we have a finalized "rare minerals" deal with Ukraine. It doesn't seem to have changed much from the interim version. While it could have implications for reconstruction if fleshed out, as it stands, it's probably a bit of a nothingburger.
February 25, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Looks like we have a finalized "rare minerals" deal with Ukraine. It doesn't seem to have changed much from the interim version. While it could have implications for reconstruction if fleshed out, as it stands, it's probably a bit of a nothingburger.
Absolutely astounding the ways in which three decades of rhetoric about values has led many in the West to be literally unable to comprehend military power and why it matters.
"Right makes Might" does not seem like a viable strategy.
"Right makes Might" does not seem like a viable strategy.
February 25, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Absolutely astounding the ways in which three decades of rhetoric about values has led many in the West to be literally unable to comprehend military power and why it matters.
"Right makes Might" does not seem like a viable strategy.
"Right makes Might" does not seem like a viable strategy.
Ironic that undersea cable cutting seems to be becoming a common act of hostility between states right as the owner of the world's most effective backup/alternative (Starlink) is distracted playing slash-and-burn with the federal bureaucracy.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/25/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/25/w...
Taiwan Detains a Chinese-Crewed Ship After Undersea Cable Severed (Gift Article)
The Coast Guard said it was investigating how the cable was severed and said it could not rule out the possibility of sabotage.
www.nytimes.com
February 25, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Ironic that undersea cable cutting seems to be becoming a common act of hostility between states right as the owner of the world's most effective backup/alternative (Starlink) is distracted playing slash-and-burn with the federal bureaucracy.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/25/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/25/w...
Reposted by Emma Ashford
Easy to solve the free rider problem and get your allies to boost defense spending if you start actively threatening them.
February 25, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Easy to solve the free rider problem and get your allies to boost defense spending if you start actively threatening them.