Ivo Daalder
@ivodaalder.bsky.social
Former US Amb @NATO. Now Senior Fellow @BelferCenter. Host World Review Podcast. Author America Abroad Substack. Policy Wonk. Dog lover. Baseball fan. New Chicagoan. Old Dutchman.
Today, on World Review, how the world is ignoring the crises in sub-Saharan Africa. And what elections in Czechia and the Netherlands can tell us about the strength of the European far right. With Anna Sauerbrey and @bobbyghosh.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/ivodaald...
November 6, 2025 at 10:43 PM
Today, on World Review, how the world is ignoring the crises in sub-Saharan Africa. And what elections in Czechia and the Netherlands can tell us about the strength of the European far right. With Anna Sauerbrey and @bobbyghosh.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/ivodaald...
Trump’s destruction of the White House is the most vivid demonstration of what his presidency stands for: needless destruction of America’s very foundation and our standing in the world. It’s total, complete and unchangeable.
October 22, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Trump’s destruction of the White House is the most vivid demonstration of what his presidency stands for: needless destruction of America’s very foundation and our standing in the world. It’s total, complete and unchangeable.
There you have it. Putin succeeded in stopping Tomahawks and ensuring Zelenskyy had a bad meeting with Trump, all for an empty promise to meet and end the war. Trump was played. Again.
October 21, 2025 at 4:14 PM
There you have it. Putin succeeded in stopping Tomahawks and ensuring Zelenskyy had a bad meeting with Trump, all for an empty promise to meet and end the war. Trump was played. Again.
Steven Miller calls the Democratic Party an “extremist organization.” Don’t be surprised if Trump moves to ban the party as a danger to America.
Can’t happen here? After the last 8 months, that seems a very thin reed to hold onto.
Can’t happen here? After the last 8 months, that seems a very thin reed to hold onto.
August 27, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Steven Miller calls the Democratic Party an “extremist organization.” Don’t be surprised if Trump moves to ban the party as a danger to America.
Can’t happen here? After the last 8 months, that seems a very thin reed to hold onto.
Can’t happen here? After the last 8 months, that seems a very thin reed to hold onto.
Trump's only strategy on Ukraine is to get a deal--any deal--so he can claim he delivered on his promise as a peacemaker. It won't work.
August 19, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Trump's only strategy on Ukraine is to get a deal--any deal--so he can claim he delivered on his promise as a peacemaker. It won't work.
Trump will try to bully Zelensky and the Europeans into accepting an unacceptable peace. All he wants is to be seen as the one who ended the war. He doesn’t care how or at what cost. But as I told the Guardian, the Europeans should hold fast and tell Trump: you’re either with us or against us.
August 18, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Trump will try to bully Zelensky and the Europeans into accepting an unacceptable peace. All he wants is to be seen as the one who ended the war. He doesn’t care how or at what cost. But as I told the Guardian, the Europeans should hold fast and tell Trump: you’re either with us or against us.
For all Trump’s talk that his meeting with Putin was “a 10”, made “great progress” and was “successful,” Putin didn’t budge an inch. His demands—an end to Ukraine’s sovereignty and rolling back NATO’s eastward enlargement—remain unchanged. To maintain otherwise is delusional.
August 17, 2025 at 2:35 PM
For all Trump’s talk that his meeting with Putin was “a 10”, made “great progress” and was “successful,” Putin didn’t budge an inch. His demands—an end to Ukraine’s sovereignty and rolling back NATO’s eastward enlargement—remain unchanged. To maintain otherwise is delusional.
Watch Susan Glasser talk about the Putinization of America.
August 16, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Watch Susan Glasser talk about the Putinization of America.
Trump got played by Putin. Again. He accepted Putin’s position on Ukraine as his own. Ukraine and Europe are now alone, needing to increase pressure on Russia and supporting its fight on the battlefield.
It’s a terrible day for peace, security, and transatlantic relations.
It’s a terrible day for peace, security, and transatlantic relations.
August 16, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Trump got played by Putin. Again. He accepted Putin’s position on Ukraine as his own. Ukraine and Europe are now alone, needing to increase pressure on Russia and supporting its fight on the battlefield.
It’s a terrible day for peace, security, and transatlantic relations.
It’s a terrible day for peace, security, and transatlantic relations.
I joined @eliselabott.bsky.social to talk about NATO. Here’s a clip.
June 26, 2025 at 5:32 PM
I joined @eliselabott.bsky.social to talk about NATO. Here’s a clip.
Is Trump NATO's Daddy? Join @eliselabott.bsky.social and me as we unpack the NATO Summit. Live on Substack, 30 minutes from now. open.substack.com/live-stream/...
June 26, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Is Trump NATO's Daddy? Join @eliselabott.bsky.social and me as we unpack the NATO Summit. Live on Substack, 30 minutes from now. open.substack.com/live-stream/...
Join me tomorrow as @eliselabott.bsky.social and I discuss the outcome of the NATO summit that concluded a short while ago. open.substack.com/live-stream/...?
June 25, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Join me tomorrow as @eliselabott.bsky.social and I discuss the outcome of the NATO summit that concluded a short while ago. open.substack.com/live-stream/...?
Rutte tells Trump he’s achieved something no other US President has done in NATO.
True.
No other president has ever called Art. 5 into question forcing Europeans to think how to defend themselves without the United States.
True.
No other president has ever called Art. 5 into question forcing Europeans to think how to defend themselves without the United States.
June 24, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Rutte tells Trump he’s achieved something no other US President has done in NATO.
True.
No other president has ever called Art. 5 into question forcing Europeans to think how to defend themselves without the United States.
True.
No other president has ever called Art. 5 into question forcing Europeans to think how to defend themselves without the United States.
Trump's first public comment at the G7 was expressing disappointment Putin wasn't there. He blamed Obama for ousting Russia, ignoring that it was Putin's invasion of Ukraine and annexation of Crimea that was the reason. My thoughts on @cnn.com earlier today. drive.google.com/file/d/1Q1iG...
June 16, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Trump's first public comment at the G7 was expressing disappointment Putin wasn't there. He blamed Obama for ousting Russia, ignoring that it was Putin's invasion of Ukraine and annexation of Crimea that was the reason. My thoughts on @cnn.com earlier today. drive.google.com/file/d/1Q1iG...
This list of 36 countries Trump wants to add to his travel band reads like an alphabetical list of African countries (aside from those on his original list). I wonder what these countries have in common to warrant a travel ban….
June 16, 2025 at 4:01 PM
This list of 36 countries Trump wants to add to his travel band reads like an alphabetical list of African countries (aside from those on his original list). I wonder what these countries have in common to warrant a travel ban….
Pretty clear from this readout of call with Putin, that Trump sees Russia as an ally on Iran and not an adversary in Ukraine. Any hope he might have turned and agree to impose new sanctions on Russia is all but gone.
June 4, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Pretty clear from this readout of call with Putin, that Trump sees Russia as an ally on Iran and not an adversary in Ukraine. Any hope he might have turned and agree to impose new sanctions on Russia is all but gone.
Trump’s decision to can Waltz isn’t a surprise. He was done as soon as the Signal chat was revealed.
Trump never jumped to his defense in same way he did with Hegseth. 🧵
Trump never jumped to his defense in same way he did with Hegseth. 🧵
May 1, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Trump’s decision to can Waltz isn’t a surprise. He was done as soon as the Signal chat was revealed.
Trump never jumped to his defense in same way he did with Hegseth. 🧵
Trump never jumped to his defense in same way he did with Hegseth. 🧵
Robert O’Brien, Trump’s former NSA, on how Trump believes America generates wealth. Now I get why we are getting poorer at such a rapid rate.
April 24, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Robert O’Brien, Trump’s former NSA, on how Trump believes America generates wealth. Now I get why we are getting poorer at such a rapid rate.
The Trump Effect in Canada:
Since Trump’s inauguration, Liberals doubled their votes in polls (from 22% to 44%) and are now set to win an outright majority of seats.
Since Trump’s inauguration, Liberals doubled their votes in polls (from 22% to 44%) and are now set to win an outright majority of seats.
April 15, 2025 at 10:03 AM
The Trump Effect in Canada:
Since Trump’s inauguration, Liberals doubled their votes in polls (from 22% to 44%) and are now set to win an outright majority of seats.
Since Trump’s inauguration, Liberals doubled their votes in polls (from 22% to 44%) and are now set to win an outright majority of seats.
Wrong:
✔️ It’s Putin’s war.
✔️ Ukraine was at war with Russia during every day of Trump’s first term.
✔️ Biden won the 2020 election.
✔️ Ukraine didn’t start the war, Russia did. In 2014.
✔️ Sucking up to Putin and pressing Ukraine to hand over its natural resources is both wrong and ineffective.
✔️ It’s Putin’s war.
✔️ Ukraine was at war with Russia during every day of Trump’s first term.
✔️ Biden won the 2020 election.
✔️ Ukraine didn’t start the war, Russia did. In 2014.
✔️ Sucking up to Putin and pressing Ukraine to hand over its natural resources is both wrong and ineffective.
April 14, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Wrong:
✔️ It’s Putin’s war.
✔️ Ukraine was at war with Russia during every day of Trump’s first term.
✔️ Biden won the 2020 election.
✔️ Ukraine didn’t start the war, Russia did. In 2014.
✔️ Sucking up to Putin and pressing Ukraine to hand over its natural resources is both wrong and ineffective.
✔️ It’s Putin’s war.
✔️ Ukraine was at war with Russia during every day of Trump’s first term.
✔️ Biden won the 2020 election.
✔️ Ukraine didn’t start the war, Russia did. In 2014.
✔️ Sucking up to Putin and pressing Ukraine to hand over its natural resources is both wrong and ineffective.
Once again, per WH readout of Trump-Zelenskyy call, Trump is only interested in getting his hands on Ukraine's resources--in this case the very energy facilities that Putin has been targeting.
March 19, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Once again, per WH readout of Trump-Zelenskyy call, Trump is only interested in getting his hands on Ukraine's resources--in this case the very energy facilities that Putin has been targeting.
It takes a special kind of gall for Vance to say that “the very best security guarantee is to give Americans economic upside in the future of Ukraine,” ON THE VERY SAME DAY Trump slapped 25% tariffs on its largest trading partners.
March 5, 2025 at 10:39 AM
It takes a special kind of gall for Vance to say that “the very best security guarantee is to give Americans economic upside in the future of Ukraine,” ON THE VERY SAME DAY Trump slapped 25% tariffs on its largest trading partners.
Rubio has it exactly wrong.
Peace isn’t just the absence of fighting, it entails a resolution of the causes of war and the assurance that fighting won’t resume. For Ukraine, credible security guarantees to deter Russia don’t come after peace; they’re a prerequisite for peace.
Peace isn’t just the absence of fighting, it entails a resolution of the causes of war and the assurance that fighting won’t resume. For Ukraine, credible security guarantees to deter Russia don’t come after peace; they’re a prerequisite for peace.
March 3, 2025 at 10:53 AM
Rubio has it exactly wrong.
Peace isn’t just the absence of fighting, it entails a resolution of the causes of war and the assurance that fighting won’t resume. For Ukraine, credible security guarantees to deter Russia don’t come after peace; they’re a prerequisite for peace.
Peace isn’t just the absence of fighting, it entails a resolution of the causes of war and the assurance that fighting won’t resume. For Ukraine, credible security guarantees to deter Russia don’t come after peace; they’re a prerequisite for peace.
The most influential man in the Trump administration thinks the US should leave NATO.
Unless Trump disavows this, take it to be official US policy.
Unless Trump disavows this, take it to be official US policy.
March 2, 2025 at 12:33 PM
The most influential man in the Trump administration thinks the US should leave NATO.
Unless Trump disavows this, take it to be official US policy.
Unless Trump disavows this, take it to be official US policy.
We actually do have an “enemy within” — Donald Trump who shills for Vladimir Putin and his imperialist designs on Ukraine.
February 25, 2025 at 1:55 PM
We actually do have an “enemy within” — Donald Trump who shills for Vladimir Putin and his imperialist designs on Ukraine.