Nicholas Danforth
@nicholasdanfort.bsky.social
Reposted by Nicholas Danforth
I wrote something last month about how this and the similar Russian case were USG cooperation in transnational repression: foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/08/t...
Trump Is Supporting Transnational Repression
Instead of sheltering pro-democracy dissidents, America is now returning them for arrest.
foreignpolicy.com
November 11, 2025 at 2:14 PM
I wrote something last month about how this and the similar Russian case were USG cooperation in transnational repression: foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/08/t...
Reposted by Nicholas Danforth
Trump, at the urging of Rod Blagojevich, lifted sanctions on former Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik. That, I argue in @foreignpolicy.com, is a win for Putin and instability at Europe’s expense. foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/10/t...
Trump Deals a Blow to Bosnia
Lifting sanctions on Milorad Dodik is a win for Putin and instability at Europe’s expense.
foreignpolicy.com
November 10, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Trump, at the urging of Rod Blagojevich, lifted sanctions on former Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik. That, I argue in @foreignpolicy.com, is a win for Putin and instability at Europe’s expense. foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/10/t...
Reposted by Nicholas Danforth
I find Ankara's eagerness to send troops to Gaza as part of the international stabilization force as bold of a move as its positioning in the aftermath of the Arab uprisings.
November 10, 2025 at 2:07 PM
I find Ankara's eagerness to send troops to Gaza as part of the international stabilization force as bold of a move as its positioning in the aftermath of the Arab uprisings.
Just doubling down on my view that if you are anywhere left of Nazi on the political spectrum you should have no problem condemning any and all Nazi iconography
November 7, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Just doubling down on my view that if you are anywhere left of Nazi on the political spectrum you should have no problem condemning any and all Nazi iconography
A good reminder from @gonultol.bsky.social that you can write about the West's willingness to accommodate Erdogan without actually endorsing the West's willingness to accommodate Erdogan
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/o...
Opinion | The Indispensable Erdogan
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:43 PM
A good reminder from @gonultol.bsky.social that you can write about the West's willingness to accommodate Erdogan without actually endorsing the West's willingness to accommodate Erdogan
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/o...
Reposted by Nicholas Danforth
I’m hearing on his deathbed Dick Cheney accepted the light of Islam and immediately sent himself to a black site
November 4, 2025 at 1:35 PM
I’m hearing on his deathbed Dick Cheney accepted the light of Islam and immediately sent himself to a black site
Reposted by Nicholas Danforth
A U.S.-backed peace plan promises a new start for Gaza. Israel’s far right may have other plans.
Optimism for Gaza Is Based on Shaky Assumptions
U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan clearly envisions that Palestinians should continue living in Gaza and that “Israel will not occupy or
warontherocks.com
November 4, 2025 at 8:45 AM
A U.S.-backed peace plan promises a new start for Gaza. Israel’s far right may have other plans.
Reposted by Nicholas Danforth
Maddening to me that so many colleagues think it is "the one simple trick to solving the Palestine conflict" without any reference to actual politics.
There is not a single political party or mass movement in Palestine that advocates for this idea. Or in Israel for that matter.
A British politician making such statement is doing imperialism pure and simple. Giving up on an independent Palestinian state is for Palestinians to decide on. Not you.
A British politician making such statement is doing imperialism pure and simple. Giving up on an independent Palestinian state is for Palestinians to decide on. Not you.
November 1, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Maddening to me that so many colleagues think it is "the one simple trick to solving the Palestine conflict" without any reference to actual politics.
Reposted by Nicholas Danforth
Fun podcast this week: @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social and I talked to @hannahluci.bsky.social about Istanbul!
We talked about waterfront privatization, cafes, and how the city has changed in the last two decades.
We talked about waterfront privatization, cafes, and how the city has changed in the last two decades.
Talking Istanbul with Hannah Lucinda Smith
And politics in the 2000s and 2010s
kulturkampftr.substack.com
November 2, 2025 at 7:05 AM
Fun podcast this week: @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social and I talked to @hannahluci.bsky.social about Istanbul!
We talked about waterfront privatization, cafes, and how the city has changed in the last two decades.
We talked about waterfront privatization, cafes, and how the city has changed in the last two decades.
Had a really fun time talking about Istanbul (in Istanbul) with @hannahluci.bsky.social and @selimkoru.bsky.social
kulturkampftr.substack.com/p/talking-is...
kulturkampftr.substack.com/p/talking-is...
Talking Istanbul with Hannah Lucinda Smith
And politics in the 2000s and 2010s
kulturkampftr.substack.com
November 1, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Had a really fun time talking about Istanbul (in Istanbul) with @hannahluci.bsky.social and @selimkoru.bsky.social
kulturkampftr.substack.com/p/talking-is...
kulturkampftr.substack.com/p/talking-is...
Reposted by Nicholas Danforth
A U.S.-backed peace plan promises a new start for Gaza. Israel’s far right may have other plans.
Optimism for Gaza Is Based on Shaky Assumptions
U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan clearly envisions that Palestinians should continue living in Gaza and that “Israel will not occupy or
warontherocks.com
October 31, 2025 at 1:45 PM
A U.S.-backed peace plan promises a new start for Gaza. Israel’s far right may have other plans.
Reposted by Nicholas Danforth
I can’t recognise War on the Rocks anymore: warontherocks.com/2025/10/the-...
The American Military Officer After Liberalism
Across academia, government, and Silicon Valley, on social media, and in leading journals, intellectuals and political leaders are openly debating what
warontherocks.com
October 30, 2025 at 7:50 PM
I can’t recognise War on the Rocks anymore: warontherocks.com/2025/10/the-...
Reposted by Nicholas Danforth
Come for the article, stay for the maps! Thanks to @sinanciddi.bsky.social and the team at @foreignpolicy.com for this:
foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/28/t...
foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/28/t...
How Turkish Arms End Up in African Conflicts
Ankara’s engagement on the continent has generated violence, not stability.
foreignpolicy.com
October 28, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Come for the article, stay for the maps! Thanks to @sinanciddi.bsky.social and the team at @foreignpolicy.com for this:
foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/28/t...
foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/28/t...
Reposted by Nicholas Danforth
@ishaantharoor.bsky.social channels everybody who watched Turkey's descent into pure authoritarianism and is now watching Trump do the same damn things in this piece
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...
Column | Before Trump gutted the White House, Erdogan built his ‘White Palace’
As long as there’s been human civilization, there have been leaders with vanity projects.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 28, 2025 at 12:27 PM
@ishaantharoor.bsky.social channels everybody who watched Turkey's descent into pure authoritarianism and is now watching Trump do the same damn things in this piece
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...
Reposted by Nicholas Danforth
My new piece:
New measures from the United States and European Union confirm why Russian energy exports were always a double-edged sword. foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/29/p...
New measures from the United States and European Union confirm why Russian energy exports were always a double-edged sword. foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/29/p...
Why Putin’s Energy Weapon Failed
New measures from the United States and European Union confirm why Russian energy exports were always a double-edged sword.
foreignpolicy.com
October 30, 2025 at 6:12 AM
My new piece:
New measures from the United States and European Union confirm why Russian energy exports were always a double-edged sword. foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/29/p...
New measures from the United States and European Union confirm why Russian energy exports were always a double-edged sword. foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/29/p...
Come for the article, stay for the maps! Thanks to @sinanciddi.bsky.social and the team at @foreignpolicy.com for this:
foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/28/t...
foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/28/t...
How Turkish Arms End Up in African Conflicts
Ankara’s engagement on the continent has generated violence, not stability.
foreignpolicy.com
October 28, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Come for the article, stay for the maps! Thanks to @sinanciddi.bsky.social and the team at @foreignpolicy.com for this:
foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/28/t...
foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/28/t...
Reposted by Nicholas Danforth
Sarkozy is going to jail but he’s not the first one. In our new dataset we track modern leaders who have been prosecuted by their own states. There are 215 of them. Turns out leader prosecution is a common & healthy practice in democracies. Full access link: foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/28/d...
Prosecuting the Powerful
Historical data shows putting leaders on trial is a healthy democratic practice.
foreignpolicy.com
October 28, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Sarkozy is going to jail but he’s not the first one. In our new dataset we track modern leaders who have been prosecuted by their own states. There are 215 of them. Turns out leader prosecution is a common & healthy practice in democracies. Full access link: foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/28/d...
Reposted by Nicholas Danforth
The “bad borders” myth has only masked the true sources of problems in the region. tcf.org/content/repo... (5/5)
Beyond Bad Borders: How Nationalism, Imperialism, and Power Politics Shaped the Modern Middle East
In 2014, the Islamic State swept across large swaths of Iraq and Syria, soon emerging as the obligatory lede for every article about the Middle East and
tcf.org
October 21, 2025 at 1:24 PM
The “bad borders” myth has only masked the true sources of problems in the region. tcf.org/content/repo... (5/5)
Reposted by Nicholas Danforth
"But seeing the way people have clashed over borders or struggled with their contradictions can still offer some insights. Turkey, for example, has reaped the benefits of its victory over imperialism for the past century. But the specter of Sevres has also fueled +
tcf.org/content/repo...
tcf.org/content/repo...
Beyond Bad Borders: How Nationalism, Imperialism, and Power Politics Shaped the Modern Middle East
In 2014, the Islamic State swept across large swaths of Iraq and Syria, soon emerging as the obligatory lede for every article about the Middle East and
tcf.org
October 21, 2025 at 4:19 PM
"But seeing the way people have clashed over borders or struggled with their contradictions can still offer some insights. Turkey, for example, has reaped the benefits of its victory over imperialism for the past century. But the specter of Sevres has also fueled +
tcf.org/content/repo...
tcf.org/content/repo...
I honestly expected the Biden team to eventually get tougher on Israel as a matter of self respect rather than out of any moral principals
October 23, 2025 at 7:02 PM
I honestly expected the Biden team to eventually get tougher on Israel as a matter of self respect rather than out of any moral principals
Reposted by Nicholas Danforth
PODCAST: Reckoning or reverting? Israeli society after the ceasefire
Dahlia Scheindlin explores the lessons Israelis are drawing from two years of war, and explains why international pressure is the only path to a political settlement.
Listen now 🎙️
www.972mag.com/podcast-reck...
Dahlia Scheindlin explores the lessons Israelis are drawing from two years of war, and explains why international pressure is the only path to a political settlement.
Listen now 🎙️
www.972mag.com/podcast-reck...
Reckoning or reverting? Israeli society after the ceasefire
Dahlia Scheindlin explores the lessons Israelis are drawing from two years of war and why international pressure is the only path to a political settlement.
www.972mag.com
October 23, 2025 at 3:56 PM
PODCAST: Reckoning or reverting? Israeli society after the ceasefire
Dahlia Scheindlin explores the lessons Israelis are drawing from two years of war, and explains why international pressure is the only path to a political settlement.
Listen now 🎙️
www.972mag.com/podcast-reck...
Dahlia Scheindlin explores the lessons Israelis are drawing from two years of war, and explains why international pressure is the only path to a political settlement.
Listen now 🎙️
www.972mag.com/podcast-reck...
Reposted by Nicholas Danforth
Super @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social @centuryintl.bsky.social essay refuting Sykes-Picot/"artificial borders" reductionism in explaining conflict and narrating the historical processes that drew the map of the modern post-Ottoman Middle East: tcf.org/content/repo...
Beyond Bad Borders: How Nationalism, Imperialism, and Power Politics Shaped the Modern Middle East
In 2014, the Islamic State swept across large swaths of Iraq and Syria, soon emerging as the obligatory lede for every article about the Middle East and
tcf.org
October 23, 2025 at 7:13 AM
Super @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social @centuryintl.bsky.social essay refuting Sykes-Picot/"artificial borders" reductionism in explaining conflict and narrating the historical processes that drew the map of the modern post-Ottoman Middle East: tcf.org/content/repo...
Reposted by Nicholas Danforth
@nicholasdanfort.bsky.social ‘s history of Middle Eastern border creation, richly illustrated with historical maps, shows that there is nothing exceptionally conflict-prone about the shape of regional states. (4/5)
Beyond Bad Borders: How Nationalism, Imperialism, and Power Politics Shaped the Modern Middle East
In 2014, the Islamic State swept across large swaths of Iraq and Syria, soon emerging as the obligatory lede for every article about the Middle East and
tcf.org
October 21, 2025 at 1:24 PM
@nicholasdanfort.bsky.social ‘s history of Middle Eastern border creation, richly illustrated with historical maps, shows that there is nothing exceptionally conflict-prone about the shape of regional states. (4/5)
Reposted by Nicholas Danforth
A popular story holds that colonial borders are the source of problems in the Middle East. The narrative is promoted by everyone from the Islamic State to American politicians—neoconservative and liberal and otherwise. (1/5)
Beyond Bad Borders: How Nationalism, Imperialism, and Power Politics Shaped the Modern Middle East
In 2014, the Islamic State swept across large swaths of Iraq and Syria, soon emerging as the obligatory lede for every article about the Middle East and
tcf.org
October 21, 2025 at 1:24 PM
A popular story holds that colonial borders are the source of problems in the Middle East. The narrative is promoted by everyone from the Islamic State to American politicians—neoconservative and liberal and otherwise. (1/5)