Nicolas Bouchet
@nickbouchet.bsky.social
German Marshall Fund Senior Visiting Fellow.
US foreign policy, democratization, democracy promotion, civil society. Throw in some Eastern Europe and Russia and we're mostly good to go.
US foreign policy, democratization, democracy promotion, civil society. Throw in some Eastern Europe and Russia and we're mostly good to go.
Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet
It’s genuinely good to see a conservative think tank like Hudson advocating for RFA and RFE/RL: www.hudson.org/human-rights...
The Case for Radio Free Asia and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Ensuring Information Access for Closed Societies
Introduction In March 2025, the Trump administration issued an executive order aimed at closing the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM).1 This decision affected Radio Free Asia (RFA) and Rad...
www.hudson.org
November 18, 2025 at 6:57 PM
It’s genuinely good to see a conservative think tank like Hudson advocating for RFA and RFE/RL: www.hudson.org/human-rights...
Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet
"things happen" = burning risotto, breaking a vase, forgetting a friend's birthday
"things happen" ≠ violently murdering and dismembering a journalist in a consulate
"things happen" ≠ violently murdering and dismembering a journalist in a consulate
Trump suggests Khashoggi had it coming: "You're mentioning someone that was extremely controversial. A lot of people didn't like that gentleman that you're talking about. Whether you like him or didn't like him, things happen. But he knew nothing about it. You don't have to embarrass our guest."
November 18, 2025 at 6:04 PM
"things happen" = burning risotto, breaking a vase, forgetting a friend's birthday
"things happen" ≠ violently murdering and dismembering a journalist in a consulate
"things happen" ≠ violently murdering and dismembering a journalist in a consulate
Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet
Everyone I have spoken to in Ukraine’s top offices and parliament as well as civil society says knives are out for Andriy Yermak, Zelensky’s polarizing chief of staff and architect of his system of power. Great time to re-read my FT Magazine cover story on him: on.ft.com/4macDWE
The polarising power of Andriy Yermak, Ukraine’s other wartime leader
President Zelenskyy’s right-hand man is fuelling concerns over creeping authoritarianism
on.ft.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Everyone I have spoken to in Ukraine’s top offices and parliament as well as civil society says knives are out for Andriy Yermak, Zelensky’s polarizing chief of staff and architect of his system of power. Great time to re-read my FT Magazine cover story on him: on.ft.com/4macDWE
"Even if the voters opted for new rulers, however, any U.S. effort to bring about regime change in Caracas that is based on military strike power, faulty premises and unwarranted assumptions is unlikely to bring about a smooth political transition – and could lead to far worse outcomes."
Beware the Slide Toward Regime Change in Venezuela | International Crisis Group
The Trump administration is dispatching military assets to the Caribbean and sinking boats it claims ferry drugs. While it appears the deployment is part of a plan to depose Venezuelan President Nicol...
www.crisisgroup.org
November 18, 2025 at 4:05 PM
"Even if the voters opted for new rulers, however, any U.S. effort to bring about regime change in Caracas that is based on military strike power, faulty premises and unwarranted assumptions is unlikely to bring about a smooth political transition – and could lead to far worse outcomes."
Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet
"Trust under fire" seems an apt event for Cloudflare to be hosting today...
Happening today, join the Security Leaders Forum "Trust Under Fire: Turning Insider Threat Frameworks into Action". Register now: https://cfl.re/4rcspUv
November 18, 2025 at 2:37 PM
"Trust under fire" seems an apt event for Cloudflare to be hosting today...
Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet
Since Christmas is around the corner, a reminder that Wikipedia has a store. And the profits go to a project billionaires hate, so you're buying an object and getting free spite.
Classic Collection
Inspired by infoboxes, blue hyperlinks, talkpages, and everything that makes Wikipedia unique, this collection features new and well-loved designs, reimagined.
store.wikimedia.org
November 17, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Since Christmas is around the corner, a reminder that Wikipedia has a store. And the profits go to a project billionaires hate, so you're buying an object and getting free spite.
Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet
The #CrossChannelRail report PDF, and the video from the launch today, are now online: crossborderrail.trainsforeurope.eu/crosschannel...
And the questions I couldn't answer at the event are answered in writing too!
All the:
Train types (8)
Stations (63)
Operators (7)
assessed and evaluated!
And the questions I couldn't answer at the event are answered in writing too!
All the:
Train types (8)
Stations (63)
Operators (7)
assessed and evaluated!
#CrossChannelRail final report released, and the next steps - #CrossBorderRail
After three weeks of research on the ground in spring 2025, dozens of follow conversations, and plenty of desk research, today I finally published the conclusions report from my #CrossChannelRail proj...
crossborderrail.trainsforeurope.eu
November 17, 2025 at 8:42 PM
The #CrossChannelRail report PDF, and the video from the launch today, are now online: crossborderrail.trainsforeurope.eu/crosschannel...
And the questions I couldn't answer at the event are answered in writing too!
All the:
Train types (8)
Stations (63)
Operators (7)
assessed and evaluated!
And the questions I couldn't answer at the event are answered in writing too!
All the:
Train types (8)
Stations (63)
Operators (7)
assessed and evaluated!
Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet
No. This is a fundamentally bad choice. I get that journals scramble for audiences and interactions. The costs of fragmentation are real.
But going back to X is imho fundamentally wrong and sends a poor signal. Don’t.
But going back to X is imho fundamentally wrong and sends a poor signal. Don’t.
November 17, 2025 at 6:26 PM
No. This is a fundamentally bad choice. I get that journals scramble for audiences and interactions. The costs of fragmentation are real.
But going back to X is imho fundamentally wrong and sends a poor signal. Don’t.
But going back to X is imho fundamentally wrong and sends a poor signal. Don’t.
Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet
The Power Vertical Podcast did not appear last week. In its place I moderated a panel at The Atlantic Council launching a great paper by Hanna Liubakova, Minsk in Moscow's Grip, on Russia's de facto takeover of Belarus. Panelists included Agnia Grigas & Giselle Bosse www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCdV...
Report launch: How Russia subjugated Belarus without annexation
YouTube video by AtlanticCouncil
www.youtube.com
November 17, 2025 at 7:03 PM
The Power Vertical Podcast did not appear last week. In its place I moderated a panel at The Atlantic Council launching a great paper by Hanna Liubakova, Minsk in Moscow's Grip, on Russia's de facto takeover of Belarus. Panelists included Agnia Grigas & Giselle Bosse www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCdV...
Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet
Russia’s war, new regional actors, and shifting alliances are reshaping the neighbourhood. On 2 Dec we discuss how the EU can use connectivity as a real geopolitical tool. Join the DGAP event in Brussels or online.
🔗 dgap.org/en/events/eu...
🔗 dgap.org/en/events/eu...
November 17, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Russia’s war, new regional actors, and shifting alliances are reshaping the neighbourhood. On 2 Dec we discuss how the EU can use connectivity as a real geopolitical tool. Join the DGAP event in Brussels or online.
🔗 dgap.org/en/events/eu...
🔗 dgap.org/en/events/eu...
Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet
Does anyone else find it grimly hilarious that fascist Roman worshippers in the US are disproportionately descended from ethnic groups that the Romans considered "strong and stupid" and whose standard of living usually went down under Roman exploitation?
November 17, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Does anyone else find it grimly hilarious that fascist Roman worshippers in the US are disproportionately descended from ethnic groups that the Romans considered "strong and stupid" and whose standard of living usually went down under Roman exploitation?
Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet
Given that the money raised from this is going to amount to loose change in the government accounts, the only reason it is being proposed is to satisfy the cruellest instincts of the worst voters and media outlets. Gutter politics
Ministers now appear to be confirming in broadcast interviews that they would audit and could confiscate assets (including jewellery) excepting wedding rings from the jewellery that they could confiscate.
November 17, 2025 at 10:46 AM
Given that the money raised from this is going to amount to loose change in the government accounts, the only reason it is being proposed is to satisfy the cruellest instincts of the worst voters and media outlets. Gutter politics
Georgia being dragged step by step toward autocracy
The ruling Georgian Dream party has announced plans to prevent Georgians residing abroad from voting in parliamentary and local elections, citing fears of ‘political pressure’.
🔗 Read more: oc-media.org/georgian-dre...
🔗 Read more: oc-media.org/georgian-dre...
November 17, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Georgia being dragged step by step toward autocracy
Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet
The #CrossChannelRail final report is now out!
You can download it here:
crossborderrail.trainsforeurope.eu/projects/cro...
You can download it here:
crossborderrail.trainsforeurope.eu/projects/cro...
#CrossChannelRail Report Launch - 17 November, 12:30 CET (event in Brussels, and online) - #CrossBorderRail
The PDF of the report is available to download here, Version 1.0.0 IF YOU HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE LOGIN LINK FOR THE WEBINAR, PLEASE E-MAIL stream@crosschannelrail.eu FOR TECHNICAL SUPPORT! In the r...
crossborderrail.trainsforeurope.eu
November 17, 2025 at 11:02 AM
The #CrossChannelRail final report is now out!
You can download it here:
crossborderrail.trainsforeurope.eu/projects/cro...
You can download it here:
crossborderrail.trainsforeurope.eu/projects/cro...
Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet
"Hey man, I know we just slammed a visa ban on you because you wouldn't take a couple of migrants back, but could you please cut us a special deal on rare earth trade and counter-terrorism intel-sharing"....
Have fun with that.
Have fun with that.
November 17, 2025 at 10:30 AM
"Hey man, I know we just slammed a visa ban on you because you wouldn't take a couple of migrants back, but could you please cut us a special deal on rare earth trade and counter-terrorism intel-sharing"....
Have fun with that.
Have fun with that.
The Tories lost a massive chunk of the electorate forever over their anti-EU lunacy. Labour seems keen now to repeat that achievement with its migration policies.
Six weeks since the PM said Britain faced a choice between decency or division and our bad, obviously, for not understanding that he was in fact Team Division
November 17, 2025 at 10:36 AM
The Tories lost a massive chunk of the electorate forever over their anti-EU lunacy. Labour seems keen now to repeat that achievement with its migration policies.
There is not one thing in this article that inspires any confidence about what could be about to happen in Venezuela.
Trump’s Don’t-Call-it-a-‘Day-After’ Plan for Venezuela
The administration is discussing whether to exile the dictator and how to lift sanctions on his wrecked country.
www.politico.com
November 17, 2025 at 8:39 AM
There is not one thing in this article that inspires any confidence about what could be about to happen in Venezuela.
Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet
Somebody is briefing the Times that the Home Secretary finds inspiration in Kristi Noem's leading the Trump mass deportation effort - which has gone much too far for Americans
What a kamikaze piece of political madness that is on the eve of their asylum package
www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
What a kamikaze piece of political madness that is on the eve of their asylum package
www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
Shabana Mahmood threatens Trump-style visa ban on three countries
Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo will face Trump-style sanctions if they do not start taking back more illegal migrants and criminals
www.thetimes.com
November 16, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Somebody is briefing the Times that the Home Secretary finds inspiration in Kristi Noem's leading the Trump mass deportation effort - which has gone much too far for Americans
What a kamikaze piece of political madness that is on the eve of their asylum package
www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
What a kamikaze piece of political madness that is on the eve of their asylum package
www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet
Tbilisi last night, day 354 of #GeorgiaProtests. Photo by @publikage.bsky.social
November 17, 2025 at 7:58 AM
Tbilisi last night, day 354 of #GeorgiaProtests. Photo by @publikage.bsky.social
Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet
I for one am quite glad my family was not told to go back to Bialystok or Kyiv when they were "safe" in 1922.
November 15, 2025 at 8:54 AM
I for one am quite glad my family was not told to go back to Bialystok or Kyiv when they were "safe" in 1922.
Seems like a reasonable plan
Vote. Protest. Vote. Donate. Vote. Organize. Vote. Talk to your neighbors. Vote. Stay informed. Vote. Keep a sense of humor. Vote.
Also, vote
Also, vote
Tom, I’m a follower and someone who listens to you, and reads what you have to say. Stop arguing with nonsense. Instead, tell us, every day, what we need to do to stop fascism/ authoritarianism. Please.
November 16, 2025 at 8:26 AM
Seems like a reasonable plan
Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet
So much of what we're seeing in US and European politics right now is driven by status anxiety. And so much of that perceived loss of status is based on the West's distorted view of itself and the rest of the world, and of how global inequality became the "normal" field on which history plays out.
November 14, 2025 at 7:38 PM
So much of what we're seeing in US and European politics right now is driven by status anxiety. And so much of that perceived loss of status is based on the West's distorted view of itself and the rest of the world, and of how global inequality became the "normal" field on which history plays out.
Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet
If you haven't lived through it, it can be hard to conceptualize just how devastating the impact of USAID's closure has had on the Democracy Rights and Governance sector, which functionally no longer exists. This good report quantifies the damage. globaldemocracycoalition.org/wp-content/u...
globaldemocracycoalition.org
November 14, 2025 at 4:53 PM
If you haven't lived through it, it can be hard to conceptualize just how devastating the impact of USAID's closure has had on the Democracy Rights and Governance sector, which functionally no longer exists. This good report quantifies the damage. globaldemocracycoalition.org/wp-content/u...
Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet
Useful report from Global Democracy Coalition on the scale and impact of US aid cuts specifically in the democracy, rights, governance, and peacebuilding sector: globaldemocracycoalition.org/wp-content/u...
globaldemocracycoalition.org
November 14, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Useful report from Global Democracy Coalition on the scale and impact of US aid cuts specifically in the democracy, rights, governance, and peacebuilding sector: globaldemocracycoalition.org/wp-content/u...
Reposted by Nicolas Bouchet
President Japarov just came out with a public statement condemning the harsh crackdown on restaurants and cafes. Says officials have been to “ardent” in their efforts. Only night clubs and wedding halls should be closed.
Part of the ruling tandem’s good cop/bad cop routine
Part of the ruling tandem’s good cop/bad cop routine
Bishkek and Osh are now effectively under a nighttime curfew in an effort to save electricity amidst an energy crisis. An Instagram influencer got detained and questioned by Kyrgyz security services for publicly criticizing the draconian measures. Dark times ahead, both figuratively and literally
November 14, 2025 at 10:11 AM
President Japarov just came out with a public statement condemning the harsh crackdown on restaurants and cafes. Says officials have been to “ardent” in their efforts. Only night clubs and wedding halls should be closed.
Part of the ruling tandem’s good cop/bad cop routine
Part of the ruling tandem’s good cop/bad cop routine