Michael De Groot

Farce, Again? Some preliminary thoughts on the US-Israeli strikes on Iran

I've written at least two op-eds that are sitting in the mailboxes of editors that may or may not publish them. So here's a preliminary take:

"One can believe the regime deserved to fall and still believe this war is a disaster in the making."

hedgeofstate.substack.com/p/farce-again

Again, for emphasis: russia has not agreed to ANYTHING. Nearly 100% of the media coverage presents the current situation as: if Ukraine agrees to giving up Donbas, there will be peace. That is not the case! Stop acting as if it were.

Teaching or researching U.S. history post-45? Join @carrienbaker.bsky.social Scott Laderman, @davidgreenberg.bsky.social and @mdegroot51.bsky.social for a webinar on understanding U.S. history in 1960s–80s. Tomorrow at 5:00 PM Eastern, I'll be moderating! #historians #bskyhistorians #ushistory #oah

After Research, Tennessee Lawmaker Drops Bill to End Tenure Tennessee’s House Higher Ed Subcommittee chair has withdrawn his bill to end tenure in public universities after saying he “stumbled into a little bit of the history” and “got a little deeper than I t...

After Researching Tenure’s History, Tennessee Lawmaker Drops Bill to End It
www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-t...

No, It’s Not Back to Business as Usual Marco Rubio was more civil than J. D. Vance had been, but the message to longtime allies was the same.

In Munich "I did not meet a single person of any nationality who thinks that the American-European relationship is returning to business as usual"
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

NATO is Vital to U.S. National Security A joint statement by 16 U.S. Ambassadors to NATO and Supreme Allied Commanders, arguing "NATO is not an act of American generosity. It is a strategic bargain that ensures the United States remains the...

ICYMI: I feel this didn’t get enough attention because it was published in the runup to the Munich Security Conference, but this open letter by every single US Ambassador to NATO since 1998 (and until the Trump appointee) and all but one SACEURs since 1997 on NATO’s value is worth reading.

Congratulations!

we need to talk about that Ring Super Bowl ad

Brutal but fair

Can’t quite get over the hump yet but still in it

Really sad to see the news. Playing for 9 was the thrill of a lifetime for me.

Gov. Tim Walz: "Thank God we have video, because according to DHS, these seven heroic guys took an onslaught of a battalion against them or something. It's nonsense, people. It's nonsense and it is lies."

Before every meeting or even phone call with Zelinskyy, Trump first calls Putin. That should tell you something.

It is a strictly one-way street since he never calls Zelinskyy, EU leaders, or anyone else before talking with Putin.

Clearly, Putin's approval matters to him.

Archive Lawsuit Opens Vladimir Putin Memcons/Telcons Washington, D.C., December 23, 2025 - The verbatim transcripts of Vladimir Putin's meetings and telephone calls with U.S. president George W. Bush from 2001 to 2008 opened to the public yesterday as t...

The National Security Archive posted transcripts of Bush/Putin conversations in 2001, 2005, and 2008. Well worth reading.

nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-boo...

HOOSIERS!!!

44 percent off @cornellupress.bsky.social books, including my own, with the promo code below. Lots of great choices!

Book workshops are *fantastic.* Whether or not resources are an issue, the Zoom version (2-3 hours) works incredibly well and makes it much easier for participants to attend.

Other book workshop tips 🧵:

This is an important thread

Contemporary European History is looking to hire a new managing editor — come work with us! 🌟 Deadline is November 30.

@conteurohistory.bsky.social

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

A wild-eyed Christopher Lloyd explaining that the only way to close the inter-dimensional wormhole from the Cubs winning the World Series is to play another World Series in the "null hour" when clocks are turned back.

On behalf of all Giants fans: get it done, Toronto!

Walking it off in the bottom of the ninth!

🤦‍♂️

Opinion | The Canadians Are Right About Reagan and Free Trade

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/o...
Want to understand Reagan's trade policies? You have to understand the three P's: principles, pragmatism, and politics....

Donald Heath reflecting on his time in Nazi Germany before formal US entry into WWII: "The Nazi officials in Berlin never missed an occasion to say to me that America had 'nothing to fear from Germany' and from what has happened in Europe, but they could hardly keep from laughing when they said it."

More on Reagan v Trump on tariffs

www.wsj.com/opinion/reag...

US sanctions Russia’s Rosneft and Lukoil [FREE TO READ] Measures mark Donald Trump’s first effort to impose direct cost on Moscow over invasion of Ukraine

The US is imposing sanctions on Russia’s two biggest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, aiming to “degrade” Putin’s war chest and support Trump’s effort to end the war in Ukraine.

The move marks the first time the Trump administration has imposed direct costs on Moscow over its full-scale invasion.

Many thanks to @mitpress.bsky.social for generously making the digital version of my book, Weapons in Space, open access! It can be accessed here: direct.mit.edu/books/oa-mon...