Mark Edele

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Davos 2026: Special address by Mark Carney, PM of Canada Canadian PM Mark Carney stressed the end of the rules-based international order and urged middle powers to act together to counter the great power rivalry.

“the question for middle powers … is not whether to adapt to the new reality – we must. The question is whether we adapt by simply building higher walls, or whether we can do something more ambitious.”

www.weforum.org/stories/2026...

Is this what Russian “great power projection” looks like?

Being prepared might well avert that future. Being unprepared strikes me as foolish.

Is there any legal justification for the US attack on Venezuela? International law experts expect Washington to claim self-defence and face little serious pushback

“It has committed the crime of aggression, which the court at Nuremberg described as the supreme crime, it’s the worst crime of all.” www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

“You’re saying maybe the attack didn’t take place – that’s possible too, I guess,” he said at Mar-a-Lago. “But President Putin told me this morning it did.“ 😳😳😳

Russia's Economy in the Late 2020s Will Look a Lot Like the Late Soviet Economy - The Moscow Times Opinion | Because of my work, I am obliged to read closely, watch attentively and listen carefully whenever Russian politicians and officials talk about the economy.

"Time to tighten our belts." On the prospects of Russia's economy. www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/12/25/r...

My traditional values Christmas day
Morning: Mass missile attack on civilian power stations.
Lunch: Bomb food ships
Afternoon: Pretend oil price rose
Evening: Unwrap presents

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A visual reminder of what Russia has “accomplished” in 2025. Those who keep asserting that “Russia is winning” should contemplate the scale of this map.

NATO Did Not Cause Putin’s Imperial War Published in The Washington Quarterly (Vol. 48, No. 4, 2025)

Could not have said it better (although I tried): www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

On Collateral Damage, Selective Anti-Imperialism and the Path to Liberation Our paper explores the legacy of Angela Davis and its intersections with the liberation movements in Europe’s East, Baltic, Caucasus, Central and North Asia. via the re-visiting of Jiří Pelikán’s o...

Important essay by T. Hendl and S. Durdiyeva on the left's "emotionally charged and invested connection to the USSR and Soviet Utopia" and the continuing harm these phantasies cause progressive politics worldwide. @terezahendl.bsky.social www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

“I’m supposed to be a very smart person, I can … I have eyes. I have ears. I have knowledge. I have vast knowledge.” 😳

‘This should ring alarm bells’: Twiggy Forrest demands an end to Russian oil loopholes in Australia One of the country’s top business leaders says no Australian motorist should have to wonder whether their money is helping bankroll Vladimir Putin’s assault on Ukraine.

“Accelerating the shift to green energy would help cut off support for autocrats like Putin, he said.” Indeed!

www.theage.com.au/politics/fed...

Due to numerous requests, we are pleased to announce that the abstract submission deadline has been extended by two weeks. We encourage all interested contributors to take advantage of this extra time to finalize their submissions. We look forward to receiving your contributions by Nov 30

A reminder about tomorrow’s RUTA webinar, that will explore our approaches to understanding family history, its personal and collective significance, and how we can translate these stories into our contemporary lives and practices in the context of multiple crises.

See the registration link below

Departmental Lecturer in Global and Imperial History at University of Oxford Discover an exciting academic career path as a Departmental Lecturer in Global and Imperial History at jobs.ac.uk. Don't miss out on this job opportunity - apply today!

4-year Departmental Lectureship in Global & Imperial History in Oxford: www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOC516/d...

Assistant Professor - Modern European History All Job Postings will close at 12:01a.m. CST (1:01a.m. EST) on the specified Closing Date (if designated). If you close the browser or exit your application prior to submitting, the application progre...

The LSU History Department is hiring a tenure-track Assistant Professor in 20th Century European History (excluding Britain). Please spread the word! More details at the link below: lsu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/LSU/job/0224...

Russia is leader in prosthetic limbs thanks to Ukraine war, says Kremlin official Deputy defence minister Anna Tsivilyova said those coming back from the battlefield had become a ‘driver’ in pushing Russia’s innovation in prosthetics

Ukraine now world leader in drone technology, Russia in … prosthetics. Nothing could drive home the difference between these two societies more forcefully. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

The Soviet Union at War: Contested Chronologies of World War Two Dates of events might be considered objective facts, open to neither debate or contestation. Yet periodisation – that is, setting the sta...

Did World War Two really begin in 1939 and end in 1945?

Reflections on the #Soviet experience of war and questions of chronology and interpretation, drawing on excellent book by @edelemark.bsky.social: istorikteach.blogspot.com/2025/08/the-...

#history #EduSky #WWII #historyteacher

Trump’s Alaska summit with Putin ignores what Ukraine’s territory really means Talk of “land swaps” misses the point and sets a dangerous precedent for international order.

www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

A dose of reality for the “realists” • Mark Edele Zbigniew Brzezinski came to resist the tolerance for great-power ambitions that would play out so tragically in Ukraine

Long read on realism, idealism, Russia and Ukraine. Review essay on recent (very good) books by @avindman.bsky.social and @edwardluce.bsky.social . @insidestory.bsky.social insidestory.org.au/a-dose-of-re...

‘Breaking down the walls’: the long journey towards Indigenous inclusion at University of Melbourne Institution’s second volume of truth-telling reveals a process of reconciliation that has been ‘imperfect, overdue and then often painfully slow, but marked by stories of courage and hope’

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

“But we’re gonna get some [territory] back. We’re gonna get some switched. There’ll be some swapping of territories, to the betterment of both.” Great idea: Russia returns all occupied territories to Ukraine in exchange for Alaska.

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Ukraine’s New Theory of Victory Should be Strategic Neutralization By ensuring that Russia’s war is operationally pointless, Ukraine can survive, adapt, and achieve success, no matter how prolonged the war.

“strategic neutralization” as key theory of victory for Ukraine. Essential reading. carnegieendowment.org/research/202...

@mupublishing.bsky.social

Taking out the AAEH best book prize for 2025 was @edelemark.bsky.social
Congratulations!

Out today: My review article of three recent contributions by historians (Serhii Plokhy, @edelemark.bsky.social and Jonathan Haslam) to understanding Russia's Escalation in Ukraine. Here's a read-only version for those interested: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/author...

‘The surf’s up and the patriarchy is down’: Kirsha Kaechele takes Ladies Lounge to the Gold Coast With butlers wearing ‘probably not much’ – but no fake Picassos – the Mona performance art installation that won a court challenge is heading north to Bleach* festival

Excellent on so many levels. www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...