As I highlighted here, real world activism matters: boycotts, protests, and strikes are tools to stand up to would-be autocrats. One data point: Tesla stock is down 14% today. That’s partly structural and partly the brand getting destroyed. Keep going.

The Russians understand that US foreign policy is now being auctioned off to the highest bidder.

Trump's bromance with Putin isn't really a bromance at all. But no matter how you look at it, it is very dangerous, @irgarner.bsky.social tells me. Listen to the latest episode of The Bunker for the latest on the relationship between the two and who needs who the most.

New addition

Newspaper article: C.I.A. Expands Secret Drone Flights Over Mexico by Julian E. Barnes, Maria Abi-Habib, Edward Wong, Eric Schmitt (published 18-02-2025)

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/18/us/politics/cia-drone-flights-mexico.html

UK sets out Project CABOT ambition to deploy autonomous ASW screen in the North Atlantic - Naval News The Royal Navy plans to use autonomous systems to deliver a deployable anti-submarine warfare search capability in the North Atlantic

The UK Royal Navy has outlined plans to exploit developments in remotely-operated and uncrewed/autonomous systems to deliver a deployable and persistent wide area anti-submarine warfare (ASW) search capability in the North Atlantic 🇬🇧

www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2...

The Ticking Clock on Reinventing the Transatlantic Alliance The Trump administration’s rhetoric and actions have placed transatlantic ties under unprecedented strain. Yet despite the tensions, Europe and the United States have an opportunity to reimagine their...

Good image and point by @rmomtaz.bsky.social:
“Does the United States put the Chinese fox in the hen house with the European goose and its golden eggs?”

carnegieendowment.org/europe/strat...

Trump Isn’t Playacting When He Invokes Napoleon The president is fawning over strongmen past and present because he wants to emulate them.

Trump sees himself in the authoritarians he fawns over - whether it’s Napoleon or Putin. Take him at his word. My column today:
www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...

The Death of Government Expertise Why Trump and Musk are on a firing spree

Destroying the government because thin skinned narcissists can’t admit they don’t know everything.

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Great list! Many thanks for putting it together!

Intelligence Studies and Practitioners Join the conversation

If I've done this right, here is a starter pack I've put together on intelligence studies and practitioners. It tilts toward historians but includes people with useful perspectives from any direction. It focuses mostly on governmental intel rather than private sector or non-governmental open source.

Timothy Snyder: ‘You have to be in the moment in order to get through the moment’ In a time when many voters feel despair following the presidential election, it’s key to remember this is not the end. Americans still have their freedom and there are ways to remain politically activ...

“Freedom means you decide who you are, and then when things change around you, you continue to be that person. And in so doing, you do constructive work. You set an example for other people. You meet new people who are also trying to remain themselves.”
www.msnbc.com/ali-velshi/w...