Nicholas Danforth

I gather that everyone here is 100% certain Donald Trump is a misogynist.

So who here actually knew that his wife is a woman?

And how does that influence your certainty?

Turkey watches the Iran War Notebook #49: Iran special edition

Selim on the Turkish angle on the war:

kulturkampftr.substack.com/p/turkey-wat...

Europe Abandons Both Integrity and Influence on Iran In response to Trump’s strikes, European leaders have created an alternate reality to escape their hypocrisy.

Nathalie Tocci weighs in on the European response

foreignpolicy.com/2026/03/03/e...

If the war ends well for Trump, It was his brilliant idea. If it doesn’t, blame the Jews.

I would be open to having Angus fill both Senate seats.

The people of Maine shouldn't have to choose between Susan Collins and a quasi-nazi.

you know, this is why you should not elect people who have never once learned anything about anything

Trump has no plan. This is a damning summary from The Economist’s Middle East Correspondent Gregg Carlstrom.

Imperial Nostalgia Imperial nostalgia naturally tends to focus on the empires that prevailed. But, as the particularly bloody history of eastern Europe and the Balkans reveals, trying to establish an empire in the wrong...

Thought of this essay the other day. Most imperial nostalgia whitewashes the role of violence in empire. But perversely, a lot of what passes for realism these days ignores the fact that successful empires also maintained some measure of political legitimacy

www.foreignaffairs.com/guest-pass/r...

I promise youre allowed not to defend khamenei

Just checking the news

The key question now is whether the Iranian regime can survive. If U.S. or Israeli forces sustain an aerial presence to target repressive forces, it could shape what follows. (Members Only)

Listen here: warontherocks.com/ep...

There was an era about a decade ago when Serious People talked a lot about defending the Westphalian State System from rogue regimes and if that meant anything I'm pretty sure it was not assassinating heads of state.

Trump’s Illiberal Interventionism The president swore off building nations, not destroying them.

Tapping the sign foreignpolicy.com/2025/06/24/t...

"No new wars" really just meant "f*ck Ukraine" and everyone knew it.

Trump’s Illiberal Interventionism The president swore off building nations, not destroying them.

I wrote about this in June after the first round of US strikes on Iran: foreignpolicy.com/2025/06/24/t...

A professor challenged the Smithsonian. Security shut the gallery. As President Donald Trump seeks to reshape museums and other cultural institutions, historian James Millward has been “guerrilla teaching” visitors about changes that have been made.

wapo.st/4kT0GVX

@jimmillward.bsky.social

A proud people steeped in the Shia tradition, the Persians may choose heroic martyrdom over national humiliation. This is difficult for the pragmatic Western mind to comprehend, as we have no examples of this in our culture.

From a book review by Magda Teter:

The Rise and Fall of Turkey's Democrat Party A conversation with historian Reuben Silverman on the 1950s, democratization, and what went wrong

Had a great discussion with @selimkoru.bsky.social and Reuben Silverman about Reuben's new book:

kulturkampftr.substack.com/p/the-rise-a...

The Seven Pillars of Populist Foreign Policy To understand Trump’s approach to the world, look at the leaders he resembles.

My take on Trump’s foreign policy with @berkesen.bsky.social and Tudor Onea is out!

Trump’s whims may be unique but his approach to FP isn’t.

We identify seven pillars of populist FP, with examples from Hungary, India, Turkey, and Venezuela as well as the US.

foreignpolicy.com/2026/02/19/t...

The Seven Pillars of Populist Foreign Policy To understand Trump’s approach to the world, look at the leaders he resembles.

A fantastic piece from @liselhintz.bsky.social, @berkesen.bsky.social and Tudor Onea

foreignpolicy.com/2026/02/19/t...

Trump’s Board of Peace Will Help Strong Countries Dominate Weak Ones In Gaza, it will legitimize Israeli land grabs and ethnic cleansing.

Reposting my take on the Board of Peace just to feel something

foreignpolicy.com/2026/01/27/t...

Getting shown up in the arena of elite impunity by *the British monarchy* is an incredible “America at 250!” achievement

Bored by Biathlon? The Winter Games Need Ping-Pong. Bringing some popular indoor sports to the Winter Olympics would dramatically expand their global reach.

"The IOC can continue to shrug—or it can get creative. Indoor sports won’t save winter. But they might just save the Winter Olympics.

foreignpolicy.com/2026/02/18/w...

There's a common assumption in Western political thought: republicanism grew out of centuries of nobles and parliaments challenging kings. And that this tradition is unique to the West — that in the Islamic world, rulers were obeyed with religious submission, and self-government was a foreign import

The correct answer to this question is to be a white guy and say something like "when I'm president China will know better than to even try."

Lol yes good point

Rubio to Europe: ‘We Care Deeply’ In a widely anticipated speech at the Munich Security Conference, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described concerns about a shared “Western civilization” as reason…

The foundations of NATO were suffused with racial and religious ideas about Western civilization, but also with a clear aspiration to transcend them for something more universal. Rubio's speech turns back the clock past the 50s by abandoning even the aspiration.

foreignpolicy.com/2026/02/14/r...

And I didn't even think it was that snarky!