Bessma Momani
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bmomani.bsky.social
Bessma Momani
@bmomani.bsky.social
3.4K followers 1.1K following 450 posts

Professor at the University of Waterloo and Senior Fellow at CIGI, interested in International Affairs and Geopolitics of Technology.

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Political science 34%
Economics 31%
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bmomani.bsky.social
Bessma Momani @bmomani.bsky.social · 8d
My latest op-ed: The warning signs are before us and we are woefully unprepared for the Hiroshima moment in AI-enabled cyberattacks.
www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...
Opinion: AI’s Hiroshima moment may be near
Without government oversight, a catastrophic disruption of internet-connected infrastructure is on the horizon
www.theglobeandmail.com

Reposted by Bessma Momani

apnews.com
The Associated Press @apnews.com · 2h
Iran's most prominent human rights activist says Iranians are suffering seven months into the war and paying the price for the conflict.
Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi tells AP Iranians are paying the price for war
Iran's most prominent human rights activist says Iranians are suffering seven months into the war and paying the price for the conflict.
bit.ly

Reposted by Bessma Momani

stelhami.bsky.social
Shibley Telhami @stelhami.bsky.social · 2h
Widespread sexual violence in Ukraine war, most cases tied to Russia, says UN report, which documents 1,004 verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence between February 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and July 2026.
www.reuters.com/world/widesp...
Widespread sexual violence in Ukraine war, most cases tied to Russia, says UN report
Violations included gang rape, rape, genital mutilation and the use of electric shocks on men's genitals with a Soviet-era field telephone known as a "tapik."
www.reuters.com

Reposted by Bessma Momani

sumitapahwa.bsky.social
Sumita Pahwa @sumitapahwa.bsky.social · 2h
" [W]e have made the human conversation the expensive option and the machine conversation free, and we are surprised at what researchers...then choose.”

But of course, the machine conversation is not free. It comes at the cost of our common life together..."

www.thecrimson.com/article/2026...
Artificial Education | The Harvard Crimson
Machine conversation is not free. It comes at the cost of our common life together as teachers, learners, and researchers, colleagues, mentors, and friends.
www.thecrimson.com

Reposted by Marc Lynch, Bessma Momani

yairwallach.bsky.social
Yair Wallach @yairwallach.bsky.social · 2h
In the last decade, the IDF prosecuted one (1) soldier for unlawfully killing a Palestinian in the occupied territories. Elor Azaria served 9 months in prison.

Today Israel's president, Yitzhak Herzog, pardoned him and expunged his criminal record.

A clear message of 100% impunity.

Reposted by Bessma Momani

rpsagainsttrump.bsky.social
Republicans Against Trumpism @rpsagainsttrump.bsky.social · 3h
BREAKING: In a major escalation in the war in the Middle East, Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen struck Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, targeting fuel storage facilities at the airport with missiles and drones.

Reposted by Bessma Momani

josiegz.bsky.social
Josie Glausiusz @josiegz.bsky.social · 3h
At one point in the film, as an interviewee explained the rules of engagement, Abraham said, “But if you can kill 20 people per junior member, and there are tens of thousands of members …” To which the man responded, “You end up with all of Gaza, yes.”

www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/o...
Opinion | Why Israel Fears This Searing New Documentary (Gift Article)
It’s hard to tell whether Israelis are enraged by “NAZA” because they think it’s full of lies, or because they know or fear it’s true.
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by McKenzie Wark, Bessma Momani, Sarah Roberts

carmenlynn.bsky.social
carmenlynn.bsky.social @carmenlynn.bsky.social · 3h
“As revealed in recently unsealed court documents, top Microsoft figures, including CEO Satya Nadella, admitted that their AI models are basically stealing content from media companies while providing virtually nothing in return, creating a “doom loop” that will swallow the web.”
Microsoft Director Admitted in Internal Document That AI Is Creating a "Doom Loop" That Destroys the News Media by Stealing Its Content Without Providing Anything in Return, in Turn Making the AI Usel...
A Microsoft executive admitted that AI companies like itself were plundering websites without giving them in return.
futurism.com

Reposted by Daniel W. Drezner, Bessma Momani

faytuksnetwork.bsky.social
Faytuks Network @faytuksnetwork.bsky.social · 3h
A French military source told Le Monde that France is already carrying out undisclosed conventional military responses to Russian hybrid attacks. Asked whether Paris could retaliate militarily without making it public, the source replied: “That is already happening.”

Reposted by Valerie Mueller, Bessma Momani

nber.org
NBER @nber.org · 4h
A field experiment with 10,000 professionals shows that female students get more information on work/life balance than male students when asking the same questions about careers, from Yana Gallen and Melanie Wasserman www.nber.org/papers/w35750

Reposted by Bessma Momani

apnews.com
The Associated Press @apnews.com · 4h
A new lawsuit claims that Anthropic, OpenAI, SpaceXAI and Google illegally agreed to slow their AI development.
Lawsuit says Anthropic, OpenAI, SpaceXAI and Google made illegal agreement on AI slowdown
A new lawsuit claims that Anthropic, OpenAI, SpaceXAI and Google illegally agreed to slow their AI development. Filed Friday in the U.S.
bit.ly

Reposted by Suresh Venkatasubramanian, Bessma Momani, Ann Bartow

meidastouch.com
MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 4h
🚨 Obama rejects the argument that the market and lawsuits alone can keep AI companies in check: “That’s not how we treat airlines, or drug companies, or food companies.”

He says there’s “no replacement” for effective government regulation.

Reposted by Bessma Momani

diplomatofnight.com
#StupidSuez @diplomatofnight.com · 5h
“The Lebanese Armed Forces is well-armed but not well-equipped. Because who are they going to fight? We’re gonna arm them so they can fight Israel? I don’t think so. You’re arming them so they can fight their own people.”
— Tom Barrack, US Ambassador to Türkiye, Envoy for Syria / Iraq / Lebanon.

Reposted by Bessma Momani

chadbourn.bsky.social
Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 9h
Germany is preparing hospitals for a possible Russian escalation with NATO, Bloomberg reports.

Berlin estimates up to 1,000 casualties a day could require medical care.

Reposted by Bessma Momani

amaramarasingam.bsky.social
Amarnath Amarasingam @amaramarasingam.bsky.social · 18h
"Pentagon investigators have discovered that flawed intelligence, outdated imagery and an overreliance on AI contributed to a missile strike that killed 123 children in Minab." www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
Inside the US ‘Kill Chain’ That Destroyed an Iranian School
Pentagon investigators have discovered that flawed intelligence, outdated imagery and an overreliance on AI contributed to a missile strike that killed 123 children in Minab.
www.bloomberg.com

Reposted by David H. Kaye, Bessma Momani, Ryan Goodman

jameeljaffer.bsky.social
Jameel Jaffer @jameeljaffer.bsky.social · 1d
Trump doesn't even bother to come up with a pretext. He doesn't like their coverage, so he's banning them, that's it. But note his enthusiasm at the end for "the free press." Maybe he means the Free Press.
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d
Q: You posted that you intend to ban CNN, Politico, and MS Now from the White House. Every president takes an oath to uphold the Constitution, which includes the First Amendment. How do you justify this?

TRUMP: Because they're fake news. There may be others to join them.

Reposted by Bessma Momani

thestar.com
Toronto Star @thestar.com · 1d
Theo Moudakis on Trump’s perceived exclusion from the European Union

Reposted by Bessma Momani

justinhendrix.bsky.social
Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 1d
"For years, the prevailing narrative has been that privacy is dead and pervasive surveillance is just the cost of admission for existing in the digital age. The Flock backlash shows that people aren’t apathetic about their privacy."
Opinion | How Flock Cameras Became the Enemy (Gift Article)
The campaign against Flock shows that fighting to protect personal privacy isn’t a lost cause.
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Bessma Momani

npr.org
NPR @npr.org · 1d
An informal network of dialogues at think tanks and universities is bringing together experts from the U.S. and China to talk about the shared perils of AI — and possible paths forward. n.pr/4yQlMKB
When Trump and Xi meet they will discuss AI. 'Track Two' talks are already buzzing
An informal network of dialogues at think tanks and universities is bringing together experts from the U.S. and China to talk about the shared perils of AI — and possible paths forward.
n.pr

Reposted by Bessma Momani

lanoszka.bsky.social
Alexander Lanoszka @lanoszka.bsky.social · 1d
"Sensitive F-35 fighter jet technology was unexpectedly diverted to Hong Kong this summer, sparking an inquiry on Capitol Hill and raising the possibility that China could have access to key components of the highly classified weapon system." www.politico.com/news/2026/09...
Hill investigates after F-35 parts diverted to Hong Kong
The incident raises the possibility that top secret weapons technology may have been exposed to a foreign adversary — including China.
www.politico.com

Reposted by Steve Peers, Philip Nel, Bessma Momani

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d
Q: You posted that you intend to ban CNN, Politico, and MS Now from the White House. Every president takes an oath to uphold the Constitution, which includes the First Amendment. How do you justify this?

TRUMP: Because they're fake news. There may be others to join them.

Reposted by Daniel W. Drezner, Bessma Momani

yasharali.bsky.social
Yashar Ali 🐘 @yasharali.bsky.social · 1d
BREAKING

President Trump claims he is banning CNN, MSNOW, and Politico from the White House.

Reposted by Bessma Momani

cnn.com
CNN @cnn.com · 1d
Exclusive: An AI-assisted intel report, circulated across the US military during the Iran war, nearly triggered an operation but was false, sources say. https://cnn.it/4y9MBJO

Reposted by Jonathan A. Foley, Juan Cole, Bessma Momani , and 3 more

josephcox.bsky.social
Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 1d
OpenAI and Microsoft admitted LLMs are predatory tech built on “an astonishing theft of unprecedented proportions,” and the “largest theft of labor in human history.” An internal Microsoft document said AI has created a “doom loop” that is killing “the entire web.” www.404media.co/doom-loop-op...
‘Doom Loop’: OpenAI and Microsoft Admits LLMs Are Destroying the Web and Built on Theft
"Millions of people around the world will soon consider large models ‘hoovering up’ all their work to be an astonishing theft of unprecedented proportions."
www.404media.co

Reposted by Bessma Momani

shobitap.org
Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · 2d
In my new Expert Voices column @science.org, I argue that the Trump admin's science strategy (as written in Kratsios' Science: A Golden Age)--which gives more authority & funding to the private sector to direct the research enterprise--will harm science, and further erode its public accountability.
Escaping a downward spiral for science and public accountability
In late July, Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), released Science—A Golden Age, setting forth a strategy to revitalize US research and innova...
www.science.org

Reposted by Scott L. Greer, Bessma Momani

science.org
Science Magazine @science.org · 2d
Researchers have filed a new lawsuit alleging that the U.S. National Institutes of Health is illegally censoring research grants. https://scim.ag/4gY2aOr
Researchers file First Amendment challenge to NIH grant screening
Lawsuit argues that Trump policy of purging politically sensitive terms from research projects violates free speech
scim.ag

Reposted by Bessma Momani

premthakker.bsky.social
Prem Thakker ツ @premthakker.bsky.social · 2d
The U.S. "War on Terror" death toll is at least 4,500,000
Costs of War research examines the human toll of U.S. military operations and spending, for U.S. service members, veterans, military contractors, and allies; and for civilians killed and displaced. An estimated over 940,000 people were killed by direct post-9/11 war violence in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, and Pakistan between 2001-2023. Of these, more than 432,000 were civilians. The number of people wounded or ill as a result of the conflicts is far higher, as is the number of civilians who died "indirectly," as a result of wars' destruction of economies, healthcare systems, infrastructure and the environment. An estimated 3.6-3.8 million people died indirectly in post-9/11 war zones, bringing the total death toll to at least 4.5-4.7 million and counting.

Reposted by Lindsay M. Tedds

bmomani.bsky.social
Bessma Momani @bmomani.bsky.social · 2d
Dear Canadians. Please watch this and smile from cheek to cheek. I thought this was a joke but nope it’s an EU MEP with words of joy about us 😊

Reposted by Bessma Momani

globalextremism.bsky.social
Global Project Against Hate and Extremism @globalextremism.bsky.social · 2d
Elon Musk’s political influence increasingly intersects with far-right and extremist movements worldwide. He has backed Germany’s AfD, endorsed Marine Le Pen and Vox, praised Javier Milei and Nayib Bukele. His activity shows how Musk's platform can amplify authoritarian politics across borders.
Beyond AfD: Tracking Elon Musk’s Support for the Global Far Right
Elon Musk is backing the far right across multiple continents. From Germany’s AfD and France’s Marine Le Pen to Spain’s Vox, Argentina’s Javier Milei and El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele, the tech billionai...
globalextremism.org

Reposted by Bessma Momani

rweingarten.bsky.social
Randi Weingarten 🖇️📚✊🇺🇸 @rweingarten.bsky.social · 2d
The @aft.org was part of a coalition that successfully sued to stop this visa rule. Clearly the judge saw this attack on higher ed for what it is - an attempt by Trump to push a political agenda on colleges & universities, at the expense of research & education. www.highereddive.com/news/4-year-...
4-year visa cap for international students halted by federal judge
U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor paused the highly contested rule just a day before it would have taken effect.
www.highereddive.com

Reposted by Bessma Momani

johnismay.bsky.social
John Ismay @johnismay.bsky.social · 2d
“In 2025, Israel bought nearly eight times as many one-ton bombs from the United States as it did from 2012 to 2015.” Using public government data to report, w/ @halbfinger.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/09/16/w...
Why Israel Wants More One-Ton Bombs From the U.S.
The Trump administration plans to deliver 60,000 of the powerful munitions at a time when opposition is growing in Washington to arms sales to Israel.
www.nytimes.com