Nicholas Danforth
@nicholasdanfort.bsky.social
Whoever the next Democratic candidate is, progressives and traditional Dems should unite around refusing hire anyone who has ever written an oped about what Trump got right.
October 9, 2026 at 4:53 PM
Whoever the next Democratic candidate is, progressives and traditional Dems should unite around refusing hire anyone who has ever written an oped about what Trump got right.
Reposting in honor of Rubio's speech yesterday:
For its most committed advocates, “Western civilization” can mean a lot of things, but seldom does it mean “Western democracy.”
foreignpolicy.com/2025/06/27/s...
For its most committed advocates, “Western civilization” can mean a lot of things, but seldom does it mean “Western democracy.”
foreignpolicy.com/2025/06/27/s...
How to Sell a Clash of Civilizations
The incoherence of Samuel Huntington’s famous thesis is also its power.
foreignpolicy.com
October 9, 2026 at 2:46 PM
Reposting in honor of Rubio's speech yesterday:
For its most committed advocates, “Western civilization” can mean a lot of things, but seldom does it mean “Western democracy.”
foreignpolicy.com/2025/06/27/s...
For its most committed advocates, “Western civilization” can mean a lot of things, but seldom does it mean “Western democracy.”
foreignpolicy.com/2025/06/27/s...
Reposted by Nicholas Danforth
Holding the Trump admin accountable for its crimes can seem distant, but there are meaningful steps both US domestic opposition & the international community can take, including supporting the ICC, enabling international investigations into disappearances & civilian deaths, & refunding foreign aid
Here’s What to Do About Trump’s War Crimes
Despite the obstacles, foreign governments and U.S. lawmakers can begin the process of holding the president accountable.
foreignpolicy.com
October 8, 2026 at 8:48 PM
Holding the Trump admin accountable for its crimes can seem distant, but there are meaningful steps both US domestic opposition & the international community can take, including supporting the ICC, enabling international investigations into disappearances & civilian deaths, & refunding foreign aid
Depressing to say, but three years on I remain profoundly grateful for everyone who has been outspoken in their conviction that killing innocent people is equally wrong regardless of who they are.
October 7, 2026 at 1:24 PM
Depressing to say, but three years on I remain profoundly grateful for everyone who has been outspoken in their conviction that killing innocent people is equally wrong regardless of who they are.
Reposted by Nicholas Danforth
i think a lot about lewis lapham's description of the time he interviewed for the CIA in the 1950s www.laphamsquarterly.org/spies/open-i...
September 25, 2026 at 6:59 PM
i think a lot about lewis lapham's description of the time he interviewed for the CIA in the 1950s www.laphamsquarterly.org/spies/open-i...
A genuinely interesting conversation on AI, featuring perspectives from the Catholic Church, the AFL-CIO, and the Future of Life Institute.
vimeo.com/1229147096/8...
vimeo.com/1229147096/8...
Tech & AI Forum at UNGA81: Centering Humanity: The Future of Work in the AI Era
Centering Humanity: The Future of Work in the AI Era
vimeo.com
September 23, 2026 at 8:36 PM
A genuinely interesting conversation on AI, featuring perspectives from the Catholic Church, the AFL-CIO, and the Future of Life Institute.
vimeo.com/1229147096/8...
vimeo.com/1229147096/8...
The new season of @foreignpolicy.com's Counterpoint is starting. In the first episode, I hosted @emmamashford.bsky.social and @mcfaulmike.bsky.social for a fascinating discussion of Ukraine and NATO expansion:
foreignpolicy.com/podcasts/cou...
foreignpolicy.com/podcasts/cou...
Has NATO Expansion Made Europe Safer?
Emma Ashford and Michael McFaul on explanations of Russia’s aggression.
foreignpolicy.com
September 18, 2026 at 3:01 PM
The new season of @foreignpolicy.com's Counterpoint is starting. In the first episode, I hosted @emmamashford.bsky.social and @mcfaulmike.bsky.social for a fascinating discussion of Ukraine and NATO expansion:
foreignpolicy.com/podcasts/cou...
foreignpolicy.com/podcasts/cou...
Reposted by Nicholas Danforth
@nicholasdanfort.bsky.social and I will be live to discuss:
- AI's impact on life in Turkey (and other developing countries)
- the Kurdish "peace process" in Turkey & Syria
Turkey: 5:00 PM (UTC+3)
London (UK): 3:00 PM (UTC+1)
NYC (USA): 10:00 AM (UTC-4)
open.substack.com/live-stream/...
- AI's impact on life in Turkey (and other developing countries)
- the Kurdish "peace process" in Turkey & Syria
Turkey: 5:00 PM (UTC+3)
London (UK): 3:00 PM (UTC+1)
NYC (USA): 10:00 AM (UTC-4)
open.substack.com/live-stream/...
LIVE SOON: Live with Selim & Nick: AI in Turkey; Syria and the Kurds
Starting Sep 18 at 10:00 AM EDT
open.substack.com
September 18, 2026 at 9:12 AM
@nicholasdanfort.bsky.social and I will be live to discuss:
- AI's impact on life in Turkey (and other developing countries)
- the Kurdish "peace process" in Turkey & Syria
Turkey: 5:00 PM (UTC+3)
London (UK): 3:00 PM (UTC+1)
NYC (USA): 10:00 AM (UTC-4)
open.substack.com/live-stream/...
- AI's impact on life in Turkey (and other developing countries)
- the Kurdish "peace process" in Turkey & Syria
Turkey: 5:00 PM (UTC+3)
London (UK): 3:00 PM (UTC+1)
NYC (USA): 10:00 AM (UTC-4)
open.substack.com/live-stream/...
A great piece from Mike Haack about the role of right-wing Christianity in Myanmar's civil war:
foreignpolicy.com/2026/09/16/t...
foreignpolicy.com/2026/09/16/t...
Trump, God, and the Struggle for the Chin State
The MAGA movement has been a source of hope and headaches for Myanmar’s Christian diaspora and the rebels they support.
foreignpolicy.com
September 16, 2026 at 7:09 PM
A great piece from Mike Haack about the role of right-wing Christianity in Myanmar's civil war:
foreignpolicy.com/2026/09/16/t...
foreignpolicy.com/2026/09/16/t...
Reposted by Nicholas Danforth
I really enjoyed speaking with William Armstrong from Turkey Book Talk about Turkey and the Liberal International Order. Many thanks for such a thoughtful and engaging conversation!
Latest episode 📢📢
Marc Sinan Winrow (@marcsinanwinrow.bsky.social) on his book “Turkey and the Liberal International Order: Hegemony, Contestation and the Politics of Articulation Since 1919” (Edinburgh University Press)
👇🎧
turkeybooktalk.com/2026/09/15/m...
Marc Sinan Winrow (@marcsinanwinrow.bsky.social) on his book “Turkey and the Liberal International Order: Hegemony, Contestation and the Politics of Articulation Since 1919” (Edinburgh University Press)
👇🎧
turkeybooktalk.com/2026/09/15/m...
Marc Sinan Winrow on Turkey and the ‘liberal international order’
Turkey Book Talk #278 – Marc Sinan Winrow, post-doctoral research assistant at the London School of Economics, on “Turkey and the Liberal International Order: Hegemony, Contestation and the P…
turkeybooktalk.com
September 15, 2026 at 10:27 PM
I really enjoyed speaking with William Armstrong from Turkey Book Talk about Turkey and the Liberal International Order. Many thanks for such a thoughtful and engaging conversation!
Reposted by Nicholas Danforth
foreignpolicy.com/2026/09/04/w...
For those who may be interested, I've got a retrospective piece seeking historical precision for the War on Terror.
My main claim is that the War on Terror, as a period of US foreign policy history, is over.
It had 3 essential traits: 1. Terrorism was treated/
For those who may be interested, I've got a retrospective piece seeking historical precision for the War on Terror.
My main claim is that the War on Terror, as a period of US foreign policy history, is over.
It had 3 essential traits: 1. Terrorism was treated/
What Was the War on Terror?
A defining period in U.S. foreign policy has ended, but it remains misunderstood.
google.com
September 4, 2026 at 7:08 PM
foreignpolicy.com/2026/09/04/w...
For those who may be interested, I've got a retrospective piece seeking historical precision for the War on Terror.
My main claim is that the War on Terror, as a period of US foreign policy history, is over.
It had 3 essential traits: 1. Terrorism was treated/
For those who may be interested, I've got a retrospective piece seeking historical precision for the War on Terror.
My main claim is that the War on Terror, as a period of US foreign policy history, is over.
It had 3 essential traits: 1. Terrorism was treated/
Reposted by Nicholas Danforth
I can't say I agree with Giran Ozcan here, but this is worth reading nonetheless.
foreignpolicy.com/2026/09/03/t...
foreignpolicy.com/2026/09/03/t...
Turkey’s Kurdish Peace Process Is Not About Erdogan
The government’s negotiations with the PKK will succeed because they are driven by geopolitical threats rather than domestic concerns.
foreignpolicy.com
September 4, 2026 at 7:06 PM
I can't say I agree with Giran Ozcan here, but this is worth reading nonetheless.
foreignpolicy.com/2026/09/03/t...
foreignpolicy.com/2026/09/03/t...
Just feels like the Greeks of all people would recognize the irony of calling a defense deal "Achilles Shield"
www.politico.eu/article/isra...
www.politico.eu/article/isra...
Israel, Greece seal €3B ‘Achilles Shield’ defense deal
The package will cover ballistic missiles, aircraft and drones.
www.politico.eu
September 1, 2026 at 7:56 PM
Just feels like the Greeks of all people would recognize the irony of calling a defense deal "Achilles Shield"
www.politico.eu/article/isra...
www.politico.eu/article/isra...
Reposted by Nicholas Danforth
I write in @foreignpolicy.com: Jordan's true external threat isn't Iranian missiles. It's Israeli formal annexation of the West Bank and the ethnic cleansing / population transfer that follows.
To help Jordan, the US must *restrain* Israel.
Stop annexation.
foreignpolicy.com/2026/08/31/j...
To help Jordan, the US must *restrain* Israel.
Stop annexation.
foreignpolicy.com/2026/08/31/j...
Jordan Sees Bigger Threat From Israel Than Iran
For Amman, Israeli annexation of the West Bank looms as an existential risk.
foreignpolicy.com
August 31, 2026 at 5:04 PM
I write in @foreignpolicy.com: Jordan's true external threat isn't Iranian missiles. It's Israeli formal annexation of the West Bank and the ethnic cleansing / population transfer that follows.
To help Jordan, the US must *restrain* Israel.
Stop annexation.
foreignpolicy.com/2026/08/31/j...
To help Jordan, the US must *restrain* Israel.
Stop annexation.
foreignpolicy.com/2026/08/31/j...
Reposted by Nicholas Danforth
The American King-Crane Commission Plan To Divide The Ottoman Empire After World War 1
Do you think the Middle East would be better or worse off today had it been implemented?
credit: @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social
More about the plan and why it wasn't implemented: brilliantmaps.com/king-cran...
Do you think the Middle East would be better or worse off today had it been implemented?
credit: @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social
More about the plan and why it wasn't implemented: brilliantmaps.com/king-cran...
August 29, 2026 at 3:01 AM
The American King-Crane Commission Plan To Divide The Ottoman Empire After World War 1
Do you think the Middle East would be better or worse off today had it been implemented?
credit: @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social
More about the plan and why it wasn't implemented: brilliantmaps.com/king-cran...
Do you think the Middle East would be better or worse off today had it been implemented?
credit: @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social
More about the plan and why it wasn't implemented: brilliantmaps.com/king-cran...
Reposted by Nicholas Danforth
August 27, 2026 at 4:24 PM
Possible Enes Kanter will single-handedly do more to discredit the Gulen movement than a decade of Turkish propaganda.
August 27, 2026 at 7:41 PM
Possible Enes Kanter will single-handedly do more to discredit the Gulen movement than a decade of Turkish propaganda.
He in fact said "and/or the Pacific," which suggests we could in fact have an American Ocean on both sides
TRUMP SAYS HE IS CONSIDERING CHANGING THE NAME OF THE ATLANTIC OR PACIFIC OCEAN.
August 27, 2026 at 7:21 PM
He in fact said "and/or the Pacific," which suggests we could in fact have an American Ocean on both sides
August 27, 2026 at 4:24 PM
I fell into a [Turkish] ring of fire...
August 27, 2026 at 1:47 PM
I fell into a [Turkish] ring of fire...
Reposted by Nicholas Danforth
I wrote about the Mecca pact. TL; DR: all alliances suffer from a set of four problems: chain ganging, buck passing, moral hazard, and free riding. The pact as it stands now does not address any of these. Thus, it resembles its near forgotten predecessor CENTO.
foreignpolicy.com/2026/08/25/m...
foreignpolicy.com/2026/08/25/m...
A Pact Without Impact
The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement faces all the classic challenges of an alliance with none of the unifying elements.
foreignpolicy.com
August 26, 2026 at 12:23 PM
I wrote about the Mecca pact. TL; DR: all alliances suffer from a set of four problems: chain ganging, buck passing, moral hazard, and free riding. The pact as it stands now does not address any of these. Thus, it resembles its near forgotten predecessor CENTO.
foreignpolicy.com/2026/08/25/m...
foreignpolicy.com/2026/08/25/m...
It would be great if Leftists and Centrists could agree that they are all in fact very eager to defeat Trump they just have genuinely different views on how to do that. Everyone insisting the other side of the debate doesnt actually want to win is maddening.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
The ‘Resistance’ Is Over
The insurgent left cares more about its own factional agenda than the president’s threats to democracy.
www.theatlantic.com
August 20, 2026 at 3:59 PM
It would be great if Leftists and Centrists could agree that they are all in fact very eager to defeat Trump they just have genuinely different views on how to do that. Everyone insisting the other side of the debate doesnt actually want to win is maddening.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Reading both pieces together actually offers a surprisingly coherent story about how resource shortages and bad institutional incentives channeled important calls for reform into administrative policies that no one was happy with
Andrew Baker was also a “token black professor” at Bates College. But his perspective on the events Tyler Austin Harper recounts in his Atlantic cover story is very different. Read Baker’s side of the story online today.
newsletter.thedriftmag.com/p/racism-and...
newsletter.thedriftmag.com/p/racism-and...
Racism and labor at Bates: the other side of the story
Andrew Baker responds to Tyler Austin Harper
newsletter.thedriftmag.com
August 20, 2026 at 3:53 PM
Reading both pieces together actually offers a surprisingly coherent story about how resource shortages and bad institutional incentives channeled important calls for reform into administrative policies that no one was happy with
Okay I think I have a pretty impeccable record of hating David Brooks, and I'm definitely on team lets focus on the fascists, but are we really saying politics doesnt factor into higher ed hiring decisions?
Normally I just appreciatively read @jamellebouie.net 's columns-sharable video content just isn't my bag. But this is a very, very, very trenchant piece of commentary that captures a lot of how I increasingly understand the disjunction between the commentary environment and on-the-ground politics.
The pundits have completely lost the plot
YouTube video by Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie
www.youtube.com
August 13, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Okay I think I have a pretty impeccable record of hating David Brooks, and I'm definitely on team lets focus on the fascists, but are we really saying politics doesnt factor into higher ed hiring decisions?