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Bjørnar Østby

@bjornarostby.bsky.social
256 followers 537 following 35 posts

Peace research, civil wars and international relations (with a sprinkle of Arsenal). LSE alumnus. Lecturer @OsloNewUC. Son of a preacher man, enjoyer of Stoney Tangawizi. Halvparten av duoen bak podkasten Afrikansk politikk.

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Philippe Auclair @philippeauclair.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
A proper game of football, this one, berween a team that should have wrapped up the title already and another which should have been demoted to League One a long time ago.
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Bjørnar Østby @bjornarostby.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
The current state of world politics.
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Bjørnar Østby @bjornarostby.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
Rwanda og DR Kongo signerte nylig en fredsavtale i Washington, D.C. Jeg håper at jeg tar feil, men jeg er foreløpig skeptisk til at avtalen vil bane vei for fred med det første. Jeg drodler litt om dette i en ny tekst på Afrikansk politikk-substacken. open.substack.com/pub/maren930...
open.substack.com
Blir det fred mellom Rwanda og Kongo nå?
Sist fredag signerte Rwanda og DR Kongos utenriksministere en lenge ventet fredsavtale i Washington, D.C. Blir det fred mellom Rwanda og Kongo nå? Bjørnar har skriblet ned noen av sine reaksjoner.
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Philippe Auclair @philippeauclair.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
Oh yes. www.theguardian.com/football/pic...
theguardian.com
David Squires on … the Paris Saint-Germain fairytale
Our cartoonist takes us to a far-away magical kingdom for the story of how a pumpkin of a football club became the kings of Europe
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Yvan Guichaoua @yguichaoua.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
This will be carefully followed in the Sahel
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Bjørnar Østby @bjornarostby.bsky.social · 24/05/2025
YESSSS!!!
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Bjørnar Østby @bjornarostby.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
Jeg har begått en liten kommentar om Ibrahim Traoré - Burkina Fasos juntaleder som har blitt den nye politiske superhelten på TikTok. Følg Afrikansk politikk på Substack for å få oppdateringer fra @marensa.bsky.social og meg direkte i innboksen din! maren930.substack.com/p/traore-og-...
maren930.substack.com
Traoré og jihadistene
Burkina Fasos juntaleder har blitt en internasjonal kjendis, men på hjemmebane kjemper han på vikende front mot transnasjonale jihadister.
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Bjørnar Østby @bjornarostby.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
I går hadde @marensa.bsky.social og jeg en hyggelig prat med utviklingsminister Åsmund Aukrust i podkasten vår Afrikansk politikk. Samtalen svingte innom alt fra amerikanske bistandskutt og et FN-system i pengekrise, til Norges mulige rolle i en turbulent verden. open.spotify.com/episode/7eeY...
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Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 15/05/2025
I think another way of looking at this is that the court of a corrupt and distracted mad king has always been fertile ground for opportunistic dealmaking by those in attendance. Trump catalyzes this opportunism, but it's unclear who are the beneficiaries of any deals that are actually closed.
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Jan Arild Snoen @snoen.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
Jeg har svart Asle Toje i Aftenposten. Han forveksler antiamerikanisme med antitrumpisme. www.aftenposten.no/meninger/deb...
aftenposten.no
Asle Toje forveksler antiamerikanisme og antitrumpisme
Snoen svarer Toje.
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 13/04/2025
More than 200 civilians killed as Sudan’s RSF assaults Darfur refugee camps
theguardian.com
More than 200 civilians killed as Sudan’s RSF assaults Darfur refugee camps
Relief International medics among dead as paramilitaries step up violence against region’s displaced people Paramilitaries in Sudan have murdered more than 200 civilians in a wave of attacks in refugee camps and around the city of El Fasher, the last big city still in the hands of the Sudanese army in the Darfur region. The deaths include at least 56 civilians killed by the Rapid Support Forces over two days of attacks in Um Kadadah, a town they seized on the road to El Fasher. Continue reading...
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Nina Wilen @ninawilen.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
Demonstrations in Central African Republic against #Wagner and President's bid for a third term: “We’re here to say no to a third term..But more than that, we want to protect our sovereignty, which Touadera and the Wagner have trampled upon,” #Russia #CAR #Africa apnews.com/article/cent...
apnews.com
Thousands rally against Russian Wagner mercenaries in Central African Republic
Thousands have protested plans of Central African Republic's president to run for a third term with the backing of Russian-led mercenaries from the Wagner group.
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Oregon 🕎🎲 @oregonthedm.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
Biggest commitment to a 3 second joke I've ever seen
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David M. Perry @lollardfish.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
Historians are going to have better records from the 19th century than the 21st, is my most medievalist futurist prediction.
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Christiaan Triebert @trbrtc.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
A video obtained by @nytimes.com clearly refutes the Israeli military's narrative on the aid convoy attack: Israeli troops opened fire on clearly marked ambulances that had their emergency lights on. 15 aid workers were killed. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/04/w...
nytimes.com
Video Shows Aid Workers Killed in Gaza Under Gunfire Barrage, With Ambulance Lights On (Gift Article)
The U.N. has said Israel killed the workers. The video appears to contradict Israel’s version of events, which said the vehicles were “advancing suspiciously” without headlights or emergency signals.
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Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 01/04/2025
Seriously this Bible exchange goes on even longer than I'm able to clip here.
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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 29/03/2025
BREAKING — Nearly all employees at the US Institute of Peace (USIP) received an email tonight informing them they were fired effective immediately, multiple staffers confirmed with me. Just a few HR and IT staffers are being kept on to assist DOGE’s illegal dismantling of the independent nonprofit.
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James Ball @jamesrball.com · 27/03/2025
If this were an *actual* war this opportunistic photoshoot would be a violation of the Geneva Convention.
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Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
Abu Ghraib as photo op.
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Maren Sæbø @marensa.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
Det har gått raskt utfor i Sør-Sudan. Med arrestasjonen av visepresident Riek Machar er fredsvtalen fra 2018, i realiteten revet i stykker
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Isak Svensson @isaksvensson.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
Our analysis on Trump as mediator theglobalobservatory.org/2025/03/maki...
theglobalobservatory.org
Making Peace Great Again? The Challenges and Potentials of Trump’s Approach to Peace Diplomacy - IPI Global Observatory
How should we assess Trump’s peace diplomacy? And what can Europe and Ukraine do to position themselves strategically in the diplomatic battle over Ukraine’s and Europe’s future?
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J.M. Berger PRE-ORDER THE POPE'S HITMAN @jmberger.com · 24/03/2025
Remember this guy? Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses to the door, which among other things condemned the selling of indulgences by the Catholic Church
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Alexander Clarkson @aphclarkson.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
Hate to say I told you so, but...
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Garrett M. Graff @vermontgmg.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
This is the wildest story I have literally ever read. In any normal circumstances, a half-dozen senior officials would be forced to resign over this—starting with the National Security Advisor. And I doubt anyone will face any accountability at all.
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Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
I'd frame this as part of what I've called Trump II's war on words. In this case, they've hollowed the word "terror" out of its accepted meaning and inserted "migrant" in its place.
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lastpositivist.bsky.social @lastpositivist.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
... That last I take from @nescio13.bsky.social. So segregationist managed democracy at home, and mercantilist monopoly patronage guiding economic and foreign policy. This is an indefensibly awful social and economic system, nothing to endear it unless you are a politically well-connected sycophant.
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Maren Sæbø @marensa.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
Lydspor til saken: open.spotify.com/episode/50U8...
open.spotify.com
Sesongpremiere
Afrikansk politikk · Episode
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Maren Sæbø @marensa.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
Elon Musk hevder USAs bistandsfrys ikke har kostet liv. Det er nok ikke sant i Sør-Sudan. I en leir for internt fordrevne i Unity nord i landet har man sluttet å tømme latriner som følge av kuttene, og det midt i en koleraepidemi. www.panoramanyheter.no/sor-sudan-us...
panoramanyheter.no
– Usikkerheten er det verste
Innsatsen mot en koleraepidemi nord i Sør-Sudan er rammet av USAs bistandsfrys. I en leir for internt fordrevne i Bentiu med rundt 100 000 innbyggere, blir ikke lenger latrinene tømt.
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Abu Aardvark @abuaardvark.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
Absolute insanity
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Bjørnar Østby @bjornarostby.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
Sør-Sudan og Tigray står på kanten av stupet, og i Sudan er alt i bevegelse. @marensa.bsky.social og jeg har kastet oss rundt med en hasteepisode, og Kjetil Tronvoll svipper innom for å forklare oss hva som skjer på Hornet. open.spotify.com/episode/5Jdy...
open.spotify.com
EKSTRA: Alt rakner
Afrikansk politikk · Episode
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Alexander Clarkson @aphclarkson.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
The United States is now a fascinating experiment in how quickly rule by imbecile can destroy the foundations of global power status
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Anonymous @youranoncentral.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
So this was a campaign promise not an observation.
STOCK MARKETS ARE CRASHING, JOBS NUMBERS ARE TERRIBLE, WE ARE HEADING TO WORLD WAR III, AND WE HAVE TWO OF THE MOST INCOMPETENT "LEADERS" IN HISTORY. THIS IS NOT GOOD!!!
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Maren Sæbø @marensa.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
Høydramatisk i Sør-Sudan, der et FN-helikopter er blitt beskutt i forsøket på å evakuere en såret general. Fredsavtalen fra 2018 er det svært lite igjen av..
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Bjørnar Østby @bjornarostby.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
Maren og jeg er allerede godt i gang med sesong tre av Afrikansk politikk. Hjelp oss gjerne spre budskapet så vi kan fortsette å levere Afrika-dekningen vi selv savner fra norske medier.
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Soumaya Keynes @soumayakeynes.ft.com · 07/03/2025
Those soyabean exports look nice... shame if something were to happen to them
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Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
check in on your nuclear non-proliferation expert friends because they are not okay
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Connor Ewing @cmewing.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
Really impressive how JD is able to memorize all those Russian talking points.
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Susie Dent @susiedentwords.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
Word of the day is ‘huff-snuff’ (16th century): a hectoring bully or braggart.
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Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
Now watching Trump yell at Zelensky. And Vance talk to him like he's a toddler. This is a shameful moment for United States diplomacy. It will be hard to recover from this.
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Brian Klaas @brianklaas.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
This is an evergreen tweet for this era.
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Bill @bill-of-lefts.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
I’m sure there’s room to criticize Zelenskyy, but watching him with Trump and Vance, you see a man with real personal courage standing up to two assholes with no character
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Brian Beutler @brianbeutler.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
Even with the obvious imbalance of power, Zelensky makes Vance look like a preening little teacher’s pet.
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Bjørnar Østby @bjornarostby.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
Se også Dubois (1306), Sully (1638), Saint-Pierre (1713), Rousseau (1756), Kant (1795) etc etc www.vg.no/nyheter/i/wg...
vg.no
Europeisk superstat: – Vi har ikke noe valg
Militærekspert Guillaume Ancel mener EU-landene må få én samlet hær og bli én stat for å møte truslene fra USA, Russland og Kina.
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Bjørnar Østby @bjornarostby.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
Found this piece incredibly frustrating 🧵 A) ACLED's president cannot possibly prove that oft-cited fatality estimates in Sudan (or in Tigray, for that matter) are exaggerations. Meanwhile we have every reason to believe that ACLED's numbers are completely off the mark in both cases.
politico.eu
As conflict rates soar, misinformation is getting worse
We may not be able to change how people ingest information, but we can and should place guardrails around the evidence we use to inform the public.
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Bjørnar Østby @bjornarostby.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
While we’re at it, it would also be nice not to promote an airline from the UAE, given the latter’s support of genocidal actors like the RSF in Sudan. And while the resource dimension of the conflicts in the DRC is often overstated, we know that plundered gold has tended to end up in Dubai…
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Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
So, Mexico has agreed to do what it is already doing? www.reuters.com/article/worl...
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Koen Vlassenroot @kvlassen.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
With @judithverweijen.bsky.social I wrote this comment on why the Congo crisis extends beyonds 'conflict minerals'. (version française en dessous de la version angles) www.egmontinstitute.be/congo-crisis...
egmontinstitute.be
Congo crisis extends beyond ‘conflict minerals’ - Egmont Institute
On Sunday night, the Congolese rebel group M23 and the Rwandan army invaded Goma, the capital of North Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The fall of Goma […]
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Darth Putin @darthputinkgb.bsky.social · 25/01/2025
Chomsky: Greenland is clearly in US sphere of influence. Denmark should trade land for peace Mearsheimer: Great powers always ruthlessly pursue their own interests. Denmark should be pragmatic Varoufakis: Denmark's aggressive joining of EU provoked Trump. It's their own fault.
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