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Eric Van Rythoven

@ericvanr.bsky.social
608 followers 1.2K following 237 posts

Writing and teaching on security, diplomacy, and emotion in global politics.

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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Happy to chat with CNN about mockery and the Canada-U.S. relationship for this article. www.cnn.com/2026/09/23/a...
cnn.com
Trump’s been lobbing insults at Canada’s leader for more than a year. Now Carney is hitting back | CNN
More than a year into Carney’s tenure, with trade talks once-again stalled and a flashy new alliance blooming with the European Union, the Canadian leader appears to be done taking the high road.
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Dr Bohdana Kurylo @bohdanakurylo.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Not every call for #peace challenges the politics of violence; some reinforce it. Our new article starts here: ‘Colonial and Anti-Colonial Discourses of Peace in the Russo-Ukrainian War’, by me, @kseniyaoksamytna.bsky.social & @yuliaioffe.bsky.social in International Affairs (@iajournal.bsky.social)
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
One piece I would really like to read is why Canadian Conservatives and UK Reform have both settled on leaders with very high unfavourability numbers.
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
It is very telling that just as this administration is revoking temporary protected status for Haitian nationals and threatening deportation, it is also increasing federal funds to support white South African refugees.
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
www.cbc.ca/news/politic... Very interesting. If I had to speculate on the best possible outcome for Canada, it is that Trump becomes so rattled by the impact of the trade war on the midterms that he quickly walks his position back (similar to the Greenland climbdown), and creates space for a deal
cbc.ca
LeBlanc welcomes U.S. decision 'withdrawing positions' on language, culture in trade negotiations | CBC News
Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc is hinting that a mutually beneficial trade agreement with our southern neighbours may still be possible after the U.S. rolled back its position on culture a...
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
My favorite example of this is the 24-year-old hedge fund AI investor who *literally* thought AI would enable people to buy *galaxies*. www.wsj.com/tech/ai/situ...
wsj.com
The Connections That Turned a Precocious Teen Into the Fallen ‘Nostradamus of AI’
A 24-year-old investor hailed as a visionary attracted billions—before turning into Wall Street’s latest cautionary tale.
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
My latest on last weekend's trade talk blowup. theconversation.com/mark-carneys...
theconversation.com
Mark Carney’s defiance: Canada shows the world how to respond to Donald Trump’s threats
Canada cannot match the U.S. economically, but it can make Donald Trump’s trade war politically costly as the U.S. heads toward midterm elections.
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Extremely chuffed to be running a new course on the politics of disgust this fall.
A screen shot of a syllabus for the politics of disgust.
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
I get the reasoning, but a 500% export tax on oil would be a nuclear level response to a relatively low level trade conflict. Any self defense should be proportionate to the level of aggression, which is why dollar-for-dollar makes sense. 1/
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
I wanted to call this piece 'Trump's Dinky Deals', but my editor convinced me otherwise. /1 theconversation.com/donald-trump...
theconversation.com
Donald Trump’s ‘art of the deal’ means reneging on them. That’s why Canada cannot capitulate
Countries that sign deals with the Trump administration are quickly finding out that the stability and certainty they hoped to purchase was an illusion.
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
I wanted to call this piece 'Trump's Dinky Deals', but my editor convinced me otherwise. /1 theconversation.com/donald-trump...
theconversation.com
Donald Trump’s ‘art of the deal’ means reneging on them. That’s why Canada cannot capitulate
Countries that sign deals with the Trump administration are quickly finding out that the stability and certainty they hoped to purchase was an illusion.
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
One consistent feature of the Trump administration is that they love trade actions that *sound* devastating, but they often later qualify it because they don't want to pay the costs of said policy.
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
One of the paradoxes of American politics is that they spend more on elections than any where else--by an enormous margin!--but still consistently suffer from low-quality leaders.
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
In my last article I made the argument that Musk uses X to portray liberal democracies as 'ugly' in order to sensitive audiences to ideological alternatives. One of the ways he does this is by casting countries like the UK as divided and on the precipice of a race war 1/
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Jared Wesley @jaredwesley.ca · 20/05/2026
Eight of us weigh in on the court's separatist petition ruling. thewalrus.ca/alberta-sepa...
thewalrus.ca
Can Alberta Still Separate? Experts Clash over the Landmark Court Decision | The Walrus
A cross-country panel debates one of the most consequential rulings in years
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
This seems especially silly given that the Canada hit 2% of GDP defence spending this year, spent a record amount in absolute dollars, and tabled budget with the largest increase in defence spending in recent memory.
thestar.com
U.S. says it’s pausing long-standing military board with Canada
The U.S. undersecretary of defence for policy said Monday
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
I have a short piece on how Canada should think about retaliation in the age of Trump. TLDR: the threat of retaliation is increasingly driving Canadian policy decisions, but we think about retaliation in overly simplistic ways. I offer some correctives. 1/ policyoptions.irpp.org/2026/04/cana...
policyoptions.irpp.org
The threat of Trump retaliation: how Canada should respond
U.S. leverage is real but uneven. Three guideposts help policymakers assess risk, timing and strategic trade-offs.
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Kandida Purnell @kandidapurnell.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
'Contested Body Counts, a Missing Airman, and the (Necro)Politics of America's War in Iran' - a new blog from me now published by @ecprtheloop.bsky.social ! theloop.ecpr.eu/contested-bo...
theloop.ecpr.eu
Contested body counts, a missing airman, and the (necro)politics of America’s war in Iran
The recent rescue of a US airman from Iranian soil obscures a deeper truth. As contested casualty figures emerge from America’s war, Kandida Purnell argues that what we see, count, and mourn in war is never neutral. Rather, it is carefully governed through a longstanding necropolitical logic that shapes public perception and sustains conflict
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lauren @lauren.rotatingsandwiches.com · 26/03/2026
war_iran_final-blow_v1.pdf war_iran_final-final-blow-v2.pdf war_iran_final-blow-no edits.pdf war_iran_final-blow-no edits (1).pdf war_iran_final-blow-no edits (1) APPROVED.pdf IRANWARPLANSFINALFINALFINAL.pdf IRANWARPLANSFINALFINALFINAL (1).pdf
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Felix Rösch @felixroesch.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Thank you @hist-isanet.bsky.social! 🙏 @harokarkour.bsky.social and my paper on racial justice and the national interest in classical #realism won the Merze Tate Prize for the Best Article in Historical IR @sussexfss.bsky.social Find the article here (OA) 👇 academic.oup.com/isr/article/...
academic.oup.com
Toward IR’s “Fifth Debate”: Racial Justice and the National Interest in Classical Realism
Abstract. This article addresses growing calls for a fifth debate on international relations’ (IR) “race amnesia.” The central argument is two-fold. First,
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Patricia Treble @patriciatreble.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Notable audience by the King, amid talk of Alberta separation. Treaty Six and other First Nations are in court fighting the constitutionality of any separation referendum in Alberta. They are arguing that their treaties are with the Crown, not the provincial government
The King received a delegation of seven elected representatives of First Nations signatories to Treaty Number Six, the 1876 treaty between the Crown and First Nations in modern-day Saskatchewan and Alberta, Canada
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Hilde Eliassen Restad @herestad.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
The Mark Carney moment of hope for a reformed somewhat rules-based order is already over. The "West" has lost all credibility. You cannot condemn illegal aggression against Greenland and Ukraine on principle, then support illegal aggression against Gaza, Venezuela, and Iran.
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
I guess my question is "where is it?" You think AI can write a publishable political theory article in 2 hours? Great. Show me. Send me the pdf of the published article. Based on this logic, we should have 100,000s of new high quality AI articles being published? Where are they?
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
Hot take: The Carney government put out a statement supporting the United States without knowing what it was doing. Now that the US/Israel have assassinated a state leader, and Hegseth has declared "no stupid rules of engagement", supporting the U.S. looks a lot more difficult.
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
This is excellent
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Minseon Ku @minseonku.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
My co-authored article with @nckc.bsky.social is published in @ejisbisa.bsky.social with #openaccess! We theorize captivity/kidnapping as a sovereignty violation, and states respond with emotional performativity to protect their dignity, constructing personhood. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
The emotional politics of sovereignty: On dignity, state personhood, and kidnappings
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Caitlin Talmadge @proftalmadge.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
Never has so much US combat power been assembled with so little explanation to the public, allies, or Congress regarding why or how it will be used. Never.
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
Canada is living through the most dangerous international crisis in living memory, but any attempt to study history, politics, or international affairs is dismissed as 'basket weaving' by the Premier of Canada's most populace province.
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
There is definitely an opening here for Democrats to claim that 'Trump Lost Canada', especially after Canada's EV deal with China. This seems like very low-hanging fruit. www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
politico.com
Look how much Canadians hate the United States now
It’s not just about the trade war. Nearly half of America’s neighbors to the north now think the U.S. is a bigger threat to world peace than Russia.
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P. Anh Nguyen @anhphnguyen.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
I’m very excited to share that my co-authored article with Todd Hall is now published in the @ejisbisa.bsky.social ! Many thanks to @profgustafsson.bsky.social and @rjsamuels.bsky.social for organising the special issue and for their guidance throughout the process. doi.org/10.1017/eis....
doi.org
Between power and powerlessness: Families and politicised captivity | European Journal of International Security | Cambridge Core
Between power and powerlessness: Families and politicised captivity
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
This is the way
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
This is a *really* good take on Trump supporters, Goffman's classic account of the con man, and the problem of 'cooling out' Trump supporters. I have two quick thoughts. One is that I think the reason there is no one to 'cool out' Trump supporters is that this requires emotional labour... /1
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J. Kelly Nestruck @nestruck.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Tonight I watched Prime Minister Mark Carney take the actual Heated Rivalry Canada fleece from Hudson Williams, slip it on and say: “This is true soft power.”
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
So...not close at all?
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
This is a really good essay.
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
I did some radio with CBC on the international politics of the Grok controversy and Canada's response. Come for the incisive analysis, stay to hear my kids yelling at the dog for peeing on the carpet. www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...
cbc.ca
© CBC/Radio-Canada 2026. All rights reserved.
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Dr Emma L Briant 🇬🇧 in 🇺🇸 w/ 🐕 @emma-briant.co.uk · 24/01/2026
Oh my god this is so horrifying... this is the most despicable gaslighting imaginable - tech executives must be held responsible for what they create.
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kate conger @kateconger.com · 22/01/2026
I would also note: X has deleted a handful of these images. But the vast majority of them remain live on X today.
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BeijingPalmer @beijingpalmer.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
I wrote about the collapse of Trump's plan to annex Greenland 1/
theconversation.com
Trump’s annexation of Greenland seemed imminent. Now it’s on much shakier ground.
The stain of Donald Trump’s constant bullying of American allies will linger long after his administration is gone.
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Mark Carney: The Great Powers are becoming more aggressive. *five minutes later* Donald Trump: WE COULD KILL YOU RIGHT NOW. www.cbc.ca/news/politic...
cbc.ca
'Canada lives because of the U.S.,' Trump says while jabbing Carney | CBC News
U.S. President Donald Trump claimed Wednesday Canada owes its continued existence to the United States while calling out Prime Minister Mark Carney for delivering a speech that condemned coercion by g...
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Robson Fletcher @robsonfletcher.com · 20/01/2026
Globe & Mail reporting on Canadian military's modelling of how an extended insurgency against a US invasion would play out: In short, we'd take cues from the mujahideen. "The aim of such tactics would be to impose mass casualties on U.S. occupying forces..."
Military models Canadian response to hypothetical American invasion

By Robert Fife, Gavin JohnCanada does not have the number of military personnel or the sophisticated equipment needed to fend off a conventional American attack, they said. So, the military envisions unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military or armed civilians would resort to ambushes, sabotage, drone warfare or hit-and-run tactics.

One of the officials said the model includes tactics used by the Afghan mujahedeen in their hit-and-run attacks on Russian soldiers during the 1979-1989 Soviet-Afghan War. These were the same tactics employed by the Taliban in their 20-year war against the U.S. and allied forces that included Canada. Many of the 158 Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014 were struck by improvised explosive devices or IEDs.

The aim of such tactics would be to impose mass casualties on U.S. occupying forces, the official said. 

The aim of such tactics would be to impose mass casualties on U.S. occupying forces, the official said. 
Conscription has been ruled out for now, but the level of sacrifice that would be asked of Canadians remains a central topic, the officials said. General Jennie Carignan, Chief of the Defence Staff, has already announced her intention to create a 400,000-plus-strong reserve force of volunteers. The officials said they could be armed or asked to provide disruptions if the U.S. becomes an occupying power.

A senior Defence Department official said Canada would have a maximum of three months to prepare for a land and sea invasion. The first indications that invasion orders had been sent would be expected to come from U.S. military warnings that Canada no longer has a shared skies policy with the United States, the source said.

This rupture in the joint defence agreement would likely see France or Britain, nuclear-weapon states, being called on to provide support and defence for Canada against the U.S.
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
For Canadians this should sink any hope for a deal with the US. The EU relented and accepted a brutally one-sided deal, and before the ink is even dry Trump has already reneged on the agreement.
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
Trying to write a piece on the US annexation of Greenland, and everything feels so monumentally stupid I don't even think I can finish.
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
This is pretty good.
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
Re-upping for the morning crowd
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Blayne Haggart @bhaggart.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
“There are compelling reasons, then, for why Canada has been slow to act amid the global backlash to Grok. But are these good reasons? No.” @ericvanr.bsky.social nails it.
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Eric Van Rythoven @ericvanr.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
I wrote on why Canada's reaction to the Grok controversy X is so weak compared to other countries. 1/ theconversation.com/why-canadas-...
theconversation.com
Why Canada’s reaction to the Grok scandal is so muted in the midst of a global outcry
Governments around the world are clamping down on Grok’s production of nonconsensual sexual images. Why does Canada seem to be missing in action?
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Will Greaves @wgreaves.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Statement from MP Will Greaves on X/Twitter (I know, I know, not popular on here)
Statement from MP Will Greaves on X/Twitter
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