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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 18h

How should statesmen weigh the pros & cons of military action? Back in the 18th century Fénelon provided us with a mental checklist--one which allows rulers to pause at those moments where passion, group think & self-interested counsel threaten to corrupt judgment warontherocks.com/power-pruden...

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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 22h

If you are in need of a temporary reprieve from the news cycle, you could do worse than reread Thoreau's paean--full of love and wonder--to Northeast America's most beautiful season. www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...

theatlantic.com

Autumnal Tints

“A great many, who have spent their lives in cities, and have never chanced to come into the country at this season, have never seen this, the flower, or rather the ripe fruit, of the year.”

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War on the Rocks @warontherocks.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

The most politically dangerous retelling of Homer was published in 1699, banned by a king, and read by every European statesman for a century. warontherocks.com/power-pruden...

warontherocks.com

Power, Prudence, and Restraint in Fénelon’s Telemachus

“If one is to judge by the fire and ardor with which this book is sought after, it is the most excellent of all books. Never were so many copies printed

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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

In the latest installment of my applied history series for @warontherocks.bsky.social I explore one of my favorite thinkers, Fénelon, his wildly popular 18th century spinoff of The Odyssey, & what it can still teach us about power, prudence,& the art of statecraft. warontherocks.com/power-pruden...

warontherocks.com

Power, Prudence, and Restraint in Fénelon’s Telemachus

“If one is to judge by the fire and ardor with which this book is sought after, it is the most excellent of all books. Never were so many copies printed

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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

"Social-media posters regularly express anxiety about being “distilled,” a term Chinese people use for when an employer uses a worker’s data to train an AI model." www.theatlantic.com/internationa...

theatlantic.com

What AI Anxiety Looks Like in China

A top-down tech revolution is harder to manage than a bottom-up one.

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Will Yale @wayale.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

It is extremely unfortunate and regrettable that the Department of the Air Force has decided to shutter the China Aerospace Studies Institute (CASI). CASI, along with its sister institutions the China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI), China Landpower Studies Center (CLSC), and…

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Kori Schake @kschake.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

I’m excited to announce that I’m the new reviewer of military books for @foreignaffairs.com! Being successor to the great @ldfreedman.bsky.social is an honor almost unimaginable.

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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Terrific to meet Lindsay Powell here in Austin and chat all things Ancient Rome after having followed his scholarship for so many years. His most recent biography of Tiberius is a must-read for anyone with an interest in military strategy and statecraft.

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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Highly recommend this investigative podcast series on Asma Assad, Syria and the fall of the Assad regime. Fascinating on multiple levels—reminded me of Tacitus in its unflinching analysis of the moral rot and cruelty at the heart of dictatorial systems. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...

podcasts.apple.com

We call her Emma | Tortoise Investigates

Documentary Podcast · Weekly Series · Emma is a high achieving, middle class girl from west London. She seems destined for a successful career in banking and a comfortable British life. Until she make...

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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Somewhat underwhelmed by Nolan’s drug-addled, gruff, PTSD-afflicted portrayal of wily Odysseus but delighted that several translations of the Odyssey are now on Amazon’s bestseller list. My contemporary favorite would be Mendelsohn’s translation. www.jsusannewilson.com/post/best-od...

jsusannewilson.com

The Best Odyssey Translations Compared: Wilson, Fagles, Lattimore & More

Choosing a translation of Homer’s Odyssey is not like choosing between editions of the same novel. Every translator reshapes the poem in subtle but significant ways: its rhythm, tone, morality, and ev...

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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

First week here at the Clements Center for National Security at UT Austin. Grateful for the warm Texan welcome—it’s a true privilege to join an institution with such a strong focus on statecraft, defense and public policy.

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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

For a scholar of military strategy, being invited by Vauban’s descendant to stay in his castle was a dream come true. Expect some more published work from me—drawing on his family’s private archives—on this titan of military engineering & siegecraft some time in the near future.

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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

“What counts most,” he said, “is an individual’s capacity to understand and grasp ideas.” Loved this NYT piece on one of the most revered--and feared--examinations for all French high schoolers--the 4 hour philosophy essay. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/19/w...

nytimes.com

What Does It All Mean? Once a Year, French Students Try to Explain.

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Wessel van Rensburg @wildebees.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

"Authoritarian regimes are gaining invaluable battlefield experience: Direct involvement allows for rapid experimentation and feedback, from North Korean troop deployments to Russian drone innovation."

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John Carl Baker @johncarlbaker.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Finnish legislators vote to lift the country's ban on nuclear weapons: "The measure clears the way for Finland to receive, transport and otherwise facilitate the movement of nuclear weapons on its territory as part of allied defense operations" www.politico.eu/article/finl...

politico.eu

Finland tears up nuclear weapons ban in NATO shift

The decision clears the way for Helsinki to receive, transport and facilitate the movement of nuclear weapons on its territory as part of allied defense operations.

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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Tom Dans, the new chair of the US Arctic Research Commission: “My view is that the US could take all the seafood Greenland could produce, & cut out the middleman, & keep it from China—& you could bring back all-you-can-eat shrimp at Red Lobster." www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

newyorker.com

Inside the Ludicrous, Deadly Serious Plan to Take Over Greenland

“We want Greenland,” Trump said. Four men sprang into action to make fantasy a reality.

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Centre for Statecraft & National Security @csns-uk.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

📚 Book talk alert! 📚 Join us next Tuesday for the launch of @wdjames.bsky.social's new co-edited book: 'Transatlantic Storms in Anglo-American Relations: How the Alliance Weathers Crises'. 📅 Tue, 23 Jun, 12:00-13:15 📍 King's College London

csns.uk

Transatlantic Storms in Anglo-American Relations: How the Alliance Weathers Crises - CSNS | Centre for Statecraft & National Security

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Tony Stark @tonystark.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

This was another really excellent article from Iskander

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War on the Rocks @warontherocks.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Today in War on the Rocks: The Fall of Fortress Singapore: Three Lessons from the Collapse of Britain’s Great Asian Bastion warontherocks.com/

warontherocks.com

Home

A platform for analysis, commentary, debate and multimedia content on foreign policy and national security issues through a realist lens.

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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Good story on how interceptor-starved Ukrainians "have watched in frustration bordering on horror as footage showed Gulf states in some instances using multiple Patriot missiles to shoot down a single cheap, slow-moving drone." www.nytimes.com/2026/06/13/w...

nytimes.com

In Latest Attacks, Russia Is Exploiting a Major Weakness for Ukraine

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Brian Taylor @bdtaylor-su.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

New informative interview with @michaelkofman.bsky.social Some key points: - 🇷🇺 mil performance is worse, 🇺🇦 is better - importance of 🇺🇦 "middle strike" - estimates over 400K Russian fatalities - challenge of the 🇷🇺 campaign against critical infrastructure - 🇷🇺 demands unreasonable - war continues

nymag.com

How Ukraine Put Russia on the Back Foot in Year 5 of the War

Military analyst Michael Kofman says “time is increasingly not on Russia’s side.”

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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

“The mythological analogy which immediately springs to mind is that of the biblical Tower of Babel (…) Myths provide some of the most powerful & easily accessible thought experiments on ethics, innovation & power – something the Ancients well understood." engelsbergideas.com/essays/makin...

engelsbergideas.com

Making sense of the AI revolution

In order to understand the profound transformations, and boundless potential, unleashed by artificial intelligence, we need to expand our own intellectual horizons into the realms of history, the natu...

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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

"Success depends on keeping air operations functioning under fire, maintaining operational reach through contested refueling, and integrating offensive counter-air operations that reduce enemy abilities to maintain salvo rates." Some razor-sharp analysis here.

warontherocks.com

Missiles Aren’t Strategy: Lessons From Iran for a Pacific Air War

Western airpower debates are increasingly driven by grim math. Analysts tally missile inventories, strike ranges, and sortie-generation capacity against a

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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

If you're looking for an intelligent, nuanced application of elements of Thucydides' sprawling and complex work to contemporary security challenges, I highly recommend this recent piece by @jrovner.bsky.social : www.foreignaffairs.com/guest-pass/r...

foreignaffairs.com

The Real Thucydides Trap

Overconfidence could draw America and China into a war.

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Mick Ryan @warinthefuture.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

China fields a military where 70-80% of soldiers are only children. Every battlefield death risks extinguishing a family line. This demographic reality shapes Xi's strategic calculus in ways Western analysis should pay more attention to. mickryan.substack.com/p/one-child-...

mickryan.substack.com

One Child, One Soldier

China fields a military where 70-80% of soldiers are only children. In this article, I explore how China's One-Child Policy is shaping the PLA and Xi's strategic calculus.

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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Having long admired their intellectual mission & work on strategy and statecraft, I'm thrilled to share that I will be moving down to Austin this summer and joining the Clements Center for National Security as a tenure-track Assistant Professor.

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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

As a proud Sciences Po alumnus who also spent a year as a wide-eyed young exchange student at Johns Hopkins this saddens me to a certain degree. Both I and my Hopkins classmates greatly benefited--intellectually, culturally--from the free flow of student exchanges between our two institutions.

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Dave Clark @daveclarkreports.eurosky.social · 30/04/2026

Happy anniversary of the capture of the Strait of Hormuz in 1622 by a combined Safavid Empire and British East India Company fleet, to all who celebrate.

Manuscript page from minature in British Library, painting and inscription: The taking of Hurmuz (1623) by Imām Ḳulī Khān and his army (Latin inscription round the fortress). From a Jarūnnāmah by Qadrī. Isfahan - Safavid style, dated 1697

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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

"Easy reading is damn hard writing." "Forget the books you want to write. Think only of the book you are writing." This little compendium of the daily routines of famous writers, from Hemingway to Murakami, is now a bookmarked article I return to time and time again. jamesclear.com/daily-routin...

jamesclear.com

The Daily Routines of 12 Famous Writers

What to develop better daily routines? Read this article to discover the daily habits of famous writers and how you can use their strategies.

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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

On vacation in wild and beautiful Brittany, I’m reminded of one of my favorite news stories of the year—across coastal Brittany, Breton fishermen have been donating hundreds of miles of fishing nets to Ukraine: www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...

theguardian.com

Old fishing nets from France become vital protection against Russian drones in Ukraine

Fishers from the Brittany coast are sending horse-hair nets to catch weapons and shield civilians and soldiers

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Kori Schake @kschake.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

This unreliability of delivery will not only damage allied trust, it will also incentivize diversification away from U.S. suppliers.

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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

« Historical thinking is, for military professionals, both a personal discipline and an organizational responsibility. We are expected to cultivate judgment through disciplined study of the past, mentorship, and reflection on historical cases. » Excellent piece. www.belfercenter.org/research-ana...

belfercenter.org

A Martial Approach to Applied History: How the U.S. Military Turns History into Judgment

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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

Defense planners often talk about the mind-warpingly vast distances in Indo-Pacific. I find that rereading WWII memoirs and dispatches (here from the great Ernie Pyle) really helps drive that reality home. (1/4)

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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

Annual pilgrimage to the Renaissance & Medieval Armory at the Invalides. Never disappoints.

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Max Bergmann @maxbergmann.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

Big challenge now for EU-pessimists. All they had to do to prove their point that the EU was doomed was say "Hungary" or "Orban." Yet he's gone, and EU still standing. Maybe it's time to rethink EU-doomerism.

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Helene von Bismarck @helenebismarck.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

There is something in my eye. Sound on.

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Karl James @karljames1945.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

It has been a huge team effort over many years, but the Australian War Memorial's new Anzac Hall is open. This includes "Kandahar Workhorse". It was a great privilege to meet many Chinook veterans & family members, & share their untold stories of bravery & loss, professionalism & humour.

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Stanford CISAC @stanfordcisac.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

Next week: "The State and the Soldier: A Conversation with the Author" with @kschake.bsky.social RSVP here ⤵️ cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/events/state...

cisac.fsi.stanford.edu

The State and the Soldier: A Conversation with the Author | Kori Schake

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HCSS - The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies @hcss.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

No protracted proxy war stays local. Spain helped reshape the 1930s world order. Ukraine is doing the same today - across Europe, Asia, and beyond. Thinking regionally is a strategic mistake. Read the new HCSS guest paper by @irehman.bsky.social: buff.ly/Shs48Fq

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Michelle Ye Hee Lee @myhlee.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

Allies and partners of the U.S. in Asia are steeling themselves for what they see as the nightmare scenario of a long American war in the Middle East that would distract from their own security concerns about China. By @rebtanhs.bsky.social & Huiyee Chiew in Taipei, gift link: wapo.st/3NwcKjV

wapo.st

Dread deepens among U.S. allies in Asia over a protracted Mideast war

Japan, Taiwan and other Asian countries that rely on the U.S. for security worry that the Iran war is drawing American military assets and focus away from containing China.

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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

It was an honor to be asked by the excellent folks at The Hague Center for Strategic Studies to write a report on the Spanish Civil War and its lessons for contemporary policymakers, especially with regard to the war in Ukraine.

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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

Looking forward to lecturing to the brilliant students of NTU Singapore on Roman grand strategy and its lessons for today. Seems strangely fitting, given Lee Kuan Yew's own extensive ruminations on the issue. Thanks to @wdjames.bsky.social for the kind invitation.

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Kori Schake @kschake.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

It’s shameful and dangerous for the guy who wrote an article about military education to incite a mob to violence against @bradduplessis.bsky.social, @ryanevans.bsky.social, and @warontherocks.bsky.social for engaging its content. This is how republics die.

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