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Iskander Rehman

@irehman.bsky.social
3.8K followers 291 following 458 posts

Assistant Professor at UT Austin's Clement Center. Author of "Planning for Protraction" and "Iron Imperator." Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council. Applied history, defense strategy & Asian security.

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Reposted by Iskander Rehman
The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 09/10/2026
The U.S. military no doubt can, and perhaps even should, cut back its senior management—but Pete Hegseth’s approach is damaging the military and the public’s trust in it, Kori Schake argues.
bit.ly
Reducing the Number of Generals Isn’t the Problem
Hegseth is damaging the military and the public’s trust in it.
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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
"In one instance, a drone boat deposited a four-wheeled, remote-controlled ground vehicle with a mounted machine gun on a Russian-occupied peninsula in what Ukraine called the first ever all-robot amphibious assault.." www.nytimes.com/2026/09/30/w...
nytimes.com
How Ukraine’s Naval Drones Are Remaking War at Sea
They began as modified motorboats. Now, Ukrainian sea drones act as miniature aircraft carriers, and other countries want in.
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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
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 · 30/09/2026
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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Reposted by Iskander Rehman
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 · 25/09/2026
Well worth a read: tnsr.org/2026/09/trap...
tnsr.org
Trapped by the Tradition: Reading Thucydides on Strategy and Policy - Texas National Security Review
Thucydides’ history of the Peloponnesian War has gained new prominence as the United States engages in great-power competition with China, as that emerging geopolitical competition is often explained ...
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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
(The article's accompanying image is a detail of the Telemachus wallpaper in the State Department’s Diplomatic Reception Rooms. The same design adorns Jackson’s Tennessee home, the Hermitage—a testament to the early republic’s fascination with Fénelon) www.diplomaticrooms.state.gov/rooms/the-he...
diplomaticrooms.state.gov
The Henry Clay State Dining Room – Diplomatic Reception Rooms, U.S. Department of State
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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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Reposted by Iskander Rehman
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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Reposted by Iskander Rehman
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 · 17/08/2026
Important and timely new study by Léonie Allard on China-DPRK relations: strategicspace.nbr.org/examining-bo...
strategicspace.nbr.org
Examining Borderland Relations between China and North Korea
China’s borderland with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, or North Korea) must contend with balancing regional integration with regional security. In the wider context of China’s Northe...
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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
Meanwhile, Alexander Pope’s majestic translation—while perhaps outdated—retains the archaic beauty and raw lyricism of the King James Bible. www.gutenberg.org/files/3160/3...
gutenberg.org
The Odyssey | Project Gutenberg
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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 · 24/07/2026
Remarkable graphic design (& reporting) from Reuters. www.reuters.com/graphics/UKR...
reuters.com
Inside Ukraine’s Kill Zone
Drones now dominate the war in Ukraine. Fly through the front line’s deadly “kill zone” and discover how surveillance, kamikaze drones and new tactics are reshaping modern warfare. An immersive Reuter...
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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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Reposted by Iskander Rehman
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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Reposted by Iskander Rehman
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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Reposted by Iskander Rehman
War on the Rocks @warontherocks.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Churchill ranked Far Eastern defense last. Whether that was defensible or made Singapore's fall inevitable is still debated. warontherocks.com/the-fall-of-...
warontherocks.com
The Fall of Fortress Singapore: Three Lessons from the Collapse of Britain’s Great Asian Bastion
Editor’s note: This is part of a running series of essays by Iskander Rehman, entitled “Applied History,” which seeks, through the study of the history of
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Reposted by Iskander Rehman
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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Reposted by Iskander Rehman
Tony Stark @tonystark.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
This was another really excellent article from Iskander
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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Thx!
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Reposted by Iskander Rehman
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 · 16/06/2026
I will be publishing a longer, more tactically granular study of this fascinating and hugely consequential campaign in an edited volume some time in the future.
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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Finally, the chain of unanticipated events leading up to the fall of Singapore highlight the need to think more iteratively and nonlinearly about how sudden shifts in the geopolitical or military environment might come to jeopardize the fundamentals of U.S. strategy in Asia.
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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Throughout history, great powers have grappled with savagely competing orders of priority, & periods of severe fiscal insolvency and military overstretch. Those that were the most shrewdly led knew how to manage the simultaneity problem rather than exacerbate it. yalebooks.co.uk/book/9789189...
yalebooks.co.uk
Iron Imperator - Yale University Press London
Explores the persona of Tiberius in a nuanced portrayal of this overlooked emperor and his exile, revealing a complex character with historical significance....
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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
For globally extended powers, every disproportionate concentration of force in one theater is, in effect, a silent decrement to one’s capacity to act with comparable timeliness and vigor in another.
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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Grand strategy debates in Washington often default to first-order questions of theater prioritization, when the deeper test of strategic acumen lies in grasping the intricate connective tissue between theaters.
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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
All the more reason to resolutely engage in the difficult task of resource husbandry & inter-regional arbitration ahead of time, and to not embark on exorbitantly costly wars of choice without preemptively engaging in careful, cross-regional contingency planning.
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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
In the event of a 🇺🇸-🇨🇳 war, the US may — similarly to Great Britain in 1942 — be grappling with a “simultaneity challenge,” with a coalition of adversaries either coordinating aggression across multiple theaters or engaging in acts of opportunistic aggression elsewhere.
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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Second, the defense of Singapore hinged on the increasingly dubious promise of naval reinforcements, even at a time when Britain remained preoccupied with homeland defense & consumed with resource-intensive operations in the Middle Eastern & Mediterranean theaters.
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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Three key aspects of this grim concatenation of events will appear the most resonant to 🇺🇸planners. First, the failure of British, Commonwealth, & American forces to engage in proper pre-conflict joint planning highlights the need for rigorous allied coordination ahead of time.
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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
In my latest for @warontherocks.bsky.social I delve into one of Britain's most crushing defeats--the 1942 collapse of the great Asian bastion of Singapore--and its lessons for contemporary defense planners and policymakers. warontherocks.com/the-fall-of-...
warontherocks.com
The Fall of Fortress Singapore: Three Lessons from the Collapse of Britain’s Great Asian Bastion
Editor’s note: This is part of a running series of essays by Iskander Rehman, entitled “Applied History,” which seeks, through the study of the history of
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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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Reposted by Iskander Rehman
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
Thanks Jon!
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Iskander Rehman @irehman.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
I look forward to sharing with my future students my deep appreciation for the history of war and strategy, and to exploring with them how the past can help illuminate the challenges of the present.
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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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