Sign in

Kurt Bassuener

@kurtbassuener.bsky.social
3.4K followers 3.8K following 1.1K posts

Co-Founder and Senior Associate @DPC_global.bluesky.social; former Fulbrighter - PhD at St. Andrews; Angry Optimist

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Kurt Bassuener
Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · 11h
Please remember to vote! Your voice matters. 🌊
8667732002
Kurt Bassuener @kurtbassuener.bsky.social · 19h
My interview yesterday on N1's Novi Dan with host Melika Balihodzic and fellow guest Kresimir Macan on RS hiring Trump connected consultants prior to the recent election, as well as the growing pool of FARA-registered lobbyists in the US (15 entries). youtu.be/YLZ1pfoX0IQ?...
youtu.be
Bassuener i Macan o aferi s Dodikovim lobistima: Hoće li pritisak u Washingtonu donijeti promjenu?
YouTube video by N1 BiH
022
Reposted by Kurt Bassuener
Democratization Policy Council @dpcglobal.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Preliminary results from yesterday’s general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina – the first with an electronic voting system intended to reduce fraud – indicate considerable strengthening of nationalist parties in legislatures in both entities, at the state and entity levels. 1/
111
Reposted by Kurt Bassuener
Valery Perry @valeryperry.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I spoke with WXXI’s Evan Dawson about Route 66, including how roadtrips can connect people. We also talked about politics, how we would not want AI to plan/drive the route for us, & why you should not accept gifts from oligarchs along the way. Listen at podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...
podcasts.apple.com
Valery Perry went on the road in search of democracy
Podcast Episode · Connections Podcast · September 28 · 51m
132
Reposted by Kurt Bassuener
Valery Perry @valeryperry.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Great chat with Eric Manton about “Adversarial Analysis,” a model of anti-democratic dynamics in the US. He looks at 4 factions: Corporatist Oligarchs, Christian Nationalists/Heritage, MAGA, & Dystopian Tech Bros - with Pres. Trump as the bonding agent. Listen at open.spotify.com/episode/2R9U...
open.spotify.com
DPC Talks with Eric Manton (U.S.)
DPC Voice - A Podcast from the Democratization Policy Council · Episode
121
Reposted by Kurt Bassuener
Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
So the US is “working on a deal” to buy Potash from a dictator allied with Putin instead of Canada.
1845106313624
Kurt Bassuener @kurtbassuener.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
A(nother) book I'm going to want to read www.npr.org/2026/09/21/n...
npr.org
'Crossing the Red Line' examines the Biden administration and Israel's war in Gaza
NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with Akbar Shahid Ahmed, author of "Crossing the Red Line: Biden, His Advisors, and Israel's War in Gaza"
010
Kurt Bassuener @kurtbassuener.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
We need more of this. Well done (again), Senator! And pegged exactly: the shamelessness demonstrates the presumption of impunity.
010
Kurt Bassuener @kurtbassuener.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Hear hear! A great speech. "Europe and Canada are stronger together...The objective is not self-sufficiency, it is collective resilience." These are crucial elements of a community of values we call Europe+, from Kharkiv to Kelowna. Carney's done a great deal in a short time to assemble it.
011
Reposted by Kurt Bassuener
Mark Carney @mark-carney.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
More customers for our businesses. More investment in our industries. More choices for work and education. That’s what a stronger alliance with the EU can deliver.
Prime Minister Carney speaks in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.
951825388
Reposted by Kurt Bassuener
Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Don Jr. & Eric have major investments in data centers and AI infrastructure. Don. Jr's firm 1789 Capital also has shares in major tech companies working in AI. Donald's own stock portfolio itself is heavily invested in Big Tech stocks. When Trump says AI doesn't need guardrails, follow the money.
361654605
Kurt Bassuener @kurtbassuener.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Very well put together report by @detektorba.bsky.social on Republika Srpska lobbying in the US and policy shifts under Trump 2.0. 👇 lobiranje.detektor.ba/en/index.html
lobiranje.detektor.ba
Bosnia’s Mainly Serb Entity Ramps Up Lobbying Outlay under Trump
Donald Trump’s second term has coincided with a significant increase in lobbying efforts by Bosnia’s Republika Srpska entity, resulting, it seems, in the lifting of US sanctions on Milorad Dodik and h...
121
Kurt Bassuener @kurtbassuener.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
The launch of another thought-provoking series on CBC Ideas with Nahla Ayed. An excellent panel discussion on critical junctures and establishment agency in the rise and fall of Italian fascism. 👇 www.cbc.ca/player/play/...
cbc.ca
What Mussolini's rise and fall reveals about modern authoritarianism
In 1922, Benito Mussolini took power in Italy. Sustained by a cult of personality and iron-fisted suppression of dissent, Mussolini transformed the nation into a single-party state. Nahlah Ayed and pa...
100
Reposted by Kurt Bassuener
PEIPolitical 🇨🇦 @peipolitical.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Introducing the new leaders of the FREE world, Carney and Zelensky. 🇨🇦🇺🇦 #cdnpoli
21659198
Kurt Bassuener @kurtbassuener.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Thank you, Canada! Many of us remember and are grateful, are terribly shamed by our predatory "leadership," and will do all we can to win back your trust and friendship after we get rid of these bastards...
221
Reposted by Kurt Bassuener
Valery Perry @valeryperry.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Great chat with Ivan Stefanovski in Skopje on the diminished credibility of the EU enlargement process among people in N Macedonia, the impact of US disengagement, & the bigger picture changing geopolitics that affect the country, the region & beyond. Listen here: open.spotify.com/episode/77H0...
open.spotify.com
DPC talks with Ivan Stefanovski (Skopje, North Macedonia)
DPC Voice - A Podcast from the Democratization Policy Council · Episode
111
Reposted by Kurt Bassuener
Brian Stelter @brianstelter.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
"This is not the first time you've been demoted to YouTube... Why are they so scared of you?" Here is @jimmykimmel.com's online-only sit-down with @jamestalarico.bsky.social youtu.be/WLDE9LrGpNk?...
youtu.be
Jimmy Kimmel’s Interview with James Talarico That the FCC Doesn’t Want You To See
YouTube video by Jimmy Kimmel Live
10942951613
Reposted by Kurt Bassuener
Nidzara Ahmetasevic @ahnidzara.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
It was my great pleasure talking with Valery Perry for DPC Voice. I hope you find it interesting
011
Reposted by Kurt Bassuener
Theo Moudakis @theomoudakis.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Please enjoy my cartoon in today's Toronto Star
13787342274
Reposted by Kurt Bassuener
Valery Perry @valeryperry.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
I spoke with Damir Kapidzic of the University of Sarajevo about citizens' assemblies - a form of democratic innovation. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...
podcasts.apple.com
DPC talks with Damir Kapidzic (Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Podcast Episode · DPC Voice - A Podcast from the Democratization Policy Council · September 9 · 46m
143
Kurt Bassuener @kurtbassuener.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
My friend and colleague Valery Perry's discussion with @ahnidzara.bsky.social yesterday, on Serbian state and RS glorification of genocidal war criminal Ratko Mladic - its antecedents and effects, in the latest episode of DPC Voice. Links to their conversation in posts below. 👇
012
Reposted by Kurt Bassuener
Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Trump's need to assert dominance is igniting patriotism abroad and a backlash at home. His ridiculous bullying of Canada is completely backfiring. My latest for The Guardian. www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2…
theguardian.com
Trump’s ridiculous bullying of Canada is backfiring | Robert Reich
The US president’s need to assert dominance is igniting patriotism abroad and a backlash at home
371193366
Reposted by Kurt Bassuener
Toby Vogel 🇪🇺 @tobyvogel.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
It’s a terrible idea for European Commission President von der Leyen to visit Serbia in October, just weeks after a quasi-state funeral for a man convicted of genocide and on the eve of a general election. My comments for @rferl.org.web.brid.gy (in Serbian) www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/srbija-eu-...
slobodnaevropa.org
Da li je zbog Srbije dovedena u pitanje regionalna turneja Fon der Lajen?
 
1177
Kurt Bassuener @kurtbassuener.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
My @dpcglobal.bsky.social colleague to @guydelauney.bsky.social on Mladic death, particularly on the role of indoctrination via education in BiH in war crimes denialism. 👇
131
Reposted by Kurt Bassuener
Toby Vogel 🇪🇺 @tobyvogel.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Good point by Zoran Kusovac: “By giving Ratko Mladić a state funeral with honours, instead of throwing him into a dark pit where he belongs, Serbia is admitting that what he did was done under Serbian orders, which is plain stupidity.”
observer.co.uk
Butcher’s burial: Ratko Mladić pours salt in old wounds, ...
The upcoming state funeral of a man convicted of war crimes is a reminder of how many still deny the Bosnian genocide
084
Kurt Bassuener @kurtbassuener.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
This is the sort of bottom-up, transgenerational effort to legally enshrine human digity and equality that made America better - not comic book sloganeering or jingoistic bullshit. 👇
110
Reposted by Kurt Bassuener
Minna Ålander 🌻 @alanderminna.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
”Ratcliffe’s trip to Moscow was “less about Putin being in a corner” because his army has failed to break a stalemate on the Ukraine battlefield “and more because Russia assesses we are depleted and can’t intervene,” one of the people familiar said.” On goes the speculation
washingtonpost.com
Putin sees U.S. as weakened by Iran war, intelligence reports say
A classified CIA assessment that Russia's President Vladimir Putin sensed U.S. weakness spurred Director John Ratcliffe’s secret trip to Moscow this week.
19916
Reposted by Kurt Bassuener
Toby Vogel 🇪🇺 @tobyvogel.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Not only is the crime of denial everywhere, Vučić – the Europeans' best pal in the region – is giving him a state funeral. Even though Serbia supposedly had nothing to do with the genocide in Bosnia, nothing at all
154
Reposted by Kurt Bassuener
Valery Perry @valeryperry.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Glad to see this important history is getting out into the public space... and that it shows people looked for methods of accountable self-government even before Athens introduced its version of democracy-
011
Kurt Bassuener @kurtbassuener.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
True story. This afternoon I felt a draw to listen to this track. Twice. Then I looked at my msgs and @tobyvogel.bsky.social had written w/ the news that Mladic had died. m.youtube.com/watch?v=EwtI...
m.youtube.com
Motörhead - Dancing On Your Grave (Official Audio)
YouTube video by Motörhead Official
040
Kurt Bassuener @kurtbassuener.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
By my friend Jeremy Kinsman on PM Carney's stand against Trump's bullying - and its European resonance. @tobyvogel.bsky.social www.policymagazine.ca/the-starkest...
policymagazine.ca
The Starkest Test Yet of Carney's Davos Doctrine - Policy Magazine
When Mark Carney gave his now-famous speech in Davos discerning a fateful "rupture" in the rules-based world order — and by inference, in trans-Atlantic
000
Reposted by Kurt Bassuener
Toby Vogel 🇪🇺 @tobyvogel.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
It's almost like the Trump administration is working for Putin
031
Kurt Bassuener @kurtbassuener.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
A more definitive chararcter illumination device than attendance would be difficult to summon.
010
Kurt Bassuener @kurtbassuener.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
I wrote this review of @professorjkeane.bsky.social's "The Shortest History of Democracy: 4,000 Years of Self-Government - a Retelling for Our Times," which jumped off a book display at IAD earlier this month. I highly recommend it! www.democratizationpolicy.org/democracys-l...
democratizationpolicy.org
Democracy's Long March - Democratization Policy Council
Kurt Bassuener Book Review: John Keane, The Shortest History of Democracy: 4,000 Years of Self-Government – […]
020
Kurt Bassuener @kurtbassuener.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
This was my morning pick me up/GTFO the flat song. The line "Does it hurt to hear them lying? Was this the only world you had?" got through differently than ever before... m.youtube.com/watch?v=7Gku...
m.youtube.com
Houses of the Holy (Remaster)
YouTube video by Led Zeppelin - Topic
010
Reposted by Kurt Bassuener
Bert’s Books @bertsbooks.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Feels like the only sensible thing to do today is sit and read from 9 to 5… - Michael
I always loved books. I don’t remember learning to read, it was just something I always did - Dolly Parton
355186777
Kurt Bassuener @kurtbassuener.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
This was an excellent interchange on the Flamingo Revolution, its potential for Albania, "re-imagining the Balkans" from below, and its significance in the global context. While the movement is far from anti-EU, EU/EC officialdom remains wedded to its "partner," Edi Rama. Highly recommended 👇
010
Reposted by Kurt Bassuener
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse @whitehouse.senate.gov · 14/08/2026
Trump’s Truth Social scheme is obviously corrupt.
29289110
Reposted by Kurt Bassuener
Toby Vogel 🇪🇺 @tobyvogel.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Late to this shocking - though not surprising - story Greek shipping companies made almost $4bn carrying Russian oil in past three years
ft.com
Greek shipping companies made almost $4bn carrying Russian oil in past three years
Dynacom Tankers, Stealth Maritime and Onassis Group boost revenues from transporting Russian fuel under G7 price cap regime
075
Reposted by Kurt Bassuener
Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 03/07/2026
"The Beacon of Democracy Goes Dark". A gift link here: lnkd.in/dAYq6ydz
521249456
Kurt Bassuener @kurtbassuener.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
By @arminkahelic.bsky.social www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...
politicshome.com
Bosnia is going home – but it's a home this young team has made much better
Early this morning, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s World Cup journey ended with defeat to the United States. Today, its players begin the journey home.
112
Reposted by Kurt Bassuener
Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Chief Justice John Roberts' legacy is a far-right Supreme Court that prioritizes expanding corporate power above all else. I warned of his right-wing nature when I testified against his nomination in 2005.
382135734374
Reposted by Kurt Bassuener
Democratization Policy Council @dpcglobal.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
At yesterday’s (June 30) meeting of the Peace Implementation Council Steering Boad Ambassadors (#PIC SBA), the successor to outgoing High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt, was to be once again discussed and decided upon. 1/
111
Kurt Bassuener @kurtbassuener.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Really like this, Arminka! Highly recommended! 👇 I will follow with a few observations... 1/ time.com/article/2026...
time.com
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s World Cup Team Is Changing the Country’s Story
The squad embodies an alternative future for a country still wracked by nationalistic politics
111
Reposted by Kurt Bassuener
jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 30/06/2026
really cannot be emphasized enough that the drafters of the birthright clause very much considered cases analogous to undocumented immigrants and *included them too*
74112792656
Reposted by Kurt Bassuener
PBS News @pbsnews.org · 30/06/2026
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday to uphold birthright citizenship, rejecting President Donald Trump's executive order that argued children born to parents who are in the U.S. illegally or temporarily were not American citizens.
A person sits at a desk with U.S. flags in the background. The screen displays a PBS News headline stating, "Supreme Court rejects Trump order limiting birthright citizenship.PBS News graphic featuring a person in judicial robes. The text includes a quote from Chief Justice John Roberts about citizenship and the Fourteenth Amendment, dated June 30, 2026.
1614344
Reposted by Kurt Bassuener
Toby Vogel 🇪🇺 @tobyvogel.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Bit of a sideshow in the ongoing psychodrama between the US and the EU but one worth watching: will the Europeans give in to US pressure over next international peace envoy for Bosnia and Herzegovina? After the reported Italian non-paper my guess is yes.
164
Kurt Bassuener @kurtbassuener.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Today in #Bosnia, the #PIC (Peace Implementation Council Steering Board Ambassadors) are meeting in another attempt to select a successor to the outgoing incumbent, Christian Schmidt, who was forced out earlier than planned under US pressure. 1/ See www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
theguardian.com
US threatens to reconsider role in Bosnia and Herzegovina amid rift with Europe
US embassy in Sarajevo made threat after European states refused to back its preferred High Representative candidate
460
Reposted by Kurt Bassuener
Valery Perry @valeryperry.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
I spoke with Louis Monroy Santander about the recent elections in Colombia which saw a narrow win by a far-right populist candidate. The left/right split was notable & reflects a polarization that needs to be understood in the context of seven decades of violence in that country.
131
Kurt Bassuener @kurtbassuener.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
My interview on developments in & regarding #Bosnia with @andersstubkjaer.bsky.social (in Danish)- Europe+ needs to up its game to see off the US challenge to #BiH's peace enforcement architecture, as well as revisit its approach toward this country/ #WB6. pov.international/magtkamp-om-...
pov.international
Magtkamp om Bosnien kan udløse ny konflikt mellem USA og Europa
BOSNIEN-HERZEGOVINA // ANALYSE – USA lægger pres på Bosniens magtfulde Høje Repræsentant, Christian Schmidt, som nu har varslet sin afgang. Konflikten om hans efterfølger afslører dybe spændinger mell...
010