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Lynne O'Donnell

@lynneodonnell.bsky.social
134 followers 110 following 79 posts

Journalist. Author. lynneodonnell.substack.com LynneKODonnell@proton.me

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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
"The Taliban’s inability to govern may have brought the movement closer to failure than at any time since their return to power. Yet, until a credible successor emerges from the plethora of exiled groups and militias, their reign of horror will drag on" Read on: www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...
lowyinstitute.org
Afghanistan’s opposition wants a monarchy – and an Olympics
Afghanistan’s exiled opposition produces manifestos by the dozen but not one credible plan for life after the Taliban.
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
United States: Trump must make Jimmy Lai’s release a priority during Xi visit ipi.media/trump-xi-jim...
ipi.media
United States: Trump must make Jimmy Lai’s release a priority during Xi visit – ipi.media
The International Press Institute (IPI) calls on U.S. President Donald Trump to press for the release of imprisoned British-Hong Kong journalist and businessman Jimmy Lai when he meets Chinese Preside...
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
"A wilful blindness to the reality of #Taliban rule has taken hold, increasingly visible beyond govts as influential commentators, business figures & media personalities speak of #Afghanistan in terms of “normality,” stability, opportunity and engagement." www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...
lowyinstitute.org
Five years after returning to power, the Taliban face less isolation than ever
A shooting in Herat proves the Taliban’s critics right – with muted international responses to repression.
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
"The international community is quietly lowering the threshold of behaviour it is prepared to accept. In those circumstances, rights described as universal can become conditional – defended in some places, abandoned in others." #Afghanistan #Taliban www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...
lowyinstitute.org
The most-pressing world events explained by Lowy Institute experts and global contributors, in your inbox, every Wednesday.
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Reposted by Lynne O'Donnell
The New World @thenewworldmag.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
The Taliban government in Afghanistan has just released a new penal code. The rules it sets out are relentlessly brutal and backward ✏️ @lynneodonnell.bsky.social
thenewworld.co.uk
The return of slavery
The Taliban government in Afghanistan has just released a new penal code. The rules it sets out are relentlessly brutal and backward
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Aero arrived in Oz in critical condition after a horrific transport ordeal from the UK. She’s receiving urgent medical care. Her situation highlights concerns about pet traval safety & accountability. Donate & share to cover Aero’s treatment & raise awareness www.gofundme.com/f/emergency-...
gofundme.com
Donate to Emergency care for Aero after int'l pet transport ordeal, organized by Lynne O'Donnell
My name is Lynne O'Donnell. I’ve just relocated from London t… Lynne O'Donnell needs your support for Emergency care for Aero after int'l pet transport ordeal
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
Ambassador for a country that vanished overnight #Afghanistan open.substack.com/pub/thenewwo...
open.substack.com
Ambassador for a country that vanished overnight
After the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan underwent such profound change it became a different country - one stranded diplomat still speaks for the old nation
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
I write in the British Journalism Review about attempts to silence me after my reporting exposed collusion & corruption from the UN to the Taliban: Vindicated.Now let’s keep up the fight open.substack.com/pub/lynneodo...
open.substack.com
Vindicated.Now let’s keep up the fight
Delivered as a backhanded compliment, "warrior journalist" is something we should all aspire to
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Reposted by Lynne O'Donnell
The New World @thenewworldmag.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
In an attempt to control the flow of information, the rulers of Afghanistan plunged the country into darkness. That decision has backfired ✏️ @lynneodonnell.bsky.social
thenewworld.co.uk
When the Taliban shut off the internet
In an attempt to control the flow of information, the rulers of Afghanistan plunged the country into darkness. That decision has backfired
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
Taliban Severs Afghanistan’s Digital Lifelines open.substack.com/pub/lynneodo...
open.substack.com
Taliban Severes Afghanistan’s Digital Lifelines
Fiber-optic internet, smartphone bans disrupt essential services across multiple provinces
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
Four days after the Taliban deployed gunmen to prevent local women gaining entry to UN, ADB & World Bank offices, UN has released a statement. The UN has been in denial about the true nature of the Taliban for decades. Will this finally be the wake up call? Read on: open.substack.com/pub/lynneodo...
open.substack.com
UN Breaks Silence on Taliban Blocking Afghan Women From Work
Statement comes four days after Taliban deployed gunmen to UN, ADB, World Bank to enforce ban on women working
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
Beware a London short-term letting company called Home At Heart. Things get broken, go missing, payment never turns up. Lesson learned. Be warned.
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
"In Noorzai, Trump may meet his deal-making match. Noorzai is not a man who gives without taking. In the battle for the future, he knows exactly what his country, and his cut, are worth." www.thenewworld.co.uk/lynne-odonne...
thenewworld.co.uk
Bashir Noorzai, the Taliban’s godfather
Drug tycoon Bashir Noorzai was seized and jailed for life by the US. Yet somehow he is free - and has reinvented himself as gatekeeper to Afghanistan’s trillion-dollar rare earth treasure trove
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
One of #Afghanistan's most famous names, Ehsan Bayat, hailed as a nation builder, is being sued by his brother, accused of fraudulently selling the air rights of a Manhattan building. It's not Ehsan's first legal rodeo. Read on: open.substack.com/pub/lynneodo...
open.substack.com
From Nation-Building to Courtroom Drama: The Bayat Family Feud
A story of legacy, ambition & a disputed $2.6 million sale in New York real estate
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 06/08/2025
Ladies & gentlemen, the Leader of the Free World: www.meidasplus.com/p/trump-wand...
meidasplus.com
Trump Wanders Around White House Roof and Shouts at Press in Bizarre Moment
I watched Trump shout nonsense from the roof, lie on CNBC, and push racist garbage...and I’m supposed to pretend this is normal?
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
Peter York's Culture Wars House Party season finale with Katherine Stewart @katherinestewart.bsky.social is well worth your time podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/p...
podcasts.apple.com
Peter York's Culture Wars House Party
News Podcast · “PETER YORK’S CULTURE WARS HOUSE PARTY” podcast is all about Peter’s cultural preoccupations which range from how political Culture Wars are waged, to the reputational currency of cleve...
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 02/08/2025
UN Warns that the Taliban are Enabling Terrorists in Afghanistan open.substack.com/pub/lynneodo...
open.substack.com
UN Warns that the Taliban are Enabling Terrorists in Afghanistan
Brevity Daily News Digest summarises the latest report of the UNSC's Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
Trump’s own Afghan scandal -- the threat of deportation hangs over #Afghanistan's "freedom pilots" www.thenewworld.co.uk/lynne-odonne...
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Reposted by Lynne O'Donnell
The New World @thenewworldmag.bsky.social · 20/07/2025
The Afghans who served with western forces have been let down by ignorant politicians with no idea who the Taliban truly are ✏️ @lynneodonnell.bsky.social
thenewworld.co.uk
Afghan data leak: one part of a great betrayal
The Afghans who served with western forces have been let down by ignorant politicians with no idea who the Taliban truly are
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 20/07/2025
"Taliban death squads have been hunting down #Afghanistan’s former soldiers, Special Forces & police since the day they came back to power four years ago. Anyone who thinks otherwise hasn’t been paying attention." www.thenewworld.co.uk/lynne-odonne...
thenewworld.co.uk
Afghan data leak: one part of a great betrayal
The Afghans who served with western forces have been let down by ignorant politicians with no idea who the Taliban truly are
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
Afghan data leak: one part of a great betrayal www.thenewworld.co.uk/lynne-odonne... From thenewworld.co.uk
thenewworld.co.uk
Afghan data leak: one part of a great betrayal
The Afghans who served with western forces have been let down by ignorant politicians with no idea who the Taliban truly are
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Reposted by Lynne O'Donnell
Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 12/07/2025
#Afghanistan's Bagram Air Base is on the front line of a war for influence, amid Trump's claims that #China has moved in. But has it? Read on: open.substack.com/pub/lynneodo...
open.substack.com
Afghanistan's Bagram Air Base is on the front line of a war for influence
Abandoned military base has become a symbol of regional competition between America, China & Russia
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 12/07/2025
#Afghanistan's Bagram Air Base is on the front line of a war for influence, amid Trump's claims that #China has moved in. But has it? Read on: open.substack.com/pub/lynneodo...
open.substack.com
Afghanistan's Bagram Air Base is on the front line of a war for influence
Abandoned military base has become a symbol of regional competition between America, China & Russia
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Reposted by Lynne O'Donnell
Andrew Mueller @andrewmueller.bsky.social · 08/07/2025
Latest Daily on Monocle Radio. @lynneodonnell.bsky.social and @pburtsoff.bsky.social on Trump's Nobel Peace Prize prospects and other matters, plus Ali Watkins on her new book "The Next One Is For You", about 70s-era IRA gun-runners the Philadelphia Five. monocle.com/radio/shows/...
monocle.com
Does Donald Trump deserve a Nobel Peace Prize? - Monocle
Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks continue following Netanyahu’s trip to Washington. Then: Ukraine and Russia’s neighbours withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty banning...
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
Within a day, the International Criminal Court & the United States condemned the Taliban's brutal rule. Will it make any difference? open.substack.com/pub/lynneodo...
open.substack.com
The US and ICC put Taliban crimes on trial, the criminals remain free
Symbolism is powerful but global impunity is unlikely to end any time soon
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Reposted by Lynne O'Donnell
Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
Guest post: A war-torn region of #Pakistan gets a dangerous ultimatum by Mohsin Dawar open.substack.com/pub/lynneodo...
open.substack.com
Guest post: A war-torn region of Pakistan gets a dangerous ultimatum
Mohsin Dawar is a political activist & former MP in North Waziristan, where the Taliban's war is getting hotter, and the State has run out of ideas
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
Guest post: A war-torn region of #Pakistan gets a dangerous ultimatum by Mohsin Dawar open.substack.com/pub/lynneodo...
open.substack.com
Guest post: A war-torn region of Pakistan gets a dangerous ultimatum
Mohsin Dawar is a political activist & former MP in North Waziristan, where the Taliban's war is getting hotter, and the State has run out of ideas
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
#Russia recognises the legitimacy of the #Taliban regime: tass.com/politics/198... #StateCapture #Afghanistan #Syria #AlQaeda #Terrorism #Racism #Misogyny
tass.com
Russian deputy foreign minister accepts copies of credentials from new Afghan ambassador
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the official recognition of the Afghan authorities will give an impetus to the development of productive bilateral cooperation
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 29/06/2025
#China rolls over $3.4 billion of commercial loans to #Pakistan, says source reut.rs/445AIYG
reut.rs
China rolls over $3.4 billion of commercial loans to Pakistan, says source
China has rolled over $3.4 billion in loans to Islamabad, which together with other recent commercial and multilateral lending will boost Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves to $14 billion, a finance ministry source said on Sunday.
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Reposted by Lynne O'Donnell
Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 22/06/2025
In the battle for future technologies, #Afghanistan is relevant once more. My latest column on the US- #China - Afghanistan dynamic as change rumbles across the region open.substack.com/pub/lynneodo...
open.substack.com
In the battle for future technologies, Afghanistan is relevant once more
A drugs lord has become the gatekeeper for critical minerals & rare earths, as America tells the Taliban to cease business with China
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 28/06/2025
"#Bezos is especially unwelcome in #Venice because of Amazon's model of online commerce which has gutted towns across the world of small businesses. Locals still grieve for the demise of beloved emporiums including ironmongers & bookshops" www.ft.com/content/4ea5... #PayMoreTax
ft.com
Venice is still in peril — this time from the Bezos wedding
Angry locals who say he is treating the city as a private playground have succeeded in getting the ceremony moved
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Reposted by Lynne O'Donnell
Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 22/06/2025
Have you noticed how quiet the Taliban have been lately? They're talking to America. And they like the idea of US money & tacit recognition. Friends are friends, but in the pragmatic world of Trump and the Taliban, business is business. Read on: open.substack.com/pub/lynneodo...
open.substack.com
Taliban Silence Is Golden — Especially When Washington Is Listening
As Iran reels from US strikes, the Taliban shift focus from old friends to new opportunities -- & the lure of American investment.
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 22/06/2025
Have you noticed how quiet the Taliban have been lately? They're talking to America. And they like the idea of US money & tacit recognition. Friends are friends, but in the pragmatic world of Trump and the Taliban, business is business. Read on: open.substack.com/pub/lynneodo...
open.substack.com
Taliban Silence Is Golden — Especially When Washington Is Listening
As Iran reels from US strikes, the Taliban shift focus from old friends to new opportunities -- & the lure of American investment.
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 22/06/2025
In the battle for future technologies, #Afghanistan is relevant once more. My latest column on the US- #China - Afghanistan dynamic as change rumbles across the region open.substack.com/pub/lynneodo...
open.substack.com
In the battle for future technologies, Afghanistan is relevant once more
A drugs lord has become the gatekeeper for critical minerals & rare earths, as America tells the Taliban to cease business with China
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 19/06/2025
Quietly, Pakistan Wages a Deadly Drone Campaign Inside Its Own Borders Zia ur-Rehman is the best reporter on Pakistan, by a mile www.nytimes.com/2025/06/19/w...
nytimes.com
Quietly, Pakistan Wages a Deadly Drone Campaign Inside Its Own Borders
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
Voices of the Resistance: Lynne O'Donnell joins and discusses the future of #Afghanistan and how the #Taliban controls the media narrative, leading to misconceptions about the country. www.gcvfriends.com/p/voices-of-...
gcvfriends.com
Voices of the Resistance: Lynne O'Donnell
Lynne O'Donnell joins and discusses the future of Afghanistan and how the Taliban controls the media narrative, leading to misconceptions about the country.
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
Is #Afghanistan the unhappiest place on earth? A new study says yes. open.substack.com/pub/lynneodo...
open.substack.com
Is Afghanistan the unhappiest place on earth? A new study says yes.
Research by Science Advances finds "the lowest well-being in recorded history" since the war ended and the Taliban seized power
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 25/05/2025
Afghanistan's Top Gun Pilots Struggle for New Flight Paths open.substack.com/pub/lynneodo...
open.substack.com
Afghanistan's Top Gun Pilots Struggle for New Flight Paths
The Kindness of Strangers; the Nightmare of Red Tape; the Dream of Getting Back in the Air (Photos by Massoud Hossaini)
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
“We all worry. They are killing the people who helped the Americans every single day,” he said. “Every day I wake up, I ask, ‘Will my family be safe today? Will the #Taliban find us?’” open.substack.com/pub/lynneodo... #Afghanistan
open.substack.com
Afghanistan's Top Gun Pilots Struggle for New Flight Paths
The Kindness of Strangers; the Nightmare of Red Tape; the Dream of Getting Back in the Air (Photos by Massoud Hossaini)
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
As the Taliban terror threat rises, Afghanistan's opposition is fractured & floundering open.substack.com/pub/lynneodo...
open.substack.com
As Taliban terror threat rises, Afghan opposition is fractured & floundering
Backed by global powers, the Islamists grow stronger as exiled opposition fragments & refugees face deportation. Time to change the narrative.
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Reposted by Lynne O'Donnell
Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
The 'Night of Hand Grenades' is remembered in silence, then & now. A new wave of repression threatens to erase the memory & future of #Afghanistan's Ismailis while the world colludes in #Taliban impunity. Read on: open.substack.com/pub/lynneodo...
open.substack.com
The 'Night of Hand Grenades' is remembered in silence, then & now
A new wave of repression threatens to erase the memory & future of Afghanistan's Ismailis while the world colludes in Taliban impunity
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
The 'Night of Hand Grenades' is remembered in silence, then & now. A new wave of repression threatens to erase the memory & future of #Afghanistan's Ismailis while the world colludes in #Taliban impunity. Read on: open.substack.com/pub/lynneodo...
open.substack.com
The 'Night of Hand Grenades' is remembered in silence, then & now
A new wave of repression threatens to erase the memory & future of Afghanistan's Ismailis while the world colludes in Taliban impunity
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Reposted by Lynne O'Donnell
Bloomberg News @bloomberg.com · 03/05/2025
🚨 LIVE BLOG: Votes are being counted in Australia's election. Follow along for the latest news, analysis and updates here. ⤵
bloom.bg
Australians Head to the Polls to Vote in Tightly Contested Election
Australia Election: Live Results, News as Votes Are Counted
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
"Following the Taliban’s capture of Kabul numerous reports indicated that US-made arms, including M4 & M16 rifles, worth billions of dollars, had fallen into Taliban hands. The Taliban reportedly began selling off these arms to various groups" @ullekh.bsky.social openthemagazine.com/special/it-i...
openthemagazine.com
It is "possible" that M4 rifles used by Pahalgam terrorists came from Afghanistan: Expert - Open The Magazine
London-based Australian journalist and Afghanistan expert Lynne ​O​’Donnell, who reported extensively from Afghanistan until she was detained and harassed by the Taliban in mid-2022, has said it is “p...
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Reposted by Lynne O'Donnell
Andrew Mueller @andrewmueller.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
Latest Daily on Monocle Radio. @lynneodonnell.bsky.social and Nina Dos Santos on the day's stuff, and our On This Day historical series celebrates a great marketing mishap. monocle.com/radio/shows/...
monocle.com
The fallout of the Kashmir terror attacks and rising tourism in post-conflict zones
We’re joined by Nina dos Santos and Lynne O’Donnell to discuss the latest following the deadliest terror attack in Kashmir in the past 25 years. How have…
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
"The whipsawing stock market simultaneously destroyed the savings & pensions of tens of millions of Americans while making Trump’s billionaire buddies even richer on what many now suspect to be market manipulation by those with insider access." My column: www.theneweuropean.co.uk/lynne-o-donn...
theneweuropean.co.uk
New York watches Trump crash the world
It was hard to find anyone who had a good word to say about the president in New York. The tariffs have made that impossible
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
Nowruz mubarak, y'all
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Reposted by Lynne O'Donnell
Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 08/03/2025
For International Women's Day, and every day for almost four years, this is what the women and girls in Afghanistan have been going through. Reposting as a reminder. Read on: lynneodonnell.substack.com/p/kabul-synd...
lynneodonnell.substack.com
Kabul Syndrome
Women forced into submission by the Taliban are beginning to identify with their captors, even when forbidden from looking out the window
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Andrew Mueller @andrewmueller.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
Latest Daily on Monocle Radio. @glandsbergis.bsky.social on Europe's rearmament plans, @lynneodonnell.bsky.social and Monocle editor Josh Fehnert on the day's other stuff, and Isabella Orlando reports from the Venice Carnival. monocle.com/radio/shows/...
monocle.com
The future of US soft power
Gabrielius Landsbergis, Lithuania’s former foreign affairs minister, joins Lynne O’Donnell and Josh Fehnert to discuss how US soft power will transform under…
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Lynne O'Donnell @lynneodonnell.bsky.social · 08/03/2025
For International Women's Day, and every day for almost four years, this is what the women and girls in Afghanistan have been going through. Reposting as a reminder. Read on: lynneodonnell.substack.com/p/kabul-synd...
lynneodonnell.substack.com
Kabul Syndrome
Women forced into submission by the Taliban are beginning to identify with their captors, even when forbidden from looking out the window
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