Reposted by Nathaniel PowellJohn Carl Baker @johncarlbaker.bsky.social · 21/09/2026a lot of that going around 092
Reposted by Nathaniel PowellYvan Guichaoua @yguichaoua.bsky.social · 11/08/2026Jafar Dicko, Jnim's boss in Burkina Faso gave an extraordinary rich interview at the end of July, released in a video in fulfulde then in writing, in Arabic (with some changes) 1127
Nathaniel Powell @natkpowell.bsky.social · 31/07/2026See my latest on US intelligence collection in Africa in the 1970s, and the limits of HUMINT. nathanielkpowell.substack.com/p/on-the-lim...nathanielkpowell.substack.comOn the Limits of HUMINT and Political IntelligenceIn an earlier post, I noted that by the mid-1980s, the CIA only had a dedicated staff of some 30 analysts to cover all of Sub-Saharan Africa, located in its Office of African and Latin American Analys... 033
Nathaniel Powell @natkpowell.bsky.social · 17/07/2026Could be an amazing Game of Thrones' style TV show. 000
Reposted by Nathaniel PowellYvan Guichaoua @yguichaoua.bsky.social · 24/06/2026Zarho, 200 km à l'est de Tombouctou, Mali, 23 juin. Les Russes ont tué deux jeunes Touaregs. L'un d'entre eux a été décapité et démembré. Ses bras et ses jambes ont été placés au sol autour de sa tête pour former une croix gammée. La photo fait le tour des réseaux depuis hier 45038
Reposted by Nathaniel PowellLex McMenamin (they/them) @lexmcmenamin.com · 24/06/2026Liz Soto and Savanna Batten are 2 of those sentenced to 50 years in prison for Prairieland. I visited them in a north Texas jail—11 months into their incarceration over a July 4 noise demo—to meet the Trump admin’s “Antifa terrorists”. from behind glass, Soto said, “They didn’t like my book club.”theguardian.com‘This is injustice’: how leftist zines were used to sentence anti-ICE protesters to decades in prisonAdvocates sound alarm after zines were used as evidence to convict protesters of terrorism charges tied to 2025 protest at Texas ICE facility 4024841351
Reposted by Nathaniel PowellNatalia Telepneva @nataliatelepneva.bsky.social · 22/05/2026Excited to host our first workshop for the RSE-sponsored award which explores Soviet-African military relations during the Cold War. See our website www.strath.ac.uk/humanities/d... @strathclydehass.bsky.social @natkpowell.bsky.social 051
Reposted by Nathaniel PowellRobert Heinze @rheinze.myatproto.social · 17/05/2026Citations are about how science is a result of working in community. Some never accepted this, instead opting for a self-image as lone genius; but more than that, every academic institution in the last decades has undermined communal work. 15013
Reposted by Nathaniel PowellTim Price @timprice.bsky.social · 13/04/20262016: Could the GOP nominating a twice-divorced NYC celeb who’s friendly with gay people mark the end of the culture wars? 2026: Donald Trump, somehow still president, harangues McDonald’s delivery driver about trans people in sports hours after depicting himself as the second coming of Christ 3134
Reposted by Nathaniel PowellCenter for International Policy @cipolicy.bsky.social · 07/04/2026"Congress should immediately reconvene to pass a War Powers Resolution disengaging U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities against Iran. Lawmakers should also make clear that they will not support any supplemental appropriation whatsoever to fund this unauthorized war."internationalpolicy.orgCongress and Other US Officials Must Act to Counter Trump’s Genocidal Threats against the Iranian People - CIPApril 7, 2026 – Center for International Policy President & CEO Nancy Okail issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s escalating threats against the Iranian people: “President Tr... 13720
Reposted by Nathaniel PowellChristopher Mathias @letsgomathias.bsky.social · 07/04/2026same Overton Window-shattering tactic he’s always used: Even if worst doesn’t happen tonight - rhetorically he’s opened up possibility of the unimaginable, making lesser (but still horrible) actions seem moderate by comparison… all increasing likelihood that one day the worst really will happen 221891464
Nathaniel Powell @natkpowell.bsky.social · 21/03/2026This doesn't make a whole lot of sense, and would have been dangerous in October. Also the sources don't say four days. It was more than 2 weeks between the battles and he could have covered the distance on horse with some retainers and assembled a different army in the south. 010
Reposted by Nathaniel PowellRichard Staff @richstaff.bsky.social · 18/03/2026An overconfident Team USA getting embarrassed by a much smaller country in front of a global audience is their last and most beautiful tribute to the American military yet 7794281656
Nathaniel Powell @natkpowell.bsky.social · 16/03/2026Gettysburg (I grew up in Gettysburg, so cheap field trip). 050
Reposted by Nathaniel PowellJessa @writerjessa.bsky.social · 15/03/2026Happy tyrant assassination day! 5953253
Nathaniel Powell @natkpowell.bsky.social · 12/03/2026This is a really compelling statement from Alex Thurston on the grotesque amorality of Democratic Party "natsec" circle criticisms of the Iran War. They are laser-focused on strategy and legality rather than the monstrousness criminality of the act itself. alexthurston.substack.com/p/the-iran-w...alexthurston.substack.comThe Iran War: Establishment Voices Criticize the Strategy But Accept the PremiseIt's better to reject the war root and branch. 022
Reposted by Nathaniel PowellMark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 12/03/2026This is big. The Netherlands and Iceland have both joined the case brought by South Africa against Israel over breaches of the Genocide Convention in Gaza 👇 13514
Reposted by Nathaniel PowellTim Price @timprice.bsky.social · 08/03/2026I know this one. Flabby Road, right? 0173
Nathaniel Powell @natkpowell.bsky.social · 07/03/2026This is key, as long as the tools are there (presidential war powers framework, network of overseas bases and logistics emplacements, institutionally powerful Pentagon and national security state, etc), they will be used to ill purpose. The only morally coherent position is to dismantle them. 03010
Reposted by Nathaniel PowellHeba Gowayed هبة جويد @hebagowayed.bsky.social · 01/03/2026The war on Iran & the war on immigrants aren’t different stories— wars justify investments in technologies of violence, create a foreign threat that manufactures consent for the abrogation of domestic rights. See: “War on Terror” that killed millions & in whose shadow DHS was formed. 115756
Reposted by Nathaniel PowellSarah Zimmerman @sjzimmerman.bsky.social · 21/02/2026Digitized photographs from Guinea-Bissau's struggle for independence...nai.uu.seLiberation in focus: Rare Guinea-Bissau photos added to NAI Library online archive - The Nordic Africa InstituteHistoric photographs from Guinea-Bissau’s liberation struggle, taken in 1970 by Knut Andreassen, are now accessible through the NAI Library’s Liberation Africa archive. 0147
Reposted by Nathaniel PowellIsabella M. Weber @isabellamweber.bsky.social · 16/02/2026A foreign policy for the working class is one where states collaborate to discipline capital instead of working with capital to discipline our democracies. Kitchen table conversation about anti-fascist economics with the one and only @aoc.bsky.social in Berlin. 832869
Nathaniel Powell @natkpowell.bsky.social · 09/02/2026I'm quoted in this Le Monde article on Macron's efforts to reconfigure France's security policy in Africa. As we've seen recently in Benin and Madagascar, la Françafrique isn't dead, and there's more continuity here than a break with the past. www.lemonde.fr/afrique/arti...lemonde.frLa France reconstruit sa stratégie de défense en AfriqueAlors que Paris a perdu du terrain, ces dernières années, dans son ancien pré carré ouest-africain, les autorités françaises s’apprêtent à ratifier un accord avec le Kenya, lequel illustre leur volont... 031
Reposted by Nathaniel PowellLauren Brown @laurencochrane.bsky.social · 04/02/2026I simply couldn't keep quiet about some people's reaction to @davidolusoga.bsky.social's Empire episode dedicated to Mau Mau. Read my two cents in my latest article for @africasacountry.bsky.social. 🇰🇪 21810
Reposted by Nathaniel PowellYair Wallach @yairwallach.bsky.social · 30/01/2026Lew, like McGurk, Sullivan, Blinken: more than complicit. Meaningfully responsible. 0298
Reposted by Nathaniel PowellAlex Doherty @redandinexpert.bsky.social · 28/01/2026A clip from my interview with Nikhil Pal Singh - on his recent essay in @equatormag.bsky.social 033
Reposted by Nathaniel PowellHoward French @hofrench.bsky.social · 13/01/2026I wrote book reviews for a while for the WSJ well over a decade ago, and Bari Weis was my editor. One of her special tricks was to try to insert a sharp rightward slant into my essays *after* it had been copy edited, as a way of slipping her viewpoint in at the last minute. 814549996
Reposted by Nathaniel Powellleon @leyawn.bsky.social · 03/01/2026this is your mission. our pedophile president needs you to jump out of a helicopter to kidnap a head of state and his wife so some oil ceos can make a lot of money. we’ll be watching from a resort in florida that still serves wedge salad and checking how many retweets we get. good luck soldier 183236216631
Reposted by Nathaniel PowellAlex Callinicos @alexcallinicos.bsky.social · 03/01/2026IS Tendency statement on Venezuela internationalsocialists.org/announcement...internationalsocialists.orgIst Statement On Venezuela<figure class="image image-style-side"><img src="https://internationalsocialists.org/storage/images/fZmIDzdCzANpT5VG5XR4fKGcheByfopgMJKEtjZs.jpg"><figcaption>President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro. Pho... 276
Nathaniel Powell @natkpowell.bsky.social · 29/12/2025Found my old pog collection. Some pretty sick slammers in there. Rocking the holiday season like it's 1994. 060
Reposted by Nathaniel PowellWil Wheaton ❌👑 @wilwheaton.net · 25/12/2025A few excerpts from Darmok's Christmas Story: Ralphie and Flick, at the flagpole. Randy, his arms down. The Old Man, when the lamp broke. Santa and Ralphie, on the mountain. 741646233
Nathaniel Powell @natkpowell.bsky.social · 26/12/2025This is all about militarist aesthetics and nothing to do with actually countering these groups. One can only hope that the Nigerian government can manage US posturing in a way that limits potential negative consequences. 040
Reposted by Nathaniel PowellFaine Greenwood @faineg.com · 25/12/2025One of the earliest-ever modern portrayals of Santa Claus features him gifting Union soldiers with a jumping-jack doll of Jefferson Davis dangling from a noose - as drawn by political cartoonist Thomas Nast. www.metmuseum.org/art/collecti... 241117331
Reposted by Nathaniel PowellStar Trek Minus Context @nocontexttrek1.bsky.social · 25/12/2025O holy night 542655489
Nathaniel Powell @natkpowell.bsky.social · 17/12/2025This 100%. I'm military history- adjacent, and it has definitely hurt me on the job market. But it has nothing to do with "woke" hiring practices and much to do with disciplinary biases. The academy still disproportionately hires white males. 040
Reposted by Nathaniel PowellDr Aviva Guttmann @guttmannaviva.bsky.social · 06/12/2025Today, the brilliant Sebastian Seibt has written a news story about #OperationWrathofGod for France24. An excellent summary and I am very glad to see that research for my book reaches a French-speaking audience: www.france24.com/fr/europe/20...france24.comOpération Colère de Dieu : quand les espions européens ont aidé le Mossad à tuerDes archives jusque-là confidentielles dévoilent la face cachée de l’opération Colère de Dieu, la campagne d’assassinats du Mossad qui a suivi la prise d'otages des Jeux olympiques de Munich en 1972.… 023
Reposted by Nathaniel PowellMatt Duss @mattduss.bsky.social · 29/11/2025If you want to know why Pete Hegseth is confident he'll face no consequences for blatant war crimes, just look at the list of people who attended Dick Cheney's funeral. 231371
Nathaniel Powell @natkpowell.bsky.social · 23/11/2025Looks like Macron is on one of his dictator tours again. Next stop Washington? rfi.my/CCzKrfi.myEmmanuel Macron au Gabon, première visite depuis l'arrivée au pouvoir de Brice Oligui NguemaLe président français Emmanuel Macron a entamé dimanche 23 novembre une visite d'État au Gabon visant à « renforcer et renouveler » le partenariat bilatéral, deux ans après la fin de l'ère Bongo. C'es... 040
Reposted by Nathaniel PowellFaisal @faisalahali.bsky.social · 20/11/2025The colleagues at @africasacountry.bsky.social have republished my article on the rise of the military class now steering politics in several African countries — with Madagascar the latest example — and what is driving this problem. africasacountry.com/2025/11/the-...africasacountry.comThe coup kids are in charge nowAcross the continent’s new coup belt, young officers are stepping into power, casting themselves as guardians against corrupt civilian elites. 073
Reposted by Nathaniel PowellFaisal @faisalahali.bsky.social · 17/11/2025I joined Alex Thurston and @natkpowell.bsky.social for a conversation about how the end of the Cold War played out across the Sahel and Horn of Africa regions. We also looked at the characters from that era and the legacies of their rule today. Check it out 👇 041
Nathaniel Powell @natkpowell.bsky.social · 17/11/2025@faisalahali.bsky.social, Alex Thurston, and I have done a podcast episode on the end of the Cold War in West and East Africa. The discussion is wide-ranging, covering a variety of experiences of the late 1980s/early 1990s, and their legacies. Have a listen! alexthurston.substack.com/cp/179131463alexthurston.substack.comPodcast Episode: The End of the Cold War from the Sahel to the Horn of AfricaI talk with Faisal Ali and Nathaniel Powell about a pivotal period in African history. 0104
Reposted by Nathaniel PowellAlexander Clarkson @aphclarkson.bsky.social · 13/11/2025This is going to go down as the dumbest war in the Western Hemisphere since Napoleon III decided that only a Habsburg princeling could save Mexico 1314740
Nathaniel Powell @natkpowell.bsky.social · 02/11/2025You know you're old when you remember watching Vladimir Guerrero Jr's dad play in the minors.... 010
Reposted by Nathaniel PowellBrian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · 01/11/2025Old: The US might illegally attack Venezuela. New: The US might illegally attack Nigeria. 3163019958
Nathaniel Powell @natkpowell.bsky.social · 31/10/2025This is the worst kind of sensationalist narrative. It plays into hands of both jihadists and the junta. There's no evidence for it. Yes the security situation is getting far worse, and Bamako is facing growin gstrains, but JNIM is not on the brink of "taking over" Mali. www.wsj.com/world/africa...wsj.comAl Qaeda Is on the Brink of Taking Over a CountryIf the jihadists succeed in taking Mali, it would become the first country run by the group. The U.S. has warned its citizens to leave the West African nation immediately. 031
Reposted by Nathaniel PowellWilliam B. Fuckley @opinionhaver.bsky.social · 28/10/2025there'd definitely problems with using military/war framings for electoral politics, but one thing it is good at is helping people keep is and ought separate. "The enemy has a strategic advantage that we must fight around" is rarely interpreted as "The enemy is correct and we should lose". 450870