Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 8hReally impressed by both Trump and Erdogan’s commitment to holding members of one particular gender accountable for corruption 0132
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 09/10/2026This would simultaneously exclude the worst of the Biden team and the worst of the tankie progressives, while also avoiding people with fundamentally bad political instincts 150
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 09/10/2026Whoever the next Democratic candidate is, progressives and traditional Dems should unite around refusing hire anyone who has ever written an oped about what Trump got right. 180
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 09/10/2026Reposting in honor of Rubio's speech yesterday: For its most committed advocates, “Western civilization” can mean a lot of things, but seldom does it mean “Western democracy.” foreignpolicy.com/2025/06/27/s...foreignpolicy.comHow to Sell a Clash of CivilizationsThe incoherence of Samuel Huntington’s famous thesis is also its power. 041
Reposted by Nicholas DanforthAnjali Dayal @anjalikdayal.bsky.social · 08/10/2026Holding the Trump admin accountable for its crimes can seem distant, but there are meaningful steps both US domestic opposition & the international community can take, including supporting the ICC, enabling international investigations into disappearances & civilian deaths, & refunding foreign aidforeignpolicy.comHere’s What to Do About Trump’s War CrimesDespite the obstacles, foreign governments and U.S. lawmakers can begin the process of holding the president accountable. 212052
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 07/10/2026Depressing to say, but three years on I remain profoundly grateful for everyone who has been outspoken in their conviction that killing innocent people is equally wrong regardless of who they are. 1205
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 28/09/2026DC think tanks have a lot of problems, many of which are implicated in this disaster, but lets be clear that it was really just FDD and its ilk that were pushing for war. 030
Reposted by Nicholas DanforthJosh Fruhlinger @jfruh.bsky.social · 25/09/2026i think a lot about lewis lapham's description of the time he interviewed for the CIA in the 1950s www.laphamsquarterly.org/spies/open-i... 417723
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Alternatively, a priest, an editor and a labor leader walk onto a stage… 020
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 23/09/2026A genuinely interesting conversation on AI, featuring perspectives from the Catholic Church, the AFL-CIO, and the Future of Life Institute. vimeo.com/1229147096/8...vimeo.comTech & AI Forum at UNGA81: Centering Humanity: The Future of Work in the AI EraCentering Humanity: The Future of Work in the AI Era 111
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 23/09/2026It's like you dont even want to get invited to the next Bodrum forum. 140
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 18/09/2026The new season of @foreignpolicy.com's Counterpoint is starting. In the first episode, I hosted @emmamashford.bsky.social and @mcfaulmike.bsky.social for a fascinating discussion of Ukraine and NATO expansion: foreignpolicy.com/podcasts/cou...foreignpolicy.comHas NATO Expansion Made Europe Safer?Emma Ashford and Michael McFaul on explanations of Russia’s aggression. 110
Reposted by Nicholas DanforthSelim Koru @selimkoru.bsky.social · 18/09/2026@nicholasdanfort.bsky.social and I will be live to discuss: - AI's impact on life in Turkey (and other developing countries) - the Kurdish "peace process" in Turkey & Syria Turkey: 5:00 PM (UTC+3) London (UK): 3:00 PM (UTC+1) NYC (USA): 10:00 AM (UTC-4) open.substack.com/live-stream/...open.substack.comLIVE SOON: Live with Selim & Nick: AI in Turkey; Syria and the KurdsStarting Sep 18 at 10:00 AM EDT 021
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 16/09/2026A great piece from Mike Haack about the role of right-wing Christianity in Myanmar's civil war: foreignpolicy.com/2026/09/16/t...foreignpolicy.comTrump, God, and the Struggle for the Chin StateThe MAGA movement has been a source of hope and headaches for Myanmar’s Christian diaspora and the rebels they support. 010
Reposted by Nicholas DanforthMarc Sinan Winrow @marcsinanwinrow.bsky.social · 15/09/2026I really enjoyed speaking with William Armstrong from Turkey Book Talk about Turkey and the Liberal International Order. Many thanks for such a thoughtful and engaging conversation! 075
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 04/09/2026Great piece by @joestieb.bsky.social foreignpolicy.com/2026/09/04/w...foreignpolicy.comWhat Was the War on Terror?A defining period in U.S. foreign policy has ended, but it remains misunderstood. 052
Reposted by Nicholas DanforthJoe Stieb @joestieb.bsky.social · 04/09/2026foreignpolicy.com/2026/09/04/w... For those who may be interested, I've got a retrospective piece seeking historical precision for the War on Terror. My main claim is that the War on Terror, as a period of US foreign policy history, is over. It had 3 essential traits: 1. Terrorism was treated/google.comWhat Was the War on Terror?A defining period in U.S. foreign policy has ended, but it remains misunderstood. 4389
Reposted by Nicholas DanforthHoward Eissenstat @heissenstat.bsky.social · 04/09/2026I can't say I agree with Giran Ozcan here, but this is worth reading nonetheless. foreignpolicy.com/2026/09/03/t...foreignpolicy.comTurkey’s Kurdish Peace Process Is Not About ErdoganThe government’s negotiations with the PKK will succeed because they are driven by geopolitical threats rather than domestic concerns. 122
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 01/09/2026Just feels like the Greeks of all people would recognize the irony of calling a defense deal "Achilles Shield" www.politico.eu/article/isra...politico.euIsrael, Greece seal €3B ‘Achilles Shield’ defense dealThe package will cover ballistic missiles, aircraft and drones. 3234
Reposted by Nicholas DanforthSean Yom @seanyom.bsky.social · 31/08/2026I write in @foreignpolicy.com: Jordan's true external threat isn't Iranian missiles. It's Israeli formal annexation of the West Bank and the ethnic cleansing / population transfer that follows. To help Jordan, the US must *restrain* Israel. Stop annexation. foreignpolicy.com/2026/08/31/j...foreignpolicy.comJordan Sees Bigger Threat From Israel Than IranFor Amman, Israeli annexation of the West Bank looms as an existential risk. 1165
Reposted by Nicholas DanforthBrilliant Maps @brilliantmaps.bsky.social · 29/08/2026The American King-Crane Commission Plan To Divide The Ottoman Empire After World War 1 Do you think the Middle East would be better or worse off today had it been implemented? credit: @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social More about the plan and why it wasn't implemented: brilliantmaps.com/king-cran... 051
Reposted by Nicholas DanforthNicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 27/08/2026Once again: Picking fights about maps is for geopolitical losers foreignpolicy.com/2025/02/28/t...foreignpolicy.comThe Cartography of GrievancePicking fights about maps is for geopolitical losers. 0249
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 27/08/2026Possible Enes Kanter will single-handedly do more to discredit the Gulen movement than a decade of Turkish propaganda. 160
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 27/08/2026He in fact said "and/or the Pacific," which suggests we could in fact have an American Ocean on both sides 061
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 27/08/2026I still believe the guys behind the Guerrilla Cartography atlases are hiding out in caves 030
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 27/08/2026Once again: Picking fights about maps is for geopolitical losers foreignpolicy.com/2025/02/28/t...foreignpolicy.comThe Cartography of GrievancePicking fights about maps is for geopolitical losers. 0249
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 27/08/2026I fell into a [Turkish] ring of fire... 2547
Reposted by Nicholas DanforthVasabjit Banerjee @vasabjit.bsky.social · 26/08/2026I wrote about the Mecca pact. TL; DR: all alliances suffer from a set of four problems: chain ganging, buck passing, moral hazard, and free riding. The pact as it stands now does not address any of these. Thus, it resembles its near forgotten predecessor CENTO. foreignpolicy.com/2026/08/25/m...foreignpolicy.comA Pact Without ImpactThe Mecca Joint Defense Agreement faces all the classic challenges of an alliance with none of the unifying elements. 042
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 20/08/2026Say more? I feel like there are still a lot of people in DC who arent taking the possibility seriously enough. 140
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 20/08/2026Incidentally, I think thats also the story of the Democrats writ large. No one was like lets become the party of superficial, ham-handed social justice efforts undercut by a commitment to the interests of our elite socio-economic constituency. But an interplay of forces gave that critique some truth 190
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 20/08/2026And I say this as someone who thinks both sides have made some good points about what it will take to defeat Trump. 020
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 20/08/2026It would be great if Leftists and Centrists could agree that they are all in fact very eager to defeat Trump they just have genuinely different views on how to do that. Everyone insisting the other side of the debate doesnt actually want to win is maddening. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...theatlantic.comThe ‘Resistance’ Is OverThe insurgent left cares more about its own factional agenda than the president’s threats to democracy. 150
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 20/08/2026Reading both pieces together actually offers a surprisingly coherent story about how resource shortages and bad institutional incentives channeled important calls for reform into administrative policies that no one was happy with 15510
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 14/08/2026Yes, and I agree self selection is a big factor. It would just be nice to hear people be a little more candid about how that works in tandem with other forms of political selection 000
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 14/08/2026Sure, there you're more likely to get in trouble for being too pro-Palestine. The pressure against people who are too pro-Israel happens at other places. 000
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 13/08/2026No argument there. I was just responding to the implication that this was just a matter of self selection. 100
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 13/08/2026Like if someone was vocally pro-Israel that wouldn't harm their chances of getting hired for a lot of Middle East studies jobs? 200
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 13/08/2026Okay I think I have a pretty impeccable record of hating David Brooks, and I'm definitely on team lets focus on the fascists, but are we really saying politics doesnt factor into higher ed hiring decisions? 282
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 12/08/2026I would love to read an article about this! 010
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 12/08/2026Delighted to see someone put this so eloquently 120
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 12/08/2026"There’s a lesson here, not only for restrainers and neocons but for anyone who imagines (including elements on the left) that Trump can be an instrumental champion of their preferred policy agenda. 091
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 11/08/2026Leaving the politics aside, this is somehow a more respectful description of Lewiston than most New York Times articles manage 010
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 11/08/2026Slightly higher chance of having to put on pants before noon, but otherwise I've found non-academic professional life much more relaxed and flexible. 030
Reposted by Nicholas DanforthJoe Stieb @joestieb.bsky.social · 08/08/2026For those who might be interested: Got a short piece in Foreign Policy from yesterday about Thomas Wright's new book and the future of Democratic Party foreign policy. foreignpolicy.com/2026/08/07/t...foreignpolicy.comThere’s No Going BackThomas Wright on the post-Cold War order. 1123
Reposted by Nicholas DanforthNicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 04/08/2026Some really fantastic reporting here on the state of political and military integration in Rojava: foreignpolicy.com/2026/08/04/r...foreignpolicy.comWhat Remains of RojavaIn northeastern Syria, Kurdish leaders continue to fight a rear-guard battle for autonomy. 072
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 04/08/2026Some really fantastic reporting here on the state of political and military integration in Rojava: foreignpolicy.com/2026/08/04/r...foreignpolicy.comWhat Remains of RojavaIn northeastern Syria, Kurdish leaders continue to fight a rear-guard battle for autonomy. 072
Reposted by Nicholas DanforthTurkey recap @turkeyrecap.bsky.social · 02/08/2026📰 Sunday extras: "Can You Explain Istanbul?" with Suzy Hansen, @achristiemiller.bsky.social, @selimkoru.bsky.social and @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social. [1/5] kulturkampftr.substack.com/p/can-you-ex...kulturkampftr.substack.comCan You Explain Istanbul?Suzy Hansen and Alexander Christie-Miller on the decisions behind their books 133
Reposted by Nicholas DanforthSelim Koru @selimkoru.bsky.social · 31/07/2026This was a wonderful episode to record! @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social and I sat down with @achristiemiller.bsky.social and Suzy Hansen to talk about their books on Istanbul, and Turkish politics more broadly. kulturkampftr.substack.com/p/can-you-ex...kulturkampftr.substack.comCan You Explain Istanbul?Suzy Hansen and Alexander Christie-Miller on the decisions behind their books 194
Nicholas Danforth @nicholasdanfort.bsky.social · 30/07/2026In the latest Kulturkampf, Selim and I sat down with Alex Christie-Miller and Suzy Hansen to discuss their Istanbul books. kulturkampftr.substack.com/p/can-you-ex...kulturkampftr.substack.comCan You Explain Istanbul?Suzy Hansen and Alexander Christie-Miller on the decisions behind their books 043
