Robert Benson @robertbenson92.bsky.social · 12/03/2026Please do take a look at my latest with Luke Zahner for Stars and Stripes. 161
Robert Benson @robertbenson92.bsky.social · 12/03/2026Some thoughts: "By refusing to articulate a clear alternative to Trump’s militarism, centrist governments in Europe leave space for far-right and nationalist parties to present themselves as the only political forces willing to defend European interests." www.americanprogress.org/article/iran...americanprogress.orgIran Spotlights How Trump Is Fracturing the Transatlantic AlliancePresident Trump’s war with Iran is exposing how Europe has grown too divided and too dependent to resist an increasingly coercive transatlantic alliance. 000
Robert Benson @robertbenson92.bsky.social · 21/11/2025The Trump administration’s leaked “peace plan” hands Moscow strategic victories, forces Ukraine to swallow unilateral concessions, and sets the stage for a deadlier future war. Our latest at CAP: www.americanprogress.org/article/trum...americanprogress.orgTrump’s 28-Point Peace Plan Will Invite the Next WarThe Trump administration’s leaked “peace plan” hands Moscow strategic victories, forces Ukraine to swallow unilateral concessions, and sets the stage for a deadlier future war. 010
Robert Benson @robertbenson92.bsky.social · 18/11/2025Trump’s new sanctions finally target the heart of Russia’s war machine, but only aggressive, disciplined enforcement will decide whether they actually bite. I walk you through what needs to happen: www.americanprogress.org/article/trum...americanprogress.orgTrump’s Sanctions on Russia Are Serious—Enforcement Will Decide Whether They WorkPresident Trump’s new sanctions finally target the heart of Russia’s war machine, but only aggressive, disciplined enforcement will decide whether they actually bite. 032
Robert Benson @robertbenson92.bsky.social · 14/11/2025International lessons on how to re-build democracy. 010
Robert Benson @robertbenson92.bsky.social · 03/09/2025My think piece on Trump, Europe, and global re ordering after the trade deal. www.politico.eu/article/us-e...politico.euThe Turnberry trap: Trump, Europe and global reorderingThe bloc’s challenge isn’t to restore the old transatlantic bargain but to build a new one before the next crisis hits. 041
Reposted by Robert BensonLaurence H. Tribe @tribelaw.bsky.social · 28/08/2025Putin did more than eat Trump’s lunch in Alaska. He ate Trump for lunch and swallowed him whole. The losers? Ukraine, the EU, NATO, and the United States of America. 471292356
Reposted by Robert BensonRobert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 25/08/2025The battle of our day is no longer about Democrats versus Republicans or left versus right. The choice right now is democracy or dictatorship. And we're sliding faster than I ever thought possible into the latter. Everyone must choose which side they’re on. 16851921580
Robert Benson @robertbenson92.bsky.social · 19/08/2025We took a moment to unpack the Anchorage and Washington summits this week - do watch. 222
Robert Benson @robertbenson92.bsky.social · 12/08/2025This is hardly a light news week, but please do read: Our take at American Progress on Trump's potential Surrender Summit. www.americanprogress.org/article/the-...americanprogress.orgThe Trump-Putin Alaska Meeting: Preventing a Surrender SummitTrump’s planned Alaska meeting with Putin risks becoming a “surrender summit” that pressures Ukraine into abandoning NATO aspirations and accepting imposed neutrality, rewarding Russian aggression. 176
Robert Benson @robertbenson92.bsky.social · 04/08/2025Firing the chief labor statistician isn’t just a scandal—it echoes the early warning signs from Argentina, Turkey, and the Soviet Union, where gutting independent economic institutions paved the way for autocracy and economic collapse. We’ve seen this movie before. It doesn't end well. 000
Robert Benson @robertbenson92.bsky.social · 01/08/2025This was an excruciating read. Torture and rape facilitated by the US government. Unconscionable crimes. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...washingtonpost.com‘Welcome to hell’: Inside the megaprison where the U.S. deported migrantsInterviews with 16 former detainees of El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center offer the most complete view yet of conditions inside the notorious prison. 000
Robert Benson @robertbenson92.bsky.social · 01/08/2025The window is closing to stop Putin: my latest. www.americanprogress.org/article/amer...americanprogress.orgAmerica’s Window To Stop Russia Is ClosingTrump’s hasty ultimatum and symbolic tariffs will not deter Putin; only rapid weapons deliveries and enforceable energy sanctions can shift the battlefield and force Moscow to meaningfully negotiate, ... 010
Robert Benson @robertbenson92.bsky.social · 20/06/2025Some thoughts on what we can expect at next week's NATO summit: hint, Trump may be itching for a fight. www.americanprogress.org/article/nato... 000
Reposted by Robert BensonMark Jacob @markjacob.bsky.social · 14/06/2025We're going to see quite a split screen today: Millions protesting peacefully in defense of democracy, and a would-be dictator ordering tanks to tear up DC streets to make him feel powerful. It's obvious what the right side is. Be on it. 994201896
Reposted by Robert BensonBen Rhodes @rhodesben.bsky.social · 13/06/2025Israel bombing Iran in the middle of US diplomacy is an astonishing and totally unnecessary escalation and humiliating for Trump who said he was ending wars. 1444098
Robert Benson @robertbenson92.bsky.social · 24/04/2025Authoritarians’ early popularity can delay resistance — but that’s when the real damage gets done. My piece for Politico. www.politico.eu/article/demo...politico.euDemocratic backsliding in Europe holds lessons for AmericaAuthoritarians’ early popularity can delay resistance — but that’s when the real damage gets done. 084
Robert Benson @robertbenson92.bsky.social · 17/04/2025Fourth Circuit opinion: make this go viral. The government is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process that is the foundation of our constitutional order.... 100
Reposted by Robert BensonCenter for American Progress @americanprogress.bsky.social · 17/04/2025The same patterns of systemic corruption, democratic backsliding, & economic exploitation that have marred other parts of the world are now happening in the U.S. New from @robertbenson92.bsky.social:americanprogress.orgHow State Capture and Corruption Harms Citizens: Lessons From AbroadExamples from abroad serve as prescient warnings that corruption and state capture erode services, impoverish societies, and compromise public safety. 02012
Robert Benson @robertbenson92.bsky.social · 16/04/2025Examples from abroad serve as prescient warnings that corruption and state capture erode services, impoverish societies, and compromise public safety. www.americanprogress.org/article/how-...americanprogress.orgHow State Capture and Corruption Harms Citizens: Lessons From AbroadExamples from abroad serve as prescient warnings that corruption and state capture erode services, impoverish societies, and compromise public safety. 001
Robert Benson @robertbenson92.bsky.social · 13/04/2025Last week may be remembered as the true, quantifiable beginning of the end of American economic exceptionalism. Terrifying. on.ft.com/4cuKN3Ton.ft.comAmerica the UnstableThe US will pay a market penalty for Trump’s turmoil 011
Robert Benson @robertbenson92.bsky.social · 12/04/2025Rarely have I come across such a perfect crystallization of the difference between American and European thinking—one that I’m increasingly convinced will lead to U.S. disaster. Quote below from the FTs Big Read.ft.comFinancial TimesFinancial TimesNews, analysis and opinion from the Financial Times on the latest in markets, economics and politics 100
Robert Benson @robertbenson92.bsky.social · 09/04/2025Take a look at our new CAP report on threats to democracy abroad and what lessons can be derived here at home. 21311
Robert Benson @robertbenson92.bsky.social · 28/03/2025Can someone explain to me the absolutely mind boggling silence of elected officials over these state sanctioned kidnappings of U.S. residents. 010
Robert Benson @robertbenson92.bsky.social · 24/03/2025Unlike the U.S., Beijing doesn’t self-sabotage. Grotesque spectacle. www.google.com/url?q=https:...google.comGreenland PM denounces US 'foreign interference' ahead of visitGreenland's prime minister, Mute Egede, accused Washington on Monday of interfering in its political affairs by sending a US delegation to the Danish territory, which is coveted by US President Donald... 000
Robert Benson @robertbenson92.bsky.social · 24/03/2025Assaults on due process should alarm all of us. The state cannot kidnap legal U.S. residents and hand them over to third-party dictatorships for indefinite detention. What the hell are we doing? time.com/7269604/el-s...time.comWhat the Venezuelans Deported to El Salvador ExperiencedExclusive photos of the arrival of Venezuelan detainees deported from the U.S. 010
Reposted by Robert BensonCenter for American Progress @americanprogress.bsky.social · 23/03/2025"Should both sides of the Atlantic succumb, the future that unfolds will be unrecognizable to most — a world of barbed, militarized borders, blotted freedoms, and sapped economic and cultural ties." CAP's @robertbenson92.bsky.social for @inkstickmedia.com:buff.lyThe Destroyers Are Here: The Rise of the New AuthoritariansAs the Trump administration swings the US to the hard right, it's also retreating from the rest of the world. 1278
Robert Benson @robertbenson92.bsky.social · 19/03/2025Some thoughts on where we find ourselves: the destroyers are here: read more at inkstickmedia.com/the-destroye...inkstickmedia.comThe Destroyers Are Here: The Rise of the New AuthoritariansAs the Trump administration swings the US to the hard right, it's also retreating from the rest of the world. 094
Robert Benson @robertbenson92.bsky.social · 05/03/2025Russia is a dangerous imperialist autocracy with ambitions far beyond Ukraine. "Negotiating peace" by handing the Kremlin land and leverage isn’t strength—it’s surrender. Appeasement won’t stop Putin; it will invite more war. 010
Robert Benson @robertbenson92.bsky.social · 05/03/2025Trump didn’t "stand up" to Zelenskyy—he and Vance staged a cowardly ambush and failed. It wasn’t strength; it was a brazen attack of a wartime hero. www.americanprogress.org/article/trum...americanprogress.orgTrump and Vance’s Disgraceful Oval Office Ambush of Zelenskyy Comes at America’s Expense and Only Benefits PutinTrump and Vance’s deliberate humiliation of Zelenskyy in Washington signaled to allies and adversaries alike that America’s leadership is in crisis, jeopardizing Ukraine’s fight for survival and embol... 1286
Robert Benson @robertbenson92.bsky.social · 05/03/2025Far from keeping us safe, Trump’s fantasy imperialism—rambling about Greenland and Panama—alienates vital partners, spreads lies, and makes America weaker. Delusion isn’t strength; it’s reckless, embarrassing, and dangerous. 33010
Robert Benson @robertbenson92.bsky.social · 28/02/2025So, I'm new here @americanprogress.bsky.social 140