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Stathios Ballas

@stathiosb.bsky.social
1K followers 1.6K following 3.7K posts

Global Citizen • Principles of Democratic Governance • The Common Weal • εὐδαιμονία • Comprometida con un mundo más humanista y libre. • ISR / Signals / Security & defence • Influence operations & subversion * Stop Cruelty to Animals * 🇬🇷🇺🇸🇨🇦

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Stathios Ballas
Peter Singer @petersinger.info · 2h
When I published The Most Good You Can Do in 2015, effective altruism was still a relatively new movement. Now The Economist has put effective altruism on its cover and called it “this century’s biggest idea.” It describes the movement as “admirable, but dangerous.”
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Stathios Ballas @stathiosb.bsky.social · 15m
Anand Coomaraswamy wrote an excellent essay a few decades ago that influenced me greatly, titled “Am I My Brother’s Keeper?” Yes.
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Stathios Ballas @stathiosb.bsky.social · 20m
This is a great development. But more is needed: focus on the people. Mobilisation and defence expenditure need the public on board. This requires a broad spectrum, multi-vector pro-EU, cohesion-developing campaign in all member states. Defence requires people; create & develop that mindset.
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Reposted by Stathios Ballas
European Parliament @europarl.europa.eu · 39m
Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has shown that Europe’s defence sector needs to innovate faster. Parliament has approved the creation of the Programme for Agile and Rapid Defence Innovation, to speed up defence innovation at lower cost. Ukraine will be fully associated with the programme.
⚠ This text was generated by AI and may contain errors.
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Graphic with a dark background featuring a soldier in camouflage helmet and jacket, photographed from behind. White bold text at the top reads: "Programme for Agile and Rapid Defence Innovation." Large text in the centre reads: "€115 million to finance defence projects" with "€115 million" highlighted in yellow. The European Parliament logo appears in the bottom right corner. Photo credit: seasign / Adobe Stock.⚠ This text was generated by AI and may contain errors.
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Graphic with a dark, blurred background showing a military-style drone in flight above an open field. White bold text reads: "The programme:" followed by four bullet points, each preceded by a yellow underscore: "Grant approvals in just four months", "€1M to €5M per project", "Tech that goes quickly from lab to actual use", and "Focus on cost-efficient solutions." The European Parliament logo appears in the bottom right corner. Photo credit: seasign / Adobe Stock.
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Stathios Ballas @stathiosb.bsky.social · 25m
We need to focus on much more than affordability. Inhumanity and cruelty by the mass roundup of non-citizen human beings into mass incarceration facilities, killing civilians on the streets of our cities…no politician ignoring that deserves my vote, regardless of their plans for affordability.
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Reposted by Stathios Ballas
Phillips OBrien @phillipspobrien.bsky.social · 20h
Yeah, it’s exactly what he said, but in this case the White House knows it was a colossal screw up, so is lying its ass off.
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Lula @lulaoficialbluesky.bsky.social · 14h
Quem trabalha precisa de tempo para descansar, cuidar da família e viver com dignidade. É por isso que defendo o fim da escala 6x1, com cinco dias de trabalho e dois de descanso. É um desejo muito grande da sociedade brasileira.
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Reposted by Stathios Ballas
Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 14h
This Thursday! We have a great speaker lineup at this ballot question event highlighting the @massdems.bsky.social endorsed positions. Boston WardWorks Alliance is a coalition of progressive and proactive Democratic ward committees in Boston. www.mobilize.us/massdems/eve...
mobilize.us
Boston WardWorks Alliance Virtual Ballot Question Rally · MassDems
Join the Boston WardWorks Alliance, a coalition of Democratic ward committees across Boston, for an evening of learning about—and learning about how to get involved with—the nine ballot questions on t...
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Reposted by Stathios Ballas
European Parliament @europarl.europa.eu · 06/10/2026
Parliament approved the creation of a programme for agile and rapid defence innovation that aims to respond to the new security environment shaped by Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Learn more ↓ link.europa.eu/kbRdkC
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European Parliament @europarl.europa.eu · 06/10/2026
An ambitious EU long-term budget, a successful energy transition, and EU competitiveness were at the centre of the 'This is Europe' debate between 🇪🇺 Parliament and 🇵🇹 Portugal's Prime Minister Luís Montenegro. Learn more ↓ link.europa.eu/4cG9ff
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Phillips OBrien @phillipspobrien.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
This proves only two things. The Ukrainian campaign against Russian refineries is causing serious damage. Putin has asked Trump to help him out and the US president obliged.
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Olga Lautman 🇺🇦 @olgalautman.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
So this explains the bizarre attack on Zelenskyy by the South Korean president He probably knew this was coming out and wanted to get ahead of this investigation showing that SK is assisting the Russian terrorist genocidal regime
theguardian.com
Fuel from South Korea being shipped to Russia as Ukraine war grinds on
Exclusive: Guardian analysis finds more than 150,000 tonnes of fuel was shipped to Russian ports in July and August, some using sanctioned tankers
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Stathios Ballas @stathiosb.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Der Präsident des Bundesnachrichtendienstes (BND), Martin Jäger, warnt vor einer möglichen gewaltsamen Konfrontation mit Russland. »Die Konfrontation, in der wir mit Russland stehen, hat eine neue, gefährlichere Qualität«. www.zeit.de/politik/ausl...
zeit.de
Russland: BND-Chef sieht Gefahr eines »gewaltsamen Konflikts mit Russland«
BND-Präsident Martin Jäger sieht in Russland »unseren gefährlichsten Gegner«. Deutschland werde in Moskau als Haupthindernis für eine expansive Politik betrachtet.
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Stathios Ballas @stathiosb.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Deutschland stehe im Visier Russlands, warnt BND-Präsident Martin Jäger. Mit Drohungen, Sabotage und gezielter Einflussnahme wolle Moskau die Unterstützung für die Ukraine untergraben. www.n-tv.de/mediathek/vi...
n-tv.de
BND-Chef Jäger: Deutschland könnte in Krieg geraten
Deutschland stehe im Visier Russlands, warnt BND-Präsident Martin Jäger. Mit Drohungen, Sabotage und gezielter Einflussnahme wolle Moskau die Unterstützung für die Ukraine untergraben - Hinweise auf e...
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Reposted by Stathios Ballas
Phillips OBrien @phillipspobrien.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Hi all, just letting you know that my book The Strategists: Churchill, Stalin, Roosevelt, Hitler and Mussolini, is on an ebook special sale. It is only $2.99 until Oct 10. That’s a great price for 544 pages of pure reading pleasure. www.amazon.com/Strategists-...
amazon.com
The Strategists: Churchill, Stalin, Roosevelt, Mussolini, and Hitler--How War Made Them and How They Made War
The Strategists: Churchill, Stalin, Roosevelt, Mussolini, and Hitler-How War Made Them and How They Made War - Kindle edition by O'Brien, Phillips Payson. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading The Strategists: Churchill, Stalin, Roosevelt, Mussolini, and Hitler-How War Made Them and How They Made War.
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Reposted by Stathios Ballas
Peter Singer @petersinger.info · 05/10/2026
“The Singer Solution to World Poverty” from Famine, Affluence, and Morality (Oxford University Press, 2016) #PeterSinger #Philosophy #Ethics #Philanthropy #Quote
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Militarnyi @militarnyi.com · 05/10/2026
🇩🇪 Germany will fund the production in Ukraine of tens of thousands of Quantum Systems interceptor drones to strengthen defenses against Russian attack UAVs. militarnyi.com/en/news/germ...
militarnyi.com
Germany to Fund Tens of Thousands of Quantum Systems Interceptor Drones for Ukraine
Germany will fund the production in Ukraine of tens of thousands of Quantum Systems interceptor drones to strengthen defenses against Russian attack UAVs.
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Meduza in English @meduza.io · 05/10/2026
Eight Russian officers were killed in a Tu-95MS bomber crash in the Amur region. Three had been identified by a Ukrainian project as participants in or organizers of missile strikes on Ukraine. meduza.io/en/news/2026...
meduza.io
Tu-95MS bomber crashed in Russia, killing eight officers. Some helped organize missile strikes on Ukraine. — Meduza
Eight Russian officers were killed when a Tu-95MS missile-carrying bomber crashed in the Amur region on September 29. The independent Russian news outlet Mediazona published the full list of those…
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EL PAÍS @elpais.com · 05/10/2026
Bolsonaro vence a Lula en primera vuelta de las elecciones y acaricia el retorno de la ultraderecha al poder en Brasil. Ambos se medirán en la segunda vuelta del 25 de octubre social.elpais.com/17r…
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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 04/10/2026
Nobody is prepared for the world of drone warfare that is coming, in fact is already here www.nytimes.com/2026/10/04/u...
nytimes.com
U.S. Rushes to Withdraw Bombers From U.K. Air Base After New Threats
The withdrawal came with unusual speed, following what U.S. officials said were threats of an Iran-based plot against the installation.
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Olga Lautman 🇺🇦 @olgalautman.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Russian-born American businessman Konstantin Sokolov gave $11M to MAGA Inc. and donated to Trump’s ballroom. He was recently tapped to lead Trump’s $201M TRIPP+ investment fund. @luchkov.bsky.social and I dug into his past and found that his former partner worked for Oleg Deripaska.
maligninfluenceoperations.substack.com
Inside Trump Donor Konstantin Sokolov’s Business Ties to Russia
This investigation is part of an ongoing examination of Konstantin Sokolov’s network.
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Stathios Ballas @stathiosb.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Alejandro Betancourt, the Venezuelan billionaire currently under investigation in Spain, has been entrusted by the Trump regime him with crude exploitation in a deal with the government of Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez. english.elpais.com/internationa...
english.elpais.com
Ferraris, Porsches, 17 guns and a United Arab Emirates residency card: The search of Alejandro Betancourt’s mansion in Spain
The Venezuelan billionaire and Trump administration oil man, who is under investigation in Spain, owns a mansion and two apartments in exclusive Madrid districts that police searched over allegations ...
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Reposted by Stathios Ballas
Peter Singer @petersinger.info · 04/10/2026
From my Big Think interview. bigthink.com/series/full-... #PeterSinger #BigThink #Philosophy #ClimateChange #FactoryFarming
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Reposted by Stathios Ballas
Stathios Ballas @stathiosb.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
“With the AfD gaining ground, Berlin talking to Moscow again and pressure mounting across Europe, can Germany stay the course? This week on Berlin Briefing: Max Hofmann, Nina Haase @ninahaase.bsky.social Michaela Küfner @germanpolitics.bsky.social Roman Goncharenko: 👂👇 youtu.be/-DpXVHI8zJ0
youtu.be
Can Ukraine still count on Germany? | Berlin Briefing Podcast
YouTube video by DW News
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European Parliament @europarl.europa.eu · 04/10/2026
Parliament has just given Europe better possibilities to defend itself.   This means faster defence investment and an improved response to security challenges.    Learn more ➡️ link.europa.eu/TBy4cQ
“European defence is getting stronger" reads the text on this photograph taken in a factory, where an engine is being lifted into a military defence vehicle. A man stands next to the vehicle, monitoring the process.
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Olga Patlyuk @olgapatluyk.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
The Northern Bridge in Kyiv. Russians are deliberately targeting civilians infrastructure.
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Stathios Ballas @stathiosb.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
This larger picture is not encouraging for anyone who shares the same democratic values as I do. The extreme right has the upper hand with messaging. Persons & groups who value democracy have to step up that type of messaging.
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Stathios Ballas @stathiosb.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
The survey around the 20 minute mark: my response is not less than 7. We have to consider the AfD’s rise in the broader geopolitical context. Just across Germany’s borders are similar extreme-right pro-Russian parties who have also been experiencing growth.
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Stathios Ballas @stathiosb.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Nina Haase’s response to FM Wadephul having talks with Sergei Lavrov is correct. Lavrov is not just a calculating manipulator- and far too many global leaders play right into his hands. He is also a hardcore Russian nationalist, and beyond that, he’s a Putinist. We have to be clear about this.
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Reposted by Stathios Ballas
The Associated Press @apnews.com · 04/10/2026
The U.S. Coast Guard says searchers have found a “debris field” off the coast of Nantucket from an air ambulance carrying six people that vanished over the Atlantic.
bit.ly
Crews find 'debris field' from 6-person medical flight missing over the Atlantic en route to Boston
The U.S. Coast Guard says searchers have found a “debris field” off the coast of Nantucket from an air ambulance carrying six people that vanished over the Atlantic.
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Unsurprisingly the Russians are paying off the Americans to take their side in the Russia’s criminal war of aggression. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/03/u...
nytimes.com
U.S.-Russia Talks on Ukraine Now Involve an Oil Deal Tied to Trump Allies
President Vladimir V. Putin brought up a sale of Russian energy assets with President Trump’s envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, pushing a deal that raises new questions about conflicts of inter...
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Stathios Ballas @stathiosb.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
We want to remind ourselves that back in January 2025, we became aware that this new regime was demanding repayment from Ukraine in the form of access & rights to extracting, processing and selling to rare earth & minerals currently beneath Ukrainian soil. This hand of corruption was not obscured.
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Stathios Ballas @stathiosb.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
“With the AfD gaining ground, Berlin talking to Moscow again and pressure mounting across Europe, can Germany stay the course? This week on Berlin Briefing: Max Hofmann, Nina Haase @ninahaase.bsky.social Michaela Küfner @germanpolitics.bsky.social Roman Goncharenko: 👂👇 youtu.be/-DpXVHI8zJ0
youtu.be
Can Ukraine still count on Germany? | Berlin Briefing Podcast
YouTube video by DW News
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Forbes @forbes.com · 02/10/2026
Kushner’s private equity firm is the largest stakeholder in an Israeli financial institution that invests in Israeli defense companies.
forbes.com
Kushner Rejects CNN Report That His Israeli Diplomacy Might Benefit His Private Equity Fund
Kushner’s private equity firm is the largest stakeholder in an Israeli financial institution that invests in Israeli defense companies.
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European Parliament @europarl.europa.eu · 03/10/2026
One gate. Two very different moments in history.   Once a symbol of division, the Brandenburg Gate now stands for a united Germany. On 3 October, German Unity Day marks the reunification of East and West Germany in 1990.   Learn more here ➡️ link.europa.eu/6HxwcP
Black-and-white photograph of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin, showing the wall, the gate and surrounding area empty of people. 
 Colour photograph of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate in the modern day with people gathered in front of it. The European Parliament logo appears in the top-right corner.
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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 03/10/2026
Negotiations to end the war in Ukraine "have expanded to include a multibillion-dollar oil deal that would benefit Middle Eastern business executives with ties to the two main U.S. negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner" reports @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2026/10/03/u...
nytimes.com
U.S.-Russia Talks on Ukraine Now Involve an Oil Deal Tied to Trump Allies (Gift Article)
President Vladimir V. Putin brought up a sale of Russian energy assets with President Trump’s envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, pushing a deal that raises new questions about conflicts of inter...
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David Rothkopf @djrothkopf.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Conflicts of interest? Really? That's what we're calling crazed corruption and betrayal of US national interests these days?
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Stathios Ballas @stathiosb.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
So right to point this out. The words we use affect how readers/listeners perceive the matters we discuss. This corruption affects the lives of people in the line of fire. Civilians are losing their lives yet the morally bankrupt U.S. negotiates profitable business with the aggressor.
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Stars and Stripes @starsandstripes.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
The Army plans to begin temporarily storing two of its advanced missile systems — Typhon and HIMARS — at Kadena Air Base on Okinawa later this month. (from @brianmcelhiney.bsky.social & @keishirkoja.bsky.social)
stripes.com
US Army to temporarily store advanced missile systems on Okinawa
The U.S. Army will temporarily store its missile systems at Kadena Air Base on Okinawa starting in mid-October, Japan’s Defense Ministry said.
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Stathios Ballas @stathiosb.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
“While practitioners of intelligence analysis and assessment must harness artificial intelligence’s (AI) potential to stay ahead of adversaries, doing so without clear principles informing its integration will lead to systemic and catastrophic intelligence failure.” www.iiss.org/online-analy...
iiss.org
Butler 2.0: intelligence analysis and assessment in the age of artificial intelligence
In 2004 the Butler Review identified serious failings in how the UK used intelligence to justify the Iraq War, leading to the creation of the UK’s intelligence assessment profession. Today, AI poses new risks concerning the same issues that Lord Butler identified in 2004.
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Stathios Ballas @stathiosb.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
“An even more hard-line Iranian regime still controls the Strait of Hormuz as Trump alternates threats to destroy Persian civilization with ever-greater concessions in search of an off-ramp.” ~ from @atabatabai.bsky.social foreignpolicy.com/2026/09/09/t...
foreignpolicy.com
How Could Iran Happen? An Autopsy.
The president’s war on the “deep state” led directly to his debacle in the Middle East.
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Charlie Warzel @cwarzel.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
For a long time I've wanted a sense of how trump has or hasn't interacted with chatbots (we know he posts a lot of slop sure). And this TIME anecdote about Grok arguably leading Trump into war is just extremely bracing
Since returning to office, Trump has marveled at AI’s capabilities. He is increasingly in thrall to the tech executives courting him. In December 2025, Elon Musk returned to the Oval Office for a clandestine meeting. Trump spent hours asking Grok, Musk’s AI chatbot, questions about his presidency and legacy, according to an official present. At the time, Trump was ordering missile strikes against Venezuelan boats he alleged were smuggling drugs into the U.S. He asked Grok how Venezuelans would react if the U.S. captured Maduro. According to the official present, the chatbot responded that Maduro was a repressive and deeply unpopular dictator and that many Venezuelans would likely celebrate his downfall. After Trump ordered the mission to seize Maduro, the following month, celebrations broke out in the streets. Trump, according to officials, came away thinking Grok was ingenious.
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European Parliament @europarl.europa.eu · 02/10/2026
The 10 finalists for the 2026 Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism have been announced. The Prize demonstrates the European Parliament’s strong support for investigative journalism and the importance of a free press. The winner will be announced on 21 October.
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Jacob Öberg @profjacob.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
🚨🚨European leaders must stop calling #Russian attacks “hybrid,” according to Estonia's FM. They are “terror attacks” and “sabotage attacks,” says Margus Tsahkna and part of a systematic Russian effort against Europe that amounts to “some kind of war." www.politico.eu/article/esto...
politico.eu
It’s war, not hybrid attacks, says Estonian foreign minister
Margus Tsahkna says Europe must present a united front against Moscow.
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Stathios Ballas @stathiosb.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
This is how congressional hearings should go: @blumenthal.senate.gov questions Jack Smith regarding one of the greatest scandals in US history. 👇👇👇 youtu.be/sOZUivEYfho
youtu.be
Jack Smith Questioned About Trump Classified Documents Case By Richard Blumenthal
YouTube video by Forbes Breaking News
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Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 25/09/2026
On Lawfare Daily, @nkorpett.bsky.social is joined by @atabatabai.bsky.social and @juliacurlee.bsky.social to talk about the war in Iran, where it stand today, and how the gutting of the national security apparatus in Washington affected the way the war is being waged. youtu.be/ugs_spb2gvc
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Ariane Tabatabai @atabatabai.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I once again ask, has anyone seen Bridge Colby? How about the “hard on China” / “though on national security” Republicans on the Hill who only seem to care about it when Dems are in charge? Asking because it seems like blowing up alliances while offering to arm China would warrant some inquiries.
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Stathios Ballas @stathiosb.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
“Russia does not particularly conceal the real reason for its persecution of Ukrainians from occupied Melitopol (Zaporizhzhia oblast).” @halyapuff.bsky.social
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Brasil 247 @brasil247.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Coalizão Árabe acusa houthis de atacar estação de energia em Medina Por sua vez, um porta-voz dos houthis negou a acusação da coalizão, classificando-a como “uma mentira que nada tem a ver com a realidade”...
brasil247.com
Coalizão Árabe acusa houthis de atacar estação de energia em Medina
Por sua vez, um porta-voz dos houthis negou a acusação da coalizão, classificando-a como “uma mentira que nada tem a ver com a realidade”
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Stathios Ballas @stathiosb.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
That Jake Sullivan supported and encouraged “unlimited & unconditional” military aid to Israel is one of the key factors in a regional war that has expanded massively and involved the deliberate killing of tens of thousands of civilians is one good reason I don’t want to know his thoughts.
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