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ericdchenoweth.bsky.social
Director, Institute for Democracy in Eastern Europe. Posts my own. Also (for time being) at Twitter (to counter propaganda).
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"Washington has become the court of Nero: an incendiary emperor, submissive courtiers, and a jester high on ketamine in charge of purging the civil service." Claude Malhuret, Member of French Senate. Mar. 5, 2025. That's the now-famous line. Worth reading in full. thebulletin.org/2025/03/for-...

The Democratic Party is the party that supports unions and collective bargaining. Trump's Republican Party is set to destroy as much of the labor movement as it can. Might be wise for Dem leaders to follow Biden's lead & make this a top issue rather than litigate culture war issues on Rs' terms.

True. It was all a lie to betray Ukraine.

Truly, after 9 years, @nytimes.com journalists might have picked up that Trump & his team spin you round & round only for you to find Trump standing (or sitting) in the same place all along. Pinning him down is quite easy. He is as predictable as the sunrise.

Do not be misdirected by the fake threat of "sanctions" on Russia. What Trump is doing can be measured in Ukrainian lives lost, Ukrainian infrastructure destroyed, and Ukrainian military positions weakened. He acts to force Ukraine to surrender. What Trump cannot fathom: #UkraineWillNotSurrender.

"Trump is making the same mistake as Vladimir Putin—grossly underestimating Ukraine as a sovereign nation determined to survive. And, as history keeps showing us, that is a terrible idea." Yes, thanks to @ioponomarenko.bsky.social.

I made the argument (in 2020) that the U.S. is living through a Weimar moment. It remains relevant. But @mauricejcasey.com is correct. What is happening now under Trump-Musk does resemble Russia 1999 and Putin's takeover. Trump made clear from 2015 that Putin was one of his models.

This is a remarkable 🧵 by @glandsbergis.bsky.social (Lithuania's former foreign minister). Also necessary. Read from beginning to end. As @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social notes, we all (not just Europeans) need to reframe. We have no excuse for naivete. Assume the #Trump-PutinPact already exists. 👇

cc: @nytimes.com (@ewong.bsky.social), @wsj.com (@yarotrof.bsky.social), @msnbc.com (@maddow.msnbc.com), @abc7.bsky.social (@davidmuir.co), @cnn.com (@jimsciutto.bsky.social) @theatlantic.com (@anneapplebaum.bsky.social)

US news outlets have generally ignored that Russian state propaganda is celebrating Trump & everything he has done to end US support for Ukraine. One might focus on it. Reporting on Russian state propaganda would send a shiver down anyone's spine not currently in Trump's orbit. cc: @maddow.msnbc.com

Truly, @maddow.msnbc.com is correct to list all the Trump administration's actions that benefit Putin. It should be a top news item in all media. So should the fact that Musk, who has led the entire operation to gut foreign aid & foreign operations, spreads Russian propaganda 24/7. Look at his feed.

The project is to eliminate empathy, tolerance & pluralism from the political sphere. The author might take heart. Trump's trashing of the show wasn't singling out Palestinians. He was speaking to a white audience here. He trashed all funding to non-white continents. newrepublic.com/article/1924...

Yes, it does. Also says something that amid all this (& more!), Newsom's newest political act is to focus on this in his inaugural podcast with a demonstrably reactionary racist ("If I see a black pilot..."; "we made a big mistake passing the 1964 Civil Rights Act"; et al.). Take note.

👇

👇This was always the expectation. It is why Putin waited out Biden. He knew what he would get in Trump. To help elect him (& similar GOPers) in 2024, Putin had any number of influence operations going, more than imagined or that US Counterintelligence could hope to p/u. It was a lot more than Tenet.

Correct. It left no doubt. (For a reprise: www.shankerinstitute.org/blog/mouse-g...)

Nota Bene: This is not some left firebrand from Melanchon's camp. @claudemalhuret.bsky.social is among France's most respected politicians.

The U.S. president last night: 1) threatened a NATO ally (Denmark) with invasion; 2) declared economic war on 2 of America's allies; 3) threatened war against an ally in Central America; 4) declared US neutrality between Ukraine & Russia; & 5) pledged to ethnically cleanse America. #ThisIsNotNormal

Another direct aid to Ukrainians at the front is: www.libertyukraine.org

If you can. . . #HelpUkraine.

One of our best security experts sums it up:

This is important from @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social & @thebulwark.bsky.social (thx.).

This is so obviously true. I'm glad it's getting attention. I hope it's sinking in for everyone.

Europe will need to sanction the US as a 3rd-party abettor of the Russian war machine. I ask again: Is there a possibility any part of the Republican establishment will stand up to this. Just 4 Rs in House & 4 in Senate are needed to block sanctions relief. 75 & 20 needed for veto-proof margins.

A worthy argument & read by @popovaprof.bsky.social about reframing what happened in 1989-91 as national liberation & not as communist collapse. Of course, there were those of us, here *and* in the region, arguing for it at the time. We did warn of the ongoing Russian imperial project. A🧵. 1/

A proper assessment from @kschake.bsky.social. Query: after such a disgracing of America, is there any hope that actual Republican establishment leaders might form an opposition w/in Republican ranks to act against Trump's foreign policy? Or will it just be Haley harumphing at the Hudson Institute?

Let's repeat: "The richest man in the world is stealing food and medicine from the poorest people on the planet."

BTW not just influence campaigns (we've done a piss poor job at interrupting Russia's influence campaigns, as the ascent of Trump proves) but penetration of US intelligence, cyberattacks & sabotage operations. It's also likely we'll bar intel from allies. www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/news/2025...

If you are wondering whether predictions that America First would make the US isolated in the world (from @hcrichardson.bsky.social's Letter from an American),

A case where if someone tells you what they are going to do in a confirmation hearing, believe him. Rubio stated clearly: he would loyally carry out Donald Trump's America First agenda. That has consistently meant "getting along" w/ Russia from Trump's public answer to Maria Butina in 2015 on.

Actually, Bezos doesn't believe in "liberty of expression." He believes in the libertarian notion of "free expression": namely, if I am given the liberty to exploit workers & become rich enough, I can impose whatever the hell I want & it doesn't matter what you think. But an important article: 👇

Contrast Australia's The Sun-Herald with today's shameful front page of the @nytimes.com.

I would argue that by purposely skating over inconvenient facts (the consistent actions of Congress to limit the executive power), he crossed the line. Similar to what the Supreme Court did in its immunity decision by skating over the facts of Donald Trump's insurrectionary actions.

👇There is one constant in all the domestic cuts & EOs.

The White House meeting was just the public display of what Zelenskyy has been going through for weeks: a shakedown by the U.S. for economic colonization & surrender of territories.

I'm old enough to remember when people thought Rubio & Waltz were going to make sure Trump's 2nd term wouldn't go off the national security rails. Trump compromises everyone & forces them to lie. (Zelenskyy didn't "downplay American contributions" or "disrespect our country." Trump & Vance did.)