Alexander Clarkson
@aphclarkson.bsky.social
Lecturer for European Politics and History at King's College London. Opinions my own. RT not always endorsement.
Also to be found at @APHClarkson
https://www.ullstein.de/werke/die-macht-der-diaspora/hardcover/978354910
Also to be found at @APHClarkson
https://www.ullstein.de/werke/die-macht-der-diaspora/hardcover/978354910
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
Anti-black animus has been the guiding principle of Trump’s entire life, personal and political. While *he’s* hardly made any effort to conceal it, our media and political class have often stepped in on his behalf.
I’m not linking but I just read a columnist (one of my favorites) say Trump “has no ideology beyond his own power.”
Ten years in, this trope should die. Trump's ideology is white supremacist and that goes a long way in explaining his imperialism and protectionism.
Ten years in, this trope should die. Trump's ideology is white supremacist and that goes a long way in explaining his imperialism and protectionism.
January 9, 2026 at 2:08 PM
Anti-black animus has been the guiding principle of Trump’s entire life, personal and political. While *he’s* hardly made any effort to conceal it, our media and political class have often stepped in on his behalf.
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
when I was in high school I had male teachers in their 30s who I totally thought I was adult peer friends with. when I was in my 30s and was a high school youth group leader I was like “those are not my friends, those are children.” that’s when I realized those men just had bad boundaries
when i was a 16yo girl i thought i was an adult. coaching 12-17yo girls as a 28yo really hammered home how much i was wrong about being an adult at 16 and how obvious it is to actual adults that a 16yo is not an adult. if they say they cannot tell they are lying because they are a creep.
February 6, 2026 at 6:16 AM
when I was in high school I had male teachers in their 30s who I totally thought I was adult peer friends with. when I was in my 30s and was a high school youth group leader I was like “those are not my friends, those are children.” that’s when I realized those men just had bad boundaries
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
Democracy for Sale's scoop about Labour Together paying a firm to investigate journalists has now been picked up in FT, Politico and the Guardian
Huge questions to answer - for Morgan McSweeney, Josh Simons, and Keir Starmer
Oh, and do support D4S 😀 democracyforsale.substack.com/subscribe
Huge questions to answer - for Morgan McSweeney, Josh Simons, and Keir Starmer
Oh, and do support D4S 😀 democracyforsale.substack.com/subscribe
February 6, 2026 at 1:03 PM
Democracy for Sale's scoop about Labour Together paying a firm to investigate journalists has now been picked up in FT, Politico and the Guardian
Huge questions to answer - for Morgan McSweeney, Josh Simons, and Keir Starmer
Oh, and do support D4S 😀 democracyforsale.substack.com/subscribe
Huge questions to answer - for Morgan McSweeney, Josh Simons, and Keir Starmer
Oh, and do support D4S 😀 democracyforsale.substack.com/subscribe
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
Ellsberg's advice to Kissinger about classified info applies to insider brain too (worth reading it all):
"The danger is, you’ll become .. incapable of learning from most people in the world, no matter how much experience they may have in their particular areas that may be much greater than yours."
"The danger is, you’ll become .. incapable of learning from most people in the world, no matter how much experience they may have in their particular areas that may be much greater than yours."
Daniel Ellsberg on the Limits of Knowledge
Why the president doesn't necessarily know any more than you do.
www.motherjones.com
February 6, 2026 at 1:01 PM
Ellsberg's advice to Kissinger about classified info applies to insider brain too (worth reading it all):
"The danger is, you’ll become .. incapable of learning from most people in the world, no matter how much experience they may have in their particular areas that may be much greater than yours."
"The danger is, you’ll become .. incapable of learning from most people in the world, no matter how much experience they may have in their particular areas that may be much greater than yours."
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
Good explanation by Hannah Roberts of Politico of the importance of Milan Cortina Winter Olympics for Italy's Infrastructure Minister Salvini (yes, same one who wants to build a bridge btw Sicily & mainland & who's just been "betrayed" by his deputy leader Vanbacci).
With comments by yours truly.
With comments by yours truly.
For Italy’s Deputy PM Matteo Salvini, the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics are not about sport.
They are about survival.
They are about survival.
How Italy’s most polarizing politician hitched his comeback to the Winter Olympics
Matteo Salvini is betting on the infrastructure boost the Games will provide to reassert himself on the national stage, but it may not be that simple.
www.politico.eu
February 6, 2026 at 9:23 AM
Good explanation by Hannah Roberts of Politico of the importance of Milan Cortina Winter Olympics for Italy's Infrastructure Minister Salvini (yes, same one who wants to build a bridge btw Sicily & mainland & who's just been "betrayed" by his deputy leader Vanbacci).
With comments by yours truly.
With comments by yours truly.
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
I'm generally of the view that systems matter more than individuals but the individuals do make some difference!
February 6, 2026 at 12:43 PM
I'm generally of the view that systems matter more than individuals but the individuals do make some difference!
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
Yes, four of our last five PMs have been objectively terrible at politics and Johnson was good at politics but terrible at governing.
There's no reason to accept this as normal, though. Much of Starmer and Labour's unpopularity is not misfortune but his own doing. Mandelson was a choice. Consistently pursuing policy positions designed to appeal to people who will not vote for you - and alienating core supporters - is a choice.
Starmer's reported condition - incredibly unpopular, shorn of authority, probably un-reelectable and yet will stagger on for want of an alternative - is just the new normal of how Britain is governed. It was also true for two-thirds of May's premiership, half of Johnson's and all of Sunak's.
February 6, 2026 at 12:42 PM
Yes, four of our last five PMs have been objectively terrible at politics and Johnson was good at politics but terrible at governing.
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
I was just saying that Starmer's lack of judgment on Mandelson is a symptom of a broader problem I called "insider brain." They all become susceptible to it, but he entered office particularly so. And he probably assumed that because Mandelson also has insider brain, he'd be perfect for Trump's DC.
February 6, 2026 at 12:31 PM
I was just saying that Starmer's lack of judgment on Mandelson is a symptom of a broader problem I called "insider brain." They all become susceptible to it, but he entered office particularly so. And he probably assumed that because Mandelson also has insider brain, he'd be perfect for Trump's DC.
Pet take that counter-UAV rather than a now saturated drone sector is the next big investment opportunity in the European defence industry
February 6, 2026 at 12:23 PM
Pet take that counter-UAV rather than a now saturated drone sector is the next big investment opportunity in the European defence industry
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
Politico: Trump wanted Dulles Airport and Penn Station named after him as condition of releasing federal rail tunnel funds
www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
Trump wanted Dulles Airport and Penn Station named after him as condition of releasing rail tunnel funds
Funding for the Gateway Project has been held up since October.
www.politico.com
February 6, 2026 at 12:14 PM
Politico: Trump wanted Dulles Airport and Penn Station named after him as condition of releasing federal rail tunnel funds
www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
Need some bucket list politics. YOLO
Yet this is a government with three years left to run and an enormous Commons majority. For all the problems, there is an enormous opportunity there for someone with the political nous to take it and use it.
Starmer's reported condition - incredibly unpopular, shorn of authority, probably un-reelectable and yet will stagger on for want of an alternative - is just the new normal of how Britain is governed. It was also true for two-thirds of May's premiership, half of Johnson's and all of Sunak's.
February 6, 2026 at 12:23 PM
Need some bucket list politics. YOLO
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
this is very funny www.foxnews.com/media/jd-van...
JD Vance should have been sold by his mother for drugs, NYT columnist says
New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie suggested Vice President JD Vance's mother was reasonable when attempting to sell him for drugs during his childhood.
www.foxnews.com
February 6, 2026 at 10:01 AM
this is very funny www.foxnews.com/media/jd-van...
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
Bitcoin is getting pretty close to being down 50% from its October peak, and it's hard not to view that as one of the most positive indicators we've had in a while.
February 5, 2026 at 6:50 PM
Bitcoin is getting pretty close to being down 50% from its October peak, and it's hard not to view that as one of the most positive indicators we've had in a while.
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
The EU Commission has preliminarily found TikTok in breach of the Digital Services Act over its addictive design — infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications & hyper-personalized recommendations. ec.europa.eu/commission/p...
Commission preliminarily finds TikTok\'s addictive design in breach of the Digital Services Act
Today, the European Commission preliminarily found TikTok in breach of the Digital Services Act for its addictive design.
ec.europa.eu
February 6, 2026 at 11:26 AM
The EU Commission has preliminarily found TikTok in breach of the Digital Services Act over its addictive design — infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications & hyper-personalized recommendations. ec.europa.eu/commission/p...
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
Meanwhile a violent far-right student at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU), one of the largest in the country, has been allowed to get away with absolutely abusive and vile behaviour for several years with next to no reaction from the university
archive.is/2026.02.06-1...
archive.is/2026.02.06-1...
February 6, 2026 at 11:56 AM
Meanwhile a violent far-right student at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU), one of the largest in the country, has been allowed to get away with absolutely abusive and vile behaviour for several years with next to no reaction from the university
archive.is/2026.02.06-1...
archive.is/2026.02.06-1...
But a recurring pattern where each Prime Minister gets trapped in a cliquish intellectual bunker that magnifies bad decision-making and disrupts open channels of dialogue with key aspects of state and society is an indicator of structural dysfunction enabling personal failings.
Johnson's downfall was entirely due to his own failings and choices. Sunak's fate was sealed even before he took office, but even he chose to pursue an agenda that highlighted his government's failure to deliver on its pledges (e.g. the Rwanda scheme) and advantaged opponents.
February 6, 2026 at 12:23 PM
But a recurring pattern where each Prime Minister gets trapped in a cliquish intellectual bunker that magnifies bad decision-making and disrupts open channels of dialogue with key aspects of state and society is an indicator of structural dysfunction enabling personal failings.
ICE and CBP ended up hiring many GWOT vets who couldn't get jobs in more challenging and prestigious law enforcement institutions.
America's imperial boomerang is a kind of Black and Tan effect where ICE/CBP absorb all the worst elements of the GWOT era military with none of its discipline
America's imperial boomerang is a kind of Black and Tan effect where ICE/CBP absorb all the worst elements of the GWOT era military with none of its discipline
Which is to say, I do think there’s something to the imperial boomerang here, but in a more “the shittiest vets join the feds to live out their thwarted fantasies by helping to reinforce the latter’s cargo cult militarization”.
February 6, 2026 at 12:23 PM
ICE and CBP ended up hiring many GWOT vets who couldn't get jobs in more challenging and prestigious law enforcement institutions.
America's imperial boomerang is a kind of Black and Tan effect where ICE/CBP absorb all the worst elements of the GWOT era military with none of its discipline
America's imperial boomerang is a kind of Black and Tan effect where ICE/CBP absorb all the worst elements of the GWOT era military with none of its discipline
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
That said, by the government’s own count, about 1/3 of CBP are in fact veterans, though how they’ve acted suggests that CBP likely draws more from the Hegseth-types who thinks they were too constrained by the actual military / fantasize about “kicking ass” far more than they actually did.
CBP Vets Continue to Serve, Protect America
Securing America's Borders
www.cbp.gov
February 6, 2026 at 3:03 AM
That said, by the government’s own count, about 1/3 of CBP are in fact veterans, though how they’ve acted suggests that CBP likely draws more from the Hegseth-types who thinks they were too constrained by the actual military / fantasize about “kicking ass” far more than they actually did.
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
however I do think there are some smart points to be made about the militarization of police in the u.s., which I think is less a function of boomerang stuff and, more boringly, a function of surplus mil gear being doled out to cops all over america. they want to look like soldiers
February 6, 2026 at 12:31 AM
however I do think there are some smart points to be made about the militarization of police in the u.s., which I think is less a function of boomerang stuff and, more boringly, a function of surplus mil gear being doled out to cops all over america. they want to look like soldiers
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
a lot of ex-mil people on here who served in the gwot have noted, correctly, that the stuff ice is doing would a) have gotten them killed and/or b) gotten them in a lot of trouble. war crimey stuff was correctly treated like war crimes etc
I spoke to @juliango.bsky.social about the imperial boomerang and how US war tactics abroad are being employed at home by ICE
"America’s cities are treated as colonial zones of conquest and imperial borderlands because that’s all ICE knows. If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail"
"America’s cities are treated as colonial zones of conquest and imperial borderlands because that’s all ICE knows. If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail"
The 'Imperial Boomerang' Explains Why We've Seen What ICE Is Doing Before
The boomerang is already in flight in the U.S., a sociologist says.
www.huffpost.com
February 6, 2026 at 12:31 AM
a lot of ex-mil people on here who served in the gwot have noted, correctly, that the stuff ice is doing would a) have gotten them killed and/or b) gotten them in a lot of trouble. war crimey stuff was correctly treated like war crimes etc
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
There’s an interesting perspective from David Runciman here. British politics has gone back to what was common In the interwar period open.spotify.com/episode/27kO...
Is British politics just ungovernable?
open.spotify.com
February 6, 2026 at 11:58 AM
There’s an interesting perspective from David Runciman here. British politics has gone back to what was common In the interwar period open.spotify.com/episode/27kO...
👇🎯
It's why all the leadership speculation - and whether Al Carns(??) can rescue the Labour party - is slightly besides the point. It's not a Starmer problem, it's a UK governance problem.
February 6, 2026 at 11:59 AM
👇🎯
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
Starmer's reported condition - incredibly unpopular, shorn of authority, probably un-reelectable and yet will stagger on for want of an alternative - is just the new normal of how Britain is governed. It was also true for two-thirds of May's premiership, half of Johnson's and all of Sunak's.
February 6, 2026 at 11:36 AM
Starmer's reported condition - incredibly unpopular, shorn of authority, probably un-reelectable and yet will stagger on for want of an alternative - is just the new normal of how Britain is governed. It was also true for two-thirds of May's premiership, half of Johnson's and all of Sunak's.
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
What would the reaction be if this were Russia, or China?
FT exclusive:
“The US state department is set to fund Maga-aligned think-tanks and charities across Europe to disseminate Washington’s policy positions and challenge perceived threats to free speech.”
via @annasophiegross.bsky.social and colleagues
“The US state department is set to fund Maga-aligned think-tanks and charities across Europe to disseminate Washington’s policy positions and challenge perceived threats to free speech.”
via @annasophiegross.bsky.social and colleagues
February 6, 2026 at 8:29 AM
What would the reaction be if this were Russia, or China?
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
Remember the controversy when Obama was accused of intervening in UK politics? This is the current US government openly seeking to undermine liberal democracy in Europe.
February 6, 2026 at 7:14 AM
Remember the controversy when Obama was accused of intervening in UK politics? This is the current US government openly seeking to undermine liberal democracy in Europe.