Brian Finucane
@bcfinucane.bsky.social
Senior Adviser, US Program, International Crisis Group. Editor at Just Security. Non-Resident Senior Fellow at Reiss Center on Law and Security at NYU Law. Ex State Dept Lawyer. War Powers| Use of Force| Counterterrorism| Law of War| War Crimes| Arms Sales
Pinned
Upending the International Order
Through both word and deed, President Trump has been aggressively undermining the rule of law internationally.
www.justsecurity.org
As I wrote last spring:
"In short, the United States behaving as a predatory hegemon unconstrained by the UN Charter and threatening other states with territorial conquest...may spur more countries to acquire their own atomic insurance policies."
www.justsecurity.org/109537/upend...
"In short, the United States behaving as a predatory hegemon unconstrained by the UN Charter and threatening other states with territorial conquest...may spur more countries to acquire their own atomic insurance policies."
www.justsecurity.org/109537/upend...
Conditions: cold and clear
February 18, 2026 at 10:02 AM
Conditions: cold and clear
Woke up to the sounds of avalanche control detonations yesterday.
Be careful out there playing in the snow.
Be careful out there playing in the snow.
Breaking News: At least 10 skiers were missing after an avalanche near Lake Tahoe in California, the authorities said.
10 Skiers Missing in Avalanche as Storms Slam California
Search efforts were underway on Tuesday afternoon after heavy snow caused an avalanche in the Sierra Nevada, the authorities said.
nyti.ms
February 18, 2026 at 7:08 AM
Woke up to the sounds of avalanche control detonations yesterday.
Be careful out there playing in the snow.
Be careful out there playing in the snow.
Turns out Rubio’s ideological crusade, Trump’s military spectacle, and the performative killing spree at sea are pricey.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Trump's Caribbean Surge Nears $3 Billion Price Tag So Far
The operations around Venezuela that eventually led to the capture of its president pulled in nearly a fifth of the US Navy’s surface fleet at a cost of more than $20 million a day.
www.bloomberg.com
February 18, 2026 at 6:10 AM
Turns out Rubio’s ideological crusade, Trump’s military spectacle, and the performative killing spree at sea are pricey.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Brian Finucane
Hi Brian — I'm Nick's co-author on this piece. Your framing on the survivor question crystallized something we'd been seeing in the data.
Airwars also published a methodology companion piece on the open source flight tracking work behind the investigation.
airwars.org/how-flight-t...
Airwars also published a methodology companion piece on the open source flight tracking work behind the investigation.
airwars.org/how-flight-t...
How flight tracking data explains failed maritime rescue efforts
How 'Twitter randos' proved false claims of
airwars.org
February 17, 2026 at 11:15 PM
Hi Brian — I'm Nick's co-author on this piece. Your framing on the survivor question crystallized something we'd been seeing in the data.
Airwars also published a methodology companion piece on the open source flight tracking work behind the investigation.
airwars.org/how-flight-t...
Airwars also published a methodology companion piece on the open source flight tracking work behind the investigation.
airwars.org/how-flight-t...
What are the administration’s China hawks up to these days?
It's unacceptable for Trump to run America's Taiwan policy or arms sales decisions by Beijing for preclearance.
bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-17/trump-says-he-ll-soon-make-decision-on-weapon-sales-to-taiwan?utm_source=website&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=email
bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-17/trump-says-he-ll-soon-make-decision-on-weapon-sales-to-taiwan?utm_source=website&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=email
Trump Says He’ll Soon Make Decision on Weapon Sales to Taiwan
President Donald Trump said that he’s discussing future weapons sales to Taiwan with Chinese President Xi Jinping and teased that he would soon make a decision about future defense support for the sel...
bloomberg.com
February 17, 2026 at 9:56 PM
What are the administration’s China hawks up to these days?
Reposted by Brian Finucane
Pleased to speak to @nickturse.bsky.social about USG rescue efforts for the survivors of boat strikes.
“It does not appear as if they were eager to rescue additional survivors and then be faced with the question of ‘what do we do with them?’”
“It does not appear as if they were eager to rescue additional survivors and then be faced with the question of ‘what do we do with them?’”
EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Sent a Rescue Plane for Boat Strike Survivors. It Took 45 Hours to Arrive.
In seas that could kill a person within an hour, it took nearly two days for a rescue plane to arrive.
New from @airwars.bsky.social and @theintercept.com
theintercept.com/2026/02/17/b...
In seas that could kill a person within an hour, it took nearly two days for a rescue plane to arrive.
New from @airwars.bsky.social and @theintercept.com
theintercept.com/2026/02/17/b...
U.S. Sent a Rescue Plane for Boat Strike Survivors. It Took 45 Hours to Arrive.
In seas that could kill a person within an hour, it took nearly two days for a rescue plane to arrive.
theintercept.com
February 17, 2026 at 2:48 PM
Pleased to speak to @nickturse.bsky.social about USG rescue efforts for the survivors of boat strikes.
“It does not appear as if they were eager to rescue additional survivors and then be faced with the question of ‘what do we do with them?’”
“It does not appear as if they were eager to rescue additional survivors and then be faced with the question of ‘what do we do with them?’”
Anatole France but seemingly seriously.
Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on tariffs: "It's not regressive. Most consumption in America is done by the wealthiest people. So the idea it's somehow regressive is just wrong."
February 17, 2026 at 7:07 PM
Anatole France but seemingly seriously.
Reposted by Brian Finucane
We have a term for premeditated killing outside out of armed conflict.
That term is murder.
That term is murder.
October 5, 2025 at 3:26 AM
We have a term for premeditated killing outside out of armed conflict.
That term is murder.
That term is murder.
The Trump administration’s lawless killing spree continues with three more maritime strikes—two in the Pacific and one in the Caribbean.
11 more people reportedly killed.
No amount of terrorism talk renders this slaughter lawful.
11 more people reportedly killed.
No amount of terrorism talk renders this slaughter lawful.
February 17, 2026 at 4:29 PM
The Trump administration’s lawless killing spree continues with three more maritime strikes—two in the Pacific and one in the Caribbean.
11 more people reportedly killed.
No amount of terrorism talk renders this slaughter lawful.
11 more people reportedly killed.
No amount of terrorism talk renders this slaughter lawful.
Pleased to speak to @nickturse.bsky.social about USG rescue efforts for the survivors of boat strikes.
“It does not appear as if they were eager to rescue additional survivors and then be faced with the question of ‘what do we do with them?’”
“It does not appear as if they were eager to rescue additional survivors and then be faced with the question of ‘what do we do with them?’”
EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Sent a Rescue Plane for Boat Strike Survivors. It Took 45 Hours to Arrive.
In seas that could kill a person within an hour, it took nearly two days for a rescue plane to arrive.
New from @airwars.bsky.social and @theintercept.com
theintercept.com/2026/02/17/b...
In seas that could kill a person within an hour, it took nearly two days for a rescue plane to arrive.
New from @airwars.bsky.social and @theintercept.com
theintercept.com/2026/02/17/b...
U.S. Sent a Rescue Plane for Boat Strike Survivors. It Took 45 Hours to Arrive.
In seas that could kill a person within an hour, it took nearly two days for a rescue plane to arrive.
theintercept.com
February 17, 2026 at 2:48 PM
Pleased to speak to @nickturse.bsky.social about USG rescue efforts for the survivors of boat strikes.
“It does not appear as if they were eager to rescue additional survivors and then be faced with the question of ‘what do we do with them?’”
“It does not appear as if they were eager to rescue additional survivors and then be faced with the question of ‘what do we do with them?’”
Today’s edition of the Article I Crisis.
BORIS SANCHEZ: You had administration officials suggesting Pretti was brandishing a weapon, and we all saw that wasn't the case. Are you willing to just blindly trust the work of ICE without judicial oversight?
REP. MARK ALFORD: Look, I trust what Homan, DHS, Noem, and President Trump are doing
REP. MARK ALFORD: Look, I trust what Homan, DHS, Noem, and President Trump are doing
February 16, 2026 at 7:46 PM
Today’s edition of the Article I Crisis.
Time for a rewatch of Lonesome Dove.
February 16, 2026 at 7:04 PM
Time for a rewatch of Lonesome Dove.
The essence of the Big Lie
Ossoff: "Among today's false prophets are the election deniers who indulge this president's obsession with overturning the 2020 election. Hear me when I say this -- they tell a lie so absurd, and therefore so debasing, that the act of telling it proves the teller's total and humiliating submission."
February 16, 2026 at 5:40 PM
The essence of the Big Lie
Reposted by Brian Finucane
"The Constitution vests the power of declaring War with Congress, therefore no offensive expedition of importance can be undertaken until after they shall have deliberated upon the subject, and authorized such a measure."
What quaint notions that George Washington fellow had.
What quaint notions that George Washington fellow had.
February 2, 2026 at 7:16 PM
"The Constitution vests the power of declaring War with Congress, therefore no offensive expedition of importance can be undertaken until after they shall have deliberated upon the subject, and authorized such a measure."
What quaint notions that George Washington fellow had.
What quaint notions that George Washington fellow had.
Powder and poor visibility
February 16, 2026 at 10:11 AM
Powder and poor visibility
Dropping three-year-old off at ski school:
“Daddy, I’m going to ski faster than you.”
“Daddy, I’m going to ski faster than you.”
February 16, 2026 at 8:45 AM
Dropping three-year-old off at ski school:
“Daddy, I’m going to ski faster than you.”
“Daddy, I’m going to ski faster than you.”
Hard-boiled war powers dialogue for the day.
February 16, 2026 at 7:02 AM
Hard-boiled war powers dialogue for the day.
Contempt for the rule of law is a constant with POTUS—as illustrated at other times by his sanctions on ICC personnel and his approach to arms sales to Israel.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/15/w...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/15/w...
Trump’s Stinging Attack on Israel’s President Touches a Nerve
www.nytimes.com
February 16, 2026 at 6:30 AM
Contempt for the rule of law is a constant with POTUS—as illustrated at other times by his sanctions on ICC personnel and his approach to arms sales to Israel.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/15/w...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/15/w...
Threatening annexation against a NATO ally can be a little disruptive and distracting it turns out.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/15/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/15/u...
In Munich, Lawmakers Concede Scars Remain After Trump’s Greenland Threat
www.nytimes.com
February 15, 2026 at 10:39 PM
Threatening annexation against a NATO ally can be a little disruptive and distracting it turns out.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/15/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/15/u...
Reposted by Brian Finucane
“In less than a year, DHS has attacked the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 14th amendments to the US Constitution, the writ of habeas corpus, the independent judiciary, and much more,” states David Bier before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee.
Read full testimony: https://ow.ly/z2aT50Yfcri
Read full testimony: https://ow.ly/z2aT50Yfcri
February 13, 2026 at 8:03 PM
“In less than a year, DHS has attacked the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 14th amendments to the US Constitution, the writ of habeas corpus, the independent judiciary, and much more,” states David Bier before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee.
Read full testimony: https://ow.ly/z2aT50Yfcri
Read full testimony: https://ow.ly/z2aT50Yfcri
Carefully inspecting with a headlamp all the dark corners of the ski chalet to reassure my kindergartener that there are no “vampire bats or brontosaurus” lurking there.
February 15, 2026 at 7:25 PM
Carefully inspecting with a headlamp all the dark corners of the ski chalet to reassure my kindergartener that there are no “vampire bats or brontosaurus” lurking there.
President of Peace
Trump told Netanyahu he would support Israeli strikes on Iran's ballistic missile program, sources say www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-n...
Trump told Netanyahu he would support Israeli strikes on Iran's ballistic missile program, sources say
President Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in December at Mar-a-Lago with Mr. Trump saying the U.S. would support strikes if no deal was made with Iran.
www.cbsnews.com
February 15, 2026 at 6:37 PM
President of Peace
Reposted by Brian Finucane
This El Paso mess could have been avoided with a properly functioning NSC and a properly functioning interagency lawyers group to resolve the legal disagreement (getting OLC to adjudicate if necessary).
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/14/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/14/u...
www.nytimes.com
February 14, 2026 at 11:46 AM
This El Paso mess could have been avoided with a properly functioning NSC and a properly functioning interagency lawyers group to resolve the legal disagreement (getting OLC to adjudicate if necessary).
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/14/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/14/u...
Getting back into the swing of things
February 15, 2026 at 3:18 PM
Getting back into the swing of things