Brian Finucane
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bcfinucane.bsky.social
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
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...
Upending the International Order
Through both word and deed, President Trump has been aggressively undermining the rule of law internationally.
www.justsecurity.org
Reposted by Brian Finucane
Yesterday we learned that the Department of Justice is monitoring and tracking members of Congress’s searches of the Epstein files. There’s no sugar coating it: the administration is spying on lawmakers as they exercise their constitutional oversight responsibilities. 1/10
February 12, 2026 at 6:56 PM
When politics dictates the science
February 12, 2026 at 7:45 PM
all about the content
February 12, 2026 at 5:46 PM
👀
JUST IN: Judge BOASBERG has ordered the Trump administration to facilitate the return of Venezuelan men illegally deported under the Alien Enemies Act and who are currently in countries other than Venezuela.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
February 12, 2026 at 4:27 PM
Reminded of a journalist asking me after Trump confirmed the existence of a new covert action finding for Venezuela whether it was normal for the US President to publicly discuss such matters.

"No, that's not normal." 3/n
February 12, 2026 at 4:24 PM
how times change
February 12, 2026 at 4:19 PM
I read this as the administration boasting through authorized disclosures about covert action.

Query whether bragging about the role of the US government here is helpful to protesters in Iran.

There might have been a reason to keep this covert. 2/n
February 12, 2026 at 4:12 PM
🧵

"The Trump administration covertly sent thousands of Starlink terminals into Iran after the regime’s brutal crackdown on demonstrations last month, U.S. officials said, an effort to keep dissidents online following Tehran’s stifling of internet access." 1/n

www.wsj.com/world/middle...
Exclusive | U.S. Smuggled Thousands of Starlink Terminals Into Iran After Protest Crackdown
The Trump administration covertly sent terminals into Iran in an effort to keep dissidents online following Tehran’s stifling of internet access.
www.wsj.com
February 12, 2026 at 4:12 PM
Fantastic military operations the US government is enabling here.

www.wsj.com/world/middle...
Israeli Soldiers Accused of Using Polymarket to Bet on Strikes
The country’s internal security agency indicted a reservist and a civilian for security offenses, bribery and obstruction of justice in connection with the bets.
www.wsj.com
February 12, 2026 at 3:58 PM
US Senator apparently unsure about this whole Bill of Rights thing.
RON JOHNSON: Did you ever encourage people to go out there and exercise their First Amendment rights?

KEITH ELLISON: I freely admit being in favor of the First Amendment
February 12, 2026 at 3:25 PM
ugh
February 12, 2026 at 3:04 PM
My take is that DHS does not yet have the manpower to conduct multiple assaults on US cities of this scale at the same time. Hence, they are conducting them serially.

Will be interested if that changes with ICE surging recruiting.

Welcome other thoughts.
February 12, 2026 at 2:39 PM
So, taking the caravan of domestic political repression back on the road.
Homan: "Operation Metro Surge is ending. In the next week, we're going to deploy the officers here on detail back to their home stations or to other areas of the country where they're needed."
February 12, 2026 at 2:31 PM
My "we're not disappearing people and denying people their civil rights" T-shirt has people asking a lot of questions already answered by my shirt.
Homan: "ICE is a legitimate federal law enforcement agency. We're not out scouring the streets to disappear people or deny people their civil rights or due process."
February 12, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Given news that US forces will (finally) withdraw from al-Tanf garrison in Syria, reposting my @foreignaffairs.com essay from 2022 on how multiple US administrations played games with the law to conduct military operations in that country.

www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/syr...
An Unauthorized War
The list of adversaries U.S. forces are fighting in Syria raises questions about the underlying legal rationales for the U.S. deployment.
www.foreignaffairs.com
February 12, 2026 at 2:26 PM
Righteous
February 12, 2026 at 5:27 AM
There were comprehensive proposals to deal with the national emergencies and WPR problems.

Worth reviving both of them.
February 12, 2026 at 5:26 AM
Yup. Worked on the Demjanjuk case.
February 12, 2026 at 3:20 AM
Glad to hear GTFO Al Tanf may have finally carried the day.
February 12, 2026 at 3:19 AM
Saw the first and last in the theater. Both fantastic.
February 12, 2026 at 3:12 AM
Been thinking about vows of accountability by the Allies long before Nuremberg.
February 12, 2026 at 3:02 AM
Hopefully this will inspire serious congressional action on national emergencies reform down the road (eg sunsets).
February 12, 2026 at 2:59 AM
How do you enforce/reinforce the law?

Impose consequences for violating it.

Time to start thinking creatively about accountability.
February 12, 2026 at 2:54 AM