Casey Michel
@cjcmichel.bsky.social
Dictators are a cowardly and superstitious lot. | Head of Combating Kleptocracy Program at Human Rights Foundation | Author of AMERICAN KLEPTOCRACY and FOREIGN AGENTS | Posts in personal capacity
Pinned
Casey Michel
@cjcmichel.bsky.social
· Oct 21
Now that my beloved Mariners have been bounced from the baseball playoffs, it's time for some good news: my new book cover!
Hot take: the American West isn't understood nearly well enough as a vector in (and cause of) the American War of Independence, War of 1812, *and* Civil War.
November 21, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Hot take: the American West isn't understood nearly well enough as a vector in (and cause of) the American War of Independence, War of 1812, *and* Civil War.
Reposted by Casey Michel
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3) This is getting lost, but this is the Trump administration green-lighting the principle that nuclear powers can now start carving up their neighbors—including those who've given up nukes.
This is all just a recipe for massive nuclear proliferation. (And yet another warning to Canada/Greenland.)
This is all just a recipe for massive nuclear proliferation. (And yet another warning to Canada/Greenland.)
November 21, 2025 at 2:16 PM
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Reposted by Casey Michel
NEW: As Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick drives billions of dollars in foreign payments to help build AI data centers in the US, his sons help run a company earning tens of millions in fees helping finance AI data centers. A NYT investigation. (Free link)
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/u...
Family Affair: Commerce Secretary’s Sons Cash In on A.I. Frenzy
www.nytimes.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:02 PM
NEW: As Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick drives billions of dollars in foreign payments to help build AI data centers in the US, his sons help run a company earning tens of millions in fees helping finance AI data centers. A NYT investigation. (Free link)
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/u...
Reposted by Casey Michel
Counterintuitive take: the more appalling these peace plans are for Ukraine, the better it is for Kyiv as it can say to the Europeans that they need to stand firm.
The new Trump proposal for Ukraine is somehow even worse than the ones before: it would have the US recognize not just Crimea as Russian, but all of Ukraine's occupied territories as Russian.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/19/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/19/w...
November 20, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Counterintuitive take: the more appalling these peace plans are for Ukraine, the better it is for Kyiv as it can say to the Europeans that they need to stand firm.
Reposted by Casey Michel
“Washington and its allies must give up the idea that there is some ultimate cost that would force Putin to retreat. That ship has sailed. As such, a new strategy must be identified.”
@cjcmichel.bsky.social argues trying to persuade Putin is pointless, and containment is the only realistic option.
@cjcmichel.bsky.social argues trying to persuade Putin is pointless, and containment is the only realistic option.
Putin Will Never Compromise on Ukraine
Russia’s president is too committed to his own fantasies to ever accept Ukraine’s independence.
foreignpolicy.com
November 19, 2025 at 1:44 AM
“Washington and its allies must give up the idea that there is some ultimate cost that would force Putin to retreat. That ship has sailed. As such, a new strategy must be identified.”
@cjcmichel.bsky.social argues trying to persuade Putin is pointless, and containment is the only realistic option.
@cjcmichel.bsky.social argues trying to persuade Putin is pointless, and containment is the only realistic option.
The new Trump proposal for Ukraine is somehow even worse than the ones before: it would have the US recognize not just Crimea as Russian, but all of Ukraine's occupied territories as Russian.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/19/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/19/w...
November 20, 2025 at 2:20 PM
The new Trump proposal for Ukraine is somehow even worse than the ones before: it would have the US recognize not just Crimea as Russian, but all of Ukraine's occupied territories as Russian.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/19/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/19/w...
November 17, 2025 at 3:17 PM
I'm as much of a Grant fan as anyone (ahem www.politico.com/news/magazin...), but his bumbling into an attempted third term was absolutely a blunder. (As was all his ignorant loyalty to crooked official after crooked official in his actual presidency.)
November 16, 2025 at 6:30 PM
I'm as much of a Grant fan as anyone (ahem www.politico.com/news/magazin...), but his bumbling into an attempted third term was absolutely a blunder. (As was all his ignorant loyalty to crooked official after crooked official in his actual presidency.)
Jared Kushner has a secret(!) partnership with the Serbian regime, which we've only just learned about: www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Serbia secretly agreed deal with Jared Kushner firm to develop protected Belgrade site
Government established joint venture with Trump’s son-in-law in February 2024 to build hotel, apartments and museum complex
www.theguardian.com
November 15, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Jared Kushner has a secret(!) partnership with the Serbian regime, which we've only just learned about: www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
This statistic says it all:
"The share of Americans who describe themselves as middle class has dropped from 85 per cent a decade ago to 54 per cent."
www.ft.com/content/2805...
"The share of Americans who describe themselves as middle class has dropped from 85 per cent a decade ago to 54 per cent."
www.ft.com/content/2805...
How the American dream turned out to be pay to play
Big brands from Disney to American Express are profiting from economic divisions and making them wider
www.ft.com
November 12, 2025 at 11:39 PM
This statistic says it all:
"The share of Americans who describe themselves as middle class has dropped from 85 per cent a decade ago to 54 per cent."
www.ft.com/content/2805...
"The share of Americans who describe themselves as middle class has dropped from 85 per cent a decade ago to 54 per cent."
www.ft.com/content/2805...
Reposted by Casey Michel
This is essentially the same story told by the Panama Papers of 2016, the Paradise Papers of 2017 & the Pandora Papers of 2020.
Nearly 7TB of data on released on wealthy people, mostly men, doing terrible things at scale & facing no consequences:barely any prosecutions, miniscule # of convictions.
Nearly 7TB of data on released on wealthy people, mostly men, doing terrible things at scale & facing no consequences:barely any prosecutions, miniscule # of convictions.
The Epstein story gets a something that is tearing at the heart of the electorate: elite impunity. The idea that wealthy and powerful people can do terrible things *at scale* and face no consequences for them. Whatever political party actually stops it could rule the country for a generation.
November 12, 2025 at 11:27 PM
This is essentially the same story told by the Panama Papers of 2016, the Paradise Papers of 2017 & the Pandora Papers of 2020.
Nearly 7TB of data on released on wealthy people, mostly men, doing terrible things at scale & facing no consequences:barely any prosecutions, miniscule # of convictions.
Nearly 7TB of data on released on wealthy people, mostly men, doing terrible things at scale & facing no consequences:barely any prosecutions, miniscule # of convictions.
Reposted by Casey Michel
Years after he first invaded Ukraine, it's time to forget the idea that we can ever convince Putin he won't win in Ukraine. It's a strategy destined for failure. (And probably always was.)
It's time to find a new strategy—one that can actually succeed.
My latest:
foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/11/p...
It's time to find a new strategy—one that can actually succeed.
My latest:
foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/11/p...
Putin Will Never Compromise on Ukraine
Russia’s president is too committed to his own fantasies to ever accept Ukraine’s independence.
foreignpolicy.com
November 11, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Years after he first invaded Ukraine, it's time to forget the idea that we can ever convince Putin he won't win in Ukraine. It's a strategy destined for failure. (And probably always was.)
It's time to find a new strategy—one that can actually succeed.
My latest:
foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/11/p...
It's time to find a new strategy—one that can actually succeed.
My latest:
foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/11/p...
Putin will never be convinced he will lose in Ukraine. He can only be outlasted.
My latest for @foreignpolicy.com, calling for a wholesale strategic shift in Ukraine:
foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/11/p...
My latest for @foreignpolicy.com, calling for a wholesale strategic shift in Ukraine:
foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/11/p...
Putin Will Never Compromise on Ukraine
Russia’s president is too committed to his own fantasies to ever accept Ukraine’s independence.
foreignpolicy.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Putin will never be convinced he will lose in Ukraine. He can only be outlasted.
My latest for @foreignpolicy.com, calling for a wholesale strategic shift in Ukraine:
foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/11/p...
My latest for @foreignpolicy.com, calling for a wholesale strategic shift in Ukraine:
foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/11/p...
The Heritage Foundation made employees watch Tucker Carlson’s monologues on Ukraine, "which were rife with conspiracy theories about the war," and "to delete past tweets in support of Ukraine aid"
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
The Crack-Up at the Heritage Foundation Is a Warning Sign for MAGA World
By defending a controversial Tucker Carlson interview, think tank president Kevin Roberts unleashed a flood of discontent in the conservative establishment.
www.wsj.com
November 11, 2025 at 8:47 PM
The Heritage Foundation made employees watch Tucker Carlson’s monologues on Ukraine, "which were rife with conspiracy theories about the war," and "to delete past tweets in support of Ukraine aid"
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Can't believe there aren't more movements on the U.S. mainland to support the elimination of America's colonies.
Statehood, independence, free association—whatever those colonized populations want.
www.wsj.com/world/guam-u...
Statehood, independence, free association—whatever those colonized populations want.
www.wsj.com/world/guam-u...
A Campaign to Make Guam the 51st State Is Gaining Traction
A U.S. military buildup stokes efforts to change the political status of the island in China’s crosshairs.
www.wsj.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Can't believe there aren't more movements on the U.S. mainland to support the elimination of America's colonies.
Statehood, independence, free association—whatever those colonized populations want.
www.wsj.com/world/guam-u...
Statehood, independence, free association—whatever those colonized populations want.
www.wsj.com/world/guam-u...
"In the first half of this year, the Trump Organization’s income soared 17-fold to $864 million from $51 million a year earlier... Of the first-half total, $802 million – more than 90% – came from Trump crypto ventures, including sales of World Liberty tokens." www.reuters.com/investigatio...
Inside the Trump family’s global crypto cash machine
The U.S. president’s family raked in more than $800 million from sales of crypto assets in the first half of 2025 alone, a Reuters examination found, on top of potentially billions more in unrealized “on paper” gains. Much of that cash came from foreign sources as Donald Trump's sons touted their business on an international investor roadshow.
www.reuters.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:43 PM
"In the first half of this year, the Trump Organization’s income soared 17-fold to $864 million from $51 million a year earlier... Of the first-half total, $802 million – more than 90% – came from Trump crypto ventures, including sales of World Liberty tokens." www.reuters.com/investigatio...
Would be great if American officials stopped taking trips to foreign dictatorships that were paid for by those same foreign dictatorships.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/u...
Justice Dept. Is Said to Be Investigating D.C. Mayor Over Foreign Trip
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Would be great if American officials stopped taking trips to foreign dictatorships that were paid for by those same foreign dictatorships.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/u...
No idea why there isn't more analysis of this—Chinese claims on Russian territory, which Russia first thieved from China in the 19th century—in English-language media.
www.wsj.com/opinion/xi-a...
www.wsj.com/opinion/xi-a...
Opinion | Xi Adopts the ‘Putin Doctrine,’ at Russia’s Peril
China seeks to undo the ‘Century of Humiliation’ in which it ceded great territory to Moscow.
www.wsj.com
November 3, 2025 at 8:55 PM
No idea why there isn't more analysis of this—Chinese claims on Russian territory, which Russia first thieved from China in the 19th century—in English-language media.
www.wsj.com/opinion/xi-a...
www.wsj.com/opinion/xi-a...
Wild that the NBA is today tipping off a tournament sponsored by a regime currently inflaming a genocide(!) in Sudan... and that no one is even batting an eye.
October 31, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Wild that the NBA is today tipping off a tournament sponsored by a regime currently inflaming a genocide(!) in Sudan... and that no one is even batting an eye.
Reason #1,000 why it was so myopic to call Trump an "isolationist" (not that any political figure in American history was ever an "isolationist," anyway).
www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-...
www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-...
U.S. poised to strike military targets in Venezuela in escalation against Maduro regime
The Trump Administration has made the decision to attack military installations inside Venezuela and the strikes could come at any moment, sources with knowledge of the situation told the Miami Herald...
www.miamiherald.com
October 31, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Reason #1,000 why it was so myopic to call Trump an "isolationist" (not that any political figure in American history was ever an "isolationist," anyway).
www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-...
www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-...
"A number of Sims creators have announced they are stepping away from the game, and it all has to do with video game company EA announcing its planned $55 billion acquisition by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners." www.teenvogue.com/story/the-si...
The Sims Backlash Explained: Why EA’s Sale News Is Sparking Criticism
We’re here to break it all down for you.
www.teenvogue.com
October 30, 2025 at 12:24 PM
"A number of Sims creators have announced they are stepping away from the game, and it all has to do with video game company EA announcing its planned $55 billion acquisition by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners." www.teenvogue.com/story/the-si...
Putin couldn't do anything when Azerbaijan tore into Karabakh. He couldn't do anything when Assad fell. And now he can't do anything with Maduro suddenly at risk.
Disastrous presidency overseeing a declining regional power.
Disastrous presidency overseeing a declining regional power.
October 30, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Putin couldn't do anything when Azerbaijan tore into Karabakh. He couldn't do anything when Assad fell. And now he can't do anything with Maduro suddenly at risk.
Disastrous presidency overseeing a declining regional power.
Disastrous presidency overseeing a declining regional power.
Of course Paul Manafort has also been working with Dodik's allies in Republika Srpska: www.politico.com/news/magazin...
Inside Paul Manafort’s Comeback
The pardoned political consultant is helping foreign clients — by giving them a MAGA makeover
www.politico.com
October 29, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Of course Paul Manafort has also been working with Dodik's allies in Republika Srpska: www.politico.com/news/magazin...
'Should Beijing attack, 67.8% of the 1,214 people surveyed said they would be "very willing or somewhat willing" to fight in defense of Taiwan' www.dw.com/en/most-taiw...
Most Taiwanese would defend island against China, poll finds – DW – 10/09/2024
More than two-thirds of Taiwanese people would be willing to fight off a Chinese invasion of their island, a new survey found. Just over half of respondents believe that the United States would send i...
www.dw.com
October 29, 2025 at 4:10 PM
'Should Beijing attack, 67.8% of the 1,214 people surveyed said they would be "very willing or somewhat willing" to fight in defense of Taiwan' www.dw.com/en/most-taiw...
Reposted by Casey Michel
As expected, US has lifted sanctions vs. Russian backed Bosnian Serb secessionist Dodik, his entire regime, & their vast commercial holdings. Dodik has spent tens of millions lobbying the US to this effect since 2017. A categorical mistake for US interests in the region but money talks.
October 29, 2025 at 3:22 PM
As expected, US has lifted sanctions vs. Russian backed Bosnian Serb secessionist Dodik, his entire regime, & their vast commercial holdings. Dodik has spent tens of millions lobbying the US to this effect since 2017. A categorical mistake for US interests in the region but money talks.