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Gerard Toal

@critgeopolitics.bsky.social

4.5K followers 760 following 580 posts

Irish born political geographer, DC resident, & SPIA Virginia Tech (Arlington) Prof. Researching territorial conflicts & the geopolitics-climate nexus. Sic Semper Tyrannis.

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Gerard Toal is Professor of Government and International Affairs at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Source: Wikipedia

Political science 68%

Sociology 14%

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Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · Aug 20

Eyeballs on the frenetic 24/7 Trump show as the world burns.

"Understanding the present requires us to think critically about time, about what timelines are dominant, and what issues are prioritized or ignored as a consequence."

canadiandimension.com/articles/vie...

Summertime in the age of upheaval

The aging leaders now ruling in Washington and Moscow have abandoned their responsibility to future generations. They are enthralled to their own visions of restoring past glory. They are men whose ti...

canadiandimension.com

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Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 4h

Ireland has come a long way since the Troubles but the Northern Ireland question is still difficult.

Humphreys would be a great representative of Ireland, an embodiment of a post sectarian society. We’re not there yet but she could help move us forward.

That’s why I hope she wins.

👇

Olivia O'Leary: Heather Humphreys would bring this one vital quality to the role of president

The problem is, judging by her performance in this week’s television debate, she doesn’t believe in herself

www.irishtimes.com

Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 4h

The occasion was the opening of a new sports facility at the local Gaelic Athletic Association field in my home village. She spoke some Irish and did a terrific job in recognizing history and importance of the club to the community, which was historically nationalist.

Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 4h

She proved to be an excellent politician over the years.

She has a common touch. When I met her, she knew the names of the local leaders and greeted them like they were old friends. They likely were.

Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 4h

The peace process in Northern Ireland made a significant difference in the Ulster border region.

One possibility was that Protestants could be politically active again in Monaghan without overt sectarianism.

Humphreys ran for office and won.

Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 4h

The 1970s in the borderland were tense, with the Troubles raging in Northern Ireland.

One awful event was the murder of a popular local politician called Billy Fox by the IRA because he was a Protestant.

Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 4h

While I have met her, and we’ve the same age, I don’t know her.

But I do know the place and culture she grew up in.

She was born in a small village called Drum, in County Monaghan, in borderland Ulster.

It’s a Protestant village in a majority Catholic county.

She’s Presbyterian.

Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 4h

There’s an Irish Presidential election on October 25th.

One of the candidates is Heather Humphreys (pictured).

She’s the center right candidate.

I hope she wins.

Why?

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Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 1d

I'll be participating in this, with a great ideological mix of folks (as it should be). You can still sign up to attend.

Post-liberalism.org @post-liberalism.bsky.social · 10d

Join us on October 20 for a conference gathering scholars and thinkers to explore the contours of the emerging postliberal imagination. You will not want to miss it!

RSVP here: tinyurl.com/sbfht482

Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 1d

Great paper. There’s a tension between the concept of organized callousness as dispassionate warfare, the ideological justifications for the war which are existential, and the passionate micro-solidarities of the organizations involved.

Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 1d

A truth telling center - the Nobel Peace Center building in Oslo - in a world of geopolitical nonsense?

I hope so.

Reposted by Gerard Toal

Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 2d

We have a fantastic new essay on China’s new climate pledge by @jeremywallace.bsky.social at @heatmap.news this morning. He argues the country’s indecision about its green future is more than just an environmental disappointment — it is a serious governing mistake.

heatmap.news/ideas/china-...

China Can’t Decide if It Wants to Be the World’s First “Electrostate”

The country’s underwhelming new climate pledge is more than just bad news for the world — it reveals a serious governing mistake.

heatmap.news

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Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 8d

America's difficulty is China's opportunity.

www.noemamag.com/trumps-clima...

Trump’s Climate Denial Is A Gift To China | NOEMA

Far from making America great again, the Trump regime’s climate denial could enable China to assume the mantle of global economic leadership — a devastating blow to democracy.

www.noemamag.com

Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 9d

"There's a case to be made that Beijing missed a trick in landing a more ambitious goal as it would have won broad global praise - a stark contrast to the US"

bbc.com/news/article...

China makes landmark pledge to cut its climate emissions

It is China's first firm goal to reduce emissions but falls well short of what is needed to meet global targets.

bbc.com

Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 10d

I think Monica's analysis is sound but perhaps it understates the truly frightening dimension of what happened today.

Trump wants to repurpose the military into a Praetorian Guard that will purify the nation & suppress civil resistance to his rule.

Really want to be wrong about this.

Reposted by Simon Dalby

Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 10d

Wreckless militarism... (and imho hysterical masculinity).

theconversation.com/warrior-etho...

‘Warrior ethos’ mistakes military might for true security − and ignores the wisdom of Eisenhower

As hundreds of military brass descend on a base in Virginia to be addressed by Pete Hegseth, his newly bestowed title is ‘Secretary of War.’ That means something.

theconversation.com

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Reposted by Gerard Toal

Post-liberalism.org @post-liberalism.bsky.social · 10d

Join us on October 20 for a conference gathering scholars and thinkers to explore the contours of the emerging postliberal imagination. You will not want to miss it!

RSVP here: tinyurl.com/sbfht482

1 1

Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 11d

And this research will be published eventually in the next decade or so.

Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 11d

It doesn't mean they were pro-Russia but instead that there was a gap between where they stood (4) and where they perceived the country (2.5) on a West-Russia 0-10 spectrum.

2024 survey was an aggregate finding & didn't include diaspora.

Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 11d

My research with colleagues on shifting geopolitical orientations in Russia's near abroad found that Moldova uniquely had citizens who evaluated themselves as less pro-West than how they evaluated the country's current position (implicitly the government).

theconversation.com/moldova-pro-...

Moldova: pro-EU party wins majority in election dominated by Russian interference

The Moldovan election result will be noted with significant relief not only in Chișinău, but also in other European capitals.

theconversation.com

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Reposted by Steve Peers, Gerard Toal, Christina Pagel

James Ball @jamesrball.com · 11d

Something under-discussed as Donald Trump and the White House rail against George Soros and promise to crack down on OSF (Open Society Foundations) – Soros himself no longer runs it, and in reality the OSF itself has been in something close to crisis for years. Short thread:

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Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 12d

An important win.

Building a sphere of influence by pulverizing neighboring states doesn't play well elsewhere.

bbc.com/news/article...

Moldova's pro-EU party wins vote mired in claims of Russian interference

The election was seen as critical for Moldova's EU path, and President Maia Sandu warned the country's future was in danger.

bbc.com

Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 16d

Lots of Americans on the Trinity tour I took with my daughter this summer.

Best way for Ireland to build soft power is to construct more student accommodation and create a new Atlantic University in the West. Do it!

The Irish Times @irishtimes.com · 16d

Trinity provost links rise in applications from US students to altered political landscape

Ireland has ‘greatest academic freedom at the moment’ and ‘bright, curious people’ are coming, says Linda Doyle

www.irishtimes.com

Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 16d

Europe is in a moment of runaway geopoliticization. There are clear dangers in this, from misattribution to empowering private attention enterpreneurs to feel they can become geopolitical actors.

Hybrid warfare is a dangerously loose concept.

Yet not completely wrong...

bbc.com/news/article...

Drone attacks leave Denmark exposed - and searching for response

In an era of hybrid warfare, there is a sense of embarrassment that Denmark's critical infrastructure has become vulnerable.

bbc.com

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Reposted by Gerard Toal

The Irish Times @irishtimes.com · 16d

Trinity provost links rise in applications from US students to altered political landscape

Ireland has ‘greatest academic freedom at the moment’ and ‘bright, curious people’ are coming, says Linda Doyle

www.irishtimes.com

Reposted by Gerard Toal

Juliet J. Fall @julietjfall.bsky.social · 16d

Book recommendation!

Cover of book called “In the name of women’s rights” by Sara Farris

Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 17d

Sounds like he's throwing out the Oval Office map, giving up on adding this to his fantasy Nobel CV, and saying fight it out while I watch from the sidelines.

But what's the new map?
- "the original borders from where this War started"?
- Ukraine "in its original form"
- "further than that!"
🤦

The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 17d

Well this is something.

Trump: "I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form."

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Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 17d

Climate change prompts a meta accusation/confession.

Reposted by David R. Miller, Jacob T. Levy, Gerard Toal

The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 17d

Well this is something.

Trump: "I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form."

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Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 18d

Perhaps more consequential is Trump admin's seeming acquiescence in Ukraine targeting Russian refining infrastructure, something Biden's admin was concerned about for self-serving domestic reasons.

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Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 18d

Yeah but it also part of his 'blame-the-EU' shtick.

The biggest offenders are his fans: Hungary and Slovakia.

Will he put pressure on them?

No chance.

Russia laughs.