Robert Farley
banner
drfarls.bsky.social
Robert Farley
@drfarls.bsky.social
Co-founder Lawyers, Guns and Money. Works at Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce at the University of Kentucky
You’ve been kidnapped. The characters from the last TV show you watched are trying to rescue you. Who’s coming to save you?

I have no concerns.
November 25, 2025 at 4:51 PM
yeah they're not forgiving about that around here...
November 25, 2025 at 4:49 PM
There have been... incidents.
November 25, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Reposted by Robert Farley
Third unvaccinated Kentucky baby dies of whooping cough.

Pertussis, best prevented with a vaccine, has killed three Kentucky babies in the last 12 months.

kentuckylantern.com/2025/11/25/t...
Third unvaccinated Kentucky baby dies of whooping cough • Kentucky Lantern
A third unvaccinated infant in Kentucky has died of pertussis as public health officials urge Kentuckians to get vaccinated against the disease.
kentuckylantern.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Reposted by Robert Farley
My chat with the great @timothysnyder.bsky.social on Ukraine and the United States. Was meant to be 30 minutes and ended up going for an hour. open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p/o…
November 25, 2025 at 12:06 AM
that's foreigner talk right there, is what that is.
November 25, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Made the Versailles-Versailles error in a podcast yesterday, which is basically the most horrifying thing that can happen to a University of Kentucky professor.
November 25, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Reposted by Robert Farley
Have you had a chance to watch Netflix's mini-series about President James A. Garfield? I've got some thoughts about one particular scene. 🗃️ open.substack.com/pub/kevinmle...
"Death By Lightning," the GAR, and Black Civil War Veterans
No doubt, many of you have had a chance to watch Netflix’s mini-series Death by Lightning, a dramatization of the life and assassination of President James A.
open.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Reposted by Robert Farley
I'm re-upping our new open access article on why armies shoot their own soldiers in light of recent reports that more than 100 Russian officers have been confirmed as ordering the execution of their own soldiers in more than 12,000 reported incidents

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Fratricidal Coercion in Modern War | International Organization | Cambridge Core
Fratricidal Coercion in Modern War - Volume 79 Issue 1
www.cambridge.org
November 25, 2025 at 2:32 AM
Reposted by Robert Farley
Whenever I get sad, I think back to the 2008 season and fondly remember how Washington football managed to go 0-12.

Suddenly, I'm feeling better because it's never been THAT bad for me.

#hihww
#GoDucks
November 25, 2025 at 3:28 AM
Reposted by Robert Farley
LOL. lmao even.
Billionaire Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, pardoned by Donald Trump, has been accused of facilitating millions of dollars’ worth of payments to Hamas in the wake of its attack on Israel on October 7 2023. Zhao also financed the Trump family's entrance into the cryptocurrency market.
Binance founder Changpeng Zhao accused of facilitating payments to Hamas
Crypto tycoon pardoned by Donald Trump faces US court complaint from families of victims of October 7 attack
www.ft.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:54 AM
Reposted by Robert Farley
I'm glad this highlights a bit of USAID background - Marshall Plan, Bretton Woods, IMF.

Women were involved at high levels in all of it. McCarthyism drove some out, but they were there.

A lot of gutted programs/initiatives were led or implemented by women.

internationalpolicy.org/publications...
DOGE’s Gutting Of USAID Weakened Disaster Response - CIP
For over 30 years, USAID had a leading role is disaster response for the United States, a capacity shattered when it was shut down.
internationalpolicy.org
November 25, 2025 at 1:11 AM
Fifteen Years xkcd.com/3172/
Fifteen Years
xkcd.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Matt Stoller is a Fucking Idiot Umpteenth Edition
Matt Stoller: “..Trump & Mamdani defeated establishment in their own way, representing hunger of voters on the right & left who want something different. If those sides cd come together.. that would be a sea change in how we organize our political economy”.

www.thebignewsletter.com/p/monopoly-r...
Monopoly Round-Up: Why the Establishment Freaked Out Over a Mamdani-Trump Press Conference
Meta wins its antitrust case, there are now two fire truck antitrust claims, the stock market got wobbly, and Larry Summers was exiled from the establishment, at least for now.
www.thebignewsletter.com
November 24, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Fraternization and Survival During WWII shows.acast.com/eurasian-kno...
Fraternization and Survival During WWII | The Eurasian Knot
shows.acast.com
November 24, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Reposted by Robert Farley
Recently back from Ukraine, Michael Kofman and Rob Lee explore how drones, tactics, and frontline pressures have evolved since their last visit in July and where the Russo-Ukrainian War may be heading in 2026. (Members Only)

Listen here: warontherocks.com/ep...
November 24, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Count the number of stories about the US invading Venezuela and then count the number of stories about the Russia peace "deal" if you want to understand what "Restraint" means to Quincy responsiblestatecraft.org
Responsible Statecraft
Responsible Statecraft is the online magazine of the Quincy Institute, providing independent news and analysis on the intersection of foreign policy restraint, national security, and democracy. Learn ...
responsiblestatecraft.org
November 24, 2025 at 4:20 PM
In my case I know it's 3 because of... Loomis! Who e-mailed with Chomsky!

But I'm close to 100% sure that I have other pathways... I've e-mailed directly with Ezra Klein, Matt Yglesias, Dan Drezner, Robert Wright, Glenn Greenwald, etc.
November 24, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Reposted by Robert Farley
It’s like the people behind the Fyre Festival decided to throw a little war
Really looks like the United States is about to launch a regime change war against Venezuela with:

-No casus belli
-No authorization from Congress
-No allies or international support
-No plan for a post-Maduro Venezuela
-No preparation for any sort of stabilization or containment of the fallout
November 24, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Eh... twenty years is a lot of emails and I wouldn't be surprised if my number was 2.
November 24, 2025 at 3:58 PM
I would guess that my Epstein Separation Number is 3; I have definitely corresponded with people who have corresponded with people who are in the emails. It could conceivably be 2, but I can't think of any good candidates. www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2025/11/degr...
Degrees of separation - Lawyers, Guns & Money
Andrew Gelman has an amusing-disturbing post on calculating an Erdos-Bacon-Epstein number, which is the kind quasi-autistic rabbit hole that I enjoy going down, though your mileage may vary. I have an...
www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Reposted by Robert Farley
Builders, policymakers, investors, and operators: this is your arena. Follow @Cogs0fWar to join the conversation on the future of defense innovation.
Cogs of War
Our dedicated vertical on defense tech & industry, brought to you by an epic partnership between War on the Rocks & Booz Allen Hamilton. National security is inextricably linked to technological prowess, talent, and industrial capacity. We aim to leverage deep expertise and thought leadership to foster the most substantive, impactful conversation possible.
warontherocks.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Reposted by Robert Farley
Science Fiction and Innovation in Space

In this episode of Space Minds, Senior Staff Writer Jeff Foust moderates a panel at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center, the next installment of the Center’s Discovery Series.
Science Fiction and Innovation in Space
In this episode of Space Minds, Senior Staff Writer Jeff Foust moderates a panel at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center, the next installment of the Center’s Discovery Series.
spacenews.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:37 PM