Emily Couch (Куч, не 🛋️)
@emilycouchuk.bsky.social
Human rights & democracy in Europe & Eurasia | Anti-racism, decolonisation | 🖊️ in Foreign Policy, The Moscow Times, Index on Censorship &c | Views mine
In my 1st blog post for the McCain Institute, I offer my 2 cents on the Energoatom corruption scandal.
Framing it as representing the weakness of Ukrainian democracy misses the point & disregards 🇺🇦 society’s unshakeable commitment to democratic principles.
www.mccaininstitute.org/resources/bl...
Framing it as representing the weakness of Ukrainian democracy misses the point & disregards 🇺🇦 society’s unshakeable commitment to democratic principles.
www.mccaininstitute.org/resources/bl...
Don't Get Sucked into Putin's Ukraine Corruption Propaganda - McCain Institute
McCain Institute Global Democracy Program Coordinator Emily Couch addresses Russia’s attempt to weaponize Ukraine’s latest anti-corruption scandal to undermine Western support.
www.mccaininstitute.org
December 15, 2025 at 11:48 PM
In my 1st blog post for the McCain Institute, I offer my 2 cents on the Energoatom corruption scandal.
Framing it as representing the weakness of Ukrainian democracy misses the point & disregards 🇺🇦 society’s unshakeable commitment to democratic principles.
www.mccaininstitute.org/resources/bl...
Framing it as representing the weakness of Ukrainian democracy misses the point & disregards 🇺🇦 society’s unshakeable commitment to democratic principles.
www.mccaininstitute.org/resources/bl...
Due to life upheavals, a *very* belated plug for my latest @indexoncensorship.org article
Inspired by a powerful exhibition entitled “Women’s Labour” that I had the good fortune of seeing in Almaty, it takes stock of 🇰🇿‘s feminist movements 1+ year on from the Bishimbayev case
1/
Inspired by a powerful exhibition entitled “Women’s Labour” that I had the good fortune of seeing in Almaty, it takes stock of 🇰🇿‘s feminist movements 1+ year on from the Bishimbayev case
1/
November 22, 2025 at 2:21 AM
Due to life upheavals, a *very* belated plug for my latest @indexoncensorship.org article
Inspired by a powerful exhibition entitled “Women’s Labour” that I had the good fortune of seeing in Almaty, it takes stock of 🇰🇿‘s feminist movements 1+ year on from the Bishimbayev case
1/
Inspired by a powerful exhibition entitled “Women’s Labour” that I had the good fortune of seeing in Almaty, it takes stock of 🇰🇿‘s feminist movements 1+ year on from the Bishimbayev case
1/
My era of gainful unemployment is finally over:
Next week I’ll be joining The McCain Institute as the Program Coordinator for their Global Democracy team 🌍
In this new role, I’ll be focusing on frontline democracies, including Ukraine 🇺🇦
1/
Next week I’ll be joining The McCain Institute as the Program Coordinator for their Global Democracy team 🌍
In this new role, I’ll be focusing on frontline democracies, including Ukraine 🇺🇦
1/
November 5, 2025 at 2:32 AM
My era of gainful unemployment is finally over:
Next week I’ll be joining The McCain Institute as the Program Coordinator for their Global Democracy team 🌍
In this new role, I’ll be focusing on frontline democracies, including Ukraine 🇺🇦
1/
Next week I’ll be joining The McCain Institute as the Program Coordinator for their Global Democracy team 🌍
In this new role, I’ll be focusing on frontline democracies, including Ukraine 🇺🇦
1/
Nothing makes me feel safe and warm as a British woman of colour than arriving in a town that’s covered in England flags and St George’s cross graffiti (it’s on the zebra crossings ffs)
September 14, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Nothing makes me feel safe and warm as a British woman of colour than arriving in a town that’s covered in England flags and St George’s cross graffiti (it’s on the zebra crossings ffs)
Love to see the Ukrainian flag flying proudly over Whitehall 💙💛
(This was just one of several)
(This was just one of several)
September 1, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Love to see the Ukrainian flag flying proudly over Whitehall 💙💛
(This was just one of several)
(This was just one of several)
What’s happening in Alaska today will generate endless op-Eds, hot takes, and media comments but there’s really only so many ways to say “this is morally repugnant and a betrayal of Ukraine”
August 15, 2025 at 9:44 PM
What’s happening in Alaska today will generate endless op-Eds, hot takes, and media comments but there’s really only so many ways to say “this is morally repugnant and a betrayal of Ukraine”
Reposted by Emily Couch (Куч, не 🛋️)
Including features from @rebeccalroot.bsky.social, @kayagenc.bsky.social, @emilycouchuk.bsky.social,
@martinbright.bsky.social, @nikwilliams.bsky.social, @katiedd.bsky.social, and many others.
@martinbright.bsky.social, @nikwilliams.bsky.social, @katiedd.bsky.social, and many others.
July 31, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Including features from @rebeccalroot.bsky.social, @kayagenc.bsky.social, @emilycouchuk.bsky.social,
@martinbright.bsky.social, @nikwilliams.bsky.social, @katiedd.bsky.social, and many others.
@martinbright.bsky.social, @nikwilliams.bsky.social, @katiedd.bsky.social, and many others.
Reposted by Emily Couch (Куч, не 🛋️)
For a limited time only, our new magazine issue, Land of the Free? is free to access! In it, we explore how #Trump's administration is impacting free speech in the #US & beyond. Explore: journals.sagepub.com/toc/IOC/curr...
July 31, 2025 at 9:18 AM
For a limited time only, our new magazine issue, Land of the Free? is free to access! In it, we explore how #Trump's administration is impacting free speech in the #US & beyond. Explore: journals.sagepub.com/toc/IOC/curr...
Reposted by Emily Couch (Куч, не 🛋️)
In my latest for @ForeignPolicy , I asked Ukrainians what they make of Americans’ seeming inability to effectively protest rising authoritarianism, & ask what the latter can learn from Ukraine’s impressive history of mass movements 🇺🇦
foreignpolicy.com/2025/07/28/u...
foreignpolicy.com/2025/07/28/u...
Ukrainians Wonder When Americans Will Hit the Streets
Mass protests have often transformed Ukraine—but rarely the United States.
foreignpolicy.com
July 30, 2025 at 4:58 AM
In my latest for @ForeignPolicy , I asked Ukrainians what they make of Americans’ seeming inability to effectively protest rising authoritarianism, & ask what the latter can learn from Ukraine’s impressive history of mass movements 🇺🇦
foreignpolicy.com/2025/07/28/u...
foreignpolicy.com/2025/07/28/u...
In my latest for @ForeignPolicy , I asked Ukrainians what they make of Americans’ seeming inability to effectively protest rising authoritarianism, & ask what the latter can learn from Ukraine’s impressive history of mass movements 🇺🇦
foreignpolicy.com/2025/07/28/u...
foreignpolicy.com/2025/07/28/u...
Ukrainians Wonder When Americans Will Hit the Streets
Mass protests have often transformed Ukraine—but rarely the United States.
foreignpolicy.com
July 30, 2025 at 4:58 AM
In my latest for @ForeignPolicy , I asked Ukrainians what they make of Americans’ seeming inability to effectively protest rising authoritarianism, & ask what the latter can learn from Ukraine’s impressive history of mass movements 🇺🇦
foreignpolicy.com/2025/07/28/u...
foreignpolicy.com/2025/07/28/u...
In the latest edition of the @indexoncensorship.org magazine, I cover the impact of the US foreign aid freeze (specifically on 🇺🇦) & why this is the moment for the U.K. to step up - not cut - its own foreign aid budget. For obvious reasons, this topic is close to my heart personally & professionally
July 26, 2025 at 11:12 AM
In the latest edition of the @indexoncensorship.org magazine, I cover the impact of the US foreign aid freeze (specifically on 🇺🇦) & why this is the moment for the U.K. to step up - not cut - its own foreign aid budget. For obvious reasons, this topic is close to my heart personally & professionally
Very excited to have finally made it to Kazakhstan after Va all these years 🇰🇿
Better late than never!
Better late than never!
July 24, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Very excited to have finally made it to Kazakhstan after Va all these years 🇰🇿
Better late than never!
Better late than never!
If there is a new Ukrainian restaurant, trust you will find me there 🇺🇦🍽️
This time: Tatar Bunar in Shoreditch, London
This time: Tatar Bunar in Shoreditch, London
July 20, 2025 at 9:33 PM
If there is a new Ukrainian restaurant, trust you will find me there 🇺🇦🍽️
This time: Tatar Bunar in Shoreditch, London
This time: Tatar Bunar in Shoreditch, London
Devon supremacy
July 19, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Devon supremacy
Can’t help but feel that it’s possible to say “I wish that US leadership was willing to truly stand up to Russia over Ukraine” without wishing for “another Reagan”
May 20, 2025 at 1:16 AM
Can’t help but feel that it’s possible to say “I wish that US leadership was willing to truly stand up to Russia over Ukraine” without wishing for “another Reagan”
Today was my last day with Freedom House after 3 years of working on the Ukraine team. While I knew this was coming the moment that the Trump administration cut our funding, hard not to feel pretty profound sadness.
None of it had to be this way.
None of it had to be this way.
May 1, 2025 at 2:28 AM
Today was my last day with Freedom House after 3 years of working on the Ukraine team. While I knew this was coming the moment that the Trump administration cut our funding, hard not to feel pretty profound sadness.
None of it had to be this way.
None of it had to be this way.
In my latest for @indexoncensorship.org, I highlight the tragic yet inspiring renaissance of 🇺🇦 literature in wartime. With deep gratitude to Nedopysani’s @lyr.bsky.social , @chytomo.bsky.social ‘s Iryna Baturevych, & INDEX Ukraine’s @dovzhyk.bsky.social for sharing their important work & insights
April 12, 2025 at 11:45 PM
In my latest for @indexoncensorship.org, I highlight the tragic yet inspiring renaissance of 🇺🇦 literature in wartime. With deep gratitude to Nedopysani’s @lyr.bsky.social , @chytomo.bsky.social ‘s Iryna Baturevych, & INDEX Ukraine’s @dovzhyk.bsky.social for sharing their important work & insights
Guess the time has come to make it known that I’m now one of the thousands of people in the human rights and international development fields who are being laid off as a result of the Trump administration’s cruel and disastrous executive order “pausing” all US foreign aid
April 8, 2025 at 2:36 AM
Guess the time has come to make it known that I’m now one of the thousands of people in the human rights and international development fields who are being laid off as a result of the Trump administration’s cruel and disastrous executive order “pausing” all US foreign aid
A moment of nerdy pride upon receiving a physical copy of the multiauthor volume I recently contributed to. I’ve been lucky enough to have several things published online but seeing one’s name in print just hits different 📚
April 6, 2025 at 7:38 PM
A moment of nerdy pride upon receiving a physical copy of the multiauthor volume I recently contributed to. I’ve been lucky enough to have several things published online but seeing one’s name in print just hits different 📚
At Dulles and there’s a group of British people laughing at the MAGA hats for sale in one of the stores saying they’re going to buy them “for the banter”. Wanted to ask them if they’d also buy something with a swastika on it “for the banter”? Embarrassing.
March 23, 2025 at 2:03 AM
At Dulles and there’s a group of British people laughing at the MAGA hats for sale in one of the stores saying they’re going to buy them “for the banter”. Wanted to ask them if they’d also buy something with a swastika on it “for the banter”? Embarrassing.
DC is a weird place to live in the best of times but especially now. Seeing so much unnecessary chaos and pain while knowing large contingents of US society is cheering it on bc for them the people who live here are evil swamp bureaucrats
March 15, 2025 at 9:29 PM
DC is a weird place to live in the best of times but especially now. Seeing so much unnecessary chaos and pain while knowing large contingents of US society is cheering it on bc for them the people who live here are evil swamp bureaucrats
This evening
March 5, 2025 at 12:10 AM
This evening
The scales should’ve fallen from people’s eyes long ago re so called “good republicans” but we’re really about to see the final ember of the “bipartisan support for UA” myth go up in smoke. Do any of us really believe that Rs will do anything substantive to fight this evil decision?
March 4, 2025 at 5:02 PM
The scales should’ve fallen from people’s eyes long ago re so called “good republicans” but we’re really about to see the final ember of the “bipartisan support for UA” myth go up in smoke. Do any of us really believe that Rs will do anything substantive to fight this evil decision?
Today, Zelensky is my President. Dignity in the face of evil.
February 28, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Today, Zelensky is my President. Dignity in the face of evil.
A day that will live in infamy. Ashamed to be a citizen of this country today. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
U.S. votes against U.N. resolution condemning Russia for Ukraine war
Washington’s shift on the Ukraine war marks a major break with European allies and comes as the Trump administration aims to repair relations with Russia.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 24, 2025 at 7:05 PM
A day that will live in infamy. Ashamed to be a citizen of this country today. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...