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Gill Bennett
@gillhistory.bsky.social
1K followers 130 following 180 posts
Intelligence historian, music-lover
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Reposted by Gill Bennett
samfr.bsky.social
Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 1d
New post from @ldfreedman.bsky.social

"Whatever it takes" - what does it mean to guarantee Ukraine's security?

A great overview of where the war stands and the key question of Europe/US's support for the Ukrainians.

(Free to read)

open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/a...
‘As Long as it Takes': What does it mean to commit to Ukraine’s security?
This post was originally a lecture given in honour of Peter Hennessy at the Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London.
open.substack.com
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Reposted by Gill Bennett
rusi.bsky.social
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 2d
Could a concerted strategy of strengthened sanctions, advanced weapons for Ukraine, and incentivising Russian brain drain change Putin's calculus and stop the war machine in Ukraine? Read the latest RUSI Newsbrief by Sergei Guriev to learn more.
Putin's Polycrisis
Despite mounting economic and demographic pressures, Russian President Vladimir Putin will continue to feed the war machine so long as he gains ground in Ukraine. To change his calculus, Western leaders must strengthen sanctions against the Kremlin, pro...
www.rusi.org
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Reposted by Gill Bennett
ldfreedman.bsky.social
Lawrence Freedman @ldfreedman.bsky.social · 2d
This is my explainer from last weekend on the origins of the Trump peace plan for Gaza. It explains how it got as far as it did and the challenges to come. (£/free trial), samf.substack.com/p/will-there...
Will there finally be peace in Gaza?
One never goes too far wrong by being pessimistic about events in the Middle East.
samf.substack.com
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Reposted by Gill Bennett
stephenkb.bsky.social
Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 3d
One of the Conservative party's contributions to our country has been keeping people who think you can measure integration through skin colour out of office - what next, are they only going to be lukewarm on the property-owning democracy?
Thank the Tories for keeping Robert Jenrick out of high office
Shadow justice secretary’s comment about not seeing a ‘white face’ shows he does not understand integration
www.ft.com
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Reposted by Gill Bennett
samfr.bsky.social
Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 3d
All these people really want is to pay no taxes and be treated with floor scraping deference. Everything else is just bullshit in pursuit of that goal.
sundersays.bsky.social
Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 3d
Party donor Nick Candy says "I cherish the values we grew up with here in the West. But today you are more likely to find the values we grew up with in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.’

Via Sam Leith in the Spectator
www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-...
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Reposted by Gill Bennett
warontherocks.bsky.social
War on the Rocks @warontherocks.bsky.social · 3d
The rush to field new weapons risks leaving intelligence behind, and that’s dangerous.
Beyond Decision Superiority: The Role of Intelligence in Innovation & Adaptation
Wars are not won by speed and better decisions. They are won when weapons find their targets and destroy them. Yet in the race to build faster, cheaper,
warontherocks.com
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Reposted by Gill Bennett
eve.gd
Martin Paul Eve @eve.gd · 3d
This makes me so angry. These people view all life as training for lifelong servitude/work. There's no room for interest, enjoyment, and culture in their bleak vision of education. At least she'll never be in power to see it through. Though Reform are probably worse.
Badenoch: Curb students taking "rip-off" degrees such as English. The performing arts, sociology and anthropology are among the subjects the Conservatives would like to cut
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Reposted by Gill Bennett
ravirockks.bsky.social
Ravi Nayyar @ravirockks.bsky.social · 3d
My review of the second volume of the official history of ASIO.

As a student of organisational governance, I love how this book is as much an organisational history as an operational one, especially when looking at ASIO under the Whitlam Government.

cc: @tonycomer.bsky.social
Book Review — The Protest Years: The Official History of ASIO: 1963-1975
A lesson in organisational and stakeholder dynamics
open.substack.com
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Reposted by Gill Bennett
rusi.bsky.social
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 4d
'One of the main challenges the Royal Navy faces is fielding systems rapidly to enhance capability in the near term whilst maintaining flexibility to embrace improvements and future technology' writes Commander Edward Black.
Subsurface Defence Technology – A Smörgåsbord of Choice
The wide variety of emerging subsurface technologies is both an opportunity for the Royal Navy and presents a challenge in terms of prioritisation of limited resources
www.rusi.org
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Reposted by Gill Bennett
rusi.bsky.social
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 3d
On the second anniversary of the October 7 attacks, revisit yesterday's RUSI webinar that assesses how the subsequent war in Gaza and Israel’s regional operations have fundamentally challenged the political and security balance of power in the Middle East: https://bit.ly/48Qyhf6
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Reposted by Gill Bennett
rusi.bsky.social
RUSI @rusi.bsky.social · 3d
🎙️How can societies accustomed to a peace dividend adapt to new global threats? Dr Fiona Hill, who served the first Trump administration as a Russia expert, shares her expertise on Russian, American, and British defence strategies in the latest Talking Strategy episode: https://bit.ly/3KZd2Og
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Reposted by Gill Bennett
matthewrr.bsky.social
Matthew Redhead @matthewrr.bsky.social · 4d
“Mysteriously.”
patrickdunleavy.bsky.social
Patrick Dunleavy @patrickdunleavy.bsky.social · 4d
Russian newspaper head mysteriously falls 70ft to his death from a window | News World | Metro News metro.co.uk/2025/10/06/r...
Russian newspaper head mysteriously falls 70ft to his death from a window
The veteran publisher died on Saturday. Police are investigating the 'strange death'.
metro.co.uk
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Reposted by Gill Bennett
samfr.bsky.social
Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 4d
New post just out:

"Staying alive vs taking control"

Labour's big choice at the budget is whether they just want to try and survive it or whether they're willing to take some bigger risks that would have future payoffs.

(£/free trial)

open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/s...
Staying alive vs taking control
Labour's budget choices
open.substack.com
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Reposted by Gill Bennett
economist.com
The Economist @economist.com · 5d
Sir David Omand on why social cohesion in the face of extremism is a security imperative
Rising antisemitism reflects wider social ills, says Britain’s former counter-terrorism co-ordinator
Sir David Omand on why social cohesion in the face of extremism is a security imperative
econ.st
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Reposted by Gill Bennett
samfr.bsky.social
Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 6d
New post from @ldfreedman.bsky.social

"Will there finally be peace in Gaza?"

A must read if you want to understand how we ended up with the proposed peace deal and what might happen next.

(£/free trial)

samf.substack.com/p/will-there...
Will there finally be peace in Gaza?
One never goes too far wrong by being pessimistic about events in the Middle East.
samf.substack.com
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Gill Bennett @gillhistory.bsky.social · 7d
Agree, a lovely film—set just where I live.
soniapurnell.bsky.social
Sonia Purnell FRHistS @soniapurnell.bsky.social · 7d
Loved this movie
hetanshah.bsky.social
Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 7d
Rye Lane is on BBC2 tonight 9pm. The lovely escape you need from real life
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
Reposted by Gill Bennett
markstout.bsky.social
Mark Stout, Ph.D. in History, Miskatonic University @markstout.bsky.social · 9d
Should be a great event for those interested in researching Cold War intelligence. Speakers are @deselv.bsky.social of the Institute for Historical Scholarship at Humboldt University in Berlin; Gary Keeley former historian at CIA; and Mark Kramer, director of the Cold War Studies Project at Harvard.
Soviet-Bloc and US Intelligence Operations During the Cold War
Join Douglas Selvage, expert on East German State Security files, historian Gary Keeley, and Mark Kramer for a discussion of Cold War archives that offer valuable resources for students and scholars a...
daviscenter.fas.harvard.edu
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Reposted by Gill Bennett
chadbourn.bsky.social
Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 9d
A whopping 38% of Russia’s refining capacity is now offline, according to The Economist.

Gasoline output fell by 1 million tons in September which has created a 20% domestic shortfall.

Repairs may take months because of sanctions limiting access to parts and tech.
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Reposted by Gill Bennett
rorycormac.bsky.social
Rory Cormac @rorycormac.bsky.social · 7d
“The geographies of the information research department”

Enjoyed this “critical geographical analysis” of British covert operations

And there’s me thinking that geography was just oxbow lakes and erosion!

rgs-ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1...
Area | RGS Geography Journal | Wiley Online Library
This paper develops a historical and political geographical analysis of the UK Foreign Office's Information Research Department (IRD). To date, there has been no geographical study of IRD and through...
rgs-ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
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Reposted by Gill Bennett
lindasgrant.bsky.social
Linda Grant @lindasgrant.bsky.social · 9d
To put events today in long term context, in the mid-90s during the height of Oslo my mother was in a Jewish care home in N. London. When it held a fundraising jumble sale it had to be patrolled by the police.
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Reposted by Gill Bennett
kairyssdal.bsky.social
Kai Ryssdal @kairyssdal.bsky.social · 9d
What Kori said
robertscotthorton.bsky.social
Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 9d
Kori Schake: “Yesterday morning, Trump and Hegseth behaved reprehensibly. Their speeches…were tantamount to incitement—a genuinely dangerous effort to suborn the military’s oath and condition them for using violence against their fellow Americans.” foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/01/t...
Trump’s Speech to Generals Was Incitement to Violence Against Americans
Military leaders’ quiet professionalism offers hope amid a maelstrom.
foreignpolicy.com
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Reposted by Gill Bennett
lawfaremedia.org
Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 9d
@kschake.bsky.social reflects on yesterday's address by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Trump at a gathering of the country's top military officials. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/hegs...
Hegseth’s Unusual, Partisan, and Dangerous Convening of Military Leaders
If the defense secretary’s event allayed concerns of DEI in the military for some, it aggravated concerns of a politicized military for all.
www.lawfaremedia.org
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Reposted by Gill Bennett
samfr.bsky.social
Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 9d
New post:

"Identity Crisis"

Labour keeps trying to appeal to a lost white working class vote + alienating middle-class grads / ethnic minority voters that are a much bigger part of their coalition.

Why? And how can they rebuild their coalition more effectively?

open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/i...
Identity Crisis
How Labour can rebuild their voter coalition
open.substack.com
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Gill Bennett @gillhistory.bsky.social · 10d
What will all the serving female officers think of that?
timdowse.bsky.social
Tim Dowse @timdowse.bsky.social · 11d
If this means what it appears to mean, it feels like the most consequential thing he's said.
atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 11d
Hegseth: "Today, at my direction, each service will ensure that every requirement for every combat MOS, for every designated combat arms position, returns to the highest male standard only."
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Reposted by Gill Bennett
susancolbourn.net
Susie Colbourn @susancolbourn.net · 10d
FRUS klaxon: another new volume is out today on START I!

history.state.gov/historicaldo...
Historical Documents - Office of the Historian
history.state.gov 3.0 shell
history.state.gov
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