Jason Dittmer
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realjdittmer.bsky.social
Jason Dittmer
@realjdittmer.bsky.social

Professor of Political Geography at UCL. Posting about geopolitics, popular culture, and cat memes

Political science 29%
Art 22%

on.ft.com/481Bk3s The death of the diplomat in Trump’s America (Or of expertise, I would argue)
The death of the diplomat in Trump’s America
Sidelining the state department and relying on dealmakers will come at a cost
on.ft.com
EXCLUSIVE: US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff advised Russia on how to pitch Ukraine plans to Trump, in audio files reviewed by Bloomberg
Witkoff Advised Russia on How to Pitch Ukraine Plan to Trump
US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff, fresh from the triumph of the Gaza peace deal, held a phone call last month with a senior Kremlin official to suggest they work together on a similar plan for Ukraine — and that Vladimir Putin should raise it with Donald Trump.
bloom.bg

An interesting read given we are all talking about critical infrastructure these days
on.ft.com/3XPJbeq How Ireland became the weak spot in Europe’s defences
How Ireland became the weak spot in Europe’s defences
With few ships and limited intelligence-sharing, some say the country cannot hope to protect itself or its infrastructure
on.ft.com

Reposted by Jason Dittmer

So the University of Texas at Austin neither signed Trump's higher-ed compact nor rejected it. The deadline passed and UT just did not respond: www.texastribune.org/2025/11/17/u...
UT-Austin still silent on Trump compact as deadline passes
Most other invited universities have rejected the administration’s offer tying priority federal funding to campus policy changes.
www.texastribune.org

Reposted by Jason Dittmer

Bloomberg unfolds the history of the Vance-Dmitriev initiative... Dmitriev put it to Witkoff and Vance in a meeting in Miami, Axios published it, Trump and Rubio knew nothing of it. But then Trump decided to simply bless Dmitriev's draft after the fact. A perfect biopsy of "diplomacy" under Trump.
Secret US-Russia Talks Led to Peace Plan That Blindsided Ukraine
The controversial 28-point plan dropped suddenly by the Trump administration to Ukraine as a take-it-or-leave it proposition mere days ago was mostly the result of several weeks of negotiations behind...
www.bloomberg.com

You are too kind! Though I have to confess that was my post-PhD project. Nobody noticed my PhD project so I went pop culture! LOL

Looks like an exciting opportunity for an energy geographer:
www.uvmjobs.com/postings/84073
David Blittersdorf Professor of Sustainability Science and Policy
Officers of Instruction - Tenure Track
www.uvmjobs.com

Reposted by Jason Dittmer

When Forest Gump said something similar it was cute. But I don’t think he was talking and brutal murder and repression.

www.bbc.com/news/article...
'Things happen' - Trump defends Saudi crown prince over Khashoggi killing
The US president's claims that the crown prince "knew nothing" contradict the CIA's own assessment.
www.bbc.com
It was such a pleasure to chat with @julietjfall.bsky.social about her recent book Along the Line, which explores border infrastructure through graphic narrative.

For the new TTiN series of conversations with academics and artists working on infrastructure.

m.soundcloud.com/ttinfrastruc...
Along the Line: Writing with Comics and Graphic Narrative in Geography, with Juliet Fall
Stream Along the Line: Writing with Comics and Graphic Narrative in Geography, with Juliet Fall by Thinking Through Infrastructure Network on desktop and mobile. Play over 320 million tracks for free ...
m.soundcloud.com
"Open Nazism isn’t an ideological deviation. Fuentes is the logical heir to the antisemitic 'great replacement' conspiracy theory Carlson spent years popularizing at Fox." www.liberalcurrents.com/the-heritage...
The Heritage Foundation, Groypers, and the Narcissism of Small Differences
Fuentes is the fly born of Heritage’s maggot.
www.liberalcurrents.com

Shout out to @stephenlegg11.bsky.social for passing the article on to me!

Anyhow, if you liked the article you might like Chapter 2 of my book Diplomatic Material, which gives the Foreign Office the same treatment! (that was pre-toilets, though)
read.dukeupress.edu/books/book/2... (5/5)
Diplomatic Material: Affect, Assemblage, and Foreign Policy
In Diplomatic Material Jason Dittmer offers a counterintuitive reading of foreign policy by tracing the ways that complex interactions between people and t
read.dukeupress.edu

It's not just funny quips though, clearly the role of toilets is central to the geography of power, as they provide opportunities for staffers to 'randomly' encroach on the inner circle of power around the PM. (4/5)

'The ex-aide recalled once walking past a prawn on the floor of No. 10’s famous yellow staircase, which is lined with portraits of past PMs. “It was there for, like, a week.”' (3/5)

So many gems in this article: 'Parking spaces were no easier to assign, as Truss’ personal trainer — who had a car — discovered, said the ex-Truss aide quoted above. “By the time we got the car park sorted, Liz had resigned,” they said.' (2/5)

'One senior ally of Starmer has been heard describing Larry the Cat, who has been No. 10’s “chief mouser” since 2011, as a metaphor for the British state — old, lazy, too pampered to do the job he was hired for (catching mice), yet unsackable due to a sense of fondness and tradition.' (1/5)
Inside 10 Downing Street, the creaky old house that runs Britain
Mice, “nan’s bathrooms,” carpets duct-taped together — and terrible phone signal. Is there a worse place to run a country from than 10 Downing Street?
www.politico.eu

The US Senate deal seems a triumph for linking the GOP to the rise in health care costs (assuming there is a vote on it as promised) but colossal defeat for actually maintaining Americans’ health care

A great reflection on masculinity and the shape of the economy
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/o...
Opinion | Bruce Springsteen’s Father Complicates a Powerful American Narrative
www.nytimes.com
Please sign and share this petition.

I care deeply about geography and want to do everything I can to save our jobs and the school, and protect our students 🌍

#Geography #SchoolClosure

c.org/Z2ZK6fQVgf
Save Geography at the University of Leicester
Can you spare a minute to help this campaign?
c.org
Human Geography at Leicester is facing closure. Staff contracts are to end in June 2026; students are to be relocated to other universities, or taught out by a maximum of two (!) teaching-only staff. Other departments and subjects are facing closure, too. Please join the demo!
New sign outside the Oval Office..

Reposted by Jason Dittmer

🚨New @ausis.bsky.social book alert! In "Building a Green Wall," @cgallaher.bsky.social and @au-spa.bsky.social's Kimberly Cowell-Meyers explore how the Irish-American lobby worked to defend the Good Friday Agreement and shaped US policy toward Brexit. Read more: www.american.edu/sis/research...
Carolyn Gallaher, Building a Green Wall: Irish America’s Resurgence Post-Brexit
Carolyn Gallaher's new co-authored book with SPA Professor Kimberly Cowell-Meyers explores how the Irish-American lobby reemerged post-Brexit to shape the U.S. foreign policy approach.
www.american.edu
The Department of Geography invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Indigenous Geographies, preferably with a focus on Human–Environment Relationships.

Read more 👉 www.uvic.ca/faculty-staf...
An exhibition at London’s Imperial War Museum offers a welcome corrective to the nostalgia for empire common among Britain’s elites.
Reckoning With Empire at Britain’s Imperial War Museum
An exhibition at London’s Imperial War Museum offers a welcome corrective to the nostalgia for empire common among Britain’s elites.
jacobin.com

Haha - happily so! I am in most Tuesdays though - now ensconced in Russell’s old office

Imagine wanting to pay him $1 trillion for this
on.ft.com/47rYyOG
Elon’s antics may have cost Tesla more than a million vehicle sales
Car key man risk
on.ft.com

Interesting session for the AAG in San Francisco, if you are interested in Diaspora Diplomacy!
www.linkedin.com/posts/jonath...
Diaspora Diplomacy: Mapping Possible Futures | Jonathan Harris
Late in the day, but Francesco Ventura and I are seeking participants in a paper session on #diaspora #diplomacy for next year's #AAG2026 in San Francisco. See call for papers here - deadline 28th Oct...
www.linkedin.com

Reposted by Jason Dittmer

Trump has affirmed support for the nuclear sub deal with Australia and the UK.
Trump affirms support for nuclear sub deal
Australia and the U.K. have feared for months that the U.S. would pull out of the AUKUS pact.
www.politico.com

Reposted by Jason Dittmer

📘 Book Launch: Governing the End
Join us on 5 Nov, 6:30pm @ UCL Bloomsbury for the launch of Prof Lisa Vanhala’s new book on climate change loss & damage.
🎤 Panel experts: UCL, SOAS, LSE, Johns Hopkins & The Loss and Damage Collaboration.
🔗 Register: https://shorturl.at/tUwzL
Book Launch: Governing the End: The Making of Climate Change Loss & Damage
Join the UCL Climate Crisis Grand Challenge on Weds 5 Nov for the launch of Professor Lisa Vanhala's new book.
www.eventbrite.co.uk