Una Hajdari
@unawrites.bsky.social
Journalist. Balkans for @politico.eu, otherwise focused on instability, nationalism and the far-right. Previously: @iwm.at @mit.edu @rsf.org
Reposted by Una Hajdari
it….could have turned around. it was a ship. it would have taken a few minutes. and you can’t turn the wreck of it around cuz it’ll fall apart the second you try and raise it. what are we doing with our metaphors here man
Vance on the economy:
"You don't turn the Titanic around overnight"
"You don't turn the Titanic around overnight"
January 22, 2026 at 7:08 PM
it….could have turned around. it was a ship. it would have taken a few minutes. and you can’t turn the wreck of it around cuz it’ll fall apart the second you try and raise it. what are we doing with our metaphors here man
Reposted by Una Hajdari
Carney must act: Canada must join Eurovision
January 20, 2026 at 2:03 PM
Carney must act: Canada must join Eurovision
Reposted by Una Hajdari
In maart 2025 gebruikte de Servische regering een mysterieus geluidskanon tegen demonstranten. De Russische FSB was ook geïnteresseerd, schrijft @unawrites.bsky.social in @politico.eu
www.politico.eu/article/serb...
www.politico.eu/article/serb...
Serbia let Putin’s spies zap dogs with ‘sound cannons’
Documents reveal Belgrade brought in Russia’s FSB to conduct experiments with sonic weapons while anti-government protests escalated.
www.politico.eu
January 18, 2026 at 1:28 PM
In maart 2025 gebruikte de Servische regering een mysterieus geluidskanon tegen demonstranten. De Russische FSB was ook geïnteresseerd, schrijft @unawrites.bsky.social in @politico.eu
www.politico.eu/article/serb...
www.politico.eu/article/serb...
No notes. This excellent article really nails what so many of us who cover countries the U.S. promised *so much* to have been talking about for years.
my new piece in FP: The US keeps telling people to rise up against their regimes, then leaving them to die. Hungary, Iraq, Syria...now Iran? I try to offer an explanation for this very consistent pattern. (gift link) foreignpolicy.com/2026/01/16/t...
A Long History of Betrayal
Why Washington keeps encouraging foreign uprisings—and then walking away.
foreignpolicy.com
January 16, 2026 at 11:19 PM
No notes. This excellent article really nails what so many of us who cover countries the U.S. promised *so much* to have been talking about for years.
My hot take for the evening is that good indie music peaked in the early-mid 2000s and nobody appreciates/makes it like before (currently listening to Shoot the Runner by Kasabian)
January 16, 2026 at 9:56 PM
My hot take for the evening is that good indie music peaked in the early-mid 2000s and nobody appreciates/makes it like before (currently listening to Shoot the Runner by Kasabian)
Reposted by Una Hajdari
Reposted by Una Hajdari
„Serbian intelligence officers tested sound cannons on dogs in collaboration with Russia’s security service (FSB), according to 🇷🇸 government documents seen by POLITICO - 2 weeks after an anti-government demonstration in Belgrade was disrupted by what protesters described as a crippling sonic blast.“
January 15, 2026 at 3:35 PM
„Serbian intelligence officers tested sound cannons on dogs in collaboration with Russia’s security service (FSB), according to 🇷🇸 government documents seen by POLITICO - 2 weeks after an anti-government demonstration in Belgrade was disrupted by what protesters described as a crippling sonic blast.“
There’s very little that manages to shock those among us still covering the protests in Serbia.
Still, the idea that illegal tests were done on dogs to prop up the govt’s claim that protesters weren’t subjected to cruelty is about as grim as it gets. My story here: www.politico.eu/article/serb...
Still, the idea that illegal tests were done on dogs to prop up the govt’s claim that protesters weren’t subjected to cruelty is about as grim as it gets. My story here: www.politico.eu/article/serb...
Serbia let Putin’s spies zap dogs with ‘sound cannons’
Documents reveal Belgrade brought in Russia’s FSB to conduct experiments with sonic weapons while anti-government protests escalated.
www.politico.eu
January 15, 2026 at 3:13 PM
There’s very little that manages to shock those among us still covering the protests in Serbia.
Still, the idea that illegal tests were done on dogs to prop up the govt’s claim that protesters weren’t subjected to cruelty is about as grim as it gets. My story here: www.politico.eu/article/serb...
Still, the idea that illegal tests were done on dogs to prop up the govt’s claim that protesters weren’t subjected to cruelty is about as grim as it gets. My story here: www.politico.eu/article/serb...
Reposted by Una Hajdari
Serbian intelligence officers have tested sound cannons on dogs in collaboration with Russia’s notorious security service, according to government documents seen by POLITICO.
Serbia let Putin’s spies zap dogs with ‘sound cannons’
Documents show Belgrade brought in Russia’s FSB to conduct experiments on animals.
www.politico.eu
January 15, 2026 at 8:57 AM
Serbian intelligence officers have tested sound cannons on dogs in collaboration with Russia’s notorious security service, according to government documents seen by POLITICO.
Reposted by Una Hajdari
An absolutely wild one from @unawrites.bsky.social - intelligence officials in Serbia worked with Russia’s FSB to test ‘crowd control’ sound cannons (LARDs) on dogs in defiance of Serbia’s own animal protection laws
www.politico.eu/article/serb...
www.politico.eu/article/serb...
January 15, 2026 at 9:22 AM
An absolutely wild one from @unawrites.bsky.social - intelligence officials in Serbia worked with Russia’s FSB to test ‘crowd control’ sound cannons (LARDs) on dogs in defiance of Serbia’s own animal protection laws
www.politico.eu/article/serb...
www.politico.eu/article/serb...
So… people from the Western Balkans (apart from Serbia), Moldova, Belarus and Russia won’t be able to travel to the US anytime soon?
January 14, 2026 at 5:32 PM
So… people from the Western Balkans (apart from Serbia), Moldova, Belarus and Russia won’t be able to travel to the US anytime soon?
I feel like Gen Z took the confidence boost we tried to pass on to them (like standing up for yourself and your work) and upgraded it to full-blown arrogance.
Also: to all my old editors who are here… sorry if we were difficult. We didn’t realize it (these kids are worse!)
Also: to all my old editors who are here… sorry if we were difficult. We didn’t realize it (these kids are worse!)
January 14, 2026 at 1:19 PM
I feel like Gen Z took the confidence boost we tried to pass on to them (like standing up for yourself and your work) and upgraded it to full-blown arrogance.
Also: to all my old editors who are here… sorry if we were difficult. We didn’t realize it (these kids are worse!)
Also: to all my old editors who are here… sorry if we were difficult. We didn’t realize it (these kids are worse!)
Reposted by Una Hajdari
I’m not convinced they actually believe this video to be exculpatory. It reads as more triumphalist to me — i.e., a ‘look what we can do’ vibe meant to shock and numb and intimidate
i just watched this video and the fact that they believe this to be exculpatory is genuinely insane
ah. they all got the memo
xcancel.com/JDVance/stat...
xcancel.com/JDVance/stat...
January 9, 2026 at 7:17 PM
I’m not convinced they actually believe this video to be exculpatory. It reads as more triumphalist to me — i.e., a ‘look what we can do’ vibe meant to shock and numb and intimidate
Trump is “singularly obsessed with the spectacle of power. That’s nothing new for the far right—fascist Italy and Nazi Germany were, [too] but Trump, who calls himself a very aesthetic person, takes it to another level.” Michael explains (again) how often fascism surfaces in Trump’s everyday choices
Yeah, so Trump’s use of CCR's anti-war song “Fortunate Son” in his TruthSocial video of the military raid in Venezuela wasn't a mistake — it’s part of a very deliberate far-right approach to aesthetics. A short thinkpiece I did for @newrepublic.com
newrepublic.com/article/2049...
newrepublic.com/article/2049...
The End Goal of Trump’s Cringey, Nonsensical Videos
Trump’s use of the anti-war song “Fortunate Son” in a video of the military raid in Venezuela was no mistake. It’s part of a very deliberate far-right aesthetic.
newrepublic.com
January 9, 2026 at 1:09 PM
Trump is “singularly obsessed with the spectacle of power. That’s nothing new for the far right—fascist Italy and Nazi Germany were, [too] but Trump, who calls himself a very aesthetic person, takes it to another level.” Michael explains (again) how often fascism surfaces in Trump’s everyday choices
Reposted by Una Hajdari
Yeah, so Trump’s use of CCR's anti-war song “Fortunate Son” in his TruthSocial video of the military raid in Venezuela wasn't a mistake — it’s part of a very deliberate far-right approach to aesthetics. A short thinkpiece I did for @newrepublic.com
newrepublic.com/article/2049...
newrepublic.com/article/2049...
The End Goal of Trump’s Cringey, Nonsensical Videos
Trump’s use of the anti-war song “Fortunate Son” in a video of the military raid in Venezuela was no mistake. It’s part of a very deliberate far-right aesthetic.
newrepublic.com
January 9, 2026 at 11:07 AM
Yeah, so Trump’s use of CCR's anti-war song “Fortunate Son” in his TruthSocial video of the military raid in Venezuela wasn't a mistake — it’s part of a very deliberate far-right approach to aesthetics. A short thinkpiece I did for @newrepublic.com
newrepublic.com/article/2049...
newrepublic.com/article/2049...
Shamelessly stolen from the other website, because of course that specific part of the crisis would have been averted if Europeans were involved 🤣🤣🤣
January 5, 2026 at 11:47 AM
Shamelessly stolen from the other website, because of course that specific part of the crisis would have been averted if Europeans were involved 🤣🤣🤣
Reposted by Una Hajdari
16 hours in, my guess this was all intended basically as a coup to put VP Delcy Rodriguez in power (likely without her knowledge but 🤷).
At least for democracy & human rights, that might be even worse than the "opening shots in a war" scenario.
All speculation, but let me explain:
At least for democracy & human rights, that might be even worse than the "opening shots in a war" scenario.
All speculation, but let me explain:
January 3, 2026 at 11:14 PM
16 hours in, my guess this was all intended basically as a coup to put VP Delcy Rodriguez in power (likely without her knowledge but 🤷).
At least for democracy & human rights, that might be even worse than the "opening shots in a war" scenario.
All speculation, but let me explain:
At least for democracy & human rights, that might be even worse than the "opening shots in a war" scenario.
All speculation, but let me explain:
Reposted by Una Hajdari
This was the second-biggest wtf moment of the presser (after announcing "we will run the country")
Trump just basically threw the Venezuelan opposition — the ones who evidence shows won the 2023 election — to the side.
January 3, 2026 at 5:42 PM
This was the second-biggest wtf moment of the presser (after announcing "we will run the country")
Reposted by Una Hajdari
Welcome back, 19th century wars of American expansion 🫠
“It’s our property, we built it… we built Venezuela and the socialist regime stole it from us through force,” Trump said, claiming the nationalization of the oil industry and US companies being forced out constituted the “largest theft to our country… they [drove us] out of our own hemisphere.”
January 3, 2026 at 5:09 PM
Welcome back, 19th century wars of American expansion 🫠
Trump just announced “we are going to run the country” until they can guarantee a just transition because they “can’t run the risk of someone else taking over” Venezuela.
“We are going to run it, essentially.”
“We are going to run it, essentially.”
January 3, 2026 at 4:47 PM
Trump just announced “we are going to run the country” until they can guarantee a just transition because they “can’t run the risk of someone else taking over” Venezuela.
“We are going to run it, essentially.”
“We are going to run it, essentially.”
This is Gen Z’s Saddam Hussein capture photo
January 3, 2026 at 4:33 PM
This is Gen Z’s Saddam Hussein capture photo
Reposted by Una Hajdari
“But what if Russia tries to do this to Zelensky???!!”
- people who just woke up from a years-long coma
- people who just woke up from a years-long coma
January 3, 2026 at 4:14 PM
“But what if Russia tries to do this to Zelensky???!!”
- people who just woke up from a years-long coma
- people who just woke up from a years-long coma
The US alleges Maduro and other officials participated in a “narco-terrorism conspiracy” involving Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles and Colombia’s FARC—a far-left guerrilla—dating from at least around 1999 through about 2020 incl. negotiating cocaine shipments and directing support such as weapons.
January 3, 2026 at 4:16 PM
The US alleges Maduro and other officials participated in a “narco-terrorism conspiracy” involving Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles and Colombia’s FARC—a far-left guerrilla—dating from at least around 1999 through about 2020 incl. negotiating cocaine shipments and directing support such as weapons.
Venezuelan opposition figure and actual Nobel Peace Prize winner (and Trump policy supporter) Maria Corina Machado said that “what had to happen is happening” and that Venezuelans should be ready to set in motion “what will be communicated to [them] via official channels.”
January 3, 2026 at 4:02 PM
Venezuelan opposition figure and actual Nobel Peace Prize winner (and Trump policy supporter) Maria Corina Machado said that “what had to happen is happening” and that Venezuelans should be ready to set in motion “what will be communicated to [them] via official channels.”
Meanwhile Balkan countries like Kosovo and Albania appear to have decided this was the right moment to back the current US administration and its approach to Venezuela
January 3, 2026 at 3:22 PM
Meanwhile Balkan countries like Kosovo and Albania appear to have decided this was the right moment to back the current US administration and its approach to Venezuela