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Brian Taylor

@bdtaylor-su.bsky.social

2.3K followers 660 following 700 posts

Professor @SUpolisci and Director of the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs, Maxwell School, Syracuse University. New book: Russian Politics: A Very Short Introduction. http://amzn.to/3gdhiFe

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Brian Taylor @bdtaylor-su.bsky.social · Feb 13

Honored to be on this list from @forbes.com.

"Taylor packs a wealth of analysis and interesting facts into a compact book.. The book is ideal for anyone who wants a better context for understanding news reports about Putin and Russia."

www.forbes.com/sites/stuart...

5 Must-Read Books To Understand Russia And The War In Ukraine

Recently published books can help readers better understand Russia and the war in Ukraine. Here is a list of must-read books.

www.forbes.com

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Mark N.V. Temnycky @mtemnycky.bsky.social · 11h

3/3

My latest for @forbes.com about Russia’s current demographic crisis. Thank you Andrew D’Anieri and @bdtaylor-su.bsky.social for your commentary for this article

www.forbes.com/sites/markte...

How The War In Ukraine Has Sparked A Demographic Crisis In Russia

Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has sparked a demographic crisis in Russia, fueled by military casualties, emigration, and a shrinking population with economic impacts.

www.forbes.com

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Brian Taylor @bdtaylor-su.bsky.social · 22h

"Trump’s rhetoric in his speeches to the military has been awful.. But his actions are worse. In deploying troops to American cities, he has set up a confrontation in which military commanders may soon have to choose between obeying the president and obeying the law."

From @radiofreetom.bsky.social

The Civil-Military Crisis Is Here

The leaders of the U.S. military may soon face a terrible decision.

www.theatlantic.com

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Brian Taylor @bdtaylor-su.bsky.social · 22h

Not a fan of the readings for my comparative civil-military relations class seeming so damn relevant for the US:

"The militarisation of public security comes with the risk of an increasing role expansion of the armed forces." (Harig 2023)

Reposted by Brian Taylor

The Onion @theonion.com · 1d

Health Experts Recommend Standing Up At Desk, Leaving Office, Never Coming Back https://theonion.com/health-experts-recommend-standing-up-at-desk-leaving-o-1819577456/

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Brian Taylor @bdtaylor-su.bsky.social · 1d

Fitting day for this assessment:
"Putin’s project is not about 🇷🇺’s future.. it is about an aging despot’s desire for absolute power & a place in 🇷🇺 history books as another conqueror in a long line of bloody conquerors—the long-term consequences for 🇷🇺, its people, & its future global role be damned."

From Moldova to Africa, Russia’s Power Is Waning

The defeat of Moscow-friendly parties in the Moldovan election is just the latest of many setbacks.

foreignpolicy.com

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Brian Taylor @bdtaylor-su.bsky.social · 2d

Putin turns 73 on October 7. He was 46 when he first became Prime Minister in August 1999. Since that time he has been either Prime Minister or President for more than 26 years, more than 1/3 of his life. In 2004, he said "one could go crazy" working as president for 7 years.

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Brian Taylor @bdtaylor-su.bsky.social · 2d

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Renee de Nevers @reneedenevers.bsky.social · 2d

My day so far. Thanks, #FIFA! #WorldCup

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Joseph Rezek @rezekjoe.bsky.social · 2d

ACLS statement against White House “compact”: THIS IS SOVIET SHIT

Screenshot from statement “Universities and colleges have one mission: to advance knowledge. Faculty carry out the mission by conducting research and teaching students. The knowledge they produce and circulate is independently assessed by professional peers. Interfering with that process by forcing knowledge to pass through a political filter is a tactic adopted by the Soviet Union and other authoritarian states. The White House is dressing up its compact as a reasonable corrective to what it views as problems in campus culture. Let no one be deceived. This proposal imposes government censorship on academia. It is anti-American, and it weakens our democracy by devaluing academic expertise.”

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Brian Taylor @bdtaylor-su.bsky.social · 2d

OK not the most important issue here but the choice of colors for this chart is terrible

Mary Dudziak @marydudziak.bsky.social · 2d

Has Trump’s second term posed a greater or lesser threat to the rule of law than you expected? @nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/m...

Has Trump’s second term posed a greater or lesser threat to the rule of law than you expected?
Circular graph showing over half answered: much more than I expected, about a quarter: more than I expected, about an eighth: similar threat to what I expected, small sliver: much less threat than I expected.

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Brian Taylor @bdtaylor-su.bsky.social · 2d

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Carrie A Lee @carriealee.bsky.social · 2d

Which is a reminder that respecting court orders is part of officers’ oath to the constitution. They swore an oath to a form of government that includes checks and balances on executive power, including Article III (the judiciary). Now would be a good time to refresh/reaffirm that. 8/

Brian Taylor @bdtaylor-su.bsky.social · 3d

Sure. But I went back and checked and they were clapping for this Trump sentence: "I am supporting the across the board pay raises for every sailor and servicemember in the United States Armed Forces." They were not clapping for the reference to Democrats as "gnats."

www.youtube.com/watch?v=byAC...

President Trump Delivers Remarks at Navy 250 Celebration

YouTube video by The White House

www.youtube.com

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Brian Taylor @bdtaylor-su.bsky.social · 3d

Lots of bad stuff happening in civil-military relations lately including in this speech but to be fair it looks like they were applauding something he said just before that

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Jason "Red5" Lyall @jaylyall.bsky.social · 3d

NGL, I'm alarmed by the prospect of US Navy officers applauding the extra-judicial execution of "terrorists" (along with other parts of Trump's speech). We're watching the real-time politicization of the US military

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 3d

Trump: "In recent weeks the Navy has supported our mission to blow the cartel terrorists the hell out of the water. You see that. And you know, there are no boats in the water anymore. We can't find any ... what we're doing is actually an act of kindness."

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Jason "Red5" Lyall @jaylyall.bsky.social · 3d

I know this has been memory-holed, but an actual court of law upheld the use of race in US Naval Academy admissions because diversity was seen as a national security imperative

www.axios.com/2024/12/06/n...

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Brian Taylor @bdtaylor-su.bsky.social · 3d

You say that like it’s a bad thing.

The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 3d

⚡️Tomahawk supplies to Kyiv would ruin US-Russian relations, Putin says.

Putin said that the “positive” trend in relations between Russia and the U.S. would be destroyed if Washington sent Tomahawk long-range missiles to Ukraine.

kyivindependent.com/relationship...

Tomahawk supplies to Kyiv would ruin US-Russian relations, Putin says

Putin’s message comes as U.S. President Donald Trump has taken a more hostile stance against Russia in recent weeks after a summer of courtship that saw the U.S. roll out the red carpet for Putin duri...

kyivindependent.com

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Brian Taylor @bdtaylor-su.bsky.social · 3d

Reporters should start asking people like Stephen Miller and Tom Homan if they are in the Christmas Adventurers Club.

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Brian Taylor @bdtaylor-su.bsky.social · 4d

Pretty funny they put up a photo of his son Dmitriy

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Neil Hauer @neilphauer.bsky.social · 4d

Yesterday I had the rare opportunity to speak with infantry from Ukraine's 14th Brigade. They had just returned from a 90-day posting in Novoekonomichne - one of the hottest parts of the entire front. Their commander, 'Bobruk,' had some very interesting insights.

Thread:

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Brian Taylor @bdtaylor-su.bsky.social · 5d

Yesterday at Valdai Putin said it was "stupid" for Sweden & Finland to join NATO, there were "no problems" between them & "all agreements had been signed."

In 2003 Putin signed the Treaty on the State Border with Ukraine & in 2008 said “Russia has long recognized the borders of modern-day Ukraine."

Заседание дискуссионного клуба «Валдай»

Владимир Путин принял участие в пленарной сессии XХII ежегодного заседания Международного дискуссионного клуба «Валдай».

www.kremlin.ru

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Uncle Duke @uncleduke1969.bsky.social · 5d

existential crisis at the drive-thru

Sign at fast food drive-thru reads “Sorry for the inconvenience but right now we is out of are.”

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Brian Taylor @bdtaylor-su.bsky.social · 5d

“The consensus among the rank-and-file DOD employees is that the SecDef has essentially declared war on his civilian workforce, creating an atmosphere of mutual distrust and an implication that all DOD civilians are untrustworthy parasites until proven otherwise."

More than 60K defense civilians have left under Hegseth—but officials are mum on the effects

Months into a hastily ordered overhaul, officials declined to disclose metrics, discuss problems.

www.defenseone.com

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Brian Taylor @bdtaylor-su.bsky.social · 6d

Putin has stated his hostility to ethnic nationalism many times. He called it a “virus” & a “bacteria” & a threat to Russia’s “multiconfessional & multinational state.” Some have called him a "statist" or "imperial" nationalist. But ethnic nationalism has become more officially prominent since 2014.

Reposted by Brian Taylor

Gabriela I. Rosa @gabrielairosa.bsky.social · 6d

In this new @CNA_org report, I analyze how authoritative figures in the Russian mil view threats in the wake of the war in Ukraine. The key insight: Traditional Russian threat perceptions haven't shifted — they've been sharpened. 1/?
www.cna.org/analyses/202...

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Brian Taylor @bdtaylor-su.bsky.social · 7d

"Unprecedented and dangerous words from the civilian leadership of our military." From @kschake.bsky.social

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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