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Gerard Toal

@critgeopolitics.bsky.social

4.5K followers 750 following 570 posts

Irish born political geographer, DC resident, & SPIA Virginia Tech (Arlington) Prof. Researching territorial conflicts & the geopolitics-climate nexus. Sic Semper Tyrannis.

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Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · Aug 20

Eyeballs on the frenetic 24/7 Trump show as the world burns.

"Understanding the present requires us to think critically about time, about what timelines are dominant, and what issues are prioritized or ignored as a consequence."

canadiandimension.com/articles/vie...

Summertime in the age of upheaval

The aging leaders now ruling in Washington and Moscow have abandoned their responsibility to future generations. They are enthralled to their own visions of restoring past glory. They are men whose ti...

canadiandimension.com

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Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 6d

America's difficulty is China's opportunity.

www.noemamag.com/trumps-clima...

Trump’s Climate Denial Is A Gift To China | NOEMA

Far from making America great again, the Trump regime’s climate denial could enable China to assume the mantle of global economic leadership — a devastating blow to democracy.

www.noemamag.com

Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 6d

"There's a case to be made that Beijing missed a trick in landing a more ambitious goal as it would have won broad global praise - a stark contrast to the US"

bbc.com/news/article...

China makes landmark pledge to cut its climate emissions

It is China's first firm goal to reduce emissions but falls well short of what is needed to meet global targets.

bbc.com

Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 8d

I think Monica's analysis is sound but perhaps it understates the truly frightening dimension of what happened today.

Trump wants to repurpose the military into a Praetorian Guard that will purify the nation & suppress civil resistance to his rule.

Really want to be wrong about this.

Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 8d

Wreckless militarism... (and imho hysterical masculinity).

theconversation.com/warrior-etho...

‘Warrior ethos’ mistakes military might for true security − and ignores the wisdom of Eisenhower

As hundreds of military brass descend on a base in Virginia to be addressed by Pete Hegseth, his newly bestowed title is ‘Secretary of War.’ That means something.

theconversation.com

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Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 8d

And this research will be published eventually in the next decade or so.

Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 8d

It doesn't mean they were pro-Russia but instead that there was a gap between where they stood (4) and where they perceived the country (2.5) on a West-Russia 0-10 spectrum.

2024 survey was an aggregate finding & didn't include diaspora.

Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 8d

My research with colleagues on shifting geopolitical orientations in Russia's near abroad found that Moldova uniquely had citizens who evaluated themselves as less pro-West than how they evaluated the country's current position (implicitly the government).

theconversation.com/moldova-pro-...

Moldova: pro-EU party wins majority in election dominated by Russian interference

The Moldovan election result will be noted with significant relief not only in Chișinău, but also in other European capitals.

theconversation.com

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Reposted by Gerard Toal

James Ball @jamesrball.com · 8d

Something under-discussed as Donald Trump and the White House rail against George Soros and promise to crack down on OSF (Open Society Foundations) – Soros himself no longer runs it, and in reality the OSF itself has been in something close to crisis for years. Short thread:

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Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 9d

An important win.

Building a sphere of influence by pulverizing neighboring states doesn't play well elsewhere.

bbc.com/news/article...

Moldova's pro-EU party wins vote mired in claims of Russian interference

The election was seen as critical for Moldova's EU path, and President Maia Sandu warned the country's future was in danger.

bbc.com

Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 13d

Lots of Americans on the Trinity tour I took with my daughter this summer.

Best way for Ireland to build soft power is to construct more student accommodation and create a new Atlantic University in the West. Do it!

The Irish Times @irishtimes.com · 13d

Trinity provost links rise in applications from US students to altered political landscape

Ireland has ‘greatest academic freedom at the moment’ and ‘bright, curious people’ are coming, says Linda Doyle

www.irishtimes.com

Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 13d

Europe is in a moment of runaway geopoliticization. There are clear dangers in this, from misattribution to empowering private attention enterpreneurs to feel they can become geopolitical actors.

Hybrid warfare is a dangerously loose concept.

Yet not completely wrong...

bbc.com/news/article...

Drone attacks leave Denmark exposed - and searching for response

In an era of hybrid warfare, there is a sense of embarrassment that Denmark's critical infrastructure has become vulnerable.

bbc.com

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Reposted by Gerard Toal

Juliet J. Fall @julietjfall.bsky.social · 14d

Book recommendation!

Cover of book called “In the name of women’s rights” by Sara Farris

Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 15d

Sounds like he's throwing out the Oval Office map, giving up on adding this to his fantasy Nobel CV, and saying fight it out while I watch from the sidelines.

But what's the new map?
- "the original borders from where this War started"?
- Ukraine "in its original form"
- "further than that!"
🤦

The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 15d

Well this is something.

Trump: "I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form."

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Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 15d

Climate change prompts a meta accusation/confession.

Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 15d

Perhaps more consequential is Trump admin's seeming acquiescence in Ukraine targeting Russian refining infrastructure, something Biden's admin was concerned about for self-serving domestic reasons.

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Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 15d

Yeah but it also part of his 'blame-the-EU' shtick.

The biggest offenders are his fans: Hungary and Slovakia.

Will he put pressure on them?

No chance.

Russia laughs.

Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 15d

Trump's petrofinance framing of Russia's war against Ukraine is.... helpful?

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Reposted by Gerard Toal

ASEEES Association for Slavic, East European, & Eurasian Studies @aseees.bsky.social · 15d

Stephen E. Hanson writes, "The Fate of Regional Studies under Patrimonial Rule" assessing the impact of recent political changes on regional studies for the September Issue of NewsNet.
buff.ly/vvHnwpq
#NewsNet

The Fate of Regional Studies under Patrimonial Rule | Association for Slavic, East European, & Eurasian Studies

This crisis is qualitatively different from any we have faced as scholars since the invention of modern area studies associations in the aftermath of World War II...

buff.ly

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Reposted by Gerard Toal

Dana R. Fisher (aka the Apocalyptic Optimist) @fisherdanar.bsky.social · 28d

Seems like an important day to re-up this piece from March 2025 (before US cities were being occupied by the military) in @sciam.bsky.social :

www.scientificamerican.com/article/risi...

Rising Acceptance of Political Violence Promises Nothing Good for the U.S.

Left-leaning Americans at peaceful demonstrations are becoming more likely to believe that political violence will be necessary to save America

www.scientificamerican.com

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Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · Sep 8

Starting my Critical Geopolitics seminar once again with a beautifully written book packed with sharp insights & concepts. Thank you @amitav.bsky.social for this gift to us all.

Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · Sep 6

And Irish cultural artists are taking risks by public pro-Palestinian stances.

"Ireland’s history offers a different lens where speech, even if uncomfortable or radical, is part of the path to peace..."

www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2...

Why Sally Rooney is stirring debate over free speech in Denmark

Danish outcry at Sally Rooney and Kneecap shows a very different approach to Palestine outside Ireland

www.rte.ie

Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · Sep 6

The striking things about this article, beyond the infuriating feckup by Ireland on student housing, is that Irish universities are seen as a haven of free speech by some Americans because they don't punish pro-Palestinian activism.

www.irishtimes.com/ireland/hous...

‘It’s brutal out here’: US students drawn to Ireland struck by hard realities of rental market

Young Americans worried about an oppressive atmosphere in the US, many of whom share Ireland’s pro-Palestine leaning or have Irish heritage, describe the ‘stressful process’ of trying to find accommod...

www.irishtimes.com

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Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · Sep 6

"Democrat Cities" as an "inner abroad."

Internal colonialism.

Endo-colonialism.

GWOT turned inward.

Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · Sep 6

Illustration: where geopolitics gets inverted, and 'blue cities' become 'enemy territory.'

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Gerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · Sep 6

Example. I've long argued for the merits of 'geopolitical culture' as a better conceptualization than alternatives like 'strategic culture' or 'geopolitical codes.'

Drawing on Bourdieu he uses 'geopolitical habitus' to get at the tacit orthodoxy that comes without saying in geopolitical practices.