Danny Hirschel-Burns
@dhirschelburns.bsky.social
Associate Lecturer in St Andrews’ (🏴) School of International Relations. Yale poli sci PhD. Violence, state-building, ideology, Colombia, and qual methods.
Reposted by Danny Hirschel-Burns
European governing elites from London through Brussels to Moldova face the worst threats since 1945, from Putin, Trump, China, AI, climate etc. Why are they so unequipped to deal with them? Me on the men (mostly) with blue suits and diplomas who have landed in the jungle as.ft.com/r/b709f313-8...
The impotence of Europe’s governing elite
[FREE TO READ] From Brussels to Moldova, the men in blue suits know they’re in trouble. But what are they going to do about it?
as.ft.com
January 15, 2026 at 3:57 PM
European governing elites from London through Brussels to Moldova face the worst threats since 1945, from Putin, Trump, China, AI, climate etc. Why are they so unequipped to deal with them? Me on the men (mostly) with blue suits and diplomas who have landed in the jungle as.ft.com/r/b709f313-8...
As someone who has worked extensively with the data Adam’s referring to, I can’t support this argument enough
“Bank evidence for future prosecutions…”
During the worst years of Colombia’s conflict, human rights groups kept databases and archives of abuses.
That’s where we are now.
Later, when a Truth Commission and special tribunal could hold abusers accountable, those archives were essential evidence.
During the worst years of Colombia’s conflict, human rights groups kept databases and archives of abuses.
That’s where we are now.
Later, when a Truth Commission and special tribunal could hold abusers accountable, those archives were essential evidence.
Gov. Walz to Minnesotans: “Donald Trump wants more violence on our streets … We must remain peaceful …You have an absolute right to peacefully record ICE agents … Help us bank evidence for future prosecutions.“
January 15, 2026 at 2:34 AM
As someone who has worked extensively with the data Adam’s referring to, I can’t support this argument enough
Reposted by Danny Hirschel-Burns
Here is the Washington Post's story on its reporter's home being searched and her phone, two laptops, and a Garmin watch being seized (including a Post laptop) and the Post having received a subpoena: wapo.st/4pFh6lw
Also, here is currently the promoted editorial at the Post.
Also, here is currently the promoted editorial at the Post.
January 14, 2026 at 11:27 PM
Here is the Washington Post's story on its reporter's home being searched and her phone, two laptops, and a Garmin watch being seized (including a Post laptop) and the Post having received a subpoena: wapo.st/4pFh6lw
Also, here is currently the promoted editorial at the Post.
Also, here is currently the promoted editorial at the Post.
Reposted by Danny Hirschel-Burns
More than an attempted coup, where a mob tried to seize Congress on live television did? There's not going to be an implosion about anything. It's either a slow slide towards oblivion where everything gets incrementally worse as people try to live normally, or a slow grind in the opposite direction.
i feel like if the president actually went through with invading greenland, it would implode America
January 14, 2026 at 9:56 PM
More than an attempted coup, where a mob tried to seize Congress on live television did? There's not going to be an implosion about anything. It's either a slow slide towards oblivion where everything gets incrementally worse as people try to live normally, or a slow grind in the opposite direction.
Reposted by Danny Hirschel-Burns
🚨Leaked docs about the ICE-led deployment to Minneapolis: www.kenklippenstein.com/p/immigratio...
Immigration Agents Terrified by ICE Backlash
Leaked documents show Border Patrol needs volunteers for Minneapolis surge
www.kenklippenstein.com
January 13, 2026 at 12:29 AM
🚨Leaked docs about the ICE-led deployment to Minneapolis: www.kenklippenstein.com/p/immigratio...
Reposted by Danny Hirschel-Burns
the sooner they all realize this the better.
NOTUS:
Dem House Rep Steven Horsford:
“They called the local sheriff; they showed up and were going to arrest me. These are the same people that I’m supposed to call to coordinate security or to do support when I have a town hall.”
www.notus.org/democrats/me...
Dem House Rep Steven Horsford:
“They called the local sheriff; they showed up and were going to arrest me. These are the same people that I’m supposed to call to coordinate security or to do support when I have a town hall.”
www.notus.org/democrats/me...
Democrats' New Fear: They Can’t Rely on Local Law Enforcement for Protection
“They called the local sheriff; they showed up and were going to arrest me,” said Rep. Steven Horsford.
www.notus.org
January 10, 2026 at 7:59 AM
the sooner they all realize this the better.
Reposted by Danny Hirschel-Burns
For a literal decade the official CBP policy has been “don’t stand in front of or behind vehicles” because the decade before that their internally commissioned studies found that agents were putting themselves in front of vehicles so as to shoot the occupants
Because he put himself in front of the car to have an excuse to shoot!
January 10, 2026 at 12:01 AM
For a literal decade the official CBP policy has been “don’t stand in front of or behind vehicles” because the decade before that their internally commissioned studies found that agents were putting themselves in front of vehicles so as to shoot the occupants
Reposted by Danny Hirschel-Burns
The highest popularist attention to the wrong detail!
Popularism is fundamentally in denial about empirical findings on (1) the psychology of the survey response in mass publics & (2) that most citizens are not attentive enough to be issue voters in the way that popularist arguments assume.
Popularism is fundamentally in denial about empirical findings on (1) the psychology of the survey response in mass publics & (2) that most citizens are not attentive enough to be issue voters in the way that popularist arguments assume.
the fact that this is Yglesias’ only post about ICE murdering an American really just goes to show how his excessively poll-tested popularist philosophy completely fails when faced with a rapidly shifting public narrative
it’s an entirely backwards-looking worldview
it’s an entirely backwards-looking worldview
January 9, 2026 at 3:21 PM
The highest popularist attention to the wrong detail!
Popularism is fundamentally in denial about empirical findings on (1) the psychology of the survey response in mass publics & (2) that most citizens are not attentive enough to be issue voters in the way that popularist arguments assume.
Popularism is fundamentally in denial about empirical findings on (1) the psychology of the survey response in mass publics & (2) that most citizens are not attentive enough to be issue voters in the way that popularist arguments assume.
Reposted by Danny Hirschel-Burns
Keep pushing. Abolishing ICE is within the Overton window. I don't think that's something we could have said even a year ago.
FWIW “everything is on the table” is verbatim what Jeffries just said when I asked him.
January 9, 2026 at 3:03 AM
Keep pushing. Abolishing ICE is within the Overton window. I don't think that's something we could have said even a year ago.
They’re spineless, but they’re also very short-sighted. Next time Republicans try to steal an election, ICE will be their muscle.
Top Democrats decline to say if they would rein in ICE after Minnesota shooting
Top Democrats decline to say if they would rein in ICE after Minnesota shooting
Top Democrats decline to say if they would rein in ICE after Minnesota shooting
www.independent.co.uk
January 9, 2026 at 1:56 AM
They’re spineless, but they’re also very short-sighted. Next time Republicans try to steal an election, ICE will be their muscle.
Reposted by Danny Hirschel-Burns
This is literally what they do whenever a Black person is killed by police. No matter how solid the evidence is, they will keep pushing that lie, not just to poison the conversation and make sure the killer walks free, but to reassert the political idea that these people deserve to be killed.
The shooting is shocking enough but the government's response is off the charts when you consider that this incident is forensically documented on video.
January 8, 2026 at 1:41 PM
This is literally what they do whenever a Black person is killed by police. No matter how solid the evidence is, they will keep pushing that lie, not just to poison the conversation and make sure the killer walks free, but to reassert the political idea that these people deserve to be killed.
Reposted by Danny Hirschel-Burns
per NYT, the u.s. military invaded venezuela to kidnap president maduro because he’s a better dancer than donald trump
January 4, 2026 at 8:11 PM
per NYT, the u.s. military invaded venezuela to kidnap president maduro because he’s a better dancer than donald trump
Reposted by Danny Hirschel-Burns
The New York Times and Washington Post learned of the impending commission of a major crime and did nothing
(Semafor) - The New York Times and Washington Post learned of a secret US raid on Venezuela soon before it was scheduled to begin Friday night — but held off publishing what they knew to avoid endangering US troops ..
@semafor.com
www.semafor.com/article/01/0...
@semafor.com
www.semafor.com/article/01/0...
January 4, 2026 at 2:15 AM
The New York Times and Washington Post learned of the impending commission of a major crime and did nothing
Good thread on the many motives behind Maduro’s kidnapping
I'm seeing a lot of people say this is all ultimately really about oil. I think that's way too simplistic.
Trump's assault on Venezuela has a lot of causes (and is probably over-determined) including:
- Marco Rubio's longheld fixation on left-wing regime change in Latin America
Trump's assault on Venezuela has a lot of causes (and is probably over-determined) including:
- Marco Rubio's longheld fixation on left-wing regime change in Latin America
January 3, 2026 at 9:34 PM
Good thread on the many motives behind Maduro’s kidnapping
Reposted by Danny Hirschel-Burns
The kidnapping of Maduro inaugurates a highly dangerous era of U.S. empire that for perhaps the first time in an era of mass media is not pretending to be anything other than a violent, extractive enterprise of domination.
A Criminal Empire
The United States launches a conquest and occupation of Venezuela to extract its oil wealth. The neocon dream is the America First dream
www.forever-wars.com
January 3, 2026 at 7:50 PM
The kidnapping of Maduro inaugurates a highly dangerous era of U.S. empire that for perhaps the first time in an era of mass media is not pretending to be anything other than a violent, extractive enterprise of domination.
Reposted by Danny Hirschel-Burns
He's mad she won the Nobel Peace Prize and he didn't. That's it. That's what it's all about. Best part is she idiotically and sycophantically dedicated her prize to him and he still won't back her and prefers to publicly denigrate on a day like today.
Trump on María Corina Machado: "I think it'd be very tough for her to be the leader. She doesn't have the support or the respect within the country. She's a very nice woman but she doesn't have the respect."
January 3, 2026 at 6:07 PM
He's mad she won the Nobel Peace Prize and he didn't. That's it. That's what it's all about. Best part is she idiotically and sycophantically dedicated her prize to him and he still won't back her and prefers to publicly denigrate on a day like today.
It is very important to understand that the Venezuelan regime is supported by many non-state/quasi-autonomous armed groups and criminal networks. They will not easily fall in line, even in the unlikely event of a pro-US regime. There is no scenario where the US succeeds at governing.
January 3, 2026 at 6:12 PM
It is very important to understand that the Venezuelan regime is supported by many non-state/quasi-autonomous armed groups and criminal networks. They will not easily fall in line, even in the unlikely event of a pro-US regime. There is no scenario where the US succeeds at governing.
Though the disconnect between what the US wants and what its actions can achieve hasn’t stopped Trump previously (tariffs for example). The influence of Rubio/conservative Latin Americans in Miami shouldn’t be discounted either.
Pay no attention to Trump's incoherent rambling. They have not thought through how to expropriate the oil. There is no US oil major that would operate in Venezuela in its current condition.
And the oil…
January 3, 2026 at 6:07 PM
Though the disconnect between what the US wants and what its actions can achieve hasn’t stopped Trump previously (tariffs for example). The influence of Rubio/conservative Latin Americans in Miami shouldn’t be discounted either.
This fits with Trump’s general approach: focus on flashy actions, ignore long-term planning, lie when reality is inconvenient, and (likely soon) move focus elsewhere when his plans fail
January 3, 2026 at 6:03 PM
This fits with Trump’s general approach: focus on flashy actions, ignore long-term planning, lie when reality is inconvenient, and (likely soon) move focus elsewhere when his plans fail
Reposted by Danny Hirschel-Burns
What were the most and least important events of 2026? @themorningnews.org asked me and a lot of people whose writing I admire.
For the most important, I had to go with the destruction of USAID—indefensible democratically, repugnant symbolically, and more than anything just plain deadly
For the most important, I had to go with the destruction of USAID—indefensible democratically, repugnant symbolically, and more than anything just plain deadly
January 2, 2026 at 8:27 PM
What were the most and least important events of 2026? @themorningnews.org asked me and a lot of people whose writing I admire.
For the most important, I had to go with the destruction of USAID—indefensible democratically, repugnant symbolically, and more than anything just plain deadly
For the most important, I had to go with the destruction of USAID—indefensible democratically, repugnant symbolically, and more than anything just plain deadly
Reposted by Danny Hirschel-Burns
As it happens, I have experience with high-level government demands to stop an explosive, accurate story from running, and I also have experience with 60 Minutes spiking a story I was involved in, so I have thoughts about the travesty at CBS. If you want some journalism anecdotes, here are a lot:
Watching Bari Weiss Murder Investigative Journalism at CBS
Notes from someone who's withstood White House demands to stop an explosive story—and who once even had a 60 Minutes piece spiked
www.forever-wars.com
December 30, 2025 at 8:06 PM
As it happens, I have experience with high-level government demands to stop an explosive, accurate story from running, and I also have experience with 60 Minutes spiking a story I was involved in, so I have thoughts about the travesty at CBS. If you want some journalism anecdotes, here are a lot:
The visa lottery was the only way the vast majority of the world could come to the US legally. The Trump administration is using the pretext of the Brown shooting to suspend it. timhirschelburns.substack.com/p/the-end-of...
The End of the Line
More than anything else, the diversity visa lottery gave people a "right way" to come to the US. Kristi Noem just announced she was stopping it.
timhirschelburns.substack.com
December 20, 2025 at 4:57 PM
The visa lottery was the only way the vast majority of the world could come to the US legally. The Trump administration is using the pretext of the Brown shooting to suspend it. timhirschelburns.substack.com/p/the-end-of...
Reposted by Danny Hirschel-Burns
No matter how you slice it, US police officers are safer on the job and paid waaaaay more than other countries' police despite doing a…less than stellar job
The question isn't more police vs. less police. It's why are US police paid so much while doing such little and such poor police work?
The question isn't more police vs. less police. It's why are US police paid so much while doing such little and such poor police work?
December 17, 2025 at 4:52 PM
No matter how you slice it, US police officers are safer on the job and paid waaaaay more than other countries' police despite doing a…less than stellar job
The question isn't more police vs. less police. It's why are US police paid so much while doing such little and such poor police work?
The question isn't more police vs. less police. It's why are US police paid so much while doing such little and such poor police work?
Reposted by Danny Hirschel-Burns
In Chile, where non-citizen residents can vote, right wing candidate Kast is heavily favored to win today’s election with a combination of voters who blame an alleged crime wave on Venezuelan migrants, and Venezuelan migrants he’s pledged to deport, who support him because he’s anti-communist.
December 14, 2025 at 4:40 PM
In Chile, where non-citizen residents can vote, right wing candidate Kast is heavily favored to win today’s election with a combination of voters who blame an alleged crime wave on Venezuelan migrants, and Venezuelan migrants he’s pledged to deport, who support him because he’s anti-communist.
Reposted by Danny Hirschel-Burns
i will again note the slight of hand here. “respecting” public opinion is defined as being subservient to public opinion. but you can respect where the public lies without making yourself a slave to its whims.
This exchange drives me nuts. Neither the interviewer nor Bazelon acknowledges that 1) abortion rights are really popular! and 2) what ICE is doing is hugely unpopular!
December 10, 2025 at 3:15 PM
i will again note the slight of hand here. “respecting” public opinion is defined as being subservient to public opinion. but you can respect where the public lies without making yourself a slave to its whims.