Michael McFaul
@mcfaulmike.bsky.social
Professor of Political Science, Director of Freeman Spogli Institute & Hoover Senior Fellow all at Stanford University. U.S. Ambassador to Russia, 2012-2014.
6/6 "Surviving as a Liberal Internationalist in the Era of Trump’s Illiberal Nationalism". Read this and other essays on my Substack, McFaul's World: michaelmcfaul.substack.com/p/surviving-...
Surviving as a Liberal Internationalist in the Era of Trump’s Illiberal Nationalism
Constructive engagement and respectful opposition are the only viable options.
michaelmcfaul.substack.com
January 23, 2026 at 4:59 PM
6/6 "Surviving as a Liberal Internationalist in the Era of Trump’s Illiberal Nationalism". Read this and other essays on my Substack, McFaul's World: michaelmcfaul.substack.com/p/surviving-...
5/6 Democratic values are a core source of U.S. soft power. They set us apart from China and Russia.
If we stop defending them abroad, we will lose our strategic advantage in Cold War 2.0.
If we stop defending them abroad, we will lose our strategic advantage in Cold War 2.0.
January 23, 2026 at 4:59 PM
5/6 Democratic values are a core source of U.S. soft power. They set us apart from China and Russia.
If we stop defending them abroad, we will lose our strategic advantage in Cold War 2.0.
If we stop defending them abroad, we will lose our strategic advantage in Cold War 2.0.
4/6 Leaving treaties and multilateral institutions does not advance U.S. interests. Reform global institutions—don’t abandon them. China isn't leaving, and fills the space we leave behind.
January 23, 2026 at 4:59 PM
4/6 Leaving treaties and multilateral institutions does not advance U.S. interests. Reform global institutions—don’t abandon them. China isn't leaving, and fills the space we leave behind.
3/6 If Putin wins in Ukraine, the odds of China invading Taiwan rise. Every major U.S. tech company relies on chips from Taiwan. To pretend that we don’t have a stake in that fight is naïve.
January 23, 2026 at 4:59 PM
3/6 If Putin wins in Ukraine, the odds of China invading Taiwan rise. Every major U.S. tech company relies on chips from Taiwan. To pretend that we don’t have a stake in that fight is naïve.
2/6 Isolationism didn’t keep us safe in the 1930s. We were dragged into WWII later—at a higher cost. I fear the same could happen again.
January 23, 2026 at 4:59 PM
2/6 Isolationism didn’t keep us safe in the 1930s. We were dragged into WWII later—at a higher cost. I fear the same could happen again.