Paul T. Levin
@paultlevin.bsky.social
Director of the Stockholm University Institute for Turkish Studies. Managing Director Consortium for European Symposia on Turkey. Docent (Assoc. Prof.) of and pontificator on international relations. Opinionated. Painter.
Trumps FBI-chef vägrade gå av sitt plan förrän även han fått en cool FBI-jacka med ett lika tufft märke på jackan som hans kompisar hade. 2/3
nypost.com/2025/11/30/o...
nypost.com/2025/11/30/o...
February 13, 2026 at 3:01 PM
Trumps FBI-chef vägrade gå av sitt plan förrän även han fått en cool FBI-jacka med ett lika tufft märke på jackan som hans kompisar hade. 2/3
nypost.com/2025/11/30/o...
nypost.com/2025/11/30/o...
Turkish statesman Süleyman Demirel used to say “Meseleleri mesele etmezseniz ortada mesele kalmaz,“ i.e. if you dont act like something is a problem, you won’t have any problems.
Trump will now test the proposition that acting like climate change does no harm will stop it from actually doing harm.
Trump will now test the proposition that acting like climate change does no harm will stop it from actually doing harm.
February 13, 2026 at 10:55 AM
Turkish statesman Süleyman Demirel used to say “Meseleleri mesele etmezseniz ortada mesele kalmaz,“ i.e. if you dont act like something is a problem, you won’t have any problems.
Trump will now test the proposition that acting like climate change does no harm will stop it from actually doing harm.
Trump will now test the proposition that acting like climate change does no harm will stop it from actually doing harm.
Look, I’m NO fan of Trump or his deputized militia masquerading as law enforcement, but if you are going to fight rightwing nationalists, it’s better to do so based on a serious analysis of the facts. And the facts are quite clear.
www.pewresearch.org/race-and-eth...
www.pewresearch.org/race-and-eth...
February 12, 2026 at 6:10 PM
Look, I’m NO fan of Trump or his deputized militia masquerading as law enforcement, but if you are going to fight rightwing nationalists, it’s better to do so based on a serious analysis of the facts. And the facts are quite clear.
www.pewresearch.org/race-and-eth...
www.pewresearch.org/race-and-eth...
Särskilt pekar professorn i statsvetenskap ut något som jag lyft här tidigare: att Migrationsverket applicerar ändrade regler retroaktivt. Du kan alltså följa alla regler men ändå utvisas då reglerna ändras SENARE. Det strider mot grundläggande rättsprinciper.
February 12, 2026 at 6:51 AM
Särskilt pekar professorn i statsvetenskap ut något som jag lyft här tidigare: att Migrationsverket applicerar ändrade regler retroaktivt. Du kan alltså följa alla regler men ändå utvisas då reglerna ändras SENARE. Det strider mot grundläggande rättsprinciper.
Strangely, Sweden has probably been one of the most Americanized countries in the world. We grow up with 🇺🇸 TV (subtitled, not dubbed) & many follow 🇺🇸 news obsessively. Sadly, our perception of 🇺🇸 have PLUMMETED since Trump came to power. Trump himself is now nearly as unpopular as Vladimir PUTIN.
February 7, 2026 at 4:56 PM
Strangely, Sweden has probably been one of the most Americanized countries in the world. We grow up with 🇺🇸 TV (subtitled, not dubbed) & many follow 🇺🇸 news obsessively. Sadly, our perception of 🇺🇸 have PLUMMETED since Trump came to power. Trump himself is now nearly as unpopular as Vladimir PUTIN.
I can’t remember who on X came up with it, but this 4-cell nicely illustrates why one shouldn’t get hung up on the stupidity. I fear we are in cell 1 a lot of the time with the second Trump administration. He may be a toddler, but he’s a toddler with a loaded machine gun in its tiny hands.
February 6, 2026 at 8:39 PM
I can’t remember who on X came up with it, but this 4-cell nicely illustrates why one shouldn’t get hung up on the stupidity. I fear we are in cell 1 a lot of the time with the second Trump administration. He may be a toddler, but he’s a toddler with a loaded machine gun in its tiny hands.
Eftersom vi saknar en oberoende världsregering behöver vi stormakternas stöd för världsordningen. Därmed är viss dubbelmoral en otrevlig men ofrånkomlig del av internationell politik i alla system där det överhuvudtaget finns normer & moral. Alternativet är inte bättre.+
February 5, 2026 at 11:47 AM
Eftersom vi saknar en oberoende världsregering behöver vi stormakternas stöd för världsordningen. Därmed är viss dubbelmoral en otrevlig men ofrånkomlig del av internationell politik i alla system där det överhuvudtaget finns normer & moral. Alternativet är inte bättre.+
De fokuserar i artikeln också på normer som befäster hierarkier & ojämlikheter (tv deras fyra kategorier av hierarkier/normer), men normer som jämställdhetsnormen gäller alla stater lika. Och den har fö också gett resultat: (th) Andelen mer än dubblerades från 11% 1995 till 27% 2025.)+
February 5, 2026 at 11:47 AM
De fokuserar i artikeln också på normer som befäster hierarkier & ojämlikheter (tv deras fyra kategorier av hierarkier/normer), men normer som jämställdhetsnormen gäller alla stater lika. Och den har fö också gett resultat: (th) Andelen mer än dubblerades från 11% 1995 till 27% 2025.)+
Enligt Finnemore behöver även en hegemon som USA
1) LEGITIMERA sin maktutövning & legitimitet kan man inte tvinga fram. USA valde att skapa legitimitet bla genom
2) INSTITUTIONALISERING (FN, folkrätt mm). Men när regler & institutioner är skapade kan de inte fullt kontrolleras av hegemonen.+
1) LEGITIMERA sin maktutövning & legitimitet kan man inte tvinga fram. USA valde att skapa legitimitet bla genom
2) INSTITUTIONALISERING (FN, folkrätt mm). Men när regler & institutioner är skapade kan de inte fullt kontrolleras av hegemonen.+
February 5, 2026 at 11:47 AM
Enligt Finnemore behöver även en hegemon som USA
1) LEGITIMERA sin maktutövning & legitimitet kan man inte tvinga fram. USA valde att skapa legitimitet bla genom
2) INSTITUTIONALISERING (FN, folkrätt mm). Men när regler & institutioner är skapade kan de inte fullt kontrolleras av hegemonen.+
1) LEGITIMERA sin maktutövning & legitimitet kan man inte tvinga fram. USA valde att skapa legitimitet bla genom
2) INSTITUTIONALISERING (FN, folkrätt mm). Men när regler & institutioner är skapade kan de inte fullt kontrolleras av hegemonen.+
An important statement on Gaza signed by 410 former EU and Member State Ministers, Ambassadors, and Senior Officials. In light of Israel's continued killing of Palestinians, restriction of aid to Gaza, & expansion of West Bank settlements, they demand the following:
drive.google.com/file/d/1An4H...
drive.google.com/file/d/1An4H...
February 3, 2026 at 9:33 AM
An important statement on Gaza signed by 410 former EU and Member State Ministers, Ambassadors, and Senior Officials. In light of Israel's continued killing of Palestinians, restriction of aid to Gaza, & expansion of West Bank settlements, they demand the following:
drive.google.com/file/d/1An4H...
drive.google.com/file/d/1An4H...
I was recently interviewed by the Turkish IR journal Dış Bakış. about Turkey, the EU, and the European security architecture. The full interview is available via the link below. Here are a couple of excerpts, including some thoughts about choices Ankara will have to make.
tudpam.org/wp-content/u...
tudpam.org/wp-content/u...
February 2, 2026 at 4:38 PM
I was recently interviewed by the Turkish IR journal Dış Bakış. about Turkey, the EU, and the European security architecture. The full interview is available via the link below. Here are a couple of excerpts, including some thoughts about choices Ankara will have to make.
tudpam.org/wp-content/u...
tudpam.org/wp-content/u...
Predictably, Trump uses violent protests in Los Angeles as a pretext to threaten deploy troops to Democrat-run cities. Anyone agitating for or valorizing violence (no matter how much I understand their anger) is playing right into the hands of the wannabe king.
February 1, 2026 at 5:45 PM
Predictably, Trump uses violent protests in Los Angeles as a pretext to threaten deploy troops to Democrat-run cities. Anyone agitating for or valorizing violence (no matter how much I understand their anger) is playing right into the hands of the wannabe king.
And, predictably, Trump uses this as a pretext to threaten deploy troops to Democrat-run cities. Anyone agitating for or valorizing violence (no matter how much I can sympathize with their anger) is playing right into the hands of the wannabe king. Be smart, not just angry.
February 1, 2026 at 5:43 PM
And, predictably, Trump uses this as a pretext to threaten deploy troops to Democrat-run cities. Anyone agitating for or valorizing violence (no matter how much I can sympathize with their anger) is playing right into the hands of the wannabe king. Be smart, not just angry.
Indeed. Here's what I wrote in October of 2024. I am guessing many have thought of me as an "alarmist" regarding Trump since around 2015, but I was right to be alarmed. The only things I got wrong were when I tempered my worst fears not to sound crazy.
open.substack.com/pub/paultlev...
open.substack.com/pub/paultlev...
January 26, 2026 at 3:58 PM
Indeed. Here's what I wrote in October of 2024. I am guessing many have thought of me as an "alarmist" regarding Trump since around 2015, but I was right to be alarmed. The only things I got wrong were when I tempered my worst fears not to sound crazy.
open.substack.com/pub/paultlev...
open.substack.com/pub/paultlev...
Normalcy bias: Inte ens när DN rapporterar om att dansk militär skickats till Grönland för att med ”skarp ammunition” kunna försvara landets territorium och ”svara på eventuella angrepp” från USA kan de låta bli att påstå att ”ingen tagit hoten på fullt allvar”.+
January 23, 2026 at 1:28 PM
Normalcy bias: Inte ens när DN rapporterar om att dansk militär skickats till Grönland för att med ”skarp ammunition” kunna försvara landets territorium och ”svara på eventuella angrepp” från USA kan de låta bli att påstå att ”ingen tagit hoten på fullt allvar”.+
The two-term limit is very firmly established in the US, legally & culturally, but I wrote about the risk that violent unrest could be used to circumvent it, & I worry about what's happening in Minneapolis rn. That's why it's so important that protests are PEACEFUL.
open.substack.com/pub/paultlev...
open.substack.com/pub/paultlev...
January 19, 2026 at 11:54 AM
The two-term limit is very firmly established in the US, legally & culturally, but I wrote about the risk that violent unrest could be used to circumvent it, & I worry about what's happening in Minneapolis rn. That's why it's so important that protests are PEACEFUL.
open.substack.com/pub/paultlev...
open.substack.com/pub/paultlev...
The U.S. has already pulled almost all of its support for Ukraine.
January 19, 2026 at 12:18 AM
The U.S. has already pulled almost all of its support for Ukraine.
The U.S. tried to acquire information about Danish military installations on Greenland last year, going outside traditional channels & raising fears of an invasion. The 1500 strong 11th Airborne in Alaska now being readied for deployment—supposedly in Minnesota—are nicknamed the “Arctic Angels.”
January 18, 2026 at 11:32 AM
The U.S. tried to acquire information about Danish military installations on Greenland last year, going outside traditional channels & raising fears of an invasion. The 1500 strong 11th Airborne in Alaska now being readied for deployment—supposedly in Minnesota—are nicknamed the “Arctic Angels.”
Just a note of caution to everyone here. This account that just followed me is an obvious bot. I can’t say if it’s Russian, Chinese, or other. But it shares material that fuels division in the US (ICE) & between allies (Greenland). Both topics upset me too, so I’m not blaming anyone for posting.+
January 17, 2026 at 3:30 PM
Just a note of caution to everyone here. This account that just followed me is an obvious bot. I can’t say if it’s Russian, Chinese, or other. But it shares material that fuels division in the US (ICE) & between allies (Greenland). Both topics upset me too, so I’m not blaming anyone for posting.+
I chose my words carefully, my friend. We do know that he asked for their help, that they helped, and that he was elected (with rather narrow margins).
open.substack.com/pub/paultlev...
open.substack.com/pub/paultlev...
January 16, 2026 at 8:05 PM
I chose my words carefully, my friend. We do know that he asked for their help, that they helped, and that he was elected (with rather narrow margins).
open.substack.com/pub/paultlev...
open.substack.com/pub/paultlev...
Hoppas på det bästa men planera för det värsta, var min uppmaning.
open.substack.com/pub/paultlev...
open.substack.com/pub/paultlev...
January 11, 2026 at 6:27 PM
Hoppas på det bästa men planera för det värsta, var min uppmaning.
open.substack.com/pub/paultlev...
open.substack.com/pub/paultlev...
Ok so I guess my tongue-in-cheek suggestion isn’t that far from actual discussions in European halls of power.
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
January 11, 2026 at 5:19 PM
Ok so I guess my tongue-in-cheek suggestion isn’t that far from actual discussions in European halls of power.
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
Apart from psychology, the neopatrimonialism of the two regimes involved—Putin’s & Trump’s—means that business deals allowing for enrichment of cronies is another key driver of foreign policy. Combine the two drivers with a map of the Arctic & I’d worry if I were in Oslo as well as in Copenhagen.
January 9, 2026 at 10:21 AM
Apart from psychology, the neopatrimonialism of the two regimes involved—Putin’s & Trump’s—means that business deals allowing for enrichment of cronies is another key driver of foreign policy. Combine the two drivers with a map of the Arctic & I’d worry if I were in Oslo as well as in Copenhagen.