francesco strazzari
professor of international relations | studies armed conflict and social change - Substack (IT): @francescostrazzari
- Reposted by francesco strazzariDefinitely seems like they destroyed the country on purpose.
- Reposted by francesco strazzariSo much for the party of individual freedom and small government. The Republican Party is now all in on the police state. Just to be clear, immigrants are not “invaders” and people standing up for human rights are not “traitors.” People who defend state violence ARE betraying American values.
- University of Illinois college republicans advocate for executing protesters as “traitors” with art that takes a disturbing killing and makes it even more extreme. dailyillini.com/news-stories...
- tomorrow - Tuesday 3rd, we conclude in Pisa our PRIN PNRR research project on engaging jihadists in negotiations in the Global South. Publications will follow
- a gentle reminder
- Reposted by francesco strazzariNew from me: It is not just that the US is experiencing democratic backsliding. Authoritarianism has emerged more quickly than in other benchmark countries. This graph from John Burn-Murdoch sums it up. 🧵 donmoynihan.substack.com/p/autocracy-...
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- ICE already knows who Minneapolis protesters are: they use facial recognition, social media monitoring and other tech tools not only to identify undocumented immigrants but also to track protesters. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/t...
- Le Monde goes back to the 'Dmitriev case', the historian of Stalinist crimes sentenced to fifteen years in prison: one of the heaviest among Russian political prisoners (an estimated number of 3,000-4,600) www.lemonde.fr/histoire/art...
- Ukrainian Defence Minister Fedorov confirms that Russian forces are equipping drones with Starlink satellite systems
- Reposted by francesco strazzari‘Humanity needs to wake up’ to dangers of AI, says Anthropic chief www.ft.com/content/c309...
- A militia that kills: Milan’s mayor says ICE agents are ‘clearly not welcome’ in Winter Olympics co-host city “because they don’t guarantee they’re aligned with our democratic security management methods”. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
- Reposted by francesco strazzariAccording to the latest data published by the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRANA), as of Saturday January 24, the total number of confirmed deaths from the recent crackdown on anti-regime protests in Iran has reached 5,459, while the number of deaths currently under investigation stands at 17,...
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- Reposted by francesco strazzariRemember 10 years ago when the United States kidnapped Nicolas Maduro?
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- Reposted by francesco strazzariSpraying pepper spray directly into the eyes of a detained person who’s already fully subdued
- kind reminder
- Trovo sia molto preoccupante come sui media italiani gli sviluppi nel Nordest della Siria, a tre giorni dall'inizio dell'offensiva, restino sostanzialmente oscurati substack.com/@francescost...
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- Reposted by francesco strazzariWhilst I welcome a ceasefire in Syria I worry that there will be a silent war against Kurdish communities and other Syrian minorities, especially given HTS’s past history.
- looks like in the latest issue of Civiltà Cattolica the Gesuits give a 15 page answer to JD Vance's ideas about the ordo amoris
- I'm happy to embark on a new semester teaching a new course on African agency in IR at SAIS-Johns Hopkins University, and a module on Africa in IR at ITAM in Mexico City. Exploring new ways of making sense of change in the international order (or what remains of it)
- Bologna, Piazza Maggiore. Solidarity gathering by the trade unions against repression in Iran
- Reposted by francesco strazzariExplain to me how this would happen. The fucking mechanics of it. Explain them to me. Russia or China, storming the beaches of an EU and NATO member state terrotiry which includes a fucking US military base on it in a take and hold maneuver a bazillion miles from their nearest supply lines?
- eyes on perception of the US in Europe
- Deutsche Bank boss stirs up Germany by calling it “logical” to finance European defence with joint debt www.lesechos.fr/finance-marc...
- Forgot one flag?
- The Manifacturing of the Pahlavi popularity - a detailed analysis exposing how large part of the repressive traits of today’s Iran (Evin prison included) have unmistakable roots in the Shah era. legrandcontinent.eu/fr/2026/01/1...
- Reposted by francesco strazzari1/ Russian convicts are refusing en masse to join the army, even to serve as officers, according to Igor 'Strelkov' Girkin. He says that nobody believes the Russian Ministry of Defence's promises any more and recruiters are unable to persuade men to go to their deaths. ⬇️
- Reposted by francesco strazzariEgypt's Muslim Brotherhood to legally challenge US terror designation - middleeasteye.net/news/egypts-muslim-…
- Reposted by francesco strazzariRussia offers to help the U.S. Military sink NATO ships If this doesn’t convince Repubs something is terribly wrong, nothing will
- Oggi su ilManifesto scrivo dei massacri in #Iran e della necessità di leggere le mobilitazioni non attraverso il ridotto geopolitico che compone lo screenplay dell’internazionale reazionaria t.co/KUlEB9nhh9
- Reposted by francesco strazzari“This is a military occupation, and it feels like a military occupation,” said Elliott Payne, president of the Minneapolis City Council. Federal agents scream obscenities at residents and repeatedly holster and unholster their weapons. “It’s like living in a war zone.”
- With the Reactionary International backing the Shah, threatening imperial blows, the worse would be a left that hesitates to fully support Iranian youth for fear of “legitimizing intervention.” A betrayal of 'Woman, Life, Freedom', a political abdication, the child of geopolitical reductionism.
- Reposted by francesco strazzariIR Realists saying farewell to the Rational Actor Assumption
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- Reposted by francesco strazzariI don’t see how this country survives until 2029 unless Trump is impeached and removed. This level of lawless malice is not sustainable. What fresh horrors await us this week?
- the world as we know it is ending. In the near future Adam Tooze sees multipolar disorder lavishly powered with cheap energy: a polycrisis with drones and heavy crude. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
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- two days ago Trump told the oil giants operating in Venezuela that will be completely safe: ‘I think the people in Venezuela will give you excellent security.’ Then urged US citizens to flee amid reports of paramilitaries 'searching vehicles for Americans' www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
- At this point I wonder if Italy’s Meloni government, that is increasingly in line with Trump along with Hungary & co, is ready to dig the grave of the European Union and an irreversible crack in Nato by considering “legitimate” even a US grab of Greenland.
- I keep wondering what blind complacency animates those journalists who keep beating the drum of the nonexistence of the EU in strategic matters, while not exposing its cause in rightwing national governments/parties that electorally benefit from manifacturing the EU irrelevance
- Third, I remain perplexed (euphemism) by how little analytical attention has been devoted to the benevolent passing of the baton in Italy between the “pro-EU” Draghi and the Meloni govt, under the assumption of policy continuity
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- Reposted by francesco strazzariA functional country would shut Grok down permanently. Like, immediately. Right now. Last week. Whatever. Just flip the switch. Obviously.
- oggi su il Manifesto provo a leggere l'aggressione al Venezuela-colonia e la riedizione della dottrina Monroe, con imposizione di un ordine ideologicamente conforme alla visione e agli interessi di Donald Trump in tutta l’America Latina. ilmanifesto.it/limperatore-...
- Years ago I was interviewing a policeman Caracas historical center. He stopped and told me he could no further walk with me, because policemen on the other side of the square would throw acid on his face. Caracas is mainly informal barrios. I feel the US has no idea of what it’s stepping into
- That always works out pretty well
- anybody considering there's a deal made behind the scenes? Including responding to the question on Nobel prize Machado like this "I think it will be very tough for her to be the leader, she does not have the support or respect of the country. She is a nice woman but she does not have the respect.
- Strikes in Nigeria, threats on Iran, strikes in Venezuela. Lowest common denominator: oil
- in one year Donald Trump has unilaterally bombed: Iran - Yemen - Syria - Iraq - Afghanistan - Somalia - Nigeria - Venezuela Not clear what should stop Russia in Ukraine and China on Taiwan.
- the window of opportunity for Trump seems to be the current state of supply abundance in the global oil market, that *so far* makes a spike in prices with implications for the domestic market too
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- Reposted by francesco strazzari"It is a sad fact that no court since the Nuremberg Trials has held an individual accountable for the crime of aggression." fellowtravelersblog.com/2018/03/29/m...
- listening to the Italian tv news. Amidst a wave of tax increases (highway tolls, gasoline, insurance etc), they announce "some good news": the government has postponed for the SEVENTH time the introduction of taxation on sugar in beverages, and on single-use plastic. We cannot make it
- Finland seizes 132-metre-long cargo ship accused of damaging underwater cables. Media report it bears a St Vincent and Grenadines flag, and it was en route from St Petersburg, Russia, to Haifa, Israel. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
- the type of superpower leadership where women are those tasked with bringing food
- Reposted by francesco strazzariHere’s the answer from Kremlin Ushakov says Ukraine must leave Donbas immediately Putin’s aide also rejected the idea of a two-month ceasefire — a pause proposed to hold a referendum in Ukraine on a peace plan.
- oggi su il Manifesto una mia lettura sulle difficoltà del dibattito a sinistra in Italia su espansionismo, imperialismo e politiche di potenza ilmanifesto.it/il-regime-ru...
- oggi scrivo su il Manifesto di come il disegno della molto celebrata ‘premier forte’ punti sulla stessa Europa debole che vuole Trump ilmanifesto.it/la-debolezza...
- Italy has ‘significantly’ reduced its aid to Ukraine, down to 0.14% of its GDP, one of the lowest percentages in Europe (Germany 0.66, France 0.29, Denmark 3, Netherlands 1.13). See Guido Rampoldi's analysis in @DomaniGiornale www.editorialedomani.it/idee/comment...
- Reposted by francesco strazzariRussia's war spending will hit $198.8 billion in 2025, with $30 billion over budget and 7.3% of GDP The Kremlin is spending $2.7 billion weekly on the war despite falling oil revenues and rising deficits euromaidanpress.com/2025/12/21/r...
- Reposted by francesco strazzariEXCLUSIVE: The Trump administration is asking U.S. oil companies if they’re interested in returning to Venezuela once Maduro is toppled, per sources familiar with the discussions. So far, the answer is a hard “no.”
- A longer version of the US NSS leaked to @DefenseOne lists Austria, Hungary, Italy and Poland as countries the US should “work more with, with the goal of pulling them away from the EU.” Meanwhile Meloni's Italy made explicit its opposition to the EU Russian frozen assets plan
- Can Europe avoid the trap and resist the Comintern of the reactionary international? Matthijs and Tocci in Foreign Affairs www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...
- make no mistakes: in crucial moment for Europe, Meloni's Italy stands for a weaker Europe www.reuters.com/business/ita...
- Meloni: "the EU enemy is that it's not able to decide". Meanwhile she drives Italy against the EU-Mercosur agreement, against Russian assets as reparation deal, against sending troops to Ukraine if an Ukraine-Russia peace deal envisions them. Trump could not do better
- A new assessment of Russia's war economy state came out from @rosaluxstiftung.bsky.social Despite initial signs of resilience and a surprising recovery, the Russian economy is now back on a trajectory of long-term stagnation. www.rosalux.de/en/news/id/5...
- Reposted by francesco strazzariNegotiations between US & Ukraine have begun. It will be embarrassing for him if Witkoff starts to read his statement in the original Russian.
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- this map can be discussed, but it exposes that while European liberal-conservatives bet on their managing national rearmament, extracting an economic boost, Europe's social pact cracks, fueling far-right nationalists, ready for reaping the fruits. US and Russia want no EU defense + the EU to crack
- Reposted by francesco strazzari🇺🇸 The US will strike ISIS in response to the killing of American troops and an interpreter in Syria, Trump said. "This was an attack by ISIS on us and on Syria," the US president added.
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- Reposted by francesco strazzariU.S. President Donald Trump’s overt embrace of Europe’s nationalists is exposing a rift among its biggest far-right parties. While Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has welcomed Trump’s moral support, France’s National Rally has kept its distance. politi.co/4oSyD9o
- A drone strike has hit a United Nations peacekeeping logistics base in war-torn Sudan, killing six peacekeepers, injuring eight. The Sudanese military blamed the attack on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
- Germany announces it will send troops and build fortifications to reinforce the Polish eastern border (Le Monde)
- The Ukrainian army chief affirms that Russian troops are pushing along the entire front (300 combat engagements, 1,000 men killed/wounded per day). The Russian contingent is estimated at some 710,000 soldiers, a number that Moscow has been unable to increase despite a sustained recruitment campaign
- how with the new NSS advisers to Trump produced a “written articulation of the gut instinct that the president lives by” that may work as a compass to Vance after Trump leaves www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
- Reposted by francesco strazzariNew: Ukraine would be earmarked to join the EU by 2027 under a fast-tracked proposal being discussed in US-brokered negotiations to end Russia’s war, in a move that would rewrite the bloc’s accession procedures. w/ @henryjfoy.ft.com @maxseddon.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/e504...
- Any journalist asking Italy’s PM Meloni a comment on her close friend’s statement on the EU rapist dictatorship and the crossing of the Rubicon? Anyone asking Orbán why doesnt he push Hungary out of the EU dictatorship?
- Reposted by francesco strazzariWe are not users. We are the la bor force open.substack.com/pub/shanakaa...
- In the first 10 months of 2025, €32.5bln in military aid was given to Ukraine, mainly by Europe. In 2 months, Ukraine's allies would need to give more than €5bln to match the lowest year (2022) and more than €9bln to match the average of €41.6bln paid annually between 2022 and 2024 (Kiel Institute).
- even worse, Google accepted that
