Pinned
I departed for Bluesky some time ago. But have popped back in today to post just one more thread, to reach folks who haven't yet made the jump.
Keir Giles
15K posts
Keir Giles
@KeirGiles
Not really on Twitter any more; join me where the skies are bluer.
The book: amzn.to/4cFI1b6
- A couple of years ago people got quite upset at me for this. I wonder if it’s the same today.
- We could have told you that. Oh wait, we did. For decades.The EU "must confess we have adopted too naïve an attitude toward Russia and based our expectations on...erroneous ideas," Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin tells the European Parliament. "We should have listened to our Baltic and Polish friends who lived under Soviet rule."
- Clear warning from Norway’s Luhansk-experienced general Arne Bård Dalhaug at Leangkollen conference - whatever the outcome in Ukraine, the end of the current fighting will not bring “peace” without effective means of deterring Russia from having another go in five years.
- “WE SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO THE BALTIC STATES AND POLAND ABOUT HOW TO DEAL WITH RUSSIA. THEY WERE RIGHT ALL ALONG!” “Quite. So will you listen to them now, since they’re still right?” “ABSOLUTELY NOT.”500 days into Russia’s invasion, there are signs Ukraine’s supporters want to prepare the ground for negotiations. Such a shift would be catastrophic, warns @jamesnixey (@CHRussiaEurasia). chathamhouse.org/2023/08/pushin…
- Hugely grateful to Border Force staff for making Heathrow so much less slow and miserable today by being on strike. Heathrow staffer tells me “there are no passport queues because the Army puts more people on the desks”. Odd how nobody ever figured that solution out before.
- One of the few things that startled me when researching the book 'Russia's War on Everybody' was not the scale of Russian violence against diplomatic, military and intelligence staff of the US and its allies - but the extent of US efforts to conceal it. 1/ theins.ru/en/politics/27…
- The trouble is, removing Russia from SWIFT has been debated so intensely (and so often before) that now, *not* doing it sends a stronger message than doing it – and that message is one of encouragement to President Putin. #Ukraine #sanctions #SanctionsRussiaNow
- OK, I watched as much of it as I could. A thread with some thoughts. Tucker Carlson's interview with Putin was good news for everybody involved. The only problem is, everybody involved is an enemy of the United States, of the West, of democracy and of genuine journalism. 1/
- Kermode. Hugely impressed this morning with how many people want us to know that they wouldn't watch @GBNEWS "if their lives depended on it", BUT that they are still expert witnesses on its content. If you have a season ticket for the outrage bus, I suppose you've got to use it.
- Short version: internal report confirms Facebook knew perfectly well its content delivery system actively favoured attempts by Russia and others to subvert our societies and democracies, and did nothing about it. Damning insights into the colossal damage done to public debate.On the eve of the 2020 election, troll farms were running vast page networks on FB targeting Christian, Black, & Native Americans. An internal report tracking the situation described it as "genuinely horrifying." Some of the pages remain two year later. technologyreview.com/2021/09/16/103…
- In summary: Ukraine should negotiate because Russia is suffering excessively heavy casualties - he knows because his FSB escort told him. Once again the world seems startled by the idea that being imprisoned then exiled doesn't actually stop Russians wanting victory for Russia.Commenting on the war in Ukraine, Yashin called on the parties to sit at the negotiating table…
- Replying to @JeremyKleminIt’s a shame it took a major global disaster for it to become acceptable to mention this about the United States.
- The whole speech (in Russian) is just bizarre. Eastern Europe: “We will never be secure until Russia moves on from being a bloody, genocidal empire.” The Pope: “Young Russians! Don’t stop! Never give up the legacy of your Empire!” Lord save us from the Pope’s ideas.Replying to @mhmckThis morally vacant person is the head of the Roman Catholic Church. Some people pay attention to the things he says. The “great culture and great humanity” of Russia has brought to the world the genocide of the Ukrainian people. That is the legacy Pope Francis celebrates.
