A rather menacing tweet from Russia's Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna.

Nothing to see, just a Russian bomber carrying a nuclear-capable missile over the Baltic Sea today. (And the Swedish Air Force intercepting it.)

Nice snapshots. I have very fond memories of my first trips with cross-country buses in Turkey from some 20+ years ago. I was shocked that they had the equivalent of air hostesses.

Articles about Jared Kushner's diplomatic role with Iran that mention Kushner has received billions from the Saudi government (2/28-4/19):

NYT: 5 of 58
WashPost: 1 of 43
WSJ: 0 of 40
AP: 0 of 26
CNN Wire: 0 of 18
NY Post: 0 of 17
Chicago Tribune: 0 of 4
LA Times: 0 of 4
Boston Globe: 0 of 2

The funny thing is that both the Left & the Right in the U.S. wrongly describe the regulated market economies with universal welfare states here in Sweden & Scandinavia as “socialist” (as a warning or praise). You could maybe describe the underlying system as Social Democracy, but not socialism.

Inspiring!

It also looked to me like they transited through the area marked as “UNSAFE” by the Iranians. Cahonas! 😄

Reckoning With Israel’s ‘One-State Reality’ Poddavsnitt · The Ezra Klein Show · 14 april · 1 tim 27 min

En del tyckte att min senaste artikel på DN Debatt var lite extrem i hur den beskrev Israel. Men det är dagens israeliska regering som är extrem: De godkände tex fler bosättningar förra ÅRET än de gjorde hela förra DECENNIET.

Lyssna på Ezra Kleins senaste podd, med bla @abuaardvark.bsky.social.

You're probably right.

I would add that my above comment only applies to conventional armed conflict. When it comes to grayzone warfare, we are already under attack, so we should be actively hitting Russia right now to effect deterrence by punishment.

I appreciate the 😉 but I think that signaling that our preparations for a possible conventional war are ONLY DEFENSIVE is crucially important. Europe has NO intention of invading Russia. We will, however, be ready to defend ourselves if Russia attacks us. We want to try to avoid a security dilemma.

In Turkey, Middle Powers Ponder Diplomacy With a Rogue U.S.

This is a good read (and Tom Barrack’s striking clumsiness comes across well in the piece). I would just note that the idea of “regional ownership” has been a pet peeve of Ankara for some time and is not a direct response to Trump’s unpredictability.

Gallipoli has 4 Lessons for the Strait of Hormuz Crisis British decision-makers underestimated Turkish defences and ignored intelligence. Turkish forces had set about reinforcing heavy artillery

Gallipoli has 4 Lessons for the Strait of Hormuz Crisis

Iran rejects second round of talks, cites ‘excessive’ US demands <article data-history-node-id="438568" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/iran-rejects-second-round-talks-cites-excessive-us-demands" class="live-blog-update default clearfix"> <h2> <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/iran-rejects-second-round-talks-cites-excessive-us-demands" rel="bookmark"> <span class="field field-title">Iran rejects second round of talks, cites ‘excessive’ US demands</span> </a> </h2> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-field-text"><p data-end="84" data-start="0">Iran has refused to take part in a second round of negotiations, accusing Washington of undermining the process with shifting positions and continued pressure.</p> <p data-end="535" data-start="247">According to IRNA, Tehran said it would not engage further due to “Washington’s excessive demands, unrealistic expectations, constant shifts in stance, repeated contradictions, and the ongoing naval blockade, which it considers a breach of the ceasefire”.</p> <p data-end="784" data-start="645">Iran has repeatedly linked any progress in talks to the lifting of the US naval blockade, which it views as a key obstacle to negotiations.</p> </div> </div> </article>

Iran rejects second round of talks, cites ‘excessive’ US demands - www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-upda...

Takeaways from the Hungary elections with László Szerencsés YouTube video by Turkey recap

I don’t know enough about either to give you a good answer TBH. But Magyar’s background as a former insider did give him unique credibility in criticizing the Orbán’s regime’s corruption (both financial & moral), so you have a point. See my (Hungarian) SUITS colleague @szerlasz.bsky.social on this:

Me, too! Btw, I think one lesson is that you pick the best candidate for the electorate and system you’re competing in. In Hungary, that was Magyar and in Virginia, it was Spanberger, a centrist with national security credentials. But in NYC, it was Mamdani!

I agree. (In fact, I mainly disagree with your statement that we disagree that much. 😉)

My understanding is that Orbán’s changes in the electoral system & media control meant that any candidate would *have* to go out & campaign in rural areas in person to win. The game was rigged for Fidesz/Orbán, so the opposition needed an Orbán-like candidate who could win rural votes.

I’m not saying that him coming from Fidesz is the main explanation for his win. But it’s a fact that he did, & that the opposition rallied behind him. What I’ve heard from several Hungarian analysts is that his background meant he could speak credibly about the rot inside Fidesz.

Just to be clear: I am not a never-Trumper Republican, neocon, or even a conservative. I’m not endorsing anyone for President. I do like the Bulwark never-Trumpers though, perhaps because they’ve proven that they really are small d democrats. They were tested & they passed.

Imagine a 1970s propeller trainer taking on high-tech 21st-century drones. In Ukraine, the Yak-52 has been pulled from flight schools and repurposed as a "drone hunter." It’s a low-tech solution to a high-tech problem, and it’s working remarkably well. 🛩️🇺🇦 #Aviation #UkraineWar #Yak52 🧵 1/

I’m a Swede, so I have no vote (though I could perhaps prevail on my kids, who can vote in US elections) and maybe the Hungarian lesson applies more to Democrats in, like, Texas than nationwide. But I really like Kinzinger’s angle: no vengeance, but also NO holding back on accountability.

Hungary's New PM Just Showed Us What Courage Looks Like. Where's Ours? Hypothetically, if I was elected President, here are the opening salvos of restoration

I’m guessing that a lot of people on here aren’t going to like this, but what Hungarian leftists & liberals did to defeat Orbán’s autocracy was to step down in favor of a centrist conservative candidate who once was a member of the ruling party. Someone kinda like @adamkinzinger.substack.com …

Turkey promotes ‘Middle Corridor’ as Strait of Hormuz alternative Officials plan to reopen frontier with Armenia to unlock a Trump-backed trade route between Europe and Asia

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz reignites plans for alternative transportation routes, many of which include Turkey’s, whose geography “condemns the country to geopolitical significance,” as one diplomat eloquently puts it. (🎁 article.)

Interesting notion, the US prohibiting Israel and telling Bibi that enough is enough

Also, the Strait is “open” but the U.S. blockade remains in place? Huh?
HT @tavamamma69.bsky.social

In fact, we may not even be back to were we were. It’s only open along the route “already announced” by the IRGC, so it’s still unclear to me if Iran will charge their toll.+

But note that it is only open on the "route already announced by the" IRGC. A little early to know how this plays out.

How the negotiations are going: It’s now the Strait of Iran.
(Will Google promptly change their maps?)