Marcel Dirsus
@marceldirsus.com
7.7K followers 350 following 590 posts
Political scientist and author of How Tyrants Fall: And How Nations Survive. Writing The Hundred, a politics newsletter. www.marceldirsus.com
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Reposted by Marcel Dirsus
trbrtc.bsky.social
When Bashar al-Assad’s regime collapsed in Syria, many of the officials who enabled and enforced his brutal regime disappeared. Our reporting uncovers who they are, what they did and where they fled. nyti.ms/3J1W5Cs
The Vanishing Act: How Assad’s Top Henchmen Fled Syria, and Justice
www.nytimes.com
marceldirsus.com
The far-right is so popular in parts of eastern Germany that the AfD may not even have to form coalitions to take power. If things keep going down this path, they'll be able to govern by themselves
marceldirsus.com
The latest poll from the German state of Saxony-Anhalt has the far-right AfD at 40%. That's an increase of 10% since June
marceldirsus.com
The latest poll from the German state of Saxony-Anhalt has the far-right AfD at 40%. That's an increase of 10% since June
marceldirsus.com
(I'll exclude rare earths because they actually appear to be doing some sensible things in that area. But on solar, wind and so forth, the point stands. It's an unforced error)
marceldirsus.com
Much to choose from, but MAGA's war on clean energy is perhaps the dumbest thing they're doing. It massively empowers their most dangerous adversary and other than owning the libs, there's literally no reason to do it. This is the future
agathedemarais.bsky.social
Roll-back of IRA manufacturing subsidies under Trump is weighing on US investment in clean tech
• Imminent loss of consumer incentives for electric vehicles is putting battery investments at risk
• Since Trump’s inauguration 39 projects worth almost US$42bn have been delayed, shrunk or cancelled
marceldirsus.com
Wikipedia is cool but the actual best website is @ourworldindata.org. Thousands and thousands of charts on hundreds of topics, all free. It's incredible
Reposted by Marcel Dirsus
financialtimes.com
FT Exclusive: The Dutch government seized control of chipmaker Nexperia after Washington warned the company would not be removed from its export control list if its Chinese chief executive Zhang Xuezheng remained in charge, according to court filings. on.ft.com/4h7JXfT
Reposted by Marcel Dirsus
brianklaas.bsky.social
If Mills were to win, she would start her term at the age of 79, meaning she would end her first term when she's 85. This has become a defining feature of modern US politics. (Chuck Grassley is 92; Bernie is 84; Trump is 79, etc).
marceldirsus.com
"For the first time in nearly four decades, Iran is on the cusp of a change of leadership—and maybe even of regime. As Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s reign nears its end, a 12-day war in June laid bare the fragility of the system he built."

www.foreignaffairs.com/iran/autumn-...
The Autumn of the Ayatollahs
For the first time in nearly four decades, Iran is on the cusp of a change of leadership—and maybe even of regime. As Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s reign nears its end, a 12-day war in June ...
www.foreignaffairs.com
marceldirsus.com
That looks great but do the French have a paternoster lift?
marceldirsus.com
Yes no way this goes wrong
marceldirsus.com
As battery prices have fallen, capacity has shot up
marceldirsus.com
So the entire stock market is basically just AI now?
marceldirsus.com
"The US has for months been helping Ukraine mount long-range strikes on Russian energy facilities, in what officials say is a co-ordinated effort to weaken Vladimir Putin’s economy and force him to the negotiating table."

www.ft.com/content/f9f4...
US intel guided Ukraine’s strikes on Russian energy sites
Trump administration has supported Kyiv’s operations since summer in co-ordinated push to weaken Moscow
www.ft.com
Reposted by Marcel Dirsus
politico.eu
Latvia has ordered 841 Russian citizens to leave the country by Oct. 13 after they failed to prove their Latvian language proficiency and to undergo mandatory security checks.
Latvia orders more than 800 Russian citizens to leave by mid-October
Russian citizens who failed to comply with Riga’s new immigration rules must leave by Oct. 13 or risk deportation.
www.politico.eu
marceldirsus.com
All in all, not a great day for Nicolás Maduro
marceldirsus.com
No world leader is easier to manipulate than Donald Trump
marceldirsus.com
Assassinations used to be incredibly risky because you had to be close to politicians to stab or shoot them. As drones become more common, we're almost inevitably going to see more assassination attempts because they decrease the chance of capture and death
marceldirsus.com
Maduro seems to think he's in serious danger

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/w...
marceldirsus.com
Those are a little difficult. We're trying to go through a publisher in Taiwan to get it into Mandarin