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Reposted by Andrew Friedman

CSIS | Center for Strategic & International Studies @csis.org · 6d

"The recent USAID closure and drawback of ODA have injected new urgency into a conversation around the inefficiencies of the previous model from both Western & Global South countries," @csishumanrights.bsky.social experts write.

What's the future of U.S. foreign aid? www.csis.org/analysis/shi...

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Andrew Friedman @andrewbfriedman.bsky.social · 19d

Important piece going beyond the speeches on how the U.S. is pulling back its support for the U.N.

csishumanrights.bsky.social @csishumanrights.bsky.social · 19d

This week, President Trump spoke before the UN General Assembly for the first time in six years and delivered withering criticism of the world body, sparking questions about US posture toward the UN. HRI Senior Associate Allison Lombardo provides clarity on the state of US engagement: bit.ly/4gHGtR0

What Is the U.S. Posture Toward the United Nations?

President Trump delivered withering criticism of the United Nations at UNGA this week, but the future of U.S. contributions to the United Nations remains unclear. What will the future hold for U.S. su...

bit.ly

Andrew Friedman @andrewbfriedman.bsky.social · 20d

Best week of the year. I’m rolling with 602. He does a happy dance.

Monster C. Camacho 🧌💀🎃👻 @mc2x.bsky.social · 20d

Timeline cleanse: IT’S FAT BEAR WEEK

explore.org/fat-bear-week

Fat Bear Week 2025

explore.org

Andrew Friedman @andrewbfriedman.bsky.social · 23d

Now this is a story, all about how…my favorite poll in a long, long time.

Walter Hickey @walthickey.bsky.social · 23d

had a ton of fun working on this poll with @today.yougov.com about the songs that everybody knows the lyrics to, the generational anthems are super neat

www.numlock.com/p/numlock-su...

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Andrew Friedman @andrewbfriedman.bsky.social · 26d

This is important, both in its framework and its reminder that these deals create an opportunity, but they're far from an end. A lot of work is necessary to take advantage of those opportunities.

Just Security @justsecurity.org · 26d

Turning President Trump’s peace overtures in foreign conflicts into more sustainable deals will require drawing on the significant body of research and practice that exists.

From Notre Dame’s Peter J. Quaranto and George A. Lopez:

www.justsecurity.org/120514/trump...

Turning Trump’s Peace Overtures into Sustainable Deals

The president’s many overseas peacemaking initiatives are more likely to succeed with a more collaborative approach drawing on research.

www.justsecurity.org

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Andrew Friedman @andrewbfriedman.bsky.social · Sep 8

With the Trump Administration's focus on commercial diplomacy and centering assistance locally, I wrote with Amb Derek Mitchel suggesting a new tool to complement traditional foreign assistance in improving investment conditions, an Ambassadors Fund for Good Governance. www.csis.org/analysis/loc...

Local Tools for Global Competition: An Ambassadors Fund for Governance

Without good governance, foreign investment is unsustainable. Commercial diplomacy must pair with efforts to improve governance, fight corruption, and uphold the rule of law. We propose an Ambassadors...

www.csis.org

Andrew Friedman @andrewbfriedman.bsky.social · Sep 3

This is incredible. Art is often all that can demonstrate the absurdity of authoritarianism and mass surveillance. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/02/b...

A Hidden Camera Protest Turned the Tables on China’s Surveillance State

www.nytimes.com

Andrew Friedman @andrewbfriedman.bsky.social · Sep 2

Great report by my colleague @lauratmurphy.bsky.social on the importance of what UFLPA has done, what can reasonably be asked of it, and how it might be repeated elsewhere.

CSIS | Center for Strategic & International Studies @csis.org · Sep 2

As the third anniversary of the passage of the UFLPA approaches, a look at the act shows an enormous impact on trade, as well as on Americans’ confidence that they are not selling or buying goods linked to atrocities committed against the people of Xinjiang.

Read more: www.csis.org/analysis/ass...

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Reposted by Andrew Friedman

Dave Karpf @davekarpf.bsky.social · Aug 29

The single most important thing to understand about digital futurism is this:

When the digital future that Sam Altman ( or Elon, or Andreessen, etc) predicts fails to materialize, he doesn’t have to give the money back.

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Andrew Friedman @andrewbfriedman.bsky.social · Aug 26

Word is it’s #internationaldogday, so here’s Amber in various states of dufus. If you’re like me, you need random dog pics all the time these days.

Andrew Friedman @andrewbfriedman.bsky.social · Aug 25

I'm late on this, but a fantastic rundown of what corruption means to ordinary people by my former colleague @abigailbellows.bsky.social. It's easy to think of these issues as abstract and removed, but they're not. A dollar stolen is a dollar not at a hospital. www.justsecurity.org/118796/human...

The Human Costs of Systemic Corruption

When core functions of the state become warped into tools of personal enrichment or political control, ordinary people suffer.

www.justsecurity.org

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Reposted by Andrew Friedman

Gummy Arts @gummyarts.bsky.social · Aug 24

On this date in 1919, Cleveland Indians pitcher Ray Caldwell was struck by lightning in the 9th inning vs the Philadelphia Athletics. He was knocked unconscious for a few minutes but continued pitching, winning the game 2-1. He threw a no-hitter a few weeks later.

Colored-pencil card drawing of Ray Caldwell

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Andrew Friedman @andrewbfriedman.bsky.social · Aug 18

Bama’s description here of the human rights reports as a reflection of who we want to be and the world we want to live in is spot on. bamaathreya.medium.com/the-closing-...

The Closing of the American Heart

Last week, the US Department of State issued its annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, a report mandated by Congress since…

bamaathreya.medium.com

Reposted by Andrew Friedman

Steve Herman @newsguy.bsky.social · Aug 17

WUSA-TV - DC restaurants saw a more than 25% drop in diners in the days following President Trump’s takeover of the city’s police department. www.wusa9.com/article/news...

Reservations plunge across DC restaurants after Trump's police takeover

Online reservations dropped more than 25% in the days following President Trump's announcement that he was federalizing DC Police, according to OpenTable data.

www.wusa9.com

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Reposted by Andrew Friedman

Forum on the Arms Trade @forumarmstrade.bsky.social · Aug 12

🧵 Originally began in part to inform U.S. security assistance, the delayed latest Country Reports on Human Rights Practices is now available, with expectation that much is no longer included. As reactions come in, we'll add to this thread. www.state.gov/reports/2024...

2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - United States Department of State

The annual Human Rights Reports cover internationally recognized individual, civil, political, and worker rights, as set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international agre...

www.state.gov

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Reposted by Andrew Friedman

Chicago Council on Global Affairs @global-affairs.bsky.social · Aug 11

As Trump and Putin prepare to meet for Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations, Americans think Ukraine and the EU should also have a seat at the table. A March 2025 Council-Ipsos survey finds only 3 percent believe just the US and Russia should decide the terms for peace. brnw.ch/21wUPCc

a bar chart that shows American views on who should be involved in negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war

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Andrew Friedman @andrewbfriedman.bsky.social · Aug 11

Wow this piece by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. #Belarus www.foreignaffairs.com/belarus/how-...

How to Resist a Dictator

What Belarus’ democratic opposition reveals—and what it needs to win.

www.foreignaffairs.com

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Reposted by Andrew Friedman

CSIS | Center for Strategic & International Studies @csis.org · Aug 8

Corruption, labor rights violations, and general poor governance impede business operations. Who will help improve governance in countries where U.S. companies make deals?

Read the analysis from the CSIS Human Rights Initiative: #[cs.is/4frzhrj

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Reposted by Andrew Friedman

Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · Aug 8

With @timmiller.bsky.social - on Sudan, America and Polish wildflowers

www.thebulwark.com/p/anne-apple...

Anne Applebaum: What USAID's Absence Looks Like on the Ground

The United States, through USAID, not only supplied a big chunk of the world's humanitarian aid, it also provided almost all of the logistical support for other aid organizations to deliver relief as ...

www.thebulwark.com

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Andrew Friedman @andrewbfriedman.bsky.social · Aug 7

We at @csishumanrights.bsky.social had a great pair of roundtables on commercial diplomacy. One of the main conclusions is just how much good governance is needed for it to work well. The private sector can step up its support, but it can only do so much. My take. www.csis.org/analysis/com...

Commercial Diplomacy Needs Good Governance

Can commercial diplomacy work without corresponding good governance efforts? Corruption, labor rights violations, and general poor governance impede business operations. Who will help improve governan...

www.csis.org

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Andrew Friedman @andrewbfriedman.bsky.social · Aug 7

Both the age breakdowns and the historical trend (85% approve at the time, 35% now) of Americans’ view on the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are fascinating. www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...

80 years later, Americans have mixed views on whether use of atomic bombs on Hiroshima, Nagasaki was justified

Today, 35% of Americans say using the atomic bomb on Japan in 1945 was justified, while 31% say it was not justified. A third say they are not sure.

www.pewresearch.org

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Reposted by Andrew Friedman

Meredith Whittaker @meredithmeredith.bsky.social · Feb 19

Stand by this: www.politico.com/newsletters/...

What’s a technology that you think is overhyped?

I’m going to give a sideways answer to this, which is that the venture capital business model needs to be understood as requiring hype. You can go back to the Netscape IPO, and that was the proof point that made venture capital the financial lifeblood of the tech industry.

Venture capital looks at valuations and growth, not necessarily at profit or revenue. So you don’t actually have to invest in technology that works, or that even makes a profit, you simply have to have a narrative that is compelling enough to float those valuations. So you see this repetitive and exhausting hype cycle as a feature in this industry. A couple of years ago, you would have been asking me about the metaverse, then last year, you would have asked me about Web3 and crypto, and for each of these inflection points there’s an Andreessen Horowitz manifesto.

It’s not simply that one piece of technology is overhyped, it’s that hype is a necessary ingredient of the current business ecosystem of the tech industry. We should examine how often the financial incentive for hype is rewarded without any real social returns, without any meaningful progress in technology, without these tools and services and worlds ever actually manifesting. That’s key to understanding the growing chasm between the narrative of techno-optimists and the reality of our tech-encumbered world.

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Andrew Friedman @andrewbfriedman.bsky.social · Jul 30

This is a great rundown of what happened and where we are, but grand pronouncements don’t always age well (“the end of history”) and as long as people still want democracy (they do) there’s a chance donors, including governments, will help those fighting for it.

The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · Jul 29

“American democracy promotion is effectively dead,” Brian Klaas argues. The world's authoritarians have taken note that they no longer need fear Washington's condemnation when they tighten their grip on power: https://theatln.tc/qr8dVtr9

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Andrew Friedman @andrewbfriedman.bsky.social · Jul 25

Really interesting @justsecurity.org piece about the complex web of foreign and state-level anti-bribery law that makes the DOJ's step back from FCPA enforcement far less impactful than meets the eye. Long and short? The law exists in a whole lot of places. www.justsecurity.org/117726/trans...

Hard to Kill: The Transnational Survival of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

The global anti-corruption regime that the United States pioneered over many decades is bigger than any one country or regime.

www.justsecurity.org

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Andrew Friedman @andrewbfriedman.bsky.social · Jul 24

Great piece by @kahixo.bsky.social and @katogun.bsky.social on the importance of enaling environment for critical minerals mining. The US has gotten rid of the tools to improve this environment so they'll need to come from somewhere. internationalpolicy.org/publications...

Good Business Requires Better Governance - CIP

Markets rely on stability that comes not only from inking deals between countries or their entrepreneurs, but also good governance.

internationalpolicy.org

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