Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Jason Davidson

@profjwdavidson.bsky.social

540 followers 320 following 940 posts

Non-Resident Senior Fellow at Atlantic Council/ Prof at U of Mary Washington Research on NATO/ Transatlantic Security Racing cyclist

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Jason Davidson @profjwdavidson.bsky.social · Jun 9

Some like to divide NATO allies into "good" ones who spend a lot on defense and "bad" ones/free riders who don't.

I argue in this @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social essay that differences in threat perception explain spending differences.

www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-at...

What explains the transatlantic rift? It’s all about threat perception.

NATO allies’ differing threat perceptions provide the backdrop for what could be a contentious summit in The Hague this month.

www.atlanticcouncil.org

5 8

Jason Davidson @profjwdavidson.bsky.social · 2d

Denmark is right to increase defense spending but also makes the puzzling move to buy more F-35s.
Maybe Fredericksen is less concerned with Trump than she says she is?

on.ft.com/4q75tW6

Denmark to spend $8.7bn on F-35 jets and bolstering Arctic security

Copenhagen faces up to Russian threat on Nato’s eastern flank and US pressure on Greenland with big defence deals

on.ft.com

Jason Davidson @profjwdavidson.bsky.social · 2d

WTAF?

Jason Davidson @profjwdavidson.bsky.social · 2d

Isn't there a risk that Trump leans into "liberating" Venezuela because he thinks it would appeal to the committee's preference for the opposition?

Reposted by Jason Davidson

Ulrike Franke @rikefranke.bsky.social · 3d

This is extremely on point. If you want to know someone’s politics without asking them directly, you ask about their view of Macron 🤷‍♀️

Julien Hoez @julienhoez.eu · 3d

How you view Emmanuel Macron depends on who you support politically:

- LFI: Macron is a fascist globalist elite bank baron
- PS: Emmanuel Macron is a right-wing capitalist & hates poor people
- Ensemble / Renaissance: Macron is a centrist
- LR: Macron is a socialist
- Far-right: Macron's a Commie

redneeraj.bsky.social @redneeraj.bsky.social · 3d

Is Macron regarded as centre right in France?

4 17 100

Jason Davidson @profjwdavidson.bsky.social · 3d

Trump has gone from threatening to leave NATO if allies don't spend more to pushing for those who don't spend enough to be expelled.

www.politico.eu/article/trum...

Trump suggests booting ‘laggard’ Spain from NATO over defense spending

The U.S. president demanded that alliance members allocate 5 percent of GDP to defense spending. Spain was the only country to refuse to commit to the benchmark.

www.politico.eu

Jason Davidson @profjwdavidson.bsky.social · 4d

@himself.bsky.social is right about higher education and Trump.

As Ben Franklin said: "We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately."

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/o...

Opinion | Where Trump Is Vulnerable and How to Act on It

www.nytimes.com

Jason Davidson @profjwdavidson.bsky.social · 4d

Increased defense spending in Europe has the potential to gain long term political support as a jobs program (which is why much/most of it has to happen in Europe).

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/w...

In Germany’s Depressed East, Tanks Are the Lesser of Two Evils

www.nytimes.com

Jason Davidson @profjwdavidson.bsky.social · 4d

"But it is possible to negotiate with Russia. Just do it in two stages: Make a show of force first, and only then have dialogue."

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/o...

Opinion | I’m the Foreign Minister of Poland. This Is How to Negotiate With Putin.

www.nytimes.com

1 4

Jason Davidson @profjwdavidson.bsky.social · 4d

@gideonrachman.bsky.social
"Russia’s current actions do require a response that both makes it clear that there is a price to be paid for hybrid warfare — and avoids crossing the threshold into direct combat."

on.ft.com/4n1dOrK

The dangers of war in the grey zone

Russia’s resort to hybrid warfare is a sign of weakness. But it still requires a response

on.ft.com

Jason Davidson @profjwdavidson.bsky.social · 4d

NATO must make it more likely that Russian hybrid warfare incurs real costs if it wants Moscow to back off.

on.ft.com/3L2f2Fx

Nato weighs armed response to Vladimir Putin’s hybrid war

Defence alliance mulls easing restrictions on pilots to open fire on Russian aircraft

on.ft.com

1 2

Jason Davidson @profjwdavidson.bsky.social · 5d

At the time both Merkel and Macron promised Putin that they would not let Ukraine into NATO, so why exactly would an official EU-Russia meeting have changed anything?

www.politico.eu/article/ange...

Merkel blasted by Baltics, Poland for suggesting they share blame for Russia’s Ukraine invasion

“I am astonished that after everything that has happened in Ukraine, she still thinks this way,” a former leader says of ex-German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

www.politico.eu

Reposted by Jason Davidson

François Heisbourg @fheisbourg.bsky.social · 5d

Après avoir expliqué (à juste titre) depuis 2022 que la situation du pays exigeait discipline budgétaire et réforme des retraites, les mêmes expliquent désormais que ce n'est pas vraiment le cas. Les électeurs puniront sévèrement cette mauvaise plaisanterie quand la parole leur sera rendue

Le Monde @lemonde.fr · 5d

Sébastien Lecornu prêt à lâcher sur le déficit pour faire passer un budget

Le premier ministre démissionnaire serait disposé à ce que le déficit public baisse en 2026 deux fois moins que ce qui était prévu par son prédécesseur, François Bayrou, si cela permet de trouver un compromis parlementaire sur le budget.

www.lemonde.fr

1 2 15

Jason Davidson @profjwdavidson.bsky.social · 5d

@edwardluce.bsky.social

"The movie Wag the Dog depicted a US administration concocting a fake war to distract from domestic woes. Trump’s twist on that plot is to stage the fake war at home while lining up a foreign country for a co-starring role."

on.ft.com/4nzLdKY

Venezuela is Trump’s useful enemy

Despite the president’s claims, the South American country is nowhere close to being the US’s biggest drug supplier

on.ft.com

2 2

Jason Davidson @profjwdavidson.bsky.social · 5d

For NATO watchers waiting with bated breath for the Trump admin's posture review and how many US troops will be removed from Europe, it could be awhile.

Reposted by Jason Davidson

Center for European Policy Analysis @cepa.org · 5d

“This is how the Russians do war. They test softly for a little bit, they watch for a reaction, and if the reaction is soft, then they’ll keep going, they’ll keep testing, testing, testing until they make the ultimate decision for a confrontation.” @apolyakova.bsky.social

https://fxn.ws/3VR5Aam

Concerns grow over NATO’s readiness for modern warfare | Fox News Video

Fox News correspondent Steve Harrigan reports on concerns about NATO’s ability to confront Russia on ‘Special Report.’

www.foxnews.com

2 3 15

Jason Davidson @profjwdavidson.bsky.social · 5d

Incredibly thorough policy brief on Italy, the EU and the Wider Mediterranean. I recommend this one highly.
Great work! @arturovarvelli.bsky.social @kellyp90.bsky.social

The turtle and the pilot fish: How the EU and Italy can help each other in the Mediterranean: ecfr.eu/publication/...

The turtle and the pilot fish: How the EU and Italy can help each other in the Mediterranean

Italy and the EU must work more closely together in the “Wider Mediterranean” on energy, migration and security. Here’s how they can do it.

ecfr.eu

1 3

Reposted by Jason Davidson

Ulrike Franke @rikefranke.bsky.social · 6d

And here we go. I never wrote this article, and yet it is cited here.

www.liberalbriefs.com/geopolitics/...

And of course, it sounds so plausible, I seriously checked whether I had forgotten it, or the footnote was slightly wrong.

#AIisnotresearch

43 350 950

Jason Davidson @profjwdavidson.bsky.social · 5d

Really useful explainer on the recent Saudi-Pakistan alliance.

www.csis.org/analysis/cou...

Could the Pakistani-Saudi Defense Pact Be the First Step Toward a NATO-Style Alliance?

The pact reshaped regional dynamics by deepening Pakistani-Saudi ties, straining India’s balancing act, and raising questions about Israel’s air access. Despite its NATO-style language, it lacks the n...

www.csis.org

Reposted by Jason Davidson

Luigi Scazzieri @lscazzieri.bsky.social · 7d

Pleased to see my analysis on Europe’s emerging “capability coalitions” — small groups of countries cooperating more closely on defence — quoted in this weekend's FT Europe Express.

These coalitions can accelerate progress where national needs align.

www.ft.com/content/ed59...

Europe Express: Warning shots over the drone wall

European leaders question the viability of Ursula von der Leyen’s initiative

www.ft.com

3 7

Reposted by Jason Davidson

The Economist @economist.com · 6d

The escalating grey-zone conflict between the West and Russia is being contested on the sea as well as in the air. A rise in worrying maritime incidents is forcing NATO to step up econ.st/3ILHiM8

Photo: Reuters

1 16 39

Jason Davidson @profjwdavidson.bsky.social · 6d

I increasingly wonder if NATO is Trump's biggest TACO.

He rants, he raves, but when it comes to leaving NATO, Trump Always Chickens Out.

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

‘I’m leaving,’ Trump said. ‘There’s no reason to be here any more’: inside the meeting that brought Nato to the brink

Former secretary general Jens Stoltenberg recalls the rollercoaster ride of dealing with Donald Trump – and how close the US president brought the alliance to the point of collapse

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Jason Davidson

POLITICO Europe @politico.eu · 7d

Farewell Sébastien Lecornu, we hardly knew you.

Today, the French prime minister and his government resigned, a mere 12 hours after being appointed.

He had been PM for only 27 days, but France is no stranger to short political careers.

Sébastien Lecornu and the world’s other shortest political careers

Good news for Michel Barnier and Liz Truss, Sébastien Lecornu lasted just 27 days in office.

ow.ly

6 20 61

Jason Davidson @profjwdavidson.bsky.social · 7d

I wonder if this decision is below Trump's level (so, is he even aware). I'm also fascinated that there would be a dumping finding on Italian pasta. Having spent lots of $ buying Italian pasta in the US over the years, has it really been under priced to drive all those excellent US pasta firms out?

Reposted by Jason Davidson

Nicolai von Ondarza @nvondarza.bsky.social · 7d

The US is threatening to adopt (much) higher tariffs on Italian pasta companies.

Looking at trade experts, is this a first instance of Trump's US targeting individual EU countries with higher tariffs? @samuelmarclowe.bsky.social @davidheniguk.bsky.social?

EU backs Italy in Trump’s pasta tariff war

US threatens to apply tariffs of up to 107% on Barilla and other makes of Italian staple over alleged dumping

on.ft.com

1 8 14

Jason Davidson @profjwdavidson.bsky.social · 7d

This is good news but the deeper issue is those who voted for ANO who are opposed to higher defense spending and aid to Ukraine.

www.politico.eu/article/czec...

Czech president puts NATO, EU at core of Cabinet talks after elections

Petr Pavel says it is “premature” to speak of names for prime minister, after right-wing populist Andrej Babiš and his ANO movement gained a decisive victory in the Czech parliamentary …