I might have missed a few episodes in the Trump White House soap opera. So please, help me understand the recent Starlink shutdown in Ukraine. Starlink is Musks company. Musk didn't leave the White House on good terms. Yet now he seems to do/must do what the government tells him to when it comes to Ukraine. Why?

Meanwhile Trump once again seems to place US/ his own interests above all foreign affairs by denying Ukraine Starlink access. Is it purely about access to Russian diesel to stabilise market prices and have a chance of keeping republicans in power so he can have free reign? Or is it purely for his own gain via private oil interests?

I studied International Relations in college, with a focus on the Middle East and North Africa, lived and worked in Morocco for a bit, and I’ve been back in the states working an unrelated corporate job for a few years.

Mentally I’m fine. I spend a lot of time outdoors, I love my job and husband and dog, and I listen to audiobooks daily (GoT, Stephen King). But I still feel like my brain has been completely fried by years of staring at a computer screen. I have trouble retaining information (even names and faces) and I don’t articulate myself well.

I used to be a good student and I would like to unearth some of the knowledge I had back in college. So, I want to actually read some books. I used to read about IR obviously, MENA history and current affairs, feminism, Islam, the works. What are you reading nowadays?

https://youtu.be/e5oIZEmvtUY?si=-tyEwgZw716dNs24

Around 1:02:00 in the video the discussion starts when Prof. Robert Pape who is most well known for his work on the Escalation Trap and who has studied a potential war in Iran for over 20 years presents a scenario that he said hes never presented publicly before: Iran may give Trump an “October Surprise” and test a nuclear weapon on its soil right before the midterms. Pape says he would give this scenario a 1 in 3 chance of occurring, signifying he thinks it’s more likely that it does not. However, these are still very frightening odds. He doesn’t explain much on how he thinks they’d achieve this, other than mentioning that they still have enriched uranium stockpiles that would help them in such a pursuit. He believes such an action would potentially be devastating for Trump in the midterms if they could pull it off. Thoughts?

Hello. I'm a new IR student.

I can't seem to find much information on this specific topic. I'm hoping some of you here might be able to help me.

I am looking for what the Liberal approach (excluding neoliberalism) and the Realist approach have to say about this conflict. (In terms of explaining it.)

Please forgive me if I said anything wrong or maybe if I use the wrong flair. English is not my first language. Thank you!

Very interesting 30 min podcast from CFR on military strategy with Eliot A. Cohen, the Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Hi everyone.

I have done undergrad and postgrad in IR. After which I got pregnant and lost touch with everything politics related. I haven't picked up a book or focused on anything in months, almost a year. Just the general idea of what's happening around the world.

My goal was to get a research doctorate degree but im genuinely struggling to get back into reading or even finding the write material to start with. Postpartum can do that to you :(. I was thinking of rereading the basics from undergrad level. Anyways, im looking for any advice on what I should do

Hi
I recently watched an interview with John Kiriakou where he says that CIA/US officials would turn a blind eye on Afghan opium trade due to the fact that those drugs would end up in Russia/Iran and would cripple them socially. I tried to search on Google more about it but nothing sufficient came up. And now I am looking for more concrete sources/reading material on the use of drugs to cripple an "adversary" country.
I know about the British Opium trade and CIA-Contra shenanigans but it seemed to me that those were done primarily for financial rather than geopolitical gains.
Thanks in Advance

I'm 24 and recently completed my Master's in Politics and International Relations. I'm trying to figure out which career paths would be realistic given my qualifications and experience.

I have around two years of overall work experience across policy research, international relations and journalism. I've interned with three think tanks and worked in journalism, writing over 100 articles for media organisations. My experience includes research papers, policy briefs, literature reviews, analytical reports and research on geopolitics, foreign policy and international affairs.

I'm interested in think tanks, geopolitical risk analysis, policy consulting, research assistant roles and international development. I'm also open to opportunities abroad, particularly in the Gulf, although I don't currently have local work authorisation.

For those working in these fields:

What roles should I realistically target at this stage?

Is geopolitical risk consulting a viable option with my background?

Which organisations, sectors or countries should I focus on?

I'd appreciate honest, practical advice on how to leverage my experience and identify suitable opportunities.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/ps-political-science-and-politics/article/where-are-the-most-influential-articles-in-political-science-published/DCE119A12320E1880AAE869E44AF884C#article

Hi guys, I’ve been recently thinking a lot what I wanna do. Previously I had my mind set on law but throughout time I realised it wasn’t meant for me now I have everybody keep asking me what I wanna do. I have still some time left to think before joining university. I wanna know how this degree is what you exactly study and in-depth understanding of what it takes you how hard it is and what jobs can you get with it? I am passionate about these types of fields so I do think I can perform well, but I still wanna know the difficulty of this. I’m still figuring it out so if you guys know any similar field that I would enjoy doing in social sciences other than political science then please recommend me
I’m figuring things out and I don’t wanna end up with something. I don’t enjoy.
Thank you for taking your time reading, I would appreciate a reply or any sort of guidance.

Interesting take on how MBS inherited one of the richest countries on Earth and squandered its wealth buying the white man's toys.

Western consultants, fancy buildings, football stars, and a fucking glass wall in the desert.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia can't even reliably defend its own oil infrastructure.

The argument? MBS has confused buying the appearance of greatness with actually building a great country.

Fair assessment or complete bullshit?