Thoughtful essay by C Thi Nguyen for Aeon on the difference between epistemic bubbles and echo chambers, which can be seen as two very different things. Luckily, though, epistemic bubbles are easily shattered. We can pop an epistemic bubble simply by exposing its members to the information and arguments that they’ve missed. But echo chambers […]
About Anders Puck Nielsen
The intertwined nature of Russian academia and the state
Interesting look at the Russian academic community and its impact on policy. It’s written by Mariya Omelicheva for PONARS Eurasia and titled Influencers, Echo Chambers, and Epistemic Bubbles: Russia’s Academic Discourse in the Wake of the War in Ukraine. Much of the scholarship in the field of Russian IR takes place in an epistemic bubble […]
When ASW gets too precise: British frigate hits Russian submarine with sonar
In 2020 there was a collision between the British frigate Northumberland and a Russian submarine north of Scotland.
The spiral of dangerous operational incidents between Russia and NATO
The number of incidents between Russian and NATO warships and aircraft in increasing, and they are becoming more dangerous. That is documented by Ralph Clem and Ray Finch.
Inflation is a long-term problem for Russia’s military
The Russian Defense Policy blog has an interesting look at the wages for Russian soldiers, and it does not look great. Corrected for inflation, the wages for Russian soldiers have dropped significantly over the last decade. With RF inflation at roughly 8 percent this year, overall prices for essentials paid by Russian servicemen are now […]
The argument that AUKUS is a weak security deal between Australia and two unreliable allies
Sam Roggeveen has a razor sharp critique of the new AUKUS security framework in War on the Rocks. In fact, I have only become more skeptical of AUKUS since it was announced by Prime Ministers Scott Morrison and Boris Johnson, and President Joe Biden. I argued at the time that these were the wrong submarines […]
Russia has a now or never dilemma in Ukraine
Russia’s far-reaching demands from NATO and the prospect of a war in Ukraine can seem irrational. But Russia is facing a dilemma that if they do nothing, they are on a trajectory to losing in the long term. So even if Russia isn’t sure what the outcome will be in a war, they may still try it as a tool to stop the process of losing.
The five “nots” of AUKUS
Interesting rundown of what AUKUS is and is not by Michael Shoebridge for ICDS Diplomaatia magazine: AUKUS, though, is five ‘Nots’. It is not just a pact about sharing nuclear submarine technology that leads to Australia acquiring and operating eight of these “peak predator” deterrent weapons. It is not a military alliance that contains commitments […]
Royal Navy’s Type 32 Frigate could be a revamped Type 31
Some details have emerged about Britains future Type 32 Frigate, which is supposed to be ready in the 2030s.
British F-35 crashes in Mediterranean
These planes are really too expensive to lose.