Thomas Ruckebusch

Joie éternelle. ❤️💛

There are now 141 stars on the CIA's Memorial Wall. The latest star was unveiled at the annual Agency memorial ceremony at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, yesterday. The identity of the Agency officer it commemorates remains undisclosed. Family members of the fallen officer and hundreds of relatives of others honored on the Wall were in attendance. It was the first new star to be unveiled since the 140th in 2023. Each star measures 2¼ inches tall by 2¼ inches wide and half an inch deep; all the stars are six inches apart from each other, as are all the rows. The stars are carved Alabama marble, in the entrance hall of CIA headquarters, opposite the statue of William "Wild Bill" Donovan, director of the OSS, forerunner to the CIA. Beneath the stars is the Book of Honor, in which 108 names are inscribed; 33 of the stars officially remain anonymous, though 20 of those have been identified publicly. The Memorial Wall, created in 1974 with an original 31 stars, is revered within the Agency; officers who are retiring often linger as they pass by it for the final time, touching the stars. Outside the CIA, the Wall has attained iconic status, featured in documentaries, movies, and television series. The Wall has been featured in the movies The Recruit (2003) and 13 Hours (2016), as well as the episode 36—“The Star” of the TV series Homeland (2013). Johnny Micheal Spann, the CIA's and America's first casualty on the battlefield after 9/11, was commemorated by the 79th star.

Que tout n'a pas été imposé aux Russes était déjà su, mais à lire Political Conditionalities: The IMF in Russia in the 1990s - Tobias Rupprecht, 2026 journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00….

@wroetomaya בהצלחה מאיה!

כולם לאחל לי בהצלחה🫡

Former California Governor Ronald Reagan, who is challenging President Ford for the 1976 Republican nomination, wins a large victory as he clinches the Texas Republican Primary.

I have a piece at Le Grand Continent, where I preview the subject of my new book, which is about how Russia has used oil and gas as weapons of foreign policy. As you'd expect, this is not something Putin has come up with. The practice has deep roots going back to the 1950s.

Dans la zone : le KGB à Tchernobyl legrandcontinent.eu/fr/2026/04/26/…

@MatthieudeO Quelle riche idée! J'imagine déjà la séance sur "La Guerre froide en série".... 🤠

Je lobotomise mes étudiants visiblement.

The entirety of our Strategic Stability Special Issue is now live! In it, we bring together leading experts to examine how rapid technological change and global shifts are challenging the search for international peace. 🧵 #StrategicStability #NationalSecurity #Defense

Fascinant, notamment sur la question de « l’ère nucléaire de l’intelligence artificielle ». La guerre nucléaire est-elle désormais possible ? Les réponses de David Holloway legrandcontinent.eu/fr/2026/04/15/…

The Jervis Forum Roundtable Review 17-35 Tim Weiner’s The Mission: The CIA in the 21st Century “Given the Trump White House’s political authority and the timidity of a compliant Supreme Court and Congress, Weiner asks pointedly who would stop Trump were he to order the CIA to eliminate his domestic enemies or wage secret wars?” –Paul McGarr wp.me/p2Insd-7La @Folly_and_Glory @paul_mcgarr

Excuse me, what?

Actually thinking about a president who tweets this is too horrifying, so I am merely wondering if future political scientists will code this as a nuclear threat or not.

tonight

V.P George H.W Bush and Governor Bill Clinton the Bass Anglers Tournament in Pine Bluff, Arkansas 1984

Happy 25th anniversary to this ❤️

Justice Dept. says the Presidential Records Act is unconstitutional washingtonpost.com/national-secur…

Pam Bondi Wanted a Graceful Exit. But Trump Wanted Her Gone. nytimes.com/2026/04/02/us/… via @NYTimes