Michael Bluhm

Washington, D.C., United States

Senior Editor at The Signal Magazine

Senior editor @TheSignal. Milwaukee (and grateful for it) to DC, circuitously.

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Articles

Moscow rules

1 month ago | thesgnl.com | Michael Bluhm |Nicholas Kumleben

After the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the European Union responded by cutting off imports of Russian coal and oil, and vowing to phase out imports of Russian natural gas. It was a major shift for the Continent, which had for decades pursued a policy of building trade ties with the Russian Federation—and the Soviet Union before it—in hopes of improving political ties.
That other conflict

1 month ago | thesgnl.com | Michael Bluhm

Why is the U.S. bombing in Yemen? Vali Nasr on the repercussions of Iran’s new weakness in a transformed Middle East.
New world order

1 month ago | thesgnl.com | Michael Bluhm

Economy Democracy 2 minute read This article is for members only Join to read on and have access to The Signal‘s full library. Already have an account?
The other war

1 month ago | thesgnl.com | Michael Bluhm

War 2 minute read This article is for members only Join to read on and have access to The Signal‘s full library. Already have an account?
Organized crime

1 month ago | thesgnl.com | Michael Bluhm |Miranda Patrucic

On December 6, Romania’s Constitutional Court threw out the first-round results of the country’s presidential elections, after a shocking victory by the relatively obscure, pro-Russian candidate Călin Georgescu. The reason for the court’s decision? Clear signs of extensive foreign-influence operations behind Georgescu’s win.
It’s me again

2 months ago | thesgnl.com | Michael Bluhm

More than three years after the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, it’s again becoming an active base for Islamist militants—who are behind increasing attacks both at home and abroad. Since August 2021, the Taliban appear to have offered havens to militant groups from Central Asia and Pakistan, and they’re again allowing al-Qaeda to manage its global operations from inside Afghanistan.
French sour

2 months ago | thesgnl.com | Michael Bluhm |Marc Weitzmann

France is having some problems. The country is on its fourth prime minister in a year. His minority government just barely passed a budget through the National Assembly in February—but it has a big deficit that will only add to the country’s rapidly rising debt. The troubles are economic, too: France’s biggest and best-known firms are struggling. Inflation is stubbornly high. And the country is having trouble luring foreign investment.
4 percent high and rising

2 months ago | thesgnl.com | Michael Bluhm

Something unusual is going on with bonds, the financial instruments governments issue to raise revenue: Bond yields—the amount of interest governments pay out on their bonds—have been steadily rising around the world since last September. Particularly in the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Japan. In February, yields for Japanese bonds hit their highest rate since 2011. Yields for 10-year U.K. bonds were the highest they’d been since 2008; yields on their 30-year bonds were the highest since 1998.
Crisis in Seoul

Feb 4, 2025 | thesgnl.com | Michael Bluhm |Stephan Haggard

Around 10:30 p.m. local time on December 3, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in the country, disbanding the National Assembly and prohibiting all political gatherings—and shocking nearly everyone at home and abroad. Soldiers tried to block deputies from getting inside the legislature, but within three hours enough lawmakers had broken through—and scaled the building’s walls—to unanimously pass a motion lifting martial law.
Hard to pin down

Jan 30, 2025 | thesgnl.com | Michael Bluhm |Steven Levitsky

In 2024, more than 1.5 billion people cast ballots in elections across 73 countries—both records. Some elections were in authoritarian regimes where the outcomes were clear before election day, but most were in democracies. Seven of the 10 most populous countries in the world held national elections, including India, the United States, Indonesia, and Russia.