McFaul's World

17 hours ago | michaelmcfaul.substack.com | Michael A. McFaul

Judging by the shockingly small budget request for the State Department for the next fiscal year, President Trump does not seem to believe in diplomacy. In a future essay, I will write about the illogical and imprudent cuts to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which has now been merged with the Department of State.

2 days ago | michaelmcfaul.substack.com | Michael A. McFaul

Dear Friends and Colleagues,In April, I had a final, big push to finish my upcoming book, Autocrats vs Democrats. Given Trump’s consequential executive orders and policies, I had to update several key sections. That’s the difficulty of writing a book on current events—things change faster than books get published. I also decided to change the book’s subtitle to better reflect our new realities.

1 week ago | michaelmcfaul.substack.com | Michael A. McFaul

With U.S. support for Ukraine eroding under the new Trump administration, European support for Ukraine must grow. That greater support must include more economic pressure on Russia as a means to hasten the end of Russia’s invasion and occupation of Ukraine. It must also include new resources for Ukraine. In this working paper, we suggest ideas for how to do both.

1 week ago | michaelmcfaul.substack.com | Michael A. McFaul

When I first heard about the original idea for a “minerals deal” between Ukraine and the United States, I must admit that I was not a fan. It sounded like old-school colonial exploitation. What was especially appalling to me was that President Trump seemed to be taking advantage of a country desperate to secure financial benefits for the United States.

1 week ago | michaelmcfaul.substack.com | Michael A. McFaul

Thanks to my Substack supporters who just joined our terrific Q&A session on Zoom. There were lots of great questions, some of which I could not answer, but they will now stimulate future essays here. For those who couldn’t join today, look for future opportunities. I hope to do these more regularly. Now that I've submitted my book (out in October), I plan to devote more time to engagement here. If you have ideas for me, share them in the comments.