Mark C. Storella

Career diplomat, now diplomacy professor @BUPardeeSchool. Expertise: international security (incl. NATO & Russia), refugees, global health.

[Mark C. Storella @MarkStorella]

Making the case for “soft power” diplomatic tools at a time when America’s first recourse in international affairs increasingly seems to be force. https://t.co/0X2WZ2qxGN

[Mark C. Storella @MarkStorella]

Transatlantic diplomacy on edge over Trump-Putin summit. I was glad to join this interesting Al-Jazeera panel with analyst Jessica Berlin and former Latvian diplomat Eldar Mamedov. https://t.co/3tdwXLnClU

[Mark C. Storella @MarkStorella]

Fantastic #refugee panel at the Boston Book Festival Saturday #BBF2023. Great joining Muhammad Zaman, Saket Soni, Jake Bittle and Carly Goodman to explore forced displacement, vulnerability, and how people persevere despite adversity. Read their books! https://t.co/ZwQR1NFteK

[Mark C. Storella @MarkStorella]

Happy 70th birthday to the Pardee School's African Studies Center at Boston University. Outstanding scholarship, topnotch language instruction, leading library and groundbreaking educational outreach on Africa. See the anniversary video: https://t.co/wyuEfi7eba

[John Storella @jrstorella]

@varadmehta Based on what I’ve seen up close @HeathMayo is a person of tremendous integrity and principle. @varadmehta’s assertion that @HeathMayo wants Trump around in order to profit from it is without foundation or evidence. Of course, ad hominem attacks are nothing new to Twitter.

[Mark C. Storella @MarkStorella]

The Norwegian Refugee Council is the gold standard for humanitarian assistance and a thought leader in the humanitarian sector. Please read the NRC's valuable report on Neglected Crises. https://t.co/POjIS5Ibuf.

[Norwegian Refugee Council @NRC_Norway]

“Neglect is a choice that puts at risk the lives and the future of those who are forcibly displaced,” argues NRC USA board member @MarkStorella.

[Mark C. Storella @MarkStorella]

Will the sidelining of Prigozhin — an extreme war hawk — give Putin room to negotiate? Hard to be optimistic since Putin cannot afford to show further weakness now. But we shall see.

[Mark C. Storella @MarkStorella]

Class imitates life? My international negotiations students hit a brick wall in their simulation of Russia-Ukraine peace talks…until fictional news reports that Prigozhin had disappeared. Putin then showed some flexibility in the talks, though Crimea still blocked agreement.

[Mark C. Storella @MarkStorella]

Ukraine moves to encircle Bakhmut after Russia claims victory…A news anchor on Russia’s Channel One called the city’s capture “an event of historic proportions.” Is history getting smaller for Russia? https://t.co/JnlEuNOQPc

[Mark C. Storella @MarkStorella]

Russia’s seizure of Bakhmut after months of fighting and heavy losses = Pyrrhic victory: a victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat.

[Mark C. Storella @MarkStorella]

Bottom line: diplomacy and combat will proceed simultaneously; one does not preclude the other. But the war will end only through diplomacy and it could still be a long and painful slog.

[Mark C. Storella @MarkStorella]

Zelenskyy's diplomatic offensive at the Arab League and G7 summit aims to win over fence sitters (Saudi Arabia, India, Brazil, Indonesia) and reinforce rich country support (a promise of F-16s jets). I explore the implications in this Fox interview. https://t.co/O7cWxXtn4F

[Mark C. Storella @MarkStorella]

Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch explains the stakes for Ukraine's diplomacy and its upcoming counteroffensive in this excellent interview. https://t.co/Tf1RzxCJ2s

[Mark C. Storella @MarkStorella]

Brazil's Lula offers himself as a mediator in the Russia-Ukraine war reflecting longstanding Brazilian interests. How to Understand Brazil’s Ukraine Policy - Like it or not, Lula’s stance reflects legitimate misgivings about the global order. https://t.co/qMZ7OaPVVK

[Mark C. Storella @MarkStorella]

For the first time ever, China has become a player in European security. This is big news. Watch this space! https://t.co/ivsRpHMLWl

[Mark C. Storella @MarkStorella]

Great panel with Tom Nichols and Mark Hertling at Principles First on American Foreign Policy Institutions. My lighthearted into of Tom Nichols at the panel....

[Mark C. Storella @MarkStorella]

Isolationist voices in Congress and among likely GOP presidential candidates are a concern, but, as I said, leaders must make clear that this war is "forward defense," fight there so we never have to fight here and convince other adversaries we and our allies are no pushover.

[Mark C. Storella @MarkStorella]

Atlantic's Tom Nichols, Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling and Amb. Roger Noriega agreed US diplomacy, defense and intelligence have shown remarkable resilience in the stress test of Putin's war in Ukraine at the Principles First Conference in DC.

[Mark C. Storella @MarkStorella]

With its peace plan for the Ukraine war, Beijing is asserting itself as a potential central player in European security -- probably for the first time ever. Will the plan have legs? https://t.co/5uxBz4WznF

[Mark C. Storella @MarkStorella]

Such a pleasure to hear Amb. Leonard’s take on the importance of Nigeria’s Feb. 25 elections. She is terrific.

[Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University @BUPardeeSchool]

Last week, the Pardee School hosted Mary Beth Leonard (CAS'84), U.S. Ambassador to #Nigeria, @SterlingRoop (Pardee '09) of @USAIDNigeria, & #PardeeProf @MarkStorella for a discussion on the upcoming Nigerian presidential election. Recap here: https://t.co/MGmkNvuZLD @bualumni