We're excited to welcome Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of US forces in the Indo-Pacific and a GPIS alum, to ODU for the Waldo Family Lecture on September 29. If you're in the area, RSVP by scanning the QR code in the flyer below, and join us for what is sure to be a fascinating discussion!

The wait is over! The Crowd Counting Consortium (with @djpressman.bsky.social & @chenoweth.bsky.social) has just released its June report. They find that No Kings Day was one of the largest days of protest in US history (comparable to Women's March 2017). wagingnonviolence.org/2025/08/new-...

The recent collision between Chinese vessels in the South China Sea has brought renewed focus to the gray zone tactics being used in that region. Our latest podcast episode with @richardmaass.bsky.social looks at international legal mechanisms to deter this kind of activity. youtu.be/KlQ0dzuX-Xg

This article by @unlawfulentries.bsky.social in yesterday's TIME magazine offers a short and readable history of birthright citizenship in the United States - including what problems it was meant to solve. Definitely worth checking out!

What is the "gray zone?" Richard Maass (@richardmaass.bsky.social) presents different conceptualizations of these aggressive actions and offers international legal mechanisms as a method to reduce their likelihood of success in his latest article. Read more tnsr.org/2025/06/lega...

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal... endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness..." HBD to an extraordinary document, worth re-reading annually: www.archives.gov/founding-doc...

How can international law deter "gray zone" aggression? Richard Maass (@richardmaass.bsky.social) argues for a new strategy of "legal deterrence by denial."

What happens when you mix 🔹 3 cups international law 🔹 2 cups deterrence 🔹 2 cups gray zone conflict 🔹 1 cup aggression 🔹 1 cup strategic initiative? You get this new article, out today in @tnsr.org! tnsr.org/2025/06/lega...

My students upon entering class this afternoon: “So we’re at war and we still gotta turn in homework?” Me, a millennial:

This is evidently where we are now...

The Picky Eagle for $14.50? For those interested in US foreign policy history, race&IR, etc... no better time to grab a copy than during the huge 50% off sale at @cornellupress.bsky.social this week! www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...

A reminder of how the number of centrifuges in Iran soared after Trump’s 2018 JCPOA withdrawal. @brendannyhan.bsky.social

This 👇

I think about this figure a lot.

You Gov numbers: "Only 16% of Americans think the U.S. military should get involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran; 60% say it should not and 24% are not sure" It's going to change quickly, but let's at least remember where we started. today.yougov.com/politics/art...

Can anyone confirm if we’re clean on OPSEC?

Article 2 Section LEEROY JENKINS might have to make it onto the International Law syllabus next fall

Good early context from @anjalikdayal.bsky.social Trump's post sounds like he views these strikes as a clean 1-off rather than start of a larger war... unfortunately, international politics is about interactions where others also have a say in whether it is indeed now "time for peace"

Another must-read @profsaunders.bsky.social @foreignaffairs.com essay on presidential power and USFP. Color me skeptical re: reporting requirements as a fix, though. Historically, Congress has best been able to rein in presidents on foreign policy via its power of the purse. (1/2)

My team and I at the Crowd Counting Consortium (@[email protected], Soha Hammam, & Chris Shay) have a new piece out: wagingnonviolence.org/2025/06/amer.... In it, we show that through May 2025, the size and scale of anti-Trump protests have dwarfed those in 2017. 🧵

Ok, I’m no @profpaulpoast.bsky.social but I shall try to do a thread on militaries and protests. Apologies up front to all the brilliant scholars I accidentally leave out - am doing this from memory. 1/

Faculty here are doing their research and speaking out. Here's one resource: a compendium of many ways federally-funded research has made all of our lives better. publicusaresearchbenefits.com

This 👇

Excellent thread by @unlawfulentries.bsky.social

R.I.P.

I was honored to moderate the World Affairs Council 2025 Ambassadors Lunch, part of Norfolk NATO Festival - Admiral Vandier, Ambassador Sørensen, General Rõkk, and Colonel Helle offered an insightful discussion on NATO, Baltic Sentry, the Arctic, collective defense, and much more! www.hrwac.org

Unhappy to confirm that the entire Historical Advisory Committee at the State Department received termination notices this afternoon (myself included). The HAC, set up by Congress, oversees the office that produces the FRUS series. history.state.gov/about/hac/in... 1/

Check out @profetuna.bsky.social's new article on the ongoing protests in Georgia 👇

⭐ 4 days left to register for this great event! ⭐ I look forward to moderating this conversation on topics of current interest to the alliance, including the Baltic Sentry maritime security operations. Tables are filling up, so act now if you're able to join us on May 2!

Huge crowd in Lexington, Kentucky today to declare "No Kings!" #50501 #NoKings #NoKing #HandsOff #protest #Kentucky #Lexington #indivisble

“Nobody is above the law.”Providence, Rhode Island filled the streets sending a message to Trump we won’t tolerate dictators! #NationalDayOfProtest #HandsOff #NoKings #50501Movement @fvp_tok

The people of St. Paul, Minnesota have seriously showed up. Thousands at the anti-Trump, anti-deportation protest.👏 #50501movement #HandsOff (🎥 Wedge Live)

St. Louis shows up no matter the weather #fiftyfiftyone #handsoff #marchforscience

Wow 👀 Salt Lake, UT continues to show up! 🪧🔥 #50501movement #handsoff #April19

Cincinnati is showing up to protect democracy! #50501 #HandsOff

The New York anti-Trump protest today is BIG! Looks like tens of thousands on the streets. #50501movement #HandsOff #NoKings (🎥 L2FTV)

I teach a couple of classes in which at some point we ask: what’s the point of multilateralism? What do states get out of international organizations? Why do they want to cooperate with each other? Eradicating polio is always a key example—but that assumes leaders who don’t want people to get polio.

The government isn't doing universities a favor by channeling federal funding through them. It's using a private entity to realize public goals, to accomplish things that benefit the entire nation. You'd think conservatives who call for privatization all the time would grasp that.

My review of @megan-a-black.bsky.social's Diplomatic History article, "Empire Underground: The Stakes of US Claims to Vertical Power" is now up on @h-diplo.bsky.social: networks.h-net.org/group/discus...

Last year, the United States sold more educational services to the rest of the world than it sold in natural gas and coal combined. wapo.st/4luJyph

“In his first 100 days, President Trump has declared more national emergencies — more creatively and more aggressively — than any president in modern American history.” www.axios.com/2025/04/18/t...

This also drives me crazy about the US higher ed sector. Foreign students bring $40b a year into the us from their home countries — compare that to $25b in grain exports or $20b in iron and steel.

Hours ago, @politico.com revealed that DOGE is working with DHS on automating mass deportation efforts — likely explaining why many US citizens, green card holders, and even a Canadian (in Canada) got threatening emails last night terminating “your parole” and telling them to leave the US in 7 days.

BREAKING from @science.org: The Trump admin is seeking to kill nearly all climate research at NOAA, its climate science agency. Its near-final budget proposal would end all NOAA research labs, academic institutes, and regional climate centers. And it wants to fully end the NOAA Research division.

👇👇👇

I look forward to moderating another engaging + informative discussion at this year's World Affairs Council Norfolk NATO Festival Ambassadors Lunch - if you're in the area, definitely plan to attend! Register via the QR code in the flyer or by clicking on the flyer at www.hrwac.org