___________ will happen first. A) U.S. men win the World Cup B) Democrats win state-wide in Texas

Irish commentators when the USA-Australia broadcast panned to RFK Jr watching in the stands: [awkward pause] “There he is. RFK. The main man for health. Unless you want vaccines.”

"Transnational Repression in An Age of Global Authoritarianism: Experiences of Uyghur Diaspora Activists in Sweden.” by Michel Harb & @arnewackenhut.bsky.social in @ersjournal.com (2026) #SummerReading

“Beyond Myanmar’s Borders: The Use of Transnational Repression and Creation of New State Spaces within ASEAN” by Naung Naung in @ersjournal.com (2026) #SummerReading

cliche to note, I know but.... Fox if Obama had done this: WHY DOES HE HATE AMERICA Fox if Biden had done this: HE'S TOO OLD TO DO SIMPLE TASKS

"They were tasked with monitoring the Chinese diaspora and tracking down regime opponents to forcibly return them to China."

Suspect allegedly linked to organized crime and foreign intelligence

Trump’s efforts to take over Greenland are sinister and serious…. but also even dumber than you probably remember.

This was fun - thanks so much for having me! comments based on work with @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social

"Autocrats and Ideological Imperative: Russia’s Anti-Nazi Campaign in International Organizations" by Alexander Baturo in @isq-jrnl.bsky.social (2026) #SummerReading

I Deliver Parcels in Beijing by Hu Anyan (2025) #SummerReading

Scottish fans made Boston run out of beer

This is true and honestly I appreciate it when colleagues highlight their work on social media or even email it over if they think it’s relevant or if we’re in the same ‘conversation’. There’s a lot of stuff out there and it’s hard to keep up as a reader so tell people about your publications!

Basically a big ol’ truce with a view to a comprehensive agreement in 2 months. edition.cnn.com/2026/06/17/m...

Yoga on the Great Wall: 👍 Japanese stuff on the Great Wall: 👎

Robert Kuzovkov, an artist who worked under the pseudonym Semyon Skrepetsky, had recently joined protests against the Putin regime. He had lived in Poland since 2021 after leaving Russia to avoid arrest. ft.trib.al/My1qeXx

Just two weeks left to apply for our new Human Rights Scholarship scheme⏳ Find full details and apply here 👇 www.ucd.ie/spire/study/...

I mean they’re not totally wrong on this one…

Apparently it is totally unfathomable that before Ireland's new school lunch scheme parents used to put vegetables in their kids' lunch.... Screen cap from survey that Ireland's Department for Social Protection fielded to parents. "What did you send to school with your child for lunch before...?"

“From Concealment to Partial Acknowledgement to Tactical Policy Shifts: China’s Response to International Pressure Regarding Xinjiang Re-Education Camps.” by Jan Švec in Modern China (2026) #SummerReading

Well… I’m officially “injured myself playing soccer with the kids” years old.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has confirmed our story about the arrest of a US citizen on a rare national security charge. A spokesman said after we posted this story that U Min Zin, an American scholar from Myanmar, had been arrested on suspicion of "espionage activities."

In my experience it is not true that RyanAir is the only one doing this. Aer Lingus, for example, charges you to sit with your kids. — Ryanair investigated over charging parents to sit with children www.bbc.com/news/article...

A deeply disturbing development: #China govt places #US scholar in #arbitrarydetention, alleging #nationalsecurity violations. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/11/u...

What is the best Chinese politics/current events type podcast these days?

“New Rules for a New World: How Europe Should Respond to an Illiberal Order.” by Michael J. Boyle in Survival (2026) #SummerReading

"The Authoritarian Challenge: Liberal Thinking on Autocracy and International Relations, 1930-45" by Matthew Draper & Stephan Haggard in @internatltheory.bsky.social (2023) #SummerReading

Z Generation: Into the Heart of Russia’s Fascist Youth by @irgarner.bsky.social via @hurstpublishers.bsky.social (2025) #SummerReading

Conscription of men & tech support from Russia are helping the Myanmar military dictatorship in its fight against rebel groups.

And this is important given that succession procedures in China and Russia will be de-institutionalised and unpredictable as these two guys seem intent on ruling possibly until the die. More instability on the horizon.

Love that Dolan is pretending to be asleep - that’s a personalist power right there.

“Sir, they weren’t saying ‘booooo’ they were saying ‘we love youuuu!’” -some staffer, probably

This was a fun interview together w/ @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social about sports, politics, authoritarianism, the World Cup, and the U.S. w/ @global-affairs.bsky.social I already regret making a quasi-prediction about who won’t win the tournament….

Very much looking forward to giving a keynote titled “The Authoritarian Resurgence in World Politics” and the discussion to follow on Monday in Krakow at the conference Democracy and Trust in Times of Changing World Order. taubecentre.uj.edu.pl

Quite the use of passive voice… www.rte.ie/news/us/2026...

Very much looking forward to giving a keynote titled “The Authoritarian Resurgence in World Politics” and the discussion to follow on Monday in Krakow at the conference Democracy and Trust in Times of Changing World Order. taubecentre.uj.edu.pl

"Autocratic Institutions and Foreign Policy" by Tyler Jost in Oxford Handbook of Foreign Policy Analysis (2024)

"The Limits of AI for Authoritarian Control" by @eddieyang.bsky.social in @ajpseditor.bsky.social (2025) #SummerReading

We need to hire a VP for Strategic Administrative Costs to look into this.

Job Opportunity: 💼We’re hiring a temporary Teaching Fellow in International Political Economy 🌍📈 ⏳ Fixed-term until 30 June 2027. ⏰ Closes: 12:00 noon (Irish time), 11 June. Apply here 👇 my.corehr.com/pls/coreport...

“State Media Control Influences Large Language Models.” by @hwaight.bsky.social @eddieyang.bsky.social @reasonyy.bsky.social Solomon Messing, Margaret E. Roberts, @bstewart.bsky.social and @jatucker.bsky.social in @nature.com (2026) #SummerReading

“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”

"Authoritarian Norm Entrepreneurs: How Autocratic States Reshape Global Norms.” by @debremaria.bsky.social & @danielleflonk.bsky.social in @jird-jour.bsky.social (2026) #SummerReading

“Call Me By Your Name: The Impacts of American Human Rights Violations in Authoritarian States." by @onegruffydd.bsky.social in @bjpols.bsky.social (2025) #SummerReading

“Big Brothers United: The Influence of China and Russia in Strengthening Digital Authoritarianism in Tajikistan.” by @edwardlemon.bsky.social & Oleg Antonov in @spsr.bsky.social (2025) #SummerReading

"Shaping the Liberal International Order from the Inside: A Natural Experiment on China’s Influence in the UN Human Rights Council." by @ginopauselli.bsky.social Francisco Urdinez & Federico Merke via @respol.bsky.social (2023) #SummerReading

What was and what could have been.

Pyongyang on the Brink: Sixteen Crises That Shaped North Korea by Fyodor Tertitskiy via @hurstpublishers.bsky.social (2026) #SummerReading

Wer sich für die Studie interessiert, hier ist der Link: doi.org/10.1080/0963... Der Artikel ist Open Access. Für die unter euch, die Podcasts mögen: youtu.be/VbPVzZXYUd0?...

Noch ein kleines Follow-up zu heute morgen: Die meisten Autokratien setzen für ihre internationalen Imagekampagnen übrigens auch auf ausländische Akteure. 🤝