Deborah Avant
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deborahavant.bsky.social
Deborah Avant
@deborahavant.bsky.social
3.2K followers 710 following 230 posts

Professor @josefkorble @UofDenver | global politics | climate | technology | security | human rights | democracy | pragmatism. I know, it's a lot. Also ISA, hiking, baking, travel, and #roseistoocute she/her deborahavant.com .. more

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Deborah Denise Avant is an American political scientist and faculty member at the University of Denver's Josef Korbel School of International Studies. Avant was also the inaugural Director of the university's Sie Cheou-Kang Center for International Security and Diplomacy and is a Distinguished University Professor. In 2015 Professor Avant launched the Journal of Global Security Studies for which she served as Editor-in-Chief until 2020. She was the 2022-2023 president of the International Studies Association. .. more

Political science 66%
Economics 18%
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deborahavant.bsky.social
Deborah Avant @deborahavant.bsky.social · 8h
open.substack.com/pub/danieldr...
The Madman Theory's Perfect Target
Yes, it's moderate Democrats.
open.substack.com

Reposted by Susan Strasser, Deborah Avant

muellershewrote.com
Mueller, She Wrote @muellershewrote.com · 10h
There’s still time to call senators. Let me explain. Sorry not sorry about the cat. He’s also really upset about this deal.

Reposted by Kimberly A. Prather, Deborah Avant

marcelias.bsky.social
Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 20d
🚨BREAKING: The State of Arizona filed a lawsuit accusing House Speaker Mike Johnson of violating the Constitution by refusing to swear in Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva. The plaintiffs argue that Johnson’s delay has deprived hundreds of thousands of Arizonans of representation.
News Alerts
Read more here.
www.democracydocket.com

Reposted by Deborah Avant

hillaryclinton.bsky.social
Hillary Rodham Clinton @hillaryclinton.bsky.social · 20d
What's next after a hugely successful "No Kings" day?

More joyful, patriotic, and peaceful organizing to defend our democracy.

Join @indivisible.org and more this evening to be a part of it.
www.mobilize.us/nokings/even...
Mass Call: What's Next After No Kings? · No Kings
No Kings will be massive, powerful, and meaningful - but it won’t be the end of our work. Join movement leaders and fellow local activists after the big day to come together, celebrate what we accompl...
www.mobilize.us

deborahavant.bsky.social
Deborah Avant @deborahavant.bsky.social · 21d
www.politico.com/news/magazin...
Mamdani’s Ideas Have Been Tried Before — and Worked
Politicians on both the right and the left have used urban subsidies to rise to power in countries around the world.
www.politico.com

deborahavant.bsky.social
Deborah Avant @deborahavant.bsky.social · 21d
Have to respect not only their intelligence, but their willingness to keep talking even in the face of efforts to intimidate. An important example for all of us in the academy.
elihuroberts.bsky.social elihuroberts.bsky.social @elihuroberts.bsky.social · 25d
“Join Erica Chenoweth and Steven Levitsky for the inaugural session of The Breakdown, a new webinar series on the ongoing struggle for American democracy.”

This sounds good. Register 👇

#Resist, #FreeSpeech, #DueProcess, #NoKings, #FightFascism, #WorkersOverBillionaires, #Frogtifa, #Democracy
chenoweth.bsky.social Erica Chenoweth @chenoweth.bsky.social · 25d
Join @stevelevitsky.bsky.social & me for the first episode of our new series The Breakdown. Register here to join us live on Monday, 10/20 at 4pm ET: ash.harvard.edu/events/the-b...

Reposted by Deborah Avant

laiabalcells.bsky.social
Laia Balcells @laiabalcells.bsky.social · 21d
Listening to this. SO important.
elihuroberts.bsky.social elihuroberts.bsky.social @elihuroberts.bsky.social · 25d
“Join Erica Chenoweth and Steven Levitsky for the inaugural session of The Breakdown, a new webinar series on the ongoing struggle for American democracy.”

This sounds good. Register 👇

#Resist, #FreeSpeech, #DueProcess, #NoKings, #FightFascism, #WorkersOverBillionaires, #Frogtifa, #Democracy
chenoweth.bsky.social Erica Chenoweth @chenoweth.bsky.social · 25d
Join @stevelevitsky.bsky.social & me for the first episode of our new series The Breakdown. Register here to join us live on Monday, 10/20 at 4pm ET: ash.harvard.edu/events/the-b...

deborahavant.bsky.social
Deborah Avant @deborahavant.bsky.social · 22d
Sobering (and nauseating).
Inside the Trump Administration’s Assault on Higher Education | The New Yorker share.google/4jvsuwSzDjIO...
Inside the Trump Administration’s Assault on Higher Education
How conservatives learned to stop worrying and love federal power.
share.google

Reposted by James Q. Wilson, Will Jennings, Brendan Nyhan , and 12 more

profsaunders.bsky.social
Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 22d
This story is extraordinary even by 2025 standards. Marco Rubio, the nation's top diplomat, made a deal with Bukele and agreed to renege on informant agreements in a years-long DOJ investigation into MS-13, totally undercutting credibility of such agreements.

www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Rubio promised to betray U.S. informants to get Trump’s El Salvador prison deal
To secure U.S. access to President Nayib Bukele’s notorious CECOT prison, Rubio agreed to turn over several MS-13 leaders central to a long-running Justice Department investigation.
www.washingtonpost.com

deborahavant.bsky.social
Deborah Avant @deborahavant.bsky.social · 23d
The drone did a better job than I did. *This* is Denver proud.

deborahavant.bsky.social
Deborah Avant @deborahavant.bsky.social · 23d
Denver strong... and even without the thousands marching on the other side!

Reposted by Laia Balcells, Deborah Avant

elihuroberts.bsky.social
elihuroberts.bsky.social @elihuroberts.bsky.social · 25d
“Join Erica Chenoweth and Steven Levitsky for the inaugural session of The Breakdown, a new webinar series on the ongoing struggle for American democracy.”

This sounds good. Register 👇

#Resist, #FreeSpeech, #DueProcess, #NoKings, #FightFascism, #WorkersOverBillionaires, #Frogtifa, #Democracy

deborahavant.bsky.social
Deborah Avant @deborahavant.bsky.social · 25d
Reading through the tears.

Reposted by Kori Schake

deborahavant.bsky.social
Deborah Avant @deborahavant.bsky.social · 26d
Important article by @maxboot.bsky.social. I am hearing a great deal of both discomfort (from those still serving) and disbelief (from those now retired). Those who were sure the U.S. military would resist unlawful orders are now much less so.
www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...
The Dilemma of Duty Under Trump
What his assault on the U.S. military means for America.
www.foreignaffairs.com

deborahavant.bsky.social
Deborah Avant @deborahavant.bsky.social · 28d
Beautiful.
urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...
urldefense.com

deborahavant.bsky.social
Deborah Avant @deborahavant.bsky.social · Oct 11
open.substack.com/pub/steadyst...
An Open Letter to the Presidents of American Colleges and Universities from The Steady State
October 7, 2025
open.substack.com

deborahavant.bsky.social
Deborah Avant @deborahavant.bsky.social · Oct 8
USC's reaction is a good start
www.latimes.com/california/s...
USC faculty members denounce Trump compact that would shift university to the right
The USC Academic Senate held a special meeting to discuss the Trump administration's education compact, which was presented to the school last week.
www.latimes.com

deborahavant.bsky.social
Deborah Avant @deborahavant.bsky.social · Oct 8
Here's hoping @himself.bsky.social is right and universities hold the line.
open.substack.com/pub/programm...
Trump's University Compact demonstrates weakness, not strength
The administration would act differently if it were confident
open.substack.com

deborahavant.bsky.social
Deborah Avant @deborahavant.bsky.social · Sep 25
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Lower Than Cowards
The surrender of America’s elites
www.theatlantic.com

deborahavant.bsky.social
Deborah Avant @deborahavant.bsky.social · Sep 25
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/25/o...
Opinion | A U.S. Sale Isn’t Enough. Here’s How to Make TikTok Safer.
www.nytimes.com

deborahavant.bsky.social
Deborah Avant @deborahavant.bsky.social · Sep 23
Yep... though I haven't read it yet.

Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele, Elizabeth Saunders, Jonathan A. Eisen , and 33 more

govpritzker.illinois.gov
Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · Sep 17
A free and democratic society cannot silence comedians because the President doesn’t like what they say.

This is an attack on free speech and cannot be allowed to stand.

All elected officials need to speak up and push back on this undemocratic act.

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller, Brendan Nyhan, Michael A. Clemens , and 9 more

blakeprof.bsky.social
Blake Emerson @blakeprof.bsky.social · Sep 15
These are the Trump Administration’s demands on UCLA, in addition to a 1.2 billion dollar fine, as reported by the LA Times today. I must note again that the Trump Administration’s attempt to use title vi to enforce conservative agenda items is flagrantly illegal.
3:164 • Make five years of payments — $200 million annually - and set up a $172 million fund for people with claims of civil rights violations. • Ensure foreign students who are "anti-Western" will not be admitted. • Pay for all costs of the settlement, including the fee for an outside monitor. • Annually release demographic data for hires as well as students who have applied or have been admitted, broken down by "race, color, grade point average, and performance on standardized tests." • Make a public statement declaring that transgender people's identities are no longer recognized. • End gender-affirming care for minors at medical facilities. • Give the government access to "all UCLA staff, employees, facilities, documents, and data related to the agreement" not protected by attorney-client privilege.

deborahavant.bsky.social
Deborah Avant @deborahavant.bsky.social · Sep 13
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/12/u...
From Scholarship Winner to Wanted Man: The Path of the Kirk Shooting Suspect
www.nytimes.com

deborahavant.bsky.social
Deborah Avant @deborahavant.bsky.social · Aug 27
The excerpts I heard from the Cabinet meeting yesterday made me nauseous. @himself.bsky.social made me even more so with this post...I would rather this concept be somewhat less useful.
www.programmablemutter.com/p/short-post...
Short posts on useful concepts I : Flattery Inflation
Grotesque self-abasement can be entirely rational.
www.programmablemutter.com

deborahavant.bsky.social
Deborah Avant @deborahavant.bsky.social · Aug 25
As we approach September, I thought I would repost our ad for an Assistant or Associate Professor in Technology and Global Affairs. Interested? Apply by September 15!
deborahavant.bsky.social Deborah Avant @deborahavant.bsky.social · Jul 28
The @josefkorbelschool.bsky.social is searching for a tenure line position in Technology and Global Affairs at the Assistant or Associate level. I am chairing the committee and happy to talk with anyone who is interested. Please share!
jobs.du.edu/en-us/job/49...
Details - Assistant or Associate Professor, Global and Public Affairs - Josef Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs | University of Denver
jobs.du.edu

Reposted by Daniel W. Drezner

deborahavant.bsky.social
Deborah Avant @deborahavant.bsky.social · Aug 23
Despite the subtitle @dandrezner.bsky.social gives a hopeful look at how Tufts (and I think many universities) are managing in the face of the Trump assault on higher education.
open.substack.com/pub/danieldr...
What It's Like To Be An International Affairs Graduate School Administrator in 2025
Not great, Bob.
open.substack.com

Reposted by Steve Peers, Deborah Avant

laurelann.bsky.social
Laurie Loves Data @laurelann.bsky.social · Aug 17
It is important that we don't become desensitized to the astonishing level of Trump's profiting from the presidency

It's illegal, of course, but who will stop him?

David D. Kirkpatrick, from the New Yorker, estimates $3.4 Billion in grift. The income sources are in the chart below.
sources of trump profit from presidency

deborahavant.bsky.social
Deborah Avant @deborahavant.bsky.social · Aug 14
Exactly. They should be speaking loudly and to their local and state lawmakers as well as to the country as a whole. Universities are important economic engines and screwing them up will affect local and state economies - in addition to national competitiveness.
mcopelov.bsky.social Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · Aug 14
Today in "You can't unplug 1/4 of the budget of research universities & do the same things, & there doesn't seem to be any backup plan other than to cancel things, & WHERE ARE THE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS SPEAKING OUT LOUDLY & COLLECTIVELY ABOUT THIS EXISTENTIAL CRISIS?"

bsky.app/profile/mcop...
chicagotribune.com Chicago Tribune @chicagotribune.com · Aug 14
The University of Chicago will pause admissions for “a small number” of Ph.D. and master’s programs across several schools amid mounting fiscal pressures.

Reposted by Michael Kevane, Deborah Avant

mcopelov.bsky.social
Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · Aug 14
Today in "You can't unplug 1/4 of the budget of research universities & do the same things, & there doesn't seem to be any backup plan other than to cancel things, & WHERE ARE THE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS SPEAKING OUT LOUDLY & COLLECTIVELY ABOUT THIS EXISTENTIAL CRISIS?"

bsky.app/profile/mcop...