Bruno Schmidt-Feuerheerd
@brunofeuerheerd.bsky.social
PhD student at the University of Cambridge
Saudi Arabia, Middle East politics & computational social science
Saudi Arabia, Middle East politics & computational social science
Pinned
“The Pandemic Was a Global Exam, and Our Country Came in First”: Autocratic Performance Legitimacy in Saudi Arabia | Perspectives on Politics | Cambridge Core
“The Pandemic Was a Global Exam, and Our Country Came in First”: Autocratic Performance Legitimacy in Saudi Arabia - Volume 22 Issue 3
doi.org
👋 Welcome to all new faces here! Excited to share ideas, insights, and discussions on Middle East politics & scholarship on authoritarianism. You can find my main publication on the effect of Covid on Saudi politics and authoritarian legitimation here: doi.org/10.1017/S153...
Reposted by Bruno Schmidt-Feuerheerd
Enjoying watching the UK trip over own shoelaces on this...
September 29, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Enjoying watching the UK trip over own shoelaces on this...
Reposted by Bruno Schmidt-Feuerheerd
🔝 This is the most-read story on FT right now >>
🚨 My latest story: Saudi authorities shut down two dozen music “lounges” in recent weeks over violations to public health and hygiene codes, but their existence has been controversial for years as conservatives see them as signs of the rapid decay of morals and social norms.
September 17, 2025 at 11:23 AM
🔝 This is the most-read story on FT right now >>
🥳
2024 Best Research Article published in Politics @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social @sagepub.com @uofglasgow.bsky.social: we're happy to announce the winner is Bruno Schmidt-Feuerheerd @brunofeuerheerd.bsky.social for his work on violence in social movements. Details: journals.sagepub.com/page/pol/col...
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
journals.sagepub.com
August 7, 2025 at 8:25 AM
🥳
Reposted by Bruno Schmidt-Feuerheerd
If you’re a PhD student from or working on MENA, or if you are advising MENA students who could benefit from a supportive online working space, please reach out.
We’ve had dozens of PhD students from Turkey alone finish their dissertations, apply for grants and jobs, revise article submissions.
We’ve had dozens of PhD students from Turkey alone finish their dissertations, apply for grants and jobs, revise article submissions.
Tomorrow begins Week 119 of the Zoom writing group I started post-2023 earthquakes. What are we?
*Students and scholars of all levels/fields
*Expanded to include those from or working on MENA
*8-10 sessions/week, join any/all
*Solidarity + structure for writing tasks
Interested? Please reach out!
*Students and scholars of all levels/fields
*Expanded to include those from or working on MENA
*8-10 sessions/week, join any/all
*Solidarity + structure for writing tasks
Interested? Please reach out!
July 6, 2025 at 8:11 PM
If you’re a PhD student from or working on MENA, or if you are advising MENA students who could benefit from a supportive online working space, please reach out.
We’ve had dozens of PhD students from Turkey alone finish their dissertations, apply for grants and jobs, revise article submissions.
We’ve had dozens of PhD students from Turkey alone finish their dissertations, apply for grants and jobs, revise article submissions.
Reposted by Bruno Schmidt-Feuerheerd
Dictating the Agenda: The Authoritarian Resurgence in World Politics
by me & @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social is now published by OUP in the USA (rest of world soon)
If you are interested in why you see so many dictatorships & illiberal leaders influencing world politics then this is the book for you.
by me & @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social is now published by OUP in the USA (rest of world soon)
If you are interested in why you see so many dictatorships & illiberal leaders influencing world politics then this is the book for you.
July 1, 2025 at 9:12 AM
Dictating the Agenda: The Authoritarian Resurgence in World Politics
by me & @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social is now published by OUP in the USA (rest of world soon)
If you are interested in why you see so many dictatorships & illiberal leaders influencing world politics then this is the book for you.
by me & @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social is now published by OUP in the USA (rest of world soon)
If you are interested in why you see so many dictatorships & illiberal leaders influencing world politics then this is the book for you.
Reposted by Bruno Schmidt-Feuerheerd
This should be much, much bigger news in Germany. It should be a lead item on the national news.
"A four-year-old Black boy died in a fire in a house in Wilhelmshaven occupied exclusively by people of recent immigration background...The public prosecutor's office is now investigating the arson."
"A four-year-old Black boy died in a fire in a house in Wilhelmshaven occupied exclusively by people of recent immigration background...The public prosecutor's office is now investigating the arson."
Grim news from Germany. A black family, who had previously experienced several incidents of racial harassment, was the victim of a suspected arson attack on Monday. One child is dead, the other is in critical condition. A fundraiser for them is here: www.gofundme.com/f/unterstutz...
June 26, 2025 at 8:20 AM
This should be much, much bigger news in Germany. It should be a lead item on the national news.
"A four-year-old Black boy died in a fire in a house in Wilhelmshaven occupied exclusively by people of recent immigration background...The public prosecutor's office is now investigating the arson."
"A four-year-old Black boy died in a fire in a house in Wilhelmshaven occupied exclusively by people of recent immigration background...The public prosecutor's office is now investigating the arson."
Reposted by Bruno Schmidt-Feuerheerd
POMEPS Call for Papers: Syria after Assad Workshop. We seek papers on topics related to understanding Syria today that will be discussed at a virtual workshop on Sept. 19th. The deadline to apply is July 21st. For more info on how to apply: pomeps.org/call-for-pap...
Call for Papers: Syria after Assad Workshop - Project on Middle East Political Science
The stunning collapse of the Assad regime in December 2024 has thrown up crucial questions about the future of Syria and the Syrian people. For example, is Syria transitioning mainly from fourteen yea...
pomeps.org
June 24, 2025 at 6:53 PM
POMEPS Call for Papers: Syria after Assad Workshop. We seek papers on topics related to understanding Syria today that will be discussed at a virtual workshop on Sept. 19th. The deadline to apply is July 21st. For more info on how to apply: pomeps.org/call-for-pap...
Reposted by Bruno Schmidt-Feuerheerd
Exit polls and turnout figures look very promising for Nicușor Dan (and prediction markets seem to agree). But lots of uncertainty remains given the gap between exit polls and results in the first wave. Meanwhile, Simion claimed victory, setting the stage for fraud claims (and possibly violence.)
May 18, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Exit polls and turnout figures look very promising for Nicușor Dan (and prediction markets seem to agree). But lots of uncertainty remains given the gap between exit polls and results in the first wave. Meanwhile, Simion claimed victory, setting the stage for fraud claims (and possibly violence.)
Reposted by Bruno Schmidt-Feuerheerd
“'No one knows better than us that the Gazans have nowhere to return,' explained a commander, whose battalion was involved in the destruction of about a thousand buildings over two months in 2025. [...]'The idea was to destroy everything.'" #Gaza
www.972mag.com/israel-gaza-...
www.972mag.com/israel-gaza-...
‘Render it unusable’: Israel’s mission of total urban destruction
Bulldozers and explosives are flattening Gaza from the ground — what soldiers say is a systematic campaign to make the Strip unlivable.
www.972mag.com
May 18, 2025 at 6:01 PM
“'No one knows better than us that the Gazans have nowhere to return,' explained a commander, whose battalion was involved in the destruction of about a thousand buildings over two months in 2025. [...]'The idea was to destroy everything.'" #Gaza
www.972mag.com/israel-gaza-...
www.972mag.com/israel-gaza-...
Reposted by Bruno Schmidt-Feuerheerd
Do you have any new publications or CfPs to share with the APSG community? Do you work on authoritarian politics and are in the academic market (or will soon)?
Let us know!!
forms.gle/wMqEnjAgJyxq...
Let us know!!
forms.gle/wMqEnjAgJyxq...
Google Forms: Sign-in
Access Google Forms with a personal Google account or Google Workspace account (for business use).
forms.gle
May 15, 2025 at 10:42 AM
Do you have any new publications or CfPs to share with the APSG community? Do you work on authoritarian politics and are in the academic market (or will soon)?
Let us know!!
forms.gle/wMqEnjAgJyxq...
Let us know!!
forms.gle/wMqEnjAgJyxq...
Reposted by Bruno Schmidt-Feuerheerd
Wrote up a similar set of results the other day if you haven’t read it already.
benansell.substack.com/p/labour-is-...
benansell.substack.com/p/labour-is-...
Labour is Learning the Wrong Lessons
Centre-left incumbents are staying in power by aggressively pushing back on populists, not by aping them
benansell.substack.com
May 7, 2025 at 6:55 AM
Wrote up a similar set of results the other day if you haven’t read it already.
benansell.substack.com/p/labour-is-...
benansell.substack.com/p/labour-is-...
Reposted by Bruno Schmidt-Feuerheerd
The comparativists are making good sense of US politics: a great new piece by my old friend and collaborator @lmorgenbesser.bsky.social
How ICE is becoming a secret police force under the Trump administration
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement meets most criteria that have defined secret police forces in authoritarian regimes. And the worst may be yet to come.
theconversation.com
April 28, 2025 at 11:02 PM
The comparativists are making good sense of US politics: a great new piece by my old friend and collaborator @lmorgenbesser.bsky.social
Reposted by Bruno Schmidt-Feuerheerd
A decline in public investments and overall austerity, however, create more breeding ground for grievances that the far right can capitalize on.
If you combine this with a normalization of their anti-immigrant position, it is the ideal situation for them.
This is exactly what Labour is doing.
If you combine this with a normalization of their anti-immigrant position, it is the ideal situation for them.
This is exactly what Labour is doing.
April 28, 2025 at 8:26 AM
A decline in public investments and overall austerity, however, create more breeding ground for grievances that the far right can capitalize on.
If you combine this with a normalization of their anti-immigrant position, it is the ideal situation for them.
This is exactly what Labour is doing.
If you combine this with a normalization of their anti-immigrant position, it is the ideal situation for them.
This is exactly what Labour is doing.
Reposted by Bruno Schmidt-Feuerheerd
AI free is the new organic
April 23, 2025 at 12:21 PM
AI free is the new organic
Reposted by Bruno Schmidt-Feuerheerd
My latest: Trump is heading to Saudi in mid-May, chasing $1 trillion in investments
He may leave disappointed
The kingdom’s role in the global economy is shifting -- from an exporter of capital to a seeker of funds
Full analysis on the Bloomberg terminal
He may leave disappointed
The kingdom’s role in the global economy is shifting -- from an exporter of capital to a seeker of funds
Full analysis on the Bloomberg terminal
April 23, 2025 at 8:54 AM
My latest: Trump is heading to Saudi in mid-May, chasing $1 trillion in investments
He may leave disappointed
The kingdom’s role in the global economy is shifting -- from an exporter of capital to a seeker of funds
Full analysis on the Bloomberg terminal
He may leave disappointed
The kingdom’s role in the global economy is shifting -- from an exporter of capital to a seeker of funds
Full analysis on the Bloomberg terminal
Reposted by Bruno Schmidt-Feuerheerd
Das betrifft nicht nur Journalist*innen, die für die SZ schreiben, sondern auch alle Wissenschaftler*innen. Informa (Routledge, Taylor&Francis) hat sämtliche Daten an Microsoft verkauft, ohne Zustimmung der Autor*nnen & ohne jede Vergütung.
Danke für nichts.
www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...
Danke für nichts.
www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...
April 16, 2025 at 10:21 PM
Das betrifft nicht nur Journalist*innen, die für die SZ schreiben, sondern auch alle Wissenschaftler*innen. Informa (Routledge, Taylor&Francis) hat sämtliche Daten an Microsoft verkauft, ohne Zustimmung der Autor*nnen & ohne jede Vergütung.
Danke für nichts.
www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...
Danke für nichts.
www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...
Reposted by Bruno Schmidt-Feuerheerd
"The data analytic tools now being used to scour social media were enhanced during the Biden administration, a former Biden administration DHS official said."
April 10, 2025 at 10:30 PM
"The data analytic tools now being used to scour social media were enhanced during the Biden administration, a former Biden administration DHS official said."
Reposted by Bruno Schmidt-Feuerheerd
Very excited to see my PhD dissertation published! I asked who gets to imagine Edinburgh’s future. I spoke with political leaders, tech entrepreneurs and higher education officials responsible for delivering the Edinburgh City Region Deal. Open access link ⬇️
Envisaging Dataist Modernity
Who gets to imagine datafied visions of the future city (region) and why is it important to look at universities as powerful urban stakeholders?
www.transcript-publishing.com
April 9, 2025 at 8:02 AM
Very excited to see my PhD dissertation published! I asked who gets to imagine Edinburgh’s future. I spoke with political leaders, tech entrepreneurs and higher education officials responsible for delivering the Edinburgh City Region Deal. Open access link ⬇️
Reposted by Bruno Schmidt-Feuerheerd
At a time when international students and scholars are turning away from America, instead of seizing this opportunity, Number 10 have a steely focus on winning the Runcorn by-election to help defend their wafer-thin majority of 174 seats.
The UK government is proposing to finally finish off its universities by further tightening the terms of the graduate visa route. The stupid fools. Playing with dangers they don't even understand. www.ft.com/content/f441...
UK Home Office’s reform of graduate visas runs into opposition
[FREE TO READ] Education department at odds with plan to curb number of overseas students allowed to stay in Britain
www.ft.com
April 8, 2025 at 8:51 AM
At a time when international students and scholars are turning away from America, instead of seizing this opportunity, Number 10 have a steely focus on winning the Runcorn by-election to help defend their wafer-thin majority of 174 seats.
Reposted by Bruno Schmidt-Feuerheerd
New Publication!
@fabioangiolillo.bsky.social, @felixwiebrecht.bsky.social & @staffanlindberg.bsky.social introduce the party-system democracy index (PSDI), a new global measure on regime preferences across party systems.
doi.org/10.1017/S000...
@fabioangiolillo.bsky.social, @felixwiebrecht.bsky.social & @staffanlindberg.bsky.social introduce the party-system democracy index (PSDI), a new global measure on regime preferences across party systems.
doi.org/10.1017/S000...
Party Systems, Democratic Positions, and Regime Changes: Introducing the Party-System Democracy Index | British Journal of Political Science | Cambridge Core
Party Systems, Democratic Positions, and Regime Changes: Introducing the Party-System Democracy Index - Volume 55
doi.org
March 31, 2025 at 9:06 AM
New Publication!
@fabioangiolillo.bsky.social, @felixwiebrecht.bsky.social & @staffanlindberg.bsky.social introduce the party-system democracy index (PSDI), a new global measure on regime preferences across party systems.
doi.org/10.1017/S000...
@fabioangiolillo.bsky.social, @felixwiebrecht.bsky.social & @staffanlindberg.bsky.social introduce the party-system democracy index (PSDI), a new global measure on regime preferences across party systems.
doi.org/10.1017/S000...
Reposted by Bruno Schmidt-Feuerheerd
Rephrasing this:
While technically accurate to refer to the "Houthi-controlled" Yemeni health ministry, phrasing + skepticism about casualty numbers is uncomfortably similar to discrediting Gaza casualty the so-called "Hamas-run" Ministry of Health
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
While technically accurate to refer to the "Houthi-controlled" Yemeni health ministry, phrasing + skepticism about casualty numbers is uncomfortably similar to discrediting Gaza casualty the so-called "Hamas-run" Ministry of Health
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
March 27, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Rephrasing this:
While technically accurate to refer to the "Houthi-controlled" Yemeni health ministry, phrasing + skepticism about casualty numbers is uncomfortably similar to discrediting Gaza casualty the so-called "Hamas-run" Ministry of Health
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
While technically accurate to refer to the "Houthi-controlled" Yemeni health ministry, phrasing + skepticism about casualty numbers is uncomfortably similar to discrediting Gaza casualty the so-called "Hamas-run" Ministry of Health
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Reposted by Bruno Schmidt-Feuerheerd
Back to work after a week off and wanted to belatedly share thoughts on America's Middle East policy after a trip to DC this month. The first of which is that Trump has a skeleton crew: if personnel is policy, there's almost no policy because there are almost no personnel. 🧵
March 24, 2025 at 6:37 AM
Back to work after a week off and wanted to belatedly share thoughts on America's Middle East policy after a trip to DC this month. The first of which is that Trump has a skeleton crew: if personnel is policy, there's almost no policy because there are almost no personnel. 🧵
Reposted by Bruno Schmidt-Feuerheerd
Despite the facade of a united front, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar are pursuing separate paths in dealing with Trump II on the Israeli-Palestinian issue.
Read our new Insight and subscribe:
Undercurrents – GCC Monarchies Contend with Gaza & Trump II
www.gulfnashra.com/p/insight-un...
Read our new Insight and subscribe:
Undercurrents – GCC Monarchies Contend with Gaza & Trump II
www.gulfnashra.com/p/insight-un...
Insight: Undercurrents – GCC Monarchies Contend with Gaza & Trump II
Despite the facade of a united front, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar are pursuing separate paths in dealing with Trump on the Israeli-Palestinian issue.
www.gulfnashra.com
March 19, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Despite the facade of a united front, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar are pursuing separate paths in dealing with Trump II on the Israeli-Palestinian issue.
Read our new Insight and subscribe:
Undercurrents – GCC Monarchies Contend with Gaza & Trump II
www.gulfnashra.com/p/insight-un...
Read our new Insight and subscribe:
Undercurrents – GCC Monarchies Contend with Gaza & Trump II
www.gulfnashra.com/p/insight-un...
Reposted by Bruno Schmidt-Feuerheerd
This article by @brunofeuerheerd.bsky.social demonstrates how open social media applications allow loyalists to perform public opinion and police critical views in authoritarian systems, using original data from Saudi Arabia. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Collaborative authoritarianism and its unintended consequences
Why do authoritarian regimes maintain access to open U.S.-owned social media platforms like Twitter and how do pro-government supporters use them? While the literature on consultative authoritarian...
www.tandfonline.com
March 16, 2025 at 10:15 AM
This article by @brunofeuerheerd.bsky.social demonstrates how open social media applications allow loyalists to perform public opinion and police critical views in authoritarian systems, using original data from Saudi Arabia. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Bruno Schmidt-Feuerheerd
