David Stroup
@davidstroup.bsky.social
Sr. Lecturer of Chinese Politics at the University of Manchester.
Researching the everyday politics of ethnicity under authoritarianism and Islamophobia in the PRC.
Researching the everyday politics of ethnicity under authoritarianism and Islamophobia in the PRC.
Why not both?
I will repeat: It is not obvious, based on the data, that campaigning on the economy in Nov would be significantly more effective than campaigning on immigration. Gov. policy is dramatically out of step with the public on immigration/deportations, and executive overreach is a potent motivator
January 22, 2026 at 6:41 PM
Why not both?
Reposted by David Stroup
I will repeat: It is not obvious, based on the data, that campaigning on the economy in Nov would be significantly more effective than campaigning on immigration. Gov. policy is dramatically out of step with the public on immigration/deportations, and executive overreach is a potent motivator
January 22, 2026 at 6:31 PM
I will repeat: It is not obvious, based on the data, that campaigning on the economy in Nov would be significantly more effective than campaigning on immigration. Gov. policy is dramatically out of step with the public on immigration/deportations, and executive overreach is a potent motivator
Reposted by David Stroup
For some reason, very few people these days will stand up and say it, but: the US federal bureaucracy is one of the great wonders of the world, staffed with incredibly diligent people who do their jobs well and care deeply.
Trump's destruction of the federal apparaus was a historic crime.
Trump's destruction of the federal apparaus was a historic crime.
The Purged
Donald Trump’s destruction of the civil service is a tragedy not just for the roughly 300,000 workers who have been discarded, but for an entire nation.
www.theatlantic.com
January 18, 2026 at 7:17 PM
For some reason, very few people these days will stand up and say it, but: the US federal bureaucracy is one of the great wonders of the world, staffed with incredibly diligent people who do their jobs well and care deeply.
Trump's destruction of the federal apparaus was a historic crime.
Trump's destruction of the federal apparaus was a historic crime.
Reposted by David Stroup
The regime’s paramilitary forces are conducting a campaign of ethnic cleansing.
Hmong man detained by ICE today in St. Paul, Minnesota.
(Photo via Reuters)
(Photo via Reuters)
January 19, 2026 at 2:08 AM
The regime’s paramilitary forces are conducting a campaign of ethnic cleansing.
Reposted by David Stroup
I wonder how long it will take the media to catch on to the fact that ICE’s recruiting spree has effectively deputized every white supremacist hate group out there.
January 17, 2026 at 5:32 AM
I wonder how long it will take the media to catch on to the fact that ICE’s recruiting spree has effectively deputized every white supremacist hate group out there.
Reposted by David Stroup
Like many other folks targeted by ICE, Guan is in a lot of danger if he’s sent back www.dw.com/en/xinjiang-...
Xinjiang whistleblower faces deportation to China — lawyer
After documenting Xinjiang's Uyghur detention network, a Chinese dissident faces deportation to China, his lawyer says. His case highlights the clash between US immigration policy and human rights con...
www.dw.com
January 14, 2026 at 1:19 AM
Like many other folks targeted by ICE, Guan is in a lot of danger if he’s sent back www.dw.com/en/xinjiang-...
A nice write up from @uomsoss.bsky.social on the research project I’m doing with my colleague Jolynna Sinanan on the Manchester-based amateur football club, Konger FC.
www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/k...
www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/k...
Konger FC: How Football Is Helping Manchester’s Hong Kong Community Find Home and Voice
A Saturday morning football club in Manchester is doing more than just scoring goals - it’s helping a community rebuild its identity.Founded in 2021, Konger FC is a football team made up of Hong Konge...
www.manchester.ac.uk
January 11, 2026 at 8:27 PM
A nice write up from @uomsoss.bsky.social on the research project I’m doing with my colleague Jolynna Sinanan on the Manchester-based amateur football club, Konger FC.
www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/k...
www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/k...
Reposted by David Stroup
On the heels of an enormous conservative-driven freakout about the alleged consequences of sending Americans "free" money during Covid (so they wouldn't die), the new conservative policy will be to send money to Greenlanders
January 8, 2026 at 9:13 PM
On the heels of an enormous conservative-driven freakout about the alleged consequences of sending Americans "free" money during Covid (so they wouldn't die), the new conservative policy will be to send money to Greenlanders
Reposted by David Stroup
I am impeaching Secretary Kristi Noem, who is an incompetent leader and a disgrace to our democracy.
She wreaked havoc in the Chicagoland area and has brought her reign of terror to Minneapolis. One of her rogue ICE agents shot and killed an innocent woman today. It must come to an end.
She wreaked havoc in the Chicagoland area and has brought her reign of terror to Minneapolis. One of her rogue ICE agents shot and killed an innocent woman today. It must come to an end.
January 8, 2026 at 12:00 AM
I am impeaching Secretary Kristi Noem, who is an incompetent leader and a disgrace to our democracy.
She wreaked havoc in the Chicagoland area and has brought her reign of terror to Minneapolis. One of her rogue ICE agents shot and killed an innocent woman today. It must come to an end.
She wreaked havoc in the Chicagoland area and has brought her reign of terror to Minneapolis. One of her rogue ICE agents shot and killed an innocent woman today. It must come to an end.
Reposted by David Stroup
"Americans have been dragged, tackled, beaten, tased and shot by immigration agents.
They’ve had their necks kneeled on.
They’ve been held outside in the rain while in their underwear.
At least three citizens were pregnant when agents detained them."
(Published Oct. 2025)
They’ve had their necks kneeled on.
They’ve been held outside in the rain while in their underwear.
At least three citizens were pregnant when agents detained them."
(Published Oct. 2025)
More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days.
The government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did. Our tally — almost certainly incomplete — includes people who were held for days without a lawyer. And near...
www.propublica.org
January 8, 2026 at 2:00 AM
"Americans have been dragged, tackled, beaten, tased and shot by immigration agents.
They’ve had their necks kneeled on.
They’ve been held outside in the rain while in their underwear.
At least three citizens were pregnant when agents detained them."
(Published Oct. 2025)
They’ve had their necks kneeled on.
They’ve been held outside in the rain while in their underwear.
At least three citizens were pregnant when agents detained them."
(Published Oct. 2025)
Reposted by David Stroup
I just left the Venezuela briefing.
It's worse than you thought.
Oil company executives seem to know more about Trump's secret plan to "run" Venezuela than the American people.
We need public Senate hearings NOW.
It's worse than you thought.
Oil company executives seem to know more about Trump's secret plan to "run" Venezuela than the American people.
We need public Senate hearings NOW.
January 7, 2026 at 6:12 PM
I just left the Venezuela briefing.
It's worse than you thought.
Oil company executives seem to know more about Trump's secret plan to "run" Venezuela than the American people.
We need public Senate hearings NOW.
It's worse than you thought.
Oil company executives seem to know more about Trump's secret plan to "run" Venezuela than the American people.
We need public Senate hearings NOW.
Reposted by David Stroup
The American people electing Trump after he staged a coup attempt 5 years ago was a nail in the coffin of our democracy. You can rationalize it all you want - But inflation! But wokeness! - but ultimately it was a societal suicide attempt and probably the dumbest collective voting decision ever made
January 6, 2026 at 2:51 PM
The American people electing Trump after he staged a coup attempt 5 years ago was a nail in the coffin of our democracy. You can rationalize it all you want - But inflation! But wokeness! - but ultimately it was a societal suicide attempt and probably the dumbest collective voting decision ever made
This really belies the idea we’re “running” Venezuela (or are in any position to do so). Clearly the remnants of Maduro’s regime: 1) still hold a lot of power, and 2) are using it to crack down harder. Please, @cnn.com, stop parroting Trump’s lines that we’re going to “run” the country. It’s a farce
Venezuela’s government is arresting journalists and sending paramilitary forces to suppress anyone who is too happy about Maduro's removal
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... via @FT
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... via @FT
Venezuela launches wave of repression after US seizure of Nicolás Maduro
Armed militias patrol the streets and journalists arrested as government crackdown on dissent widens
giftarticle.ft.com
January 6, 2026 at 4:14 PM
This really belies the idea we’re “running” Venezuela (or are in any position to do so). Clearly the remnants of Maduro’s regime: 1) still hold a lot of power, and 2) are using it to crack down harder. Please, @cnn.com, stop parroting Trump’s lines that we’re going to “run” the country. It’s a farce
Reposted by David Stroup
I don't see what's hard about telling Americans the truth: The aged lying self-obsessed president who tariffed your stuff while blocking the Epstein Files & taking multiple cognitive tests just started a war you didn't ask for, for no coherent reason other than he thinks it makes him look good on TV
January 4, 2026 at 4:03 PM
I don't see what's hard about telling Americans the truth: The aged lying self-obsessed president who tariffed your stuff while blocking the Epstein Files & taking multiple cognitive tests just started a war you didn't ask for, for no coherent reason other than he thinks it makes him look good on TV
Reposted by David Stroup
Enough short-termism on Venezuela.
Whether Maduro was a bad guy (he was); whether his regime trafficked drugs (it did); whether what comes next is better / more legitimate (unclear), this catapults us back to 1900's spheres-of-influence logics, greenlighting conquest by Russia, China & others.
Whether Maduro was a bad guy (he was); whether his regime trafficked drugs (it did); whether what comes next is better / more legitimate (unclear), this catapults us back to 1900's spheres-of-influence logics, greenlighting conquest by Russia, China & others.
January 4, 2026 at 4:08 PM
Enough short-termism on Venezuela.
Whether Maduro was a bad guy (he was); whether his regime trafficked drugs (it did); whether what comes next is better / more legitimate (unclear), this catapults us back to 1900's spheres-of-influence logics, greenlighting conquest by Russia, China & others.
Whether Maduro was a bad guy (he was); whether his regime trafficked drugs (it did); whether what comes next is better / more legitimate (unclear), this catapults us back to 1900's spheres-of-influence logics, greenlighting conquest by Russia, China & others.
Reposted by David Stroup
The kidnapping of Maduro inaugurates a highly dangerous era of U.S. empire that for perhaps the first time in an era of mass media is not pretending to be anything other than a violent, extractive enterprise of domination.
A Criminal Empire
The United States launches a conquest and occupation of Venezuela to extract its oil wealth. The neocon dream is the America First dream
www.forever-wars.com
January 3, 2026 at 7:50 PM
The kidnapping of Maduro inaugurates a highly dangerous era of U.S. empire that for perhaps the first time in an era of mass media is not pretending to be anything other than a violent, extractive enterprise of domination.
Reposted by David Stroup
If you’re asking what is now stopping Russia from killing Zelenskyy, the answer is the same as it has been since 24th February 2022: Ukrainians. Not everything revolves around Trump and his actions.
January 3, 2026 at 6:42 PM
If you’re asking what is now stopping Russia from killing Zelenskyy, the answer is the same as it has been since 24th February 2022: Ukrainians. Not everything revolves around Trump and his actions.
Reposted by David Stroup
"The implicit bargain is that Putin and Xi will be extended the same courtesy. For 'smaller' places caught in the gray zones, like Ukraine, Taiwan, the Baltics, even Greenland, this is not an abstract theoretical debate but a question of survival."
there's too much to cover here. See this, which I promise is more than just a hot take
hegemon.substack.com/p/venezuela-...
hegemon.substack.com/p/venezuela-...
January 3, 2026 at 5:46 PM
"The implicit bargain is that Putin and Xi will be extended the same courtesy. For 'smaller' places caught in the gray zones, like Ukraine, Taiwan, the Baltics, even Greenland, this is not an abstract theoretical debate but a question of survival."
Reposted by David Stroup
In the Maduro capture operation, the Trump administration relies on Bill Barr’s (discredited) 1989 memo claiming a President can disregard the UN Charter (CNN report).
That is a loaded gun. The legal analysis is utterly flawed.
My assessment just published:
www.justsecurity.org/127962/madur...
That is a loaded gun. The legal analysis is utterly flawed.
My assessment just published:
www.justsecurity.org/127962/madur...
Maduro Capture Operation and the President’s Duty to Faithfully Execute U.N. Charter: Assessment of 1989 OLC Opinion
A decades-old Office of Legal Counsel memorandum claiming the President can disregard the UN Charter does not withstand serious scrutiny.
www.justsecurity.org
January 3, 2026 at 4:39 PM
In the Maduro capture operation, the Trump administration relies on Bill Barr’s (discredited) 1989 memo claiming a President can disregard the UN Charter (CNN report).
That is a loaded gun. The legal analysis is utterly flawed.
My assessment just published:
www.justsecurity.org/127962/madur...
That is a loaded gun. The legal analysis is utterly flawed.
My assessment just published:
www.justsecurity.org/127962/madur...
Reposted by David Stroup
A college sophomore at an Occupy rally could not have generated such a grotesque outsized caricature of US imperialism
Trump: "We're going to have our very large United States oil companies go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure and start making money for the country. And we are ready to stage a second and much larger attack if we need to do so."
January 3, 2026 at 5:20 PM
A college sophomore at an Occupy rally could not have generated such a grotesque outsized caricature of US imperialism
Reposted by David Stroup
Among the many reasons you don’t kidnap a foreign head of state at gunpoint even if you have the capability, is that it sparks consequences you can neither control nor anticipate.
January 3, 2026 at 10:27 AM
Among the many reasons you don’t kidnap a foreign head of state at gunpoint even if you have the capability, is that it sparks consequences you can neither control nor anticipate.
The fact that they literally saying “we did this to take the oil” out loud is just beyond parody.
January 3, 2026 at 5:03 PM
The fact that they literally saying “we did this to take the oil” out loud is just beyond parody.
Reposted by David Stroup
“Trump cares more about running another country than this one. He’s spending money on them, not your health care.”
January 3, 2026 at 4:59 PM
“Trump cares more about running another country than this one. He’s spending money on them, not your health care.”
Reposted by David Stroup
Trump just described the assault last night on Venezuela as an “attack on sovereignty”
January 3, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Trump just described the assault last night on Venezuela as an “attack on sovereignty”
Reposted by David Stroup
every person in the administration -- Miller and Rubio especially -- just speedrunning their agenda while the President picks out ballroom chandeliers.
January 3, 2026 at 4:58 PM
every person in the administration -- Miller and Rubio especially -- just speedrunning their agenda while the President picks out ballroom chandeliers.