Ed Schatz
@edwardschatz.bsky.social
Political Scientist, Central Asianist, University of Toronto
Posting about politics, authoritarianism, and Central Asia.
Posting about politics, authoritarianism, and Central Asia.
Pinned
Excited to teach a new course on Authoritarianism through Film, in which we explore what narrative films say about how authoritarianism is lived/experienced.
Up first: Brazil (1985), which reminds us that an innocent-seeming typo can prove deadly in authoritarian bureaucracies.
Up first: Brazil (1985), which reminds us that an innocent-seeming typo can prove deadly in authoritarian bureaucracies.
This prez, in a nutshell.
Trump Sets Fraudster Free From Prison for a Second Time
www.nytimes.com
January 16, 2026 at 9:49 PM
This prez, in a nutshell.
A quickly changing world. U. Toronto and Harvard are apparently the Zhejiang U. of North America.
US higher education was a crown jewel, generating knowledge, wealth, prestige, and power unrivaled by anyone.
And the US is throwing it away, because Americans elected a govt ideologically opposed to truth, science, merit, and racial/gender equality, preferring to weaken the country to reduce that.
And the US is throwing it away, because Americans elected a govt ideologically opposed to truth, science, merit, and racial/gender equality, preferring to weaken the country to reduce that.
Chinese Universities Surge in Global Rankings as U.S. Schools Slip
www.nytimes.com
January 15, 2026 at 1:19 PM
A quickly changing world. U. Toronto and Harvard are apparently the Zhejiang U. of North America.
Good news I suppose, but a grotesque violation of international law is still a grotesque violation of international law--no matter how many or how few Americans want it. And maybe poll Greenlanders?
www.cnn.com/2026/01/15/p...
www.cnn.com/2026/01/15/p...
75% of Americans oppose US attempting to take control of Greenland, CNN poll finds | CNN Politics
Three-quarters of Americans say they oppose the US attempting to take control of Greenland, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS, indicating that President Donald Trump’s push to expand Ameri...
www.cnn.com
January 15, 2026 at 1:07 PM
Good news I suppose, but a grotesque violation of international law is still a grotesque violation of international law--no matter how many or how few Americans want it. And maybe poll Greenlanders?
www.cnn.com/2026/01/15/p...
www.cnn.com/2026/01/15/p...
Reposted by Ed Schatz
OTD in 1994 trilateral agreement between Russia, Ukraine & USA was signed.
"Ukraine commits to full disarmament, including strategic offensive weapons, in exchange for economic support & (this is the best part) security assurances from the USA & Russia".
So you can trust us now
"Ukraine commits to full disarmament, including strategic offensive weapons, in exchange for economic support & (this is the best part) security assurances from the USA & Russia".
So you can trust us now
January 14, 2026 at 9:50 AM
OTD in 1994 trilateral agreement between Russia, Ukraine & USA was signed.
"Ukraine commits to full disarmament, including strategic offensive weapons, in exchange for economic support & (this is the best part) security assurances from the USA & Russia".
So you can trust us now
"Ukraine commits to full disarmament, including strategic offensive weapons, in exchange for economic support & (this is the best part) security assurances from the USA & Russia".
So you can trust us now
"Land acquisition?" Is that what we're calling this now? Why are you buying DJT's framing of the issue, @nytimes.com ?
It would be a conquest, the destruction of an alliance, another instance of gunboat diplomacy, another blow to the rules-based order. Not a real estate deal.
It would be a conquest, the destruction of an alliance, another instance of gunboat diplomacy, another blow to the rules-based order. Not a real estate deal.
Greenland Would Be the Largest U.S. Land Acquisition, if Trump Got His Way
www.nytimes.com
January 13, 2026 at 5:27 PM
"Land acquisition?" Is that what we're calling this now? Why are you buying DJT's framing of the issue, @nytimes.com ?
It would be a conquest, the destruction of an alliance, another instance of gunboat diplomacy, another blow to the rules-based order. Not a real estate deal.
It would be a conquest, the destruction of an alliance, another instance of gunboat diplomacy, another blow to the rules-based order. Not a real estate deal.
Reposted by Ed Schatz
So when authorities say “she tried to run over an officer,” that is not a neutral description. It is a claim of intent that can be used to justify lethal force after the fact.
When the state kills first and invents the threat afterward, it is not policing, it is death squad behavior. /end
When the state kills first and invents the threat afterward, it is not policing, it is death squad behavior. /end
January 8, 2026 at 9:13 PM
So when authorities say “she tried to run over an officer,” that is not a neutral description. It is a claim of intent that can be used to justify lethal force after the fact.
When the state kills first and invents the threat afterward, it is not policing, it is death squad behavior. /end
When the state kills first and invents the threat afterward, it is not policing, it is death squad behavior. /end
Reposted by Ed Schatz
A woman was shot dead on camera and Trump’s ICE is launching a full scale coverup. Nobody is above the law. Federal agents who break the law in Minnesota, Oregon or anywhere else, must be prosecuted.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Minnesota investigators say they can't access evidence after fatal ICE shooting and FBI won't work jointly on probe.
@reuters.com
@reuters.com
January 8, 2026 at 6:21 PM
A woman was shot dead on camera and Trump’s ICE is launching a full scale coverup. Nobody is above the law. Federal agents who break the law in Minnesota, Oregon or anywhere else, must be prosecuted.
Excited to teach a new course on Authoritarianism through Film, in which we explore what narrative films say about how authoritarianism is lived/experienced.
Up first: Brazil (1985), which reminds us that an innocent-seeming typo can prove deadly in authoritarian bureaucracies.
Up first: Brazil (1985), which reminds us that an innocent-seeming typo can prove deadly in authoritarian bureaucracies.
January 8, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Excited to teach a new course on Authoritarianism through Film, in which we explore what narrative films say about how authoritarianism is lived/experienced.
Up first: Brazil (1985), which reminds us that an innocent-seeming typo can prove deadly in authoritarian bureaucracies.
Up first: Brazil (1985), which reminds us that an innocent-seeming typo can prove deadly in authoritarian bureaucracies.
I've been busy teaching today and may have missed it. Has the USA invaded an allied country yet?
January 7, 2026 at 7:51 PM
I've been busy teaching today and may have missed it. Has the USA invaded an allied country yet?
The Donroe Doctrine is tailor-made for this administration: it is faintly reminiscent of something Trump once heard, it is empty of fixed meaning, and it's heavy with narcissitic self-regard.
January 6, 2026 at 9:29 PM
The Donroe Doctrine is tailor-made for this administration: it is faintly reminiscent of something Trump once heard, it is empty of fixed meaning, and it's heavy with narcissitic self-regard.
Ilya Yashin continues to call out the Putin regime and its war against Ukraine, providing a ray of hope for democracy in Russia. I had the privilege of hosting him at U of T. www.youtube.com/watch?v=afjY...
In Conversation with Ilya Yashin
YouTube video by CEES at Munk
www.youtube.com
January 6, 2026 at 4:09 PM
Ilya Yashin continues to call out the Putin regime and its war against Ukraine, providing a ray of hope for democracy in Russia. I had the privilege of hosting him at U of T. www.youtube.com/watch?v=afjY...
For centuries, America was called out as hypocritical when it failed to live up to principles. No longer. Apparently there are no longer any principles to be evaluated against.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/u...
Stephen Miller Asserts U.S. Has Right to Take Greenland
www.nytimes.com
January 6, 2026 at 3:23 PM
For centuries, America was called out as hypocritical when it failed to live up to principles. No longer. Apparently there are no longer any principles to be evaluated against.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/u...
Donnie got his very own special military operation. He must be so proud of himself.
January 5, 2026 at 11:37 PM
Donnie got his very own special military operation. He must be so proud of himself.
Academics of my generation: I can retire book-free if I donate one book daily for the next 73.5 years.
January 5, 2026 at 8:34 PM
Academics of my generation: I can retire book-free if I donate one book daily for the next 73.5 years.
Reposted by Ed Schatz
The hard part about running a dictatorship is that the past changes so quickly you have no idea what will happen yesterday.
January 4, 2026 at 4:02 PM
The hard part about running a dictatorship is that the past changes so quickly you have no idea what will happen yesterday.
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.
Maduro’s main crime is that he wasn’t “our bastard.”
January 3, 2026 at 1:03 PM
Maduro’s main crime is that he wasn’t “our bastard.”
Dear vendors,
Unsubscribe and merry Christmas in that order.
Unsubscribe and merry Christmas in that order.
December 24, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Dear vendors,
Unsubscribe and merry Christmas in that order.
Unsubscribe and merry Christmas in that order.
It's lunacy that this Normalization of Authoritarianism continues full-tilt.
Think forward three years. I very much hope we're saying, "In retrospect, maybe we overreacted," rather than "In retrospect, we should have seen that coming."
www.nbcnews.com/video/shorts...
Think forward three years. I very much hope we're saying, "In retrospect, maybe we overreacted," rather than "In retrospect, we should have seen that coming."
www.nbcnews.com/video/shorts...
Trump's name added to signage at the Kennedy Center
Trump's name added to signage at the Kennedy Center
www.nbcnews.com
December 19, 2025 at 8:08 PM
It's lunacy that this Normalization of Authoritarianism continues full-tilt.
Think forward three years. I very much hope we're saying, "In retrospect, maybe we overreacted," rather than "In retrospect, we should have seen that coming."
www.nbcnews.com/video/shorts...
Think forward three years. I very much hope we're saying, "In retrospect, maybe we overreacted," rather than "In retrospect, we should have seen that coming."
www.nbcnews.com/video/shorts...
May your lights shine extra bright.
December 14, 2025 at 9:48 PM
May your lights shine extra bright.
Dear Social Science,
The only puzzle is why you repeat "puzzle" and "puzzling" over and over.
Sincerely,
Common Sense
The only puzzle is why you repeat "puzzle" and "puzzling" over and over.
Sincerely,
Common Sense
December 8, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Dear Social Science,
The only puzzle is why you repeat "puzzle" and "puzzling" over and over.
Sincerely,
Common Sense
The only puzzle is why you repeat "puzzle" and "puzzling" over and over.
Sincerely,
Common Sense
So very well put.
'In Ukraine, the state itself is investigating the government, the cabinet, the president’s closest advisers. By contrast, it is impossible to imagine Kash Patel’s FBI investigating anyone in Trump’s White House. Any Russian who investigates Putin goes to jail"
www.theatlantic.com/internationa...
www.theatlantic.com/internationa...
Trumpian Corruption Is Worse Than Ukrainian Corruption
The people of Ukraine want an honest government, even as American and Russian kleptocrats circle their country.
www.theatlantic.com
December 8, 2025 at 11:17 AM
So very well put.
Because if you cannot amuse yourself who can you amuse?
December 7, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Because if you cannot amuse yourself who can you amuse?