Erin A. Snider
@erinsnider.bsky.social
IR, Middle East political economy, democracy aid, & development • Egypt she/her • Author, Marketing Democracy: http://bit.ly/3j8sN8k
"...while most large protest movements over the past two decades have been built around the pro-democracy demands of the urban middle class, the epicentre this time has shifted to the poor neighbourhoods, provincial cities and towns where Iran’s economic pain is most acute."
Iran protests spread to neglected hinterlands
Demonstrations over economic pain shift to provincial cities and towns in growing challenge to Islamic republic’s leaders
giftarticle.ft.com
January 6, 2026 at 5:56 PM
"...while most large protest movements over the past two decades have been built around the pro-democracy demands of the urban middle class, the epicentre this time has shifted to the poor neighbourhoods, provincial cities and towns where Iran’s economic pain is most acute."
Reposted by Erin A. Snider
Renata is one of the best historians I know on Latin America’s turbulent history with the US, particularly in the Cold War and beyond, so this thread will be useful for folks that want a longer term perspective and context on the recent events.
Looking to understand the long history behind the US attack on Venezuela? Here are a few introductory-level reading recommendations from a professor and historian of US-Latin American Relations: (1/5)
🗃️ #history
1. Kyle Longley's "In the Eagle's Shadow: The United States and Latin America"
🗃️ #history
1. Kyle Longley's "In the Eagle's Shadow: The United States and Latin America"
January 4, 2026 at 5:29 PM
Renata is one of the best historians I know on Latin America’s turbulent history with the US, particularly in the Cold War and beyond, so this thread will be useful for folks that want a longer term perspective and context on the recent events.
Reposted by Erin A. Snider
BREAKING: Venezuela's vice president demands the U.S. free Maduro and calls him the country's rightful leader during speech.
Live updates: US strikes Venezuela and says its leader, Maduro, has been captured
President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. had struck Venezuela early Saturday and said its president, Nicolás Maduro, had been captured and flown out of the country.
bit.ly
January 3, 2026 at 7:48 PM
BREAKING: Venezuela's vice president demands the U.S. free Maduro and calls him the country's rightful leader during speech.
Reposted by Erin A. Snider
Blows my mind that some of the same journalists who see Trump as a want-to-be dictator at home are earnestly discussing the "challenges" for this same man to "bring democracy" to a country it just illegal invaded. Please grow up.
January 3, 2026 at 6:16 PM
Blows my mind that some of the same journalists who see Trump as a want-to-be dictator at home are earnestly discussing the "challenges" for this same man to "bring democracy" to a country it just illegal invaded. Please grow up.
Reposted by Erin A. Snider
Mark Kelly puts out a statement saying "The President of the United States just overthrew a foreign ruler and explained to the American people that this is about taking control of the oil reserves of a foreign nation." This is probably the strongest statement alongside Gallego's I've read.
January 3, 2026 at 6:16 PM
Mark Kelly puts out a statement saying "The President of the United States just overthrew a foreign ruler and explained to the American people that this is about taking control of the oil reserves of a foreign nation." This is probably the strongest statement alongside Gallego's I've read.
Reposted by Erin A. Snider
Moulton: "When we had briefings on Venezuela, we asked, 'Are you going to invade the country?' We were told no. 'Do you plan to put troops on the ground?' We were told no. 'Do you intend regime change in VZ?' We were told no. So in a sense, we have been briefed, we've just been completely lied to"
January 3, 2026 at 6:01 PM
Moulton: "When we had briefings on Venezuela, we asked, 'Are you going to invade the country?' We were told no. 'Do you plan to put troops on the ground?' We were told no. 'Do you intend regime change in VZ?' We were told no. So in a sense, we have been briefed, we've just been completely lied to"
Reposted by Erin A. Snider
You can simultaneously:
- hate the scourge of drugs
- be shedding zero tears for Maduro
And still think this is a really bad idea.
- hate the scourge of drugs
- be shedding zero tears for Maduro
And still think this is a really bad idea.
January 3, 2026 at 5:07 PM
You can simultaneously:
- hate the scourge of drugs
- be shedding zero tears for Maduro
And still think this is a really bad idea.
- hate the scourge of drugs
- be shedding zero tears for Maduro
And still think this is a really bad idea.
Reposted by Erin A. Snider
Anyone who says they know what happens next is lying. But Trump has made the range of outcomes huge. There's no process, no checks to produce course corrections, far less capacity to implement corrections, no experienced civilians in charge. /8 @goodauth.bsky.social goodauthority.org/news/trump-m...
Trump may strike Venezuela. His team makes that very risky.
Take a close look at who is advising the president on U.S. policy.
goodauthority.org
January 3, 2026 at 2:37 PM
Anyone who says they know what happens next is lying. But Trump has made the range of outcomes huge. There's no process, no checks to produce course corrections, far less capacity to implement corrections, no experienced civilians in charge. /8 @goodauth.bsky.social goodauthority.org/news/trump-m...
Reposted by Erin A. Snider
What a time to know anything about the history of American imperialism and its consequences
January 3, 2026 at 2:33 PM
What a time to know anything about the history of American imperialism and its consequences
Reposted by Erin A. Snider
none of this is legal. none of this is normal. feel free to tell anyone who says otherwise to fuck off.
January 3, 2026 at 4:02 PM
none of this is legal. none of this is normal. feel free to tell anyone who says otherwise to fuck off.
Reposted by Erin A. Snider
Mamdani: For too long, those fluent in the good grammar of civility have deployed decorum to mask agendas of cruelty
January 1, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Mamdani: For too long, those fluent in the good grammar of civility have deployed decorum to mask agendas of cruelty
Reposted by Erin A. Snider
Mamdani: I have been told that this is the occasion to reset expectations, that I should use this opportunity to encourage the people of New York to ask for little and expect even less. I will do no such thing. The only expectation I seek to reset is that of small expectations.
January 1, 2026 at 7:54 PM
Mamdani: I have been told that this is the occasion to reset expectations, that I should use this opportunity to encourage the people of New York to ask for little and expect even less. I will do no such thing. The only expectation I seek to reset is that of small expectations.
Fascinating NYT investigation tracking down many of the top ranking government and military leaders from the Assad-era with details of their current circumstances & recent pursuits.
Assad’s Enforcers Brutalized Syria. Now They’re Living Large, Lying Low and Evading Justice.
www.nytimes.com
December 31, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Fascinating NYT investigation tracking down many of the top ranking government and military leaders from the Assad-era with details of their current circumstances & recent pursuits.
"The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday said it was pulling its remaining troops out of Yemen, hours after Saudi Arabia backed a Yemeni government ultimatum for the UAE to withdraw from the war-torn Arab state."
UAE pulls troops from Yemen after rift with Saudi Arabia escalates
Withdrawal comes after Riyadh said it bombed Emirati weapons shipment
giftarticle.ft.com
December 31, 2025 at 2:13 PM
"The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday said it was pulling its remaining troops out of Yemen, hours after Saudi Arabia backed a Yemeni government ultimatum for the UAE to withdraw from the war-torn Arab state."
"Officials from both countries are talking daily about a possible STC withdrawal from parts of the south-east. That would head off further conflict. It would also reinforce a long-running trend: after a decade of war, Yemen’s future will be decided not by Yemenis but by their foreign backers."
A lightning advance by separatists has reshaped Yemen’s civil war
It has also deepened the rift between the Saudis and Emiratis
www.economist.com
December 30, 2025 at 5:52 PM
"Officials from both countries are talking daily about a possible STC withdrawal from parts of the south-east. That would head off further conflict. It would also reinforce a long-running trend: after a decade of war, Yemen’s future will be decided not by Yemenis but by their foreign backers."
Reposted by Erin A. Snider
Israel says it will suspend several humanitarian groups, including Doctors Without Borders, in 2026 for failing its new vetting rules for groups working in Gaza. Some international organizations have said that Israel’s rules are arbitrary and could endanger staff.
Israel says it will halt operations of several humanitarian organizations in Gaza starting in 2026
Israel says it will suspend several humanitarian organizations, including Doctors Without Borders, for failing to meet its new rules to vet international organizations working in Gaza.
bit.ly
December 30, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Israel says it will suspend several humanitarian groups, including Doctors Without Borders, in 2026 for failing its new vetting rules for groups working in Gaza. Some international organizations have said that Israel’s rules are arbitrary and could endanger staff.
Reposted by Erin A. Snider
This, combined with the case before SCOTUS on whether mail-in ballots have to arrive by Election Day (or as in 18 states only have to be ‘postmarked’) can change the results of the midterms.
USPS quietly changed its postmark rules — mail is no longer dated when you drop it off. The “official” date is when it hits automated sorting — sometimes days later
Which could have major implications for mail in voting — it’s a clever way to disenfranchise voters that’s going largely overlooked
Which could have major implications for mail in voting — it’s a clever way to disenfranchise voters that’s going largely overlooked
December 30, 2025 at 2:35 PM
This, combined with the case before SCOTUS on whether mail-in ballots have to arrive by Election Day (or as in 18 states only have to be ‘postmarked’) can change the results of the midterms.
Reposted by Erin A. Snider
Iran's Central Bank head has resigned as the biggest protests since 2022 hit several cities over the currency plunge.
Iran Central Bank governor resigns as protests erupt over currency drop
Iran's Central Bank head has resigned as the biggest protests since 2022 hit several cities over the currency plunge.
bit.ly
December 29, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Iran's Central Bank head has resigned as the biggest protests since 2022 hit several cities over the currency plunge.
Reposted by Erin A. Snider
“The 10-year development plan, drafted by first son-in-law Jared Kushner…”
Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, is described as an "investor" and "developer" in this project into which more than $91 bn in US taxpayer funds are to be channeled. This is a straightforward violation of US anti-corruption legislation, as the NYC bar has noted in a report.
Trump reps draft $169 billion plan to develop Gaza into a 'smart city' with luxury resorts
Trump administration reps have just revealed a grandiose $112 billion (AUD $169 billion) plan to rebuild war-torn Gaza into a futuristic international destination dubbed “Project Sunrise.”
www.skynews.com.au
December 28, 2025 at 3:35 PM
“The 10-year development plan, drafted by first son-in-law Jared Kushner…”
Reposted by Erin A. Snider
Post-doc positions:
"Academic freedom is under pressure today. This requires rescue havens of free research. ... [we] invite early career researchers, whose work is restricted due to political pressure in the USA..."
uni-freiburg.de/frias/call-f...
"Academic freedom is under pressure today. This requires rescue havens of free research. ... [we] invite early career researchers, whose work is restricted due to political pressure in the USA..."
uni-freiburg.de/frias/call-f...
Call for Applications: Early Career Rescue Fellowship – Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies
uni-freiburg.de
December 19, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Post-doc positions:
"Academic freedom is under pressure today. This requires rescue havens of free research. ... [we] invite early career researchers, whose work is restricted due to political pressure in the USA..."
uni-freiburg.de/frias/call-f...
"Academic freedom is under pressure today. This requires rescue havens of free research. ... [we] invite early career researchers, whose work is restricted due to political pressure in the USA..."
uni-freiburg.de/frias/call-f...
"A Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said Saturday that it would intervene to defend the internationally recognized government there unless a group of separatists peacefully withdraws from parts of the country it has seized in recent weeks."
Saudi-Led Group in Yemen Tells Separatists to Withdraw, or Be ‘Dealt With’
www.nytimes.com
December 27, 2025 at 5:48 PM
"A Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said Saturday that it would intervene to defend the internationally recognized government there unless a group of separatists peacefully withdraws from parts of the country it has seized in recent weeks."
Reposted by Erin A. Snider
I'm sure the 22 million people whose healthcare premiums will triple in six days are delighted by this news, you inhuman fuck.
December 26, 2025 at 10:23 PM
I'm sure the 22 million people whose healthcare premiums will triple in six days are delighted by this news, you inhuman fuck.
Reposted by Erin A. Snider
This is what every institution he threatens with frivolous defamation suits should be doing
President Trump’s spiteful defamation suit against the Pulitzer Prize Board may backfire, as the latter is now demanding Trump’s psychological records, prescription medication records, and tax returns in the discovery process. trib.al/LUCScTR
December 26, 2025 at 2:06 AM
This is what every institution he threatens with frivolous defamation suits should be doing
Our king of Festivus with his new reindeer, post airing of his many grievances.
December 24, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Our king of Festivus with his new reindeer, post airing of his many grievances.
Utterly shameful, cowardly decision along with OU’s decision to dismiss their instructor in a similar case.
Texas A&M University has declined to reinstate a faculty member who was fired after she was accused of teaching a course that recognized more than two genders, even after an appeals panel found that the dismissal was not justified.
Texas A&M Will Not Reinstate Lecturer Fired Over Gender Lesson
The decision seemed likely to provoke a court battle in a state where Republican politicians have sought to influence public universities.
nyti.ms
December 24, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Utterly shameful, cowardly decision along with OU’s decision to dismiss their instructor in a similar case.