Eelco van der Maat
@evandermaat.bsky.social
Tenured scholar of genocide, authoritarian politics, and elite rivalry at Leiden University. Argue that mass killing is driven by elite rivalry in authoritarian regimes. Dad to two terrible little dictators. Husband and co-conspirator.
Pinned
Very happy that my new book, 'Elite Rivalry, Mass Killing and Genocide in Authoritarian Regimes: Why Autocrats Kill' has been published by Routledge! The flyer has a discount code. Many thanks to Stathis Kalyvas, Philip Roessler, and Alex Hinton for their kind endorsements. 🧵 Shares appreciated. 1/
Reposted by Eelco van der Maat
Are you conducting research combining qualitative cross-case methods (comparative case studies or QCA) with process tracing? ➡️ ** We are looking to show-case your work** ⬅️
🧵 1/
🧵 1/
November 11, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Are you conducting research combining qualitative cross-case methods (comparative case studies or QCA) with process tracing? ➡️ ** We are looking to show-case your work** ⬅️
🧵 1/
🧵 1/
Reposted by Eelco van der Maat
This is as bleak as it gets:
‘China intimidated UK university to ditch human rights research, documents show’ www.bbc.com/news/article...
‘China intimidated UK university to ditch human rights research, documents show’ www.bbc.com/news/article...
China intimidated UK university to ditch human rights research, documents show
Sheffield Hallam University apologises to Professor Laura Murphy for restricting her academic freedom.
www.bbc.com
November 3, 2025 at 7:25 AM
This is as bleak as it gets:
‘China intimidated UK university to ditch human rights research, documents show’ www.bbc.com/news/article...
‘China intimidated UK university to ditch human rights research, documents show’ www.bbc.com/news/article...
Reposted by Eelco van der Maat
Er zijn uitstekende rapporten die tonen dat Nederlandse verkiezingen onder experts en kiezers breed vertrouwen genieten.
www.kiesraad.nl/adviezen-en-...
Wat helpt zijn onze politieke cultuur, de evenredigheid, de decentrale organisatie, het stemmen met potlood, en de telling door vrijwilligers.
www.kiesraad.nl/adviezen-en-...
Wat helpt zijn onze politieke cultuur, de evenredigheid, de decentrale organisatie, het stemmen met potlood, en de telling door vrijwilligers.
October 31, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Er zijn uitstekende rapporten die tonen dat Nederlandse verkiezingen onder experts en kiezers breed vertrouwen genieten.
www.kiesraad.nl/adviezen-en-...
Wat helpt zijn onze politieke cultuur, de evenredigheid, de decentrale organisatie, het stemmen met potlood, en de telling door vrijwilligers.
www.kiesraad.nl/adviezen-en-...
Wat helpt zijn onze politieke cultuur, de evenredigheid, de decentrale organisatie, het stemmen met potlood, en de telling door vrijwilligers.
Reposted by Eelco van der Maat
On the left, the refurbished Lincoln bathroom. On the right, picture I took in Saddam Hussein's palace in Basra in 2005.
October 31, 2025 at 5:57 PM
On the left, the refurbished Lincoln bathroom. On the right, picture I took in Saddam Hussein's palace in Basra in 2005.
Reposted by Eelco van der Maat
New, from me: Trump is prioritizing paying the armed forces over other federal employees during a shutdown. He is trying to win over the rank and file even as he tells military leaders to target “the enemy within.” 🧵
open.substack.com/pub/donmoyni...
open.substack.com/pub/donmoyni...
The risks of letting Trump become the military paymaster
Trump will demand their loyalty in return
open.substack.com
October 24, 2025 at 12:20 PM
New, from me: Trump is prioritizing paying the armed forces over other federal employees during a shutdown. He is trying to win over the rank and file even as he tells military leaders to target “the enemy within.” 🧵
open.substack.com/pub/donmoyni...
open.substack.com/pub/donmoyni...
Reposted by Eelco van der Maat
October 23, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Reposted by Eelco van der Maat
Against Publishing: universonline.nl/nieuws/2025/...
Preprints are read, shared, and cited, yet still dismissed as incomplete until blessed by a publisher. I argue that the true measure of scholarship lies in open exchange, not in the industry’s gatekeeping of what counts as published.
Preprints are read, shared, and cited, yet still dismissed as incomplete until blessed by a publisher. I argue that the true measure of scholarship lies in open exchange, not in the industry’s gatekeeping of what counts as published.
October 14, 2025 at 9:16 AM
Against Publishing: universonline.nl/nieuws/2025/...
Preprints are read, shared, and cited, yet still dismissed as incomplete until blessed by a publisher. I argue that the true measure of scholarship lies in open exchange, not in the industry’s gatekeeping of what counts as published.
Preprints are read, shared, and cited, yet still dismissed as incomplete until blessed by a publisher. I argue that the true measure of scholarship lies in open exchange, not in the industry’s gatekeeping of what counts as published.
Authoritarian regimes go to great lengths to shut down coordination. The Trump regime cannot do so yet. Coordination is notoriously hard, but still very much possible to defeat the regime's attempts at authoritarian take-over.
this is a further sign of weakness, not strength, imo. It's not the red state publics that they needed to set off a general stampede. It's places like MIT. Turning this into a red state thing makes it _less_ likely to spread www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/o...
October 14, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Authoritarian regimes go to great lengths to shut down coordination. The Trump regime cannot do so yet. Coordination is notoriously hard, but still very much possible to defeat the regime's attempts at authoritarian take-over.
Reposted by Eelco van der Maat
i desperately want everyone involved in the destruction of USAID to have to, st the very least, answer to the american people for the suffering and misery they have caused apnews.com/article/myan...
Starving children screaming for food as US aid cuts unleash devastation and death across Myanmar
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly said “no one has died" because of his government’s decision to gut its foreign aid program.
apnews.com
October 8, 2025 at 2:59 PM
i desperately want everyone involved in the destruction of USAID to have to, st the very least, answer to the american people for the suffering and misery they have caused apnews.com/article/myan...
Reposted by Eelco van der Maat
Przeworski says it cleanly, clearly, and convincingly.
What then must we do?
www.dissentmagazine.org/article/how-...
What then must we do?
www.dissentmagazine.org/article/how-...
September 27, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Przeworski says it cleanly, clearly, and convincingly.
What then must we do?
www.dissentmagazine.org/article/how-...
What then must we do?
www.dissentmagazine.org/article/how-...
Reposted by Eelco van der Maat
⬇️ 100% dit! ⬇️
"Het idee dat iedere ideologie die als mening wordt gepresenteerd een podium zou moeten krijgen op de universiteit, is een karikatuur van de academische vrijheid"
www.volkskrant.nl/columns-opin...
"Het idee dat iedere ideologie die als mening wordt gepresenteerd een podium zou moeten krijgen op de universiteit, is een karikatuur van de academische vrijheid"
www.volkskrant.nl/columns-opin...
Opinie: De universiteit is geen talkshowtafel
De druk op academische vrijheid komt niet vanuit studenten, maar vanuit politieke partijen die zich willen bemoeien met de inhoud van colleges. Ook media dragen daar aan bij door onvoldoende kritisch ...
www.volkskrant.nl
September 25, 2025 at 7:17 AM
⬇️ 100% dit! ⬇️
"Het idee dat iedere ideologie die als mening wordt gepresenteerd een podium zou moeten krijgen op de universiteit, is een karikatuur van de academische vrijheid"
www.volkskrant.nl/columns-opin...
"Het idee dat iedere ideologie die als mening wordt gepresenteerd een podium zou moeten krijgen op de universiteit, is een karikatuur van de academische vrijheid"
www.volkskrant.nl/columns-opin...
Reposted by Eelco van der Maat
shit ain’t over til it’s over
September 22, 2025 at 8:53 AM
shit ain’t over til it’s over
This is good advice.
There'll be no winners in authoritarianism. All elements of US society—including the GOP and large corporations—are unequipped to thrive under authoritarianism. Mobilization and coordination is far less costly today than it will be tomorrow.
open.substack.com/pub/alexisco...
There'll be no winners in authoritarianism. All elements of US society—including the GOP and large corporations—are unequipped to thrive under authoritarianism. Mobilization and coordination is far less costly today than it will be tomorrow.
open.substack.com/pub/alexisco...
"Wars Are Not Won by Evacuations”: A Historian’s Action Plan
Table of Contents
open.substack.com
September 19, 2025 at 3:18 PM
This is good advice.
There'll be no winners in authoritarianism. All elements of US society—including the GOP and large corporations—are unequipped to thrive under authoritarianism. Mobilization and coordination is far less costly today than it will be tomorrow.
open.substack.com/pub/alexisco...
There'll be no winners in authoritarianism. All elements of US society—including the GOP and large corporations—are unequipped to thrive under authoritarianism. Mobilization and coordination is far less costly today than it will be tomorrow.
open.substack.com/pub/alexisco...
Reposted by Eelco van der Maat
🧵 Authoritarianism, Democratization, and Coalition Politics.
The consensus around here is, more or less, that the United States is currently a consolidating authoritarian regime controlled by a mix of reactionary populists and fascists.
The consensus around here is, more or less, that the United States is currently a consolidating authoritarian regime controlled by a mix of reactionary populists and fascists.
August 30, 2025 at 8:10 PM
🧵 Authoritarianism, Democratization, and Coalition Politics.
The consensus around here is, more or less, that the United States is currently a consolidating authoritarian regime controlled by a mix of reactionary populists and fascists.
The consensus around here is, more or less, that the United States is currently a consolidating authoritarian regime controlled by a mix of reactionary populists and fascists.
Reposted by Eelco van der Maat
New, from me:
America is no longer a functioning democracy. It is a competitive authoritarian system, hurtling rapidly toward authoritarianism.
This was a hard piece to write but we can't move forward if we don’t acknowledge where we are.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-author...
America is no longer a functioning democracy. It is a competitive authoritarian system, hurtling rapidly toward authoritarianism.
This was a hard piece to write but we can't move forward if we don’t acknowledge where we are.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-author...
The authoritarian checklist
It is time to admit that America is no longer a functioning democracy
donmoynihan.substack.com
August 28, 2025 at 1:19 PM
New, from me:
America is no longer a functioning democracy. It is a competitive authoritarian system, hurtling rapidly toward authoritarianism.
This was a hard piece to write but we can't move forward if we don’t acknowledge where we are.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-author...
America is no longer a functioning democracy. It is a competitive authoritarian system, hurtling rapidly toward authoritarianism.
This was a hard piece to write but we can't move forward if we don’t acknowledge where we are.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-author...
Reposted by Eelco van der Maat
"Trump's objective—which is aligned with the interests of certain US technology companies—is to implement regime change in Europe." — @alexandrageese.bsky.social
Alexandra is, of course, entirely right — and it's high time to push back. www.techpolicy.press/europe-canno...
Alexandra is, of course, entirely right — and it's high time to push back. www.techpolicy.press/europe-canno...
Europe Cannot Wait to Fight Trump’s Assault on Democracy | TechPolicy.Press
Trump’s goal, aligned with the interests of some US tech companies, is to push for regime change in Europe, writes MEP Alexandra Geese.
www.techpolicy.press
August 28, 2025 at 10:13 AM
"Trump's objective—which is aligned with the interests of certain US technology companies—is to implement regime change in Europe." — @alexandrageese.bsky.social
Alexandra is, of course, entirely right — and it's high time to push back. www.techpolicy.press/europe-canno...
Alexandra is, of course, entirely right — and it's high time to push back. www.techpolicy.press/europe-canno...
Reposted by Eelco van der Maat
My NYT op-ed this morning
I’m a Genocide Scholar. I Know It When I See It. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/15/o...
I’m a Genocide Scholar. I Know It When I See It. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/15/o...
Opinion | I’m a Genocide Scholar. I Know It When I See It.
www.nytimes.com
July 15, 2025 at 11:54 AM
My NYT op-ed this morning
I’m a Genocide Scholar. I Know It When I See It. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/15/o...
I’m a Genocide Scholar. I Know It When I See It. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/15/o...
Reposted by Eelco van der Maat
A "brief document meant to detail GHF’s mission did not meet “requirements for Safe and Accountable programming,” the review said."
“GHF must explain how it will Do No Harm,” USAID said...asking the group to provide “specific details” of plans to ensure safety, access, and accountability.
“GHF must explain how it will Do No Harm,” USAID said...asking the group to provide “specific details” of plans to ensure safety, access, and accountability.
July 11, 2025 at 5:43 PM
A "brief document meant to detail GHF’s mission did not meet “requirements for Safe and Accountable programming,” the review said."
“GHF must explain how it will Do No Harm,” USAID said...asking the group to provide “specific details” of plans to ensure safety, access, and accountability.
“GHF must explain how it will Do No Harm,” USAID said...asking the group to provide “specific details” of plans to ensure safety, access, and accountability.
Reposted by Eelco van der Maat
"From what I can tell, ICE is a secret police when acting in a public space...The comparativist in me wants to think about other police forces in history which had such broad and ill-defined powers. But such comparisons are too frightening."
adamprzeworski.substack.com/p/week-19
adamprzeworski.substack.com/p/week-19
WEEK 19
WEEK 19
adamprzeworski.substack.com
July 2, 2025 at 8:46 AM
"From what I can tell, ICE is a secret police when acting in a public space...The comparativist in me wants to think about other police forces in history which had such broad and ill-defined powers. But such comparisons are too frightening."
adamprzeworski.substack.com/p/week-19
adamprzeworski.substack.com/p/week-19
Reposted by Eelco van der Maat
You think that vast armed force is going to be used just for immigration?
I doubt it. Watch for ICE duties to expand duties and for ICE to follow the pattern of militarization of police. Also watch it used as secret police against anything anti-ICE.
I doubt it. Watch for ICE duties to expand duties and for ICE to follow the pattern of militarization of police. Also watch it used as secret police against anything anti-ICE.
If the GOP reconciliation bill passes, ICE gets through FY2029:
- $45 billion for detention, on top of the current annual budget of $3.4 billion
- $14.4 billion for transportation and removal, on top of the current annual budget of $750 million
- $8 billion for hiring/retention
- Billions more.
- $45 billion for detention, on top of the current annual budget of $3.4 billion
- $14.4 billion for transportation and removal, on top of the current annual budget of $750 million
- $8 billion for hiring/retention
- Billions more.
‼️‼️
July 1, 2025 at 11:19 PM
You think that vast armed force is going to be used just for immigration?
I doubt it. Watch for ICE duties to expand duties and for ICE to follow the pattern of militarization of police. Also watch it used as secret police against anything anti-ICE.
I doubt it. Watch for ICE duties to expand duties and for ICE to follow the pattern of militarization of police. Also watch it used as secret police against anything anti-ICE.
Reposted by Eelco van der Maat
Opinion | Yes, I voted for Trump’s megabill despite knowing it will harm my constituents. But if I hadn’t, I’d be primaried by someone who’d vote just like me but not give anti-Trump comments on background to The Times.
July 1, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Opinion | Yes, I voted for Trump’s megabill despite knowing it will harm my constituents. But if I hadn’t, I’d be primaried by someone who’d vote just like me but not give anti-Trump comments on background to The Times.
I don't quite understand why GOP senators seem unaware of the threat this poses to themselves and their families. Either they're all incredibly naive or they are already feeling threatened.
Trump and Miller are intent on building an unaccountable domestic secret police force that would be the world's third-biggest security force by funding levels, after the US and China's *militaries*.
That kind of funding dwarfs its stated purpose, which tells you what its real purpose will be.
That kind of funding dwarfs its stated purpose, which tells you what its real purpose will be.
July 1, 2025 at 8:12 PM
I don't quite understand why GOP senators seem unaware of the threat this poses to themselves and their families. Either they're all incredibly naive or they are already feeling threatened.
Reposted by Eelco van der Maat
Trump and Miller are intent on building an unaccountable domestic secret police force that would be the world's third-biggest security force by funding levels, after the US and China's *militaries*.
That kind of funding dwarfs its stated purpose, which tells you what its real purpose will be.
That kind of funding dwarfs its stated purpose, which tells you what its real purpose will be.
July 1, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Trump and Miller are intent on building an unaccountable domestic secret police force that would be the world's third-biggest security force by funding levels, after the US and China's *militaries*.
That kind of funding dwarfs its stated purpose, which tells you what its real purpose will be.
That kind of funding dwarfs its stated purpose, which tells you what its real purpose will be.
The gun will be aimed at GOP senators, members of congress, judges, and officials soon enough—if it isn't already.
If a sitting president can openly muse about arresting and disappearing someone who is likely to become mayor of the country's largest city, while also getting the funding for a massive secret police, it'd be hard to find sufficient evidence to qualify that country as a democracy.
Trump threatens to arrest Mamdani and then adds, "a lot of people are saying he's here illegally"
July 1, 2025 at 7:53 PM
The gun will be aimed at GOP senators, members of congress, judges, and officials soon enough—if it isn't already.