John Heathershaw

@jheathershaw.bsky.social

650 followers 280 following 200 posts

Professor @cais-exeter.bsky.social University of Exeter, UK. Author of "Security After Christendom" (2024) and "Indulging Kleptocracy" (2025). Academic freedom by/for/of academics.

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Political science 73%

Sociology 20%

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John Heathershaw @jheathershaw.bsky.social · Feb 4

It's out today! Many years in the making. Our @tenaprelec.bsky.social Tom Mayne @oxunipress.bsky.social book, Indulging Kleptocracy.

The UK’s indulgence of kleptocratic elites from Russia and Eurasia is an acute example of the phenomenon of professional enabling.

global.oup.com/academic/pro...

John Heathershaw @jheathershaw.bsky.social · 16d

No prizes for guessing who this is about!

open.substack.com/pub/johnheat...

A Bully in the Playground

The question of how to respond to a reckless regime at the head of a superpower highlights the character of international order and the necessity of virtue. Bullies lose friends and influence.

open.substack.com

John Heathershaw @jheathershaw.bsky.social · 17d

Great paper which goes beyond simple geopolitical analysis of the rise of Asia to a recognition that entrepots like Dubai offer English legal protections for dubious clients without the inconvenience of the rule of law. "Londongrad" turbocharged.

www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications...

An Offshore Turn to Asia? Africa's Deepening Links with Dubai,…

The United Nations estimates that $88.6 billion per year leave Africa in the form of capital flight, with much of it routed through, or ending up in,…

eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com

John Heathershaw @jheathershaw.bsky.social · 24d

We presented "the kleptocratic enterprise" in parliament yesterday evening. @marianizzero.bsky.social Tom Mayne and I call for a conceptual shift whereby existing & under-used powers may be utilised to identify patterns of criminal conspiracy between PEPs & their enablers.

giace.org/resources/th...

Reposted by John Heathershaw

University of Exeter News @uniofexeternews.bsky.social · 24d

New research by @jheathershaw.bsky.social @marianizzero.bsky.social and Tom Mayne shows how to strengthen the UK’s capacity to recover stolen or corruptly acquired assets, hold enablers accountable, and demonstrate genuine leadership in anti-corruption efforts

news.exeter.ac.uk/faculty-of-h...

Kleptocratic networks should be treated as transnational enterprises and national security threats, new report warns

Kleptocratic “ecosystems” should be seen as transnational enterprises and national security threats, with the recovery of assets legally linked not only to the individual criminal acts but to the syst...

news.exeter.ac.uk

John Heathershaw @jheathershaw.bsky.social · Jan 9

I wrote this, trying to place the topic of the week into some historical context.

open.substack.com/pub/johnheat...

Hubris Masquerading As Realism

US action against Venezuela reminds us of America’s imperial history. History and wisdom suggests that such hubris begets tragedy and denotes weakness not superpower resurgence.

open.substack.com

Substack

Jesus the Refugee

Prayerfully consider is Jesus really welcome at our carol services and gatherings this Christmas?…when he comes in the guise of a stranger, a refugee, undocumented? If not, how can we make it so? This is a guest post - which first appeared on the site of the Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence - by Rachael Bee who has long hosted and worked with refugees in Bristol, UK. I have previously written about our project in Exeter and will host a blog from our project leader in the new year. Projects like these are important because they express…

Reposts 1 Dec 19

John Heathershaw @jheathershaw.bsky.social · Dec 12

johnheathershaw.substack.com/p/celebratin...

John Heathershaw @jheathershaw.bsky.social · Dec 12

I am not actually asleep in this picture and was very much engaged throughout this excellent roundtable!

Governance & Integrity Anti-Corruption Evidence (GI ACE) @giace.bsky.social · Dec 11

Today’s #GIACE roundtable unpacked how professional enablers shape corruption and state capture behind the scenes.

Thank you to @devipillay.co.za, Alexander Cooley, @jheathershaw.bsky.social, Corentin C., @lizdavidbarrett.bsky.social and all who joined!

Substack

Celebrating Christmas After Christendom

Christian nationalists want to put Christ back into Christmas. Feeling the loss of Christendom, they don’t realise that Christmas is not for the greatness of the nation, but for a world transformed. On December 13th, the British fascist agitator and apparent Christian convert Tommy Robinson will “Put Christ back into Christmas!” at his London rally. Many Christian leaders – from independent bishops to charismatic pastors and worship leaders, not all of them male and white – will be present. The event is billed as entirely non-political. But it’s no…

Reposts 1 Dec 12

Reposted by John Heathershaw

Governance & Integrity Anti-Corruption Evidence (GI ACE) @giace.bsky.social · Dec 11

John Heathershaw @jheathershaw.bsky.social · Dec 9

David Lammy announces the new UK anti-corruption strategy at Mansion house yesterday, just three years overdue. Evidence from our @oxunipress.bsky.social @tenaprelec.bsky.social Indulging Kleptocracy is cited. But will the many incremental changes proposed fix a problem which is transnational?

Substack

What Is Christian Free Speech?

Conservative evangelicals claim, with some justification, that "woke" universities are violating free speech. But free speech must be practised responsibly rather than as a weapon in the culture war. Like many, I was struck by the globalisation of grief on the death of Charlie Kirk. He was clearly a combination of gifted public speaker and sincere Christian, conservative evangelical and political activist. His public announcement contained both moments of wisdom and lazy racism (

Reposts 2 Dec 5

John Heathershaw @jheathershaw.bsky.social · Dec 1

"I'm absolutely baffled by the whole thing."

It's as if the former treasury minister responsible for anti-corruption measures with respect to the UK financial sector had not considered that family and business ties to a corrupt regime might cause controversy.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Tulip Siddiq MP given jail sentence in Bangladesh after trial in her absence

The former minister and niece of Bangladesh's ousted former leader, who received a two-year sentence, says the charges are politically motivated.

www.bbc.co.uk

John Heathershaw @jheathershaw.bsky.social · Nov 28

If you've ever wondered about the tension between Remembrance Sunday and the Christian church's call to peace, read this by @nickmegoran.bsky.social

johnheathershaw.substack.com/p/the-two-wo...

’The two worst days of the year to go to church’

In a guest post, Nick Megoran, Professor of Geography at Newcastle Universty, contrasts the way churches sacralise the nation on Remembrance Sunday with the biblical call to be a 'holy nation'.

johnheathershaw.substack.com

Reposted by John Heathershaw

nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · Nov 28

My thoughts on the politics of Remembrance in the UK, written for John Heathershaw's excellent Substack blog 'Security After Christendom.'

johnheathershaw.substack.com/p/the-two-wo...

’The two worst days of the year to go to church’

In a guest post, Nick Megoran, Professor of Geography at Newcastle Universty, contrasts the way churches sacralise the nation on Remembrance Sunday with the biblical call to be a 'holy nation'.

johnheathershaw.substack.com

Substack

’The two worst days of the year to go to church’

In a guest post, Nick Megoran, Professor of Geography at Newcastle Universty, contrasts the way churches sacralise the nation on Remembrance Sunday with the biblical call to be a 'holy nation'. I love going to church. Encountering the God of heaven in worship with other people as we sing, pray, share communion, and listen to the Bible together is one of the most mind-blowing things a human being can do. Every Sunday I am excited to know that I’m part of a global community of worshippers doing that on every part of Earth over 24 hours, the larg…

Reposts 0 Nov 28

John Heathershaw @jheathershaw.bsky.social · Nov 27

@tenaprelec.bsky.social
@gulnazsharaf.bsky.social
@cais-exeter.bsky.social
See you next week!

Catherine Owen @catherineowen.bsky.social · Nov 27

Looking forward to next week's discussion of @jheathershaw.bsky.social's excellent and important book, Indulging Kleptocracy, co-authored with Tena Prelec and Tom Mayne, at @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social!

Reposted by John Heathershaw

Catherine Owen @catherineowen.bsky.social · Nov 27

John Heathershaw @jheathershaw.bsky.social · Nov 27

"The way towards better theories of postcommunist oligarchy lies in global comparisons of transnational oligarchic networks that originate in Eastern Europe and Eurasia but are not confined to the region."

I enjoyed writing this piece comparing three exc books.

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Towards Better Theories of Postcommunist Oligarchy

Published in Europe-Asia Studies (Vol. 77, No. 9, 2025)

www.tandfonline.com

John Heathershaw @jheathershaw.bsky.social · Nov 25

This reminds me of when our paper on kleptocracy and reputation laundering was edited by Chatham House after legal threats from someone who made his money from kleptocracy and was laundering his reputation. Similar cowardice from the embattled BBC. www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...

Reith lecturer accuses BBC of cowardice for censoring his remarks on Trump

Dutch writer Rutger Bregman says claim that Trump was ‘most openly corrupt president in US history’ was removed

www.theguardian.com

John Heathershaw @jheathershaw.bsky.social · Nov 24

Looking forward to joining this great line-up and my friend Corentin Cohen, the man without a face!

Governance & Integrity Anti-Corruption Evidence (GI ACE) @giace.bsky.social · Nov 24

Professional enablers often work behind the scenes—but their influence can drive corruption and state capture. Join our GI ACE roundtable with @lizdavidbarrett.bsky.social, @devipillay.co.za, Alex Cooley, @jheathershaw.bsky.social, Corentin Cohen and @tenaprelec.bsky.social

🔗 bit.ly/GIACERoundtable

Consultants, capture, and kleptocrats: how professional service providers enable corruption

bit.ly

Reposted by John Heathershaw

Governance & Integrity Anti-Corruption Evidence (GI ACE) @giace.bsky.social · Nov 24

Consultants, capture, and kleptocrats: how professional service providers enable corruption

bit.ly

John Heathershaw @jheathershaw.bsky.social · Nov 21

This UK-Kyrgyzstan-Russia connection links street drugs in Britain to Russian sanctions evasion via Keremet Bank in the Kyrgyz Republic. It's the tip of enormous iceberg of illicit finance connecting organised crime and professional enablers.
www-bbc-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc....

Friday-night drug deals helping Russian war machine, UK crime agency warns - BBC News

The National Crime Agency says a "vast criminal ecosystem" funds "really bad things" around the world.

www-bbc-com.cdn.ampproject.org

John Heathershaw @jheathershaw.bsky.social · Nov 21

I wrote something about the character of crisis and the apparent inability of authorities to exercise political reason.
open.substack.com/pub/johnheat...

What kind of crisis do we face?

Three crises over the last week speak to a shift in the “Overton window”, the increasingly simulated character of political order, and the inability of authorities to address complexity.

open.substack.com

Substack

What kind of crisis do we face?

Three crises over the last week speak to a shift in the “Overton window”, the increasingly simulated character of political order, and the inability of authorities to address complexity. There are times when it is clear that the centre is not holding. This last week has been one of those weeks. There is a sense of crisis. But the character and form of this crisis is up for debate.

Reposts 1 Nov 21

John Heathershaw @jheathershaw.bsky.social · Nov 19

So much for sovereign states with functional independence. The field of International Relations needs to conceptualise elite networks of power and wealth or fall into irrelevance.

authoritarian-stack.info?fbclid=IwZnR...

The Authoritarian Stack

How Tech Billionaires Are Building a Post-Democratic America — And Why Europe Is Next

authoritarian-stack.info

John Heathershaw @jheathershaw.bsky.social · Nov 14

This is an excellent book.

Kevin Hargaden @kevinhargaden.bsky.social · Nov 14

A couple of years ago I wrote a book which explores how to make sense of Jesus' harsh words about wealth (and the ethical devastation of the end of the Celtic Tiger). The publisher just emailed to say it is 50% off with code CONFSHIP, & Media Mail shipping is free. wipfandstock.com/978153265500...

Theological Ethics in a Neoliberal Age- Wipf and Stock Publishers

Throughout his ministry, Jesus spoke frequently and unabashedly on the now-taboo subject of money. With nothing good to say to the rich, the New Testament--i...

wipfandstock.com

Reposted by John Heathershaw

Kevin Hargaden @kevinhargaden.bsky.social · Nov 14

Theological Ethics in a Neoliberal Age- Wipf and Stock Publishers

Throughout his ministry, Jesus spoke frequently and unabashedly on the now-taboo subject of money. With nothing good to say to the rich, the New Testament--i...

wipfandstock.com

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, David Kaufman, Laurent Dubois , and 8 more Shannon Vallor, David Kaufman, Laurent Dubois, John Heathershaw, Michael D. McDonald, James Goodwin, Brian Keegan, Michael Müller, Lisa Diedrich, Suzanne Conklin Akbari, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Ana Marie Cox @anamariecox.bsky.social · Nov 14

From this minister's op-ed: "People wanting to experience God are more likely to meet the Divine trying to shut down the Broadview, Illinois, ICE facility than we ever were in church...God does not live in our houses of worship, but...with those who are bearing the brunt of cruelty in this moment."

Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · Nov 14

Oh wow @reuters.com got the photo here:

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Shannon Vallor, Rebecca Solnit , and 23 more Joanna Bryson, Shannon Vallor, Rebecca Solnit, Nicholas A. Christakis, Will Jennings, Euan G. Ritchie, Scott L. Greer, Steve Peers, Mary Feeney, Leigh Sparks, Ryan Enos, Tuomas Mattila, Melanie C. Green, Laurent Dubois, Andrew L. Whitehead, John Heathershaw, Michael D. McDonald, James Goodwin, Brian Keegan, Manuel Puppis, Brian Weatherson, Stuart White, Jason A. Heppler, Nancy M. Wingfield, Suzanne Conklin Akbari, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · Nov 14

Oh wow @reuters.com got the photo here:

“Faith leader, Michael Woolf, minister at Lake Street Church of Evanston, is detained by Illinois State Police during a protest against immigration actions, outside the Broadview ICE facility in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., November 14, 2025. REUTERS/Jim Vondruska”

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