Melissa Martinez
@melmartinez.bsky.social
Assistant Professor at the University of Mary Washington.
Researching human rights, Latin American politics, and non state org.
Researching human rights, Latin American politics, and non state org.
Reposted by Melissa Martinez
A few months ago, I wrote this primer for the U.S. Foreign Area Officers' in-house journal on what Venezuela is attempting with Guyana, international players (UK, France, Canada, and Brazil), and avenues for leveraging defense and security cooperation.
faoajournal.substack.com/p/resolving-...
faoajournal.substack.com/p/resolving-...
November 10, 2025 at 4:33 PM
A few months ago, I wrote this primer for the U.S. Foreign Area Officers' in-house journal on what Venezuela is attempting with Guyana, international players (UK, France, Canada, and Brazil), and avenues for leveraging defense and security cooperation.
faoajournal.substack.com/p/resolving-...
faoajournal.substack.com/p/resolving-...
It's getting more obvious that the administration is not really concerned about drug trafficking or drugs. He is in for something else.
October 31, 2025 at 3:12 PM
It's getting more obvious that the administration is not really concerned about drug trafficking or drugs. He is in for something else.
Interesting choice of words: "combatants," "pleaded," "movement." For daylight-savings? Is this AI?
Combatants in the daylight-saving fight thought their prospects were bright after President Trump waded in to end America’s semiannual clock changes.
But once again, the fate of their movement is cloudy.
But once again, the fate of their movement is cloudy.
Trump pleaded for more daylight but Congress stalls again on ‘Sunshine’ bill
Combatants in the daylight-saving fight thought their prospects were bright after Trump waded in. But once again, the fate of their movement is cloudy.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 31, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Interesting choice of words: "combatants," "pleaded," "movement." For daylight-savings? Is this AI?
We were honored to have Professor Méndez's talk about the role of international human rights law in past and current affairs and his experience as a UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment from 2010-2016. A very insightful talk.
October 31, 2025 at 2:27 PM
We were honored to have Professor Méndez's talk about the role of international human rights law in past and current affairs and his experience as a UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment from 2010-2016. A very insightful talk.
Reposted by Melissa Martinez
The Department is also hosting a talk with Professor Tse-Kang Leng. Please see below for details.
October 21, 2025 at 7:41 PM
The Department is also hosting a talk with Professor Tse-Kang Leng. Please see below for details.
I'm looking forward to hosting Professor Méndez and hear his talk on his experience ligating for and supporting cases of human rights for my International Human Rights course.
The Department of Political Science and International Affairs and the Department of History and American Studies at UMW are hosting the following event next week!
October 21, 2025 at 7:45 PM
I'm looking forward to hosting Professor Méndez and hear his talk on his experience ligating for and supporting cases of human rights for my International Human Rights course.
Reposted by Melissa Martinez
Come join Professor Gupta and alumnus Theo Stamatis for a talk on whether graduate school is right for you.
There will be Pizza!
Location: James Farmer 210
Time: 12pm-12:50pm
There will be Pizza!
Location: James Farmer 210
Time: 12pm-12:50pm
September 24, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Come join Professor Gupta and alumnus Theo Stamatis for a talk on whether graduate school is right for you.
There will be Pizza!
Location: James Farmer 210
Time: 12pm-12:50pm
There will be Pizza!
Location: James Farmer 210
Time: 12pm-12:50pm
Moral points aside, how would they verify documentation at a time where people might have lost it during the natural disaster? It seems the effort to cut government funding is being carried out under the pretext of refusing to help undocumented immigrants.
The Department of Homeland Security is barring states and volunteer groups that receive government funds, like the Red Cross and Salvation Army, from helping undocumented immigrants, according to a Washington Post analysis. https://wapo.st/3JRvesC
August 28, 2025 at 1:08 AM
Moral points aside, how would they verify documentation at a time where people might have lost it during the natural disaster? It seems the effort to cut government funding is being carried out under the pretext of refusing to help undocumented immigrants.
He was arrested by ICE after his hearing on his asylum case, but his case was not closed. He also did not have a criminal record and was scheduled for a second hearing in 2029. It looks like the ICE agents are covering their faces to avoid accountability.
NEW: We broke down the anatomy of an ICE arrest at 26 Federal Plaza in New York City, as seen through one image.
And we followed the story over two weeks to document the fallout... and a surprising reunion.
W/ Todd Heisler and Wes Parnell:
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/03/n...
And we followed the story over two weeks to document the fallout... and a surprising reunion.
W/ Todd Heisler and Wes Parnell:
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/03/n...
Anatomy of an ICE Arrest
www.nytimes.com
August 5, 2025 at 12:39 PM
He was arrested by ICE after his hearing on his asylum case, but his case was not closed. He also did not have a criminal record and was scheduled for a second hearing in 2029. It looks like the ICE agents are covering their faces to avoid accountability.
Reposted by Melissa Martinez
The core claim of my new book is that leading NATO allies face different threats/ threat intensities and those differences matter
This article by @jeannasmialek.bsky.social and Steven Erlanger makes a similar argument about European defense spending and Ukraine
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/w...
This article by @jeannasmialek.bsky.social and Steven Erlanger makes a similar argument about European defense spending and Ukraine
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/w...
Europe Talks Tough on Military Spending, but Unity Is Fracturing
European leaders are struggling to find the money and the political will to replace the bulk of the U.S. contribution to Ukraine and to their own defense.
www.nytimes.com
March 27, 2025 at 11:53 AM
The core claim of my new book is that leading NATO allies face different threats/ threat intensities and those differences matter
This article by @jeannasmialek.bsky.social and Steven Erlanger makes a similar argument about European defense spending and Ukraine
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/w...
This article by @jeannasmialek.bsky.social and Steven Erlanger makes a similar argument about European defense spending and Ukraine
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/w...
Reposted by Melissa Martinez
The department tracks student achievement, manages college financial aid and sends K-12 schools money to support students with disabilities and lower-income communities, among other things.
A guide to what the U.S. Education Department does (and doesn't) do
The department tracks student achievement, manages college financial aid and sends K-12 schools money to support students with disabilities and lower-income communities, among other things.
www.npr.org
March 20, 2025 at 4:28 PM
The department tracks student achievement, manages college financial aid and sends K-12 schools money to support students with disabilities and lower-income communities, among other things.
Reposted by Melissa Martinez
Kenneth Stern, who drafted a widely used definition of antisemitism, says the Trump administration is using antisemitism claims to stifle speech and debate on the Middle East on college campuses.
Weaponizing antisemitism makes students 'less safe,' says drafter of definition
Kenneth Stern, who drafted a widely used definition of antisemitism, says the Trump administration is using antisemitism claims to stifle speech and debate on the Middle East on college campuses.
www.npr.org
March 20, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Kenneth Stern, who drafted a widely used definition of antisemitism, says the Trump administration is using antisemitism claims to stifle speech and debate on the Middle East on college campuses.
Reposted by Melissa Martinez
They’re searching the phone messages of academics arriving to go to conferences in the US…
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
French scientist denied US entry after phone messages critical of Trump found
France’s research minister said the scientist was traveling to Houston for a conference when his phone was searched
www.theguardian.com
March 19, 2025 at 10:48 PM
They’re searching the phone messages of academics arriving to go to conferences in the US…
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Or that ICE is becoming a 'secret police.'
I study how armed groups and states target civilians during civil wars, and the forms of violence they use.
"Forced disappearance" is a form I didn't think I would have to attribute to my own government, on US territory. www.ohchr.org/en/special-p...
"Forced disappearance" is a form I didn't think I would have to attribute to my own government, on US territory. www.ohchr.org/en/special-p...
March 20, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Or that ICE is becoming a 'secret police.'
Reposted by Melissa Martinez
I study how armed groups and states target civilians during civil wars, and the forms of violence they use.
"Forced disappearance" is a form I didn't think I would have to attribute to my own government, on US territory. www.ohchr.org/en/special-p...
"Forced disappearance" is a form I didn't think I would have to attribute to my own government, on US territory. www.ohchr.org/en/special-p...
March 20, 2025 at 8:36 AM
I study how armed groups and states target civilians during civil wars, and the forms of violence they use.
"Forced disappearance" is a form I didn't think I would have to attribute to my own government, on US territory. www.ohchr.org/en/special-p...
"Forced disappearance" is a form I didn't think I would have to attribute to my own government, on US territory. www.ohchr.org/en/special-p...
Reposted by Melissa Martinez
Chart of cumulative protests reported from Jan 22 - Feb 28, 2017 vs 2025:
March 19, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Chart of cumulative protests reported from Jan 22 - Feb 28, 2017 vs 2025:
Reposted by Melissa Martinez
They will use ICE and DOJ to go after people they decide are enemies of the state and disappear them into a labyrinth system where you will drain your bank accounts fighting for justice and may never see it. Welcome to America in 2025.
My latest.
open.substack.com/pub/fpwellma...
My latest.
open.substack.com/pub/fpwellma...
They are disappearing people in the U.S.
The detention of Mahmoud Khalil is meant to send a message and strike fear
open.substack.com
March 9, 2025 at 10:50 PM
They will use ICE and DOJ to go after people they decide are enemies of the state and disappear them into a labyrinth system where you will drain your bank accounts fighting for justice and may never see it. Welcome to America in 2025.
My latest.
open.substack.com/pub/fpwellma...
My latest.
open.substack.com/pub/fpwellma...
Federal spending cuts on everything except security (ICE) while reframing "government ideals" and intimidating minorities is not a good combination.
The activist is a legal permanent resident and liberal democracies are supposed to protect the right to freedom of assembly.
The activist is a legal permanent resident and liberal democracies are supposed to protect the right to freedom of assembly.
Federal immigration authorities on Saturday detained a well-known activist who played a major role in Columbia University’s pro-Palestinian student movement last year, his lawyer said. The former Columbia graduate student is a legal permanent resident of the U.S.
ICE Arrests Pro-Palestinian Activist at Columbia
Mahmoud Khalil, who recently completed a graduate program at Columbia, has legal permanent residency, his lawyer said.
www.nytimes.com
March 10, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Federal spending cuts on everything except security (ICE) while reframing "government ideals" and intimidating minorities is not a good combination.
The activist is a legal permanent resident and liberal democracies are supposed to protect the right to freedom of assembly.
The activist is a legal permanent resident and liberal democracies are supposed to protect the right to freedom of assembly.
Reposted by Melissa Martinez
This is how it could look like… www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...
The Path to American Authoritarianism
What comes after democratic breakdown.
www.foreignaffairs.com
February 12, 2025 at 11:52 AM
This is how it could look like… www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...
Reposted by Melissa Martinez
The #PEPFAR tracker is following the real time impact of each passing day of the funding suspensions spurred by the USAID funding freeze. Although there is a waiver to allow dispersion of ART, this is not happening because clinic workers have been laid off. People are dying.
pepfarimpact.vercel.app
pepfarimpact.vercel.app
February 6, 2025 at 1:36 PM
The #PEPFAR tracker is following the real time impact of each passing day of the funding suspensions spurred by the USAID funding freeze. Although there is a waiver to allow dispersion of ART, this is not happening because clinic workers have been laid off. People are dying.
pepfarimpact.vercel.app
pepfarimpact.vercel.app
AI companion on zoom is so accurate --it's creepy.
January 24, 2025 at 12:47 PM
AI companion on zoom is so accurate --it's creepy.
Reposted by Melissa Martinez
It arrived!
But two days too late to wear on inauguration day
But two days too late to wear on inauguration day
January 21, 2025 at 11:36 PM
It arrived!
But two days too late to wear on inauguration day
But two days too late to wear on inauguration day
Reposted by Melissa Martinez
Glad to share our new article "HOW COVID CHANGED LATIN AMERICA" in @jodemocracy.bsky.social
@mikealbertus.bsky.social
muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/articl...
@josefkorbelschool.bsky.social
We find COVID created challenges & risks of democratic backsliding but also brought hopeful responses and resiliencies
@mikealbertus.bsky.social
muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/articl...
@josefkorbelschool.bsky.social
We find COVID created challenges & risks of democratic backsliding but also brought hopeful responses and resiliencies
January 2, 2025 at 9:55 PM
Glad to share our new article "HOW COVID CHANGED LATIN AMERICA" in @jodemocracy.bsky.social
@mikealbertus.bsky.social
muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/articl...
@josefkorbelschool.bsky.social
We find COVID created challenges & risks of democratic backsliding but also brought hopeful responses and resiliencies
@mikealbertus.bsky.social
muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/articl...
@josefkorbelschool.bsky.social
We find COVID created challenges & risks of democratic backsliding but also brought hopeful responses and resiliencies
Reposted by Melissa Martinez
In light of the news that the ICC has just issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant along with one Hamas leader (the other two have been killed), this piece is once again relevant:
www.foreignaffairs.com/israel/dont-...
www.foreignaffairs.com/israel/dont-...
Don’t Go to War With the ICC
America can help Israel without attacking the court.
www.foreignaffairs.com
November 21, 2024 at 12:24 PM
In light of the news that the ICC has just issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant along with one Hamas leader (the other two have been killed), this piece is once again relevant:
www.foreignaffairs.com/israel/dont-...
www.foreignaffairs.com/israel/dont-...
Reposted by Melissa Martinez
We strongly suggest that academic publishers and other platforms that host research rapidly implement a Share to Bluesky button for their articles. Here's how:
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Action Intent Links | Bluesky
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November 18, 2024 at 2:48 PM
We strongly suggest that academic publishers and other platforms that host research rapidly implement a Share to Bluesky button for their articles. Here's how:
docs.bsky.app/docs/advance...
#AcademicSky #HigherEd #Altmetrics
docs.bsky.app/docs/advance...
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