Rob Rakove
@robrakove.bsky.social
Historian at Stanford University, author of "Kennedy, Johnson, and the Nonaligned World" and "Days of Opportunity: The United States and Afghanistan Before the Soviet Invasion." It's good to have options.
Pinned
Rob Rakove
@robrakove.bsky.social
· Jan 20
Some days you wrestle with big interpretive questions. Others, you try to determine when and how a few hundred tons of lambskin hides left Karachi.
I'm happy to announce the publication of my article about a curious early episode in the U.S.-Afghan relationship: the Inland oil concession. In 1936, the Afghan government offered the Inland Exploration Company – the local arm of a mid-sized domestic U.S. firm – an exclusive concession across 🇦🇫.
February 18, 2026 at 8:52 PM
I'm happy to announce the publication of my article about a curious early episode in the U.S.-Afghan relationship: the Inland oil concession. In 1936, the Afghan government offered the Inland Exploration Company – the local arm of a mid-sized domestic U.S. firm – an exclusive concession across 🇦🇫.
Reposted by Rob Rakove
So the Obama administration oral history project went live today. An extraordinary resource for historians and teachers, and a great credit to the team of folks who compiled them all, including Evan McCormick, @pastpunditry.bsky.social and many others.
Obama Presidency Oral History
The Obama Presidency as told by 450+ officials, activists, organizers, and extraordinary people from all walks of life.
share.google
February 17, 2026 at 11:50 PM
So the Obama administration oral history project went live today. An extraordinary resource for historians and teachers, and a great credit to the team of folks who compiled them all, including Evan McCormick, @pastpunditry.bsky.social and many others.
Reposted by Rob Rakove
but the NYT told me she was worried about the children
Katie Britt on DHS officers: "There are significant guardrails that have been put in place already in the bipartisan piece of legislation we negotiated. I think Democrats will vote that down, which means people are gonna continue this enforcement, but they're not gonna have the guardrails."
February 12, 2026 at 6:31 PM
but the NYT told me she was worried about the children
Reposted by Rob Rakove
From @bytimreynolds.bsky.social - Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych out of Winter Olympics over banned helmet honoring war dead #olympics
apnews.com/article/hera...
apnews.com/article/hera...
Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych out of Winter Olympics over banned helmet honoring war dead
Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych is out of the Milan Cortina Games after he refused to stop wearing a banned tribute helmet.
apnews.com
February 12, 2026 at 2:54 PM
From @bytimreynolds.bsky.social - Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych out of Winter Olympics over banned helmet honoring war dead #olympics
apnews.com/article/hera...
apnews.com/article/hera...
Recalling this for no particular reason
February 11, 2026 at 2:55 PM
Recalling this for no particular reason
Reposted by Rob Rakove
Over 28 years, 140 people died at the Berlin Wall from all causes (intentional shooting, drowning, accidents, etc.). #comparativeborderregimes
This is the 38th time that the U.S. military has unlawfully killed civilians on the orders of Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump. At least 130 people — never charged with crimes, their identities unknown to their executioners — are now dead.
We are murdering people and it is basically just background noise at this point. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/u...
February 10, 2026 at 1:04 PM
Over 28 years, 140 people died at the Berlin Wall from all causes (intentional shooting, drowning, accidents, etc.). #comparativeborderregimes
Reposted by Rob Rakove
Comparing FDR and Trump because they both had disdain for extant liberal constitutional norms is akin to comparing a brain surgeon to Norman Bates in Psycho because they both use knives to do their work.
nilsgilman.substack.com/p/the-execut...
nilsgilman.substack.com/p/the-execut...
The Executive Fetish
Why Moyn and Goldsmith's Roosevelt-Trump analogy fails
nilsgilman.substack.com
February 3, 2026 at 1:06 PM
Comparing FDR and Trump because they both had disdain for extant liberal constitutional norms is akin to comparing a brain surgeon to Norman Bates in Psycho because they both use knives to do their work.
nilsgilman.substack.com/p/the-execut...
nilsgilman.substack.com/p/the-execut...
Reposted by Rob Rakove
It's so weird they keep showing the Golden Gate as placesetting scenery for a game in Santa Clara instead of 101.
February 8, 2026 at 11:44 PM
It's so weird they keep showing the Golden Gate as placesetting scenery for a game in Santa Clara instead of 101.
Reposted by Rob Rakove
Really, the embarrassing part of all this is that the NYT doesn't recognize they're proudly reporting on a con game. They're so caught up in the "ooooooooooooooooooooooo it's ai" wonder of it.
Which is doubly funny because they reported on this exact thing a few years ago and called it a scam then.
Which is doubly funny because they reported on this exact thing a few years ago and called it a scam then.
A New Frontier for Travel Scammers: A.I.-Generated Guidebooks (Published 2023)
www.nytimes.com
February 8, 2026 at 7:53 PM
Really, the embarrassing part of all this is that the NYT doesn't recognize they're proudly reporting on a con game. They're so caught up in the "ooooooooooooooooooooooo it's ai" wonder of it.
Which is doubly funny because they reported on this exact thing a few years ago and called it a scam then.
Which is doubly funny because they reported on this exact thing a few years ago and called it a scam then.
Reposted by Rob Rakove
Bad bunnies from long ago
www.bl.uk/stories/blog...
www.bl.uk/stories/blog...
February 8, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Bad bunnies from long ago
www.bl.uk/stories/blog...
www.bl.uk/stories/blog...
It is the height of credulity to believe that there's a staffer specifically tasked with early morning posts.
Mark Burns also said he's asked Trump to publicly condemn its content.
Trump Supporting Pastor Says He Directed POTUS To Fire Staffer Behind Racist Obama Ape Video
www.huffpost.com
February 8, 2026 at 12:49 AM
It is the height of credulity to believe that there's a staffer specifically tasked with early morning posts.
The voice mails won't hack themselves.
Breaking — Will Lewis out at the Washington Post. He just sent this email to staff (shared with me by staffer):
February 7, 2026 at 11:20 PM
The voice mails won't hack themselves.
Maybe we've been unfair to Clark Griswold.
February 7, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Maybe we've been unfair to Clark Griswold.
The Post leaves a huge void, while the Times continues to wallow in its own nonsense.
over the next 3 years, be ready for seeing a lot of coverage of Republican lawmakers, business leaders, university leaders who did absolutely nothing to stall Trump (on the contrary) — about how *actually* they were wringing their hands all along. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/u...
February 5, 2026 at 9:48 PM
The Post leaves a huge void, while the Times continues to wallow in its own nonsense.
Recalling, for no particular reason, how Post reporting was instrumental in revealing Jayson Blair's fabrications. He'd ventured into writing about the 2002 DC sniper, and the Graham-era Post didn't brook rivals in its local coverage.
February 5, 2026 at 2:45 AM
Recalling, for no particular reason, how Post reporting was instrumental in revealing Jayson Blair's fabrications. He'd ventured into writing about the 2002 DC sniper, and the Graham-era Post didn't brook rivals in its local coverage.
Reposted by Rob Rakove
I used to be sad about what was happening to the newspaper I took great pride in for the 48 years I worked there. Now I'm just furious. Bezos did to The Washington Post what Trump did to America.
February 4, 2026 at 3:14 PM
I used to be sad about what was happening to the newspaper I took great pride in for the 48 years I worked there. Now I'm just furious. Bezos did to The Washington Post what Trump did to America.
A student referred to "British music" today and I was somewhat taken aback.
February 4, 2026 at 4:05 AM
A student referred to "British music" today and I was somewhat taken aback.
Reposted by Rob Rakove
In response to the deluge of messages on casting in The Odyssey:
Helen was born from an 🥚 Don’t talk to me about historical veracity.
Helen was born from an 🥚 Don’t talk to me about historical veracity.
February 3, 2026 at 1:13 PM
In response to the deluge of messages on casting in The Odyssey:
Helen was born from an 🥚 Don’t talk to me about historical veracity.
Helen was born from an 🥚 Don’t talk to me about historical veracity.
Team Bezos is comically brittle
ahahahahaha lakeoswegoreview.com/2026/02/02/l...
Lake Oswego theater loses rights to screen 'Melania' after marquee jokes - Lake Oswego Review
Lake Theater & Cafe announced that it will no longer show “Melania,” the Amazon Studios documentary about the first lady, after Amazon revoked the theater’s rights to the film. “Got […]
lakeoswegoreview.com
February 3, 2026 at 6:52 AM
Team Bezos is comically brittle
Reposted by Rob Rakove
Well, another government shutdown means another day the archives are closed. Plenty of appropriations to terrorize civilians on American streets, but not a dime to pay the librarians, archivists, or keep their lights on.
February 2, 2026 at 3:49 PM
Well, another government shutdown means another day the archives are closed. Plenty of appropriations to terrorize civilians on American streets, but not a dime to pay the librarians, archivists, or keep their lights on.
Extras ended with an extended lecture about celebrity culture by this guy.
Ricky Gervais calls out Grammy winners for making political acceptance speeches: "You're in no position to lecture the public about anything"
Ricky Gervais calls out Grammy winners for making political acceptance speeches: "You're in no position to lecture the public about anything"
Gervais cited his own 2020 Golden Globes monologue, in which he urged winners not to use their acceptance speeches "as a platform to make a political speech."
decider.com
February 2, 2026 at 11:22 PM
Extras ended with an extended lecture about celebrity culture by this guy.
Reposted by Rob Rakove
The idea that the Court should operate entirely in secret is a modern phenomenon. The idea that the Court should be separated from the public is a modern phenomenon. Earlier generations did not accept a powerful, isolated & secretive Court and we shouldn't either 1/6
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/u...
How the Supreme Court Secretly Made Itself Even More Secretive
www.nytimes.com
February 2, 2026 at 8:14 PM
The idea that the Court should operate entirely in secret is a modern phenomenon. The idea that the Court should be separated from the public is a modern phenomenon. Earlier generations did not accept a powerful, isolated & secretive Court and we shouldn't either 1/6
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/u...
Reposted by Rob Rakove
Rest in peace. One of the greats!
Akira Iriye, one of the pioneers in the internationalization of U.S. history, passed away. RIP.
www.asahi.com/ajw/articles...
www.asahi.com/ajw/articles...
Akira Iriye, leading historian of Japan-U.S. relations, dies | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
Akira Iriye, a Harvard University professor emeritus and a leading scholar on the history of international relations, died on Jan. 27. He was 91.
www.asahi.com
January 30, 2026 at 3:47 AM
Rest in peace. One of the greats!
The parallels to the Washington Post are unsettlingly close - almost as if someone drew up a template.
Below is the buyout offer all CBS Evening News staff received today.
"We hope you are excited about this vision, but we understand that some of you may not be, and we want to provide support. As such, we are offering an extraordinary chance to leave CBS News with an enhanced separation payment."
"We hope you are excited about this vision, but we understand that some of you may not be, and we want to provide support. As such, we are offering an extraordinary chance to leave CBS News with an enhanced separation payment."
January 29, 2026 at 1:13 AM
The parallels to the Washington Post are unsettlingly close - almost as if someone drew up a template.