Rob Shum
@robshum.bsky.social
Public policy ( #climate / energy policy, more specifically ) & IR prof (but also ex-🇨🇦 trade diplomat). PoliSciSky 🗺️, EnergySky 🔌💡, & GreenSky 🌱.
Cf. same handles on birdsite & mastodon.social/@robshum
Cf. same handles on birdsite & mastodon.social/@robshum
Pinned
Rob Shum
@robshum.bsky.social
· Oct 28
You don't have to ask <if> or <when> 🇺🇸 democracy will backslide. It it hadn't already, we would not be speculating about where the loyalty of the generals lies & whether that might matter in a matter of days/weeks.
I think it is safe to say that after this week, Trump does not have the loyalty of the generals. That means something
How many “Republics” have the USA had? As many as France?
1 possible way to count:
1. Articles of Confederation
2. Current (unamended) Constitution
3. Post-Civil-War
4. Post-Civil-Rights
And we’re currently witnessing an Algerian-type crisis, and waiting for a Fifth Republic.
1 possible way to count:
1. Articles of Confederation
2. Current (unamended) Constitution
3. Post-Civil-War
4. Post-Civil-Rights
And we’re currently witnessing an Algerian-type crisis, and waiting for a Fifth Republic.
Reposted by Rob Shum
Norway’s Labour government just put its $2.1 trillion sovereign wealth fund’s ethical divestments on hold—under Trump 2.0 pressure and in the shadow of Gaza. My take:
The Trillion-Dollar Vassal
How Trump 2.0, Israel’s Gaza war, and Norway's two-trillion-dollar sovereign wealth fund converged in a firestorm of finance, geopolitics, and genocide.
open.substack.com
November 14, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Norway’s Labour government just put its $2.1 trillion sovereign wealth fund’s ethical divestments on hold—under Trump 2.0 pressure and in the shadow of Gaza. My take:
I confess: I don’t get all the fuss about this.
This kind of periodic call — to return to the ‘development’ part of ‘sustainable development’ — has been a regular & recurrent staple of the discourse since the 1980s. 🌱
This kind of periodic call — to return to the ‘development’ part of ‘sustainable development’ — has been a regular & recurrent staple of the discourse since the 1980s. 🌱
Bill Gates Said the Quiet Part Out Loud — The Atlantic
The world’s strategy for addressing climate change is not serving those most vulnerable to it.
apple.news
November 14, 2025 at 8:21 PM
I confess: I don’t get all the fuss about this.
This kind of periodic call — to return to the ‘development’ part of ‘sustainable development’ — has been a regular & recurrent staple of the discourse since the 1980s. 🌱
This kind of periodic call — to return to the ‘development’ part of ‘sustainable development’ — has been a regular & recurrent staple of the discourse since the 1980s. 🌱
Reposted by Rob Shum
What could go wrong?
As the FBI’s deputy director, Dan Bongino receives some of the country’s most sensitive secrets, including the President’s Daily Brief. His ascent to that position without passing a standard bureau background check is unprecedented, insiders say.
FBI Director Kash Patel Waived Polygraph Security Screening for Dan Bongino, Two Other Senior Staff
As the FBI’s deputy director, Bongino receives some of the country’s most sensitive secrets, including the President’s Daily Brief. His ascent to that position without passing a standard bureau backgr...
www.propublica.org
November 14, 2025 at 7:36 PM
What could go wrong?
Reposted by Rob Shum
I thought only foreigners were paying the tariffs, and Americans were getting rich as a result. Trump said so! Thus, it must be true.
Trump’s new “affordability” push is basically reversing the tariffs he said would never cause un-affordability.
@nytimes.com 🤡
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...
@nytimes.com 🤡
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...
November 14, 2025 at 2:43 PM
I thought only foreigners were paying the tariffs, and Americans were getting rich as a result. Trump said so! Thus, it must be true.
Reposted by Rob Shum
Imagine we had an ambitious, integrated industrial strategy that aims at decoupling economic growth from emissions across all sectors and policies, based on a Canadian Green Deal framework.
We could maybe join this list of 35 countries at some point.
theconversation.com/the-worlds-c...
We could maybe join this list of 35 countries at some point.
theconversation.com/the-worlds-c...
The world’s carbon emissions continue to rise. But 35 countries show progress in cutting carbon
In 2025 the world has fallen short, again, of peaking and reducing its fossil fuel use. But there are many countries on a path to greener energy.
theconversation.com
November 14, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Imagine we had an ambitious, integrated industrial strategy that aims at decoupling economic growth from emissions across all sectors and policies, based on a Canadian Green Deal framework.
We could maybe join this list of 35 countries at some point.
theconversation.com/the-worlds-c...
We could maybe join this list of 35 countries at some point.
theconversation.com/the-worlds-c...
Reposted by Rob Shum
This is the kind of financial advice that elites paid Epstein hundreds of millions of dollars for, by the way!
November 14, 2025 at 4:24 AM
This is the kind of financial advice that elites paid Epstein hundreds of millions of dollars for, by the way!
Reposted by Rob Shum
I was told there was a crisis of free speech on campus that must be reversed
MAGA’s ongoing war on academic freedom, reflected in headlines from the last 24 hours.
November 14, 2025 at 1:18 PM
I was told there was a crisis of free speech on campus that must be reversed
Reposted by Rob Shum
Part of running a reasonably functional country these days is to deliberately update your map of the world; assumptions like large-scale geophysical patterns or the US not being bonkers -things you'd usually take for granted as foundations for your strategy- have to be reevaluated, often discarded.
Iceland deems possible Atlantic current collapse a security risk reut.rs/4p41Kai
Iceland deems possible Atlantic current collapse a security risk
Iceland has designated the potential collapse of a major Atlantic Ocean current system a national security concern and an existential threat, enabling its government to strategize for worst-case scenarios, the country's climate minister told Reuters.
reut.rs
November 14, 2025 at 1:53 AM
Part of running a reasonably functional country these days is to deliberately update your map of the world; assumptions like large-scale geophysical patterns or the US not being bonkers -things you'd usually take for granted as foundations for your strategy- have to be reevaluated, often discarded.
Reposted by Rob Shum
JD Vance's rant today placing the blame on immigrants for America's housing shortage is straight from the fascist playbook. Consider this 1938 card, "Housing Shortage Is the Fault of the Jews."
November 14, 2025 at 3:44 AM
JD Vance's rant today placing the blame on immigrants for America's housing shortage is straight from the fascist playbook. Consider this 1938 card, "Housing Shortage Is the Fault of the Jews."
So it’s going to be Vance/Musk 2028, isn’t it?
JD Vance: "I'm a Grok guy. I think it's the best. It's also the least woke."
November 14, 2025 at 3:43 AM
So it’s going to be Vance/Musk 2028, isn’t it?
Reposted by Rob Shum
When historians look back at this era, they will read things like this and wonder how it all happened. A legal opinion comparing extrajudicial killings to police exceeding speed limits. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...
November 14, 2025 at 2:30 AM
When historians look back at this era, they will read things like this and wonder how it all happened. A legal opinion comparing extrajudicial killings to police exceeding speed limits. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...
Reposted by Rob Shum
Pure, uncut leopards eating faces party stuff here (and awful)
Rod Dreher did not respond to emails from TPM asking why he is worried about Fuentes’ brand of bigotry and authoritarianism and not Vance’s, Orbán’s, or his own. talkingpointsmemo.com/news/jd-vanc...
JD Vance Received A Dire Warning About The Groyper Takeover Of The GOP From A Strange Source
The call warning of a dangerous tide of extremism in Donald Trump’s...
talkingpointsmemo.com
November 14, 2025 at 2:33 AM
Pure, uncut leopards eating faces party stuff here (and awful)
Reposted by Rob Shum
Wikipedia plagiarism + the crazy fringe = Grokipedia
The pilfering, however, is selective. On articles in Wikipedia's "controversial topics" bucket, the differences are far greater.
And that's where Grokipedia disproportionately adds low-quality sources, including Stormfront and InfoWars.
And that's where Grokipedia disproportionately adds low-quality sources, including Stormfront and InfoWars.
November 14, 2025 at 2:51 AM
Wikipedia plagiarism + the crazy fringe = Grokipedia
Reposted by Rob Shum
"the wealthy and powerful appear not as master operators but as bumbling sycophants, eager to cozy up to influence no matter how villainous or depraved"
PS read those emails and tell me you would pay that person hundreds of millions of dollars for investment advice
PS read those emails and tell me you would pay that person hundreds of millions of dollars for investment advice
Importance: High
subj: An article for U (gift link)
i wrote ,,,,,, about jeff epstein. s emails.
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
subj: An article for U (gift link)
i wrote ,,,,,, about jeff epstein. s emails.
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
When QAnon Meets Veep
The dumb, abhorrent truth at the heart of the Epstein scandal
www.theatlantic.com
November 14, 2025 at 3:20 AM
"the wealthy and powerful appear not as master operators but as bumbling sycophants, eager to cozy up to influence no matter how villainous or depraved"
PS read those emails and tell me you would pay that person hundreds of millions of dollars for investment advice
PS read those emails and tell me you would pay that person hundreds of millions of dollars for investment advice
Reposted by Rob Shum
No one should feel scared to speak out against the government in a democracy.
Great kicker on this @ashleyrparker.bsky.social story: www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
November 13, 2025 at 4:58 PM
No one should feel scared to speak out against the government in a democracy.
Reposted by Rob Shum
Pusillanimous.
You're going to have to face up to Trump one of these days, kids!
You're going to have to face up to Trump one of these days, kids!
In other words, the Court is trying to buy itself two more days to see if the House approves the shutdown deal (which may well moot this case), rather than having to rule *now* on whether USDA can be forced to fully fund SNAP for November. And KBJ objects because she’d just deny the application now.
November 11, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Pusillanimous.
You're going to have to face up to Trump one of these days, kids!
You're going to have to face up to Trump one of these days, kids!
As student in my Intro to IR made a very perceptive comment earlier this semester:
We’re used to the idea of war as the extension of politics by other means.
But what we’re seeing in 🇺🇸 today is the extension of war into our politics by Zionists, by other means.
We’re used to the idea of war as the extension of politics by other means.
But what we’re seeing in 🇺🇸 today is the extension of war into our politics by Zionists, by other means.
A pro-Israel NYC councilwoman is inviting war crimes fugitive Benjamin Netanyahu to New York City on January 1, 2026 — the first day of Zohran Mamdani’s mayorship.
November 11, 2025 at 11:53 PM
As student in my Intro to IR made a very perceptive comment earlier this semester:
We’re used to the idea of war as the extension of politics by other means.
But what we’re seeing in 🇺🇸 today is the extension of war into our politics by Zionists, by other means.
We’re used to the idea of war as the extension of politics by other means.
But what we’re seeing in 🇺🇸 today is the extension of war into our politics by Zionists, by other means.
In other words: Europe (if it does not succumb to right-wing populism like 🇬🇧 and 🇺🇸 has) is the last candidate for 21st-century hegemon left standing. 🗺️
With the US retreating from global climate efforts, China and Brazil are expected to step up. But the kind of climate leadership the two countries are offering is far from a climate purist's dream. The latest for @bloomberg.com from @lilipike.bsky.social and myself www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
China, Brazil Aim to Be Climate Leaders and Keep Polluting Too
The host of COP30 and the world's top emitter seek to be green champions, while also drilling for more oil.
www.bloomberg.com
November 11, 2025 at 11:50 PM
In other words: Europe (if it does not succumb to right-wing populism like 🇬🇧 and 🇺🇸 has) is the last candidate for 21st-century hegemon left standing. 🗺️
#NotTheOnion. Heck, not even the USA, for a change! 🇬🇪🗺️
An oligarchic party outlaws the opposition and turns towards Russia
Georgia is dousing the last embers of democracy
An oligarchic party outlaws the opposition and turns towards Russia
econ.st
November 11, 2025 at 11:37 PM
#NotTheOnion. Heck, not even the USA, for a change! 🇬🇪🗺️
Exam Question: Is fetishizing STEM rational or irrational (or macro-socially efficient) in the 21st century?
I think the belief by the powerful that "people will put up with many things if you are excellent at math" is incredibly revealing in terms of understanding How We Got Here
November 11, 2025 at 11:35 PM
Exam Question: Is fetishizing STEM rational or irrational (or macro-socially efficient) in the 21st century?
Reposted by Rob Shum
1. Rebate checks are a mainline injection for inflation.
2. 50-year mortgage is not that much different from the interest-only loans that helped fuel the housing market collapse of 2008.
Good ideas for whom? That's the right follow-up.
2. 50-year mortgage is not that much different from the interest-only loans that helped fuel the housing market collapse of 2008.
Good ideas for whom? That's the right follow-up.
QUINTANILLA: What's more likely -- a $2,000 tariff rebate check or a 50 year mortgage?
HASSETT: They're both really good ideas
HASSETT: They're both really good ideas
November 11, 2025 at 4:55 PM
1. Rebate checks are a mainline injection for inflation.
2. 50-year mortgage is not that much different from the interest-only loans that helped fuel the housing market collapse of 2008.
Good ideas for whom? That's the right follow-up.
2. 50-year mortgage is not that much different from the interest-only loans that helped fuel the housing market collapse of 2008.
Good ideas for whom? That's the right follow-up.
Reposted by Rob Shum
People often forget all the wars we won between WW1 and WW2. 🙄
Trump: "We have officially renamed the Dept of Defense back to the original name, Dept of War. And remember we won World War 1, we won World War 2, we won everything in between. We won everything that came before. And then we brilliantly decided to change the name. We became politically correct"
November 11, 2025 at 5:31 PM
People often forget all the wars we won between WW1 and WW2. 🙄
Reposted by Rob Shum
"an unusual mass deportation to a country with a poor human rights record that the United States had bombed earlier this year in an effort to set back its nuclear program"
but we're sending them back dissidents "who repeatedly told American authorities that Iran would persecute them"
but we're sending them back dissidents "who repeatedly told American authorities that Iran would persecute them"
“For decades, Iranians fleeing persecution have found protection in the United States. But this fall, the Trump administration deported a planeload of people to Iran after making a deal with Tehran.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/w...
‘It Feels Like I’m in a Nightmare’: Inside the First Deportation Flight to Iran
www.nytimes.com
November 11, 2025 at 2:01 PM
"an unusual mass deportation to a country with a poor human rights record that the United States had bombed earlier this year in an effort to set back its nuclear program"
but we're sending them back dissidents "who repeatedly told American authorities that Iran would persecute them"
but we're sending them back dissidents "who repeatedly told American authorities that Iran would persecute them"
Undermining accountability AND burning taxpayer money at the same time.
Buried inside the deal to reopen government is a provision that would give Senators private right of action to sue for millions in damages over their phone records being analyzed by Jack Smith's team.
news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
Shutdown Deal Would Let Senators Sue Over Jack Smith Searches
Senators whose phone records were sought by Special Counsel Jack Smith would gain authority to sue for millions in damages under a provision buried in the Senate-advanced deal to reopen the government...
news.bloomberglaw.com
November 10, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Undermining accountability AND burning taxpayer money at the same time.