Sean Yom
@seanyom.bsky.social
Poli-sci prof @ Temple, Senior Fellow @ DAWN, and luckiest dad outside Türkiye. I write on Mideast politics, authoritarianism, & US foreign policy. More: http://seanyom.com. ***Slowly moving here from Twitter/X...
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Sean Yom
@seanyom.bsky.social
· Jun 6
My new book on Jordan, out in September!
It covers major topics on Jordanian history/politics imaginable over the past century--myths, monarchism, authoritarianism, civil society, democratic struggles, economy, foreign policy...
global.oup.com/academic/pro...
It covers major topics on Jordanian history/politics imaginable over the past century--myths, monarchism, authoritarianism, civil society, democratic struggles, economy, foreign policy...
global.oup.com/academic/pro...
Reposted by Sean Yom
“Yom insists on seeing Jordan for itself, not as a function of American interests or of Israeli concerns..based on deep field research and an encylopedic knowledge of the political science literature.. will likely productively annoy certain audiences.”
abuaardvarkghost.ghost.io/this-must-be...
abuaardvarkghost.ghost.io/this-must-be...
This Must Be The Podcast: Sean Yom
It is difficult to not worry about the stability and even survival of Jordan these days. Escalating Israeli aggression in the West Bank and political momentum towards annexation puts the Kingdom squar...
abuaardvarkghost.ghost.io
February 3, 2026 at 6:05 PM
“Yom insists on seeing Jordan for itself, not as a function of American interests or of Israeli concerns..based on deep field research and an encylopedic knowledge of the political science literature.. will likely productively annoy certain audiences.”
abuaardvarkghost.ghost.io/this-must-be...
abuaardvarkghost.ghost.io/this-must-be...
Reposted by Sean Yom
Q: Rodriguez called it a 'kidnapping' of Maduro
TRUMP: That's alright. That's not a bad term.
TRUMP: That's alright. That's not a bad term.
January 5, 2026 at 1:31 AM
Q: Rodriguez called it a 'kidnapping' of Maduro
TRUMP: That's alright. That's not a bad term.
TRUMP: That's alright. That's not a bad term.
Reposted by Sean Yom
head of chiquita banana wanting to ask the forbidden question now that trump is overthrowing governments for oil companies
January 5, 2026 at 3:00 AM
head of chiquita banana wanting to ask the forbidden question now that trump is overthrowing governments for oil companies
According to the current administration, none of the following counts as "war" requiring Congressional authorization:
1) Bombing the Middle East, Africa, and/or Latin America
2) Bombing nuclear facilities
3) Kidnapping foreign leaders
1) Bombing the Middle East, Africa, and/or Latin America
2) Bombing nuclear facilities
3) Kidnapping foreign leaders
January 4, 2026 at 7:44 PM
According to the current administration, none of the following counts as "war" requiring Congressional authorization:
1) Bombing the Middle East, Africa, and/or Latin America
2) Bombing nuclear facilities
3) Kidnapping foreign leaders
1) Bombing the Middle East, Africa, and/or Latin America
2) Bombing nuclear facilities
3) Kidnapping foreign leaders
Reposted by Sean Yom
Can’t believe the winner of the FIFA Peace Prize would launch a war like this.
January 3, 2026 at 1:28 PM
Can’t believe the winner of the FIFA Peace Prize would launch a war like this.
Reposted by Sean Yom
One of my favorite presents ever—my dad found and framed this pic of my mother @sunminkimes.bsky.social at a Seattle courthouse after she passed her US citizenship test in 1981. Like so many of the people who come here to start a new life, she is the best of us—the bravest, strongest person I know.
December 26, 2025 at 9:24 PM
One of my favorite presents ever—my dad found and framed this pic of my mother @sunminkimes.bsky.social at a Seattle courthouse after she passed her US citizenship test in 1981. Like so many of the people who come here to start a new life, she is the best of us—the bravest, strongest person I know.
Reposted by Sean Yom
Bashar al-Assad's daughter has been living and studying in the UAE since the regime fell, at the Sorbonne in Abu Dhabi, where it looks like Emirati authorities are her enforcers, kicking out another Syrian student who dared to criticize her in a group chat. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/w...
December 22, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Bashar al-Assad's daughter has been living and studying in the UAE since the regime fell, at the Sorbonne in Abu Dhabi, where it looks like Emirati authorities are her enforcers, kicking out another Syrian student who dared to criticize her in a group chat. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/w...
Reposted by Sean Yom
“Jordan cannot be reduced to the banalities of orientalist folklore, much less the other tropes that have long garbled how the Western media describe the kingdom.”
@seanyom.bsky.social in Hidden Cities on what Jordan’s history reveals about the Middle East: www.hidden-cities.com/p/why-tiny-j...
@seanyom.bsky.social in Hidden Cities on what Jordan’s history reveals about the Middle East: www.hidden-cities.com/p/why-tiny-j...
Why Tiny Jordan Is a Microcosm for Understanding the Entire Middle East
However accidental its historical genesis, Jordan has become a crucible of knowledge about how power and geopolitics operate in the region.
www.hidden-cities.com
December 18, 2025 at 12:23 AM
“Jordan cannot be reduced to the banalities of orientalist folklore, much less the other tropes that have long garbled how the Western media describe the kingdom.”
@seanyom.bsky.social in Hidden Cities on what Jordan’s history reveals about the Middle East: www.hidden-cities.com/p/why-tiny-j...
@seanyom.bsky.social in Hidden Cities on what Jordan’s history reveals about the Middle East: www.hidden-cities.com/p/why-tiny-j...
Reposted by Sean Yom
"However accidental its historical genesis, Jordan has become a crucible of knowledge about how power and geopolitics operate in the region." @seanyom.bsky.social in Hidden Cities on how tiny Jordan helps explain the entire Middle East: www.hidden-cities.com/p/why-tiny-j...
Why Tiny Jordan Is a Microcosm for Understanding the Entire Middle East
However accidental its historical genesis, Jordan has become a crucible of knowledge about how power and geopolitics operate in the region.
www.hidden-cities.com
December 17, 2025 at 5:53 PM
"However accidental its historical genesis, Jordan has become a crucible of knowledge about how power and geopolitics operate in the region." @seanyom.bsky.social in Hidden Cities on how tiny Jordan helps explain the entire Middle East: www.hidden-cities.com/p/why-tiny-j...
Reposted by Sean Yom
Don't miss our online event tomorrow, Dec. 11, 2 PM ET: “Politics in an Accidental Crucible:” A discussion of Sean Yom’s new book, “Jordan”
With @seanyom.bsky.social, @mattlac.bsky.social, Ben Schutze, Jamal al Tahat, Yara Bataineh, @sarahleah1.bsky.social
Register: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
With @seanyom.bsky.social, @mattlac.bsky.social, Ben Schutze, Jamal al Tahat, Yara Bataineh, @sarahleah1.bsky.social
Register: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
December 10, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Don't miss our online event tomorrow, Dec. 11, 2 PM ET: “Politics in an Accidental Crucible:” A discussion of Sean Yom’s new book, “Jordan”
With @seanyom.bsky.social, @mattlac.bsky.social, Ben Schutze, Jamal al Tahat, Yara Bataineh, @sarahleah1.bsky.social
Register: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
With @seanyom.bsky.social, @mattlac.bsky.social, Ben Schutze, Jamal al Tahat, Yara Bataineh, @sarahleah1.bsky.social
Register: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Reposted by Sean Yom
Witnesses Assumed Charlie Kirk Shooter Was Just Ordinary Gunman On School Campus
Witnesses Assumed Charlie Kirk Shooter Was Just Ordinary Gunman On School Campus
OREM, UT—As law enforcement officials search for a person of interest in the assassination of 31-year-old Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk, witnesses on the scene at Utah Valley University ad...
theonion.com
September 11, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Witnesses Assumed Charlie Kirk Shooter Was Just Ordinary Gunman On School Campus
Qatar: we're giving you a luxury Boeing 747 to be your personal chariot
Trump: thank you so much
Qatar: can you make sure nobody bombs us?
Trump: leaves chat
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Trump: thank you so much
Qatar: can you make sure nobody bombs us?
Trump: leaves chat
www.bbc.com/news/article...
US begins preparing Qatari jet to be used as Air Force One
The aircraft - valued at $400m - is being donated by Qatar as an "unconditional gift", with any retrofitting costs being borne by the US government.
www.bbc.com
September 9, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Qatar: we're giving you a luxury Boeing 747 to be your personal chariot
Trump: thank you so much
Qatar: can you make sure nobody bombs us?
Trump: leaves chat
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Trump: thank you so much
Qatar: can you make sure nobody bombs us?
Trump: leaves chat
www.bbc.com/news/article...
From White House press conference, re: Israel bombing Qatar: President Trump feels "very badly about the location of the attack"
You can't make this shit up
You can't make this shit up
September 9, 2025 at 5:44 PM
From White House press conference, re: Israel bombing Qatar: President Trump feels "very badly about the location of the attack"
You can't make this shit up
You can't make this shit up
In July 2024, Israel waited until Ismail Haniyeh *left* Qatar to visit Tehran before assassinating him.
Now it's just full-on bombing Qatar.
If the US had granted visas to PLO leaders to attend the UN meeting this month, I'd be very scared about Mossad operations in Manhattan.
Now it's just full-on bombing Qatar.
If the US had granted visas to PLO leaders to attend the UN meeting this month, I'd be very scared about Mossad operations in Manhattan.
September 9, 2025 at 2:49 PM
In July 2024, Israel waited until Ismail Haniyeh *left* Qatar to visit Tehran before assassinating him.
Now it's just full-on bombing Qatar.
If the US had granted visas to PLO leaders to attend the UN meeting this month, I'd be very scared about Mossad operations in Manhattan.
Now it's just full-on bombing Qatar.
If the US had granted visas to PLO leaders to attend the UN meeting this month, I'd be very scared about Mossad operations in Manhattan.
Reposted by Sean Yom
Qatar has now been bombed by both Iran and Israel, while hosting a major US base. This has serious implications on the meaning - or lack thereof - of hosting US military as well as just how inconvenient it is to be a mediator in this day and age.
September 9, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Qatar has now been bombed by both Iran and Israel, while hosting a major US base. This has serious implications on the meaning - or lack thereof - of hosting US military as well as just how inconvenient it is to be a mediator in this day and age.
Reposted by Sean Yom
Fun fact: Qatar, whose capital Israel just bombed, is a “major non-NATO ally” of the United States.
September 9, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Fun fact: Qatar, whose capital Israel just bombed, is a “major non-NATO ally” of the United States.
Reposted by Sean Yom
NEW PODCAST: The MERIP Roundtable "On Recognition"
@jdryan08.bsky.social is joined by EdCommers @lisahajjar.bsky.social, @seanyom.bsky.social, and Jacob Mundy to discuss genocide recognition by Israeli figures and institutions, and UK/Canada recognition for a Palestinian state.
buff.ly/IZuBpDI
@jdryan08.bsky.social is joined by EdCommers @lisahajjar.bsky.social, @seanyom.bsky.social, and Jacob Mundy to discuss genocide recognition by Israeli figures and institutions, and UK/Canada recognition for a Palestinian state.
buff.ly/IZuBpDI
Episode 6: The MERIP Roundtable, "On Recognition" | The MERIP Podcast
Listen to Episode 6: The MERIP Roundtable, "On Recognition" from The MERIP Podcast. The MERIP Roundtable is a new format for the MERIP podcast featuring conversation on urgent issues in the Middle…
shows.acast.com
August 13, 2025 at 4:37 PM
NEW PODCAST: The MERIP Roundtable "On Recognition"
@jdryan08.bsky.social is joined by EdCommers @lisahajjar.bsky.social, @seanyom.bsky.social, and Jacob Mundy to discuss genocide recognition by Israeli figures and institutions, and UK/Canada recognition for a Palestinian state.
buff.ly/IZuBpDI
@jdryan08.bsky.social is joined by EdCommers @lisahajjar.bsky.social, @seanyom.bsky.social, and Jacob Mundy to discuss genocide recognition by Israeli figures and institutions, and UK/Canada recognition for a Palestinian state.
buff.ly/IZuBpDI
Reposted by Sean Yom
MAGA is going through some things .
August 12, 2025 at 2:28 AM
MAGA is going through some things .
Reposted by Sean Yom
"The unemployment rate is 3.6%"
August 12, 2025 at 3:10 AM
"The unemployment rate is 3.6%"
I already saw this movie, the ending sucked but Benicio del Toro was great
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/...
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/...
Trump signs order authorising military action against cartels: Reports
Mexican politicians warn that US action against criminal groups on their soil would be a violation of sovereignty.
www.aljazeera.com
August 9, 2025 at 12:13 AM
I already saw this movie, the ending sucked but Benicio del Toro was great
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/...
www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/...
Reposted by Sean Yom
Reporter: We have not seen tariffs at these rates since the 1930s, and following that was the Great Depression. It's ratcheted up to 50% for some countries. The most recent estimate is these tariffs costing the average family $2,400 a year. That's a significant hit to the average American family
August 7, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Reporter: We have not seen tariffs at these rates since the 1930s, and following that was the Great Depression. It's ratcheted up to 50% for some countries. The most recent estimate is these tariffs costing the average family $2,400 a year. That's a significant hit to the average American family
Reposted by Sean Yom
In other words: we are paying for the tariffs
"So the tariff is paid in this country by the importer, is that right?" -- Eugene Robinson guides Scott Bessent into acknowledging that tariffs are in fact paid in the United States, not by foreign governments
August 8, 2025 at 1:51 AM
In other words: we are paying for the tariffs