Jan-Werner Mueller
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jwmueller-pu.bsky.social
Jan-Werner Mueller
@jwmueller-pu.bsky.social
16K followers 900 following 1.8K posts

Political Theory and Intellectual History. Politics of Architecture and Iconography. Some Public Affairs Commentary.

Posting in a personal capacity.

Texts mostly in LRB, Guardian, Foreign Policy, Architectural Review.

Representation: Wylie. .. more

Videos
Computer science 57%
Mathematics 29%
Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller

johnraimo.bsky.social
John Raimo @johnraimo.bsky.social · 53m
Rémi Brague - La profondeur du présent (rencontre animée par Charles-Henri d'Andigné à la librairie La Procure ; @editionshermann.bsky.social ; #skystorians) : youtu.be/lDrUaYUPPes
Rémi Brague - La profondeur du présent
YouTube video by Librairie La Procure
youtu.be

jwmueller-pu.bsky.social
Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 1d
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nilsgilman.bsky.social Nils Gilman @nilsgilman.bsky.social · 1d
For any American experiencing economic pain right now: recall the @economist.com declaring here (in October 2024, on the eve of the election) that the U.S. economy was a wonder — the envy of the world. This is what U.S. voters turned their back on: www.economist.com/leaders/2024...
America’s economy is bigger and better than ever
Will politics bring it back to Earth?
www.economist.com

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller

nilsgilman.bsky.social
Nils Gilman @nilsgilman.bsky.social · 1d
For any American experiencing economic pain right now: recall the @economist.com declaring here (in October 2024, on the eve of the election) that the U.S. economy was a wonder — the envy of the world. This is what U.S. voters turned their back on: www.economist.com/leaders/2024...
America’s economy is bigger and better than ever
Will politics bring it back to Earth?
www.economist.com

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Laurent Pech

jwmueller-pu.bsky.social
Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 1d
The road to autocracy is paved with false equivalences.
larryglickman.bsky.social Larry Glickman @larryglickman.bsky.social · 1d
This is not a “duel,” which suggests both sides are equally culpable, but the latest salvo in the Trump administration’s ideological war on Harvard and higher education.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/24/u...
In Private Letters, Harvard and Trump Administration Escalate Duel
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Anna O. Law, Lisa W. Fazio , and 4 more

larryglickman.bsky.social
Larry Glickman @larryglickman.bsky.social · 1d
This is not a “duel,” which suggests both sides are equally culpable, but the latest salvo in the Trump administration’s ideological war on Harvard and higher education.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/24/u...
In Private Letters, Harvard and Trump Administration Escalate Duel
www.nytimes.com

jwmueller-pu.bsky.social
Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 1d
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jeremycliffe.bsky.social Jeremy Cliffe @jeremycliffe.bsky.social · 2d
A transatlantic showdown over tech policy (as opposed to, say, net zero) could actually have a unifying & galvanising political effect within the EU. The union’s digital regulations are broadly popular and many voters actually want more, not fewer, controls on Big Tech.

yougov.co.uk/technology/a...

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Jan W. Mueller, Steve Peers , and 1 more

jeremycliffe.bsky.social
Jeremy Cliffe @jeremycliffe.bsky.social · 2d
A transatlantic showdown over tech policy (as opposed to, say, net zero) could actually have a unifying & galvanising political effect within the EU. The union’s digital regulations are broadly popular and many voters actually want more, not fewer, controls on Big Tech.

yougov.co.uk/technology/a...

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Frédéric Mérand

jwmueller-pu.bsky.social
Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 3d
One of the Europeans "sanctioned" received the Bundesverdienstkreuz, Germany's highest recognition of work for the common good, by the country's president in October.
US bars five Europeans it says pressured tech firms to censor American viewpoints online
The State Department is barring five Europeans it accuses of leading efforts to pressure U.S. tech firms to censor or suppress American viewpoints.
apnews.com

jwmueller-pu.bsky.social
Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 3d
US to DK: Make the American South your model of development!
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 3d
Greenland Envoy Gov. Jeff Landry: "Look, the United States has always been a welcoming party. We don't go in there trying to conquer anybody and trying to take over anybody's country. We say, 'Listen. We represent liberty. We represented economic strength. We represent protection.'"

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller, Mark D. White, Stuart Shapiro , and 1 more

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 3d
Greenland Envoy Gov. Jeff Landry: "Look, the United States has always been a welcoming party. We don't go in there trying to conquer anybody and trying to take over anybody's country. We say, 'Listen. We represent liberty. We represented economic strength. We represent protection.'"

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller, Eric Goldman, Rebecca Tushnet

lawrencehurley.bsky.social
Lawrence Hurley @lawrencehurley.bsky.social · 3d
NEW:

One brought a gun home.

One moved.

Others improved home security.

Life as a federal judge in the age of Trump:

www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...
Judges who ruled against Trump say harassment and threats have changed their lives
More than 100 pizzas were delivered to the homes of judges and their families this year, some with signs of foreign involvement. Judges say the message is clear: We know where you live.
www.nbcnews.com

Reposted by Daniel Ziblatt, Anna O. Law, Jan W. Mueller , and 10 more

annagbusse.bsky.social
Anna Grzymala-Busse @annagbusse.bsky.social · 3d
Just in time for Christmas: a great interview with an absolute legend.

Theda Skocpol and Edwin Amenta on her career, US politics, the erosion of democracy, and most of all, what to do about it.

sociologica.unibo.it/article/view...
View of Theda Skocpol in Conversation with Edwin Amenta on Sociology, Political Science, Higher Education, and U.S. Politics | Sociologica
sociologica.unibo.it

jwmueller-pu.bsky.social
Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 3d
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owasow.bsky.social Omar Wasow @owasow.bsky.social · 3d
“Medical and public health experts estimate that the Trump administration’s decision to eliminate nearly all assistance provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development will result in an estimated additional 14 million dead worldwide by 2030.” Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/o...
Opinion | The MAHA Pipe Dream Is Going to Hurt MAGA the Most
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller

owasow.bsky.social
Omar Wasow @owasow.bsky.social · 3d
“Medical and public health experts estimate that the Trump administration’s decision to eliminate nearly all assistance provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development will result in an estimated additional 14 million dead worldwide by 2030.” Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/o...
Opinion | The MAHA Pipe Dream Is Going to Hurt MAGA the Most
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller, Daniel W. Drezner

profsaunders.bsky.social
Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 4d
The Party of National Security
“We do not need ships that are not optimized to provide lethality against the Chinese threat,” Montgomery said, adding that the new frigate has “zero tactical use” because it will not be equipped with a vertical launch system or the Aegis ballistic defense system.  “That is not what these are focused on—they are focused on the president’s visual that a battleship is a cool-looking ship,” he said. 

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Timothy Snyder, Kim L. Scheppele , and 29 more

annabower.bsky.social
Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 4d
Per NY Times’s Michael Grynbaum on X, this is Sharyn Alfonsi’s email to her “60 Minutes” colleagues in full:
News Team, Thank you for the notes and texts. I apologize for not reaching out earlier. I learned on Saturday that Bari Weiss spiked our story, INSIDE CECOT, which was supposed to air tonight. We (Ori and I) asked for a call to discuss her decision. She did not afford us that courtesy/opportunity. Our story was screened five times and cleared by both CBS attorneys and Standards and Practices. It is factually correct. In my view, pulling it now-after every rigorous internal check has been met is not an editorial decision, it is a political one. We requested responses to questions and/or interviews with DHS, the White House, and the State Department. Government silence is a statement, not a VETO. Their refusal to be interviewed is a tactical maneuver designed to kill the story. If the administration's refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story, we have effectively handed them a "kill switch" for any reporting they find inconvenient. If the standard for airing a story becomes "the government must agree to be interviewed," then the government effectively gains control over the 60 Minutes broadcast. We go from an investigative powerhouse to a stenographer for the state. These men risked their lives to speak with us. We have a moral and professional obligation to the sources who entrusted us with their stories. Abandoning them now is a betrayal of the most basic tenet of journalism: giving voice to the voiceless. CBS spiked the Jeffrey Wigand interview due to legal concerns, nearly destroying the credibility of this broadcast. It took years to recover from that "low point." By pulling this story to shield an administration, we are repeating that history, but for political optics rather than legal ones. We have been promoting this story on social media for days. Our viewers are expecting it. When it fails to air without a credible explanation, the public will correctly identify this as corporate censorship. We are trading 50 years of "Gold Standard" reputation for a single week of political quiet. I care too much about this broadcast to watch it be dismantled without a fight. Sharyn

jwmueller-pu.bsky.social
Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 5d
'...after Witkoff finished his sixth round of meetings with Putin, a Russian company sent him home with 11 pounds of red caviar, according to the country’s Trade and Industry Ministry. In fact, it was a mid-tier brand of roe that the company now wants to market as “Trumpovka.”'
How Putin Got His Preferred U.S. Envoy: Come Alone, No CIA
The Kremlin fueled the rise of Trump’s friend Steve Witkoff with a prisoner release, sidelining career diplomats.
www.wsj.com

jwmueller-pu.bsky.social
Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 6d
'...Witkoff, 68, calls himself a dealmaker. “It means putting yourself in the other party’s shoes and figuring out how to help him get political space to do this deal,” he said.'

Yes, Putin really needs help in struggling for space in Russia's fiercely competitive democratic environment.
How Putin Got His Preferred U.S. Envoy: Come Alone, No CIA
The Kremlin fueled the rise of Trump’s friend Steve Witkoff with a prisoner release, sidelining career diplomats.
www.wsj.com

jwmueller-pu.bsky.social
Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 6d
"Witkoff has declined multiple offers from the CIA for a briefing on Russia. The State Department assigned a small group of staffers to support Witkoff, but members of that team...have struggled to get summaries of Witkoff’s foreign meetings."

"Witkoff has yet to visit Ukraine."
How Putin Got His Preferred U.S. Envoy: Come Alone, No CIA
The Kremlin fueled the rise of Trump’s friend Steve Witkoff with a prisoner release, sidelining career diplomats.
www.wsj.com

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller, Linda J. Skitka, Rafael H. M. Pereira , and 8 more

adambonica.bsky.social
Adam Bonica @adambonica.bsky.social · 6d
The Abundance movement often points to environmental groups as the obstacles to building. But who actually files the lawsuits blocking projects? It’s not environmental groups. It’s been lawyered-up HOAs protecting property values all along. Regulation by litigation is the problem.
Bar chart titled “Who’s Really Blocking California Development?” showing the share of CEQA lawsuits by plaintiff type. HOAs and NIMBY groups account for the majority at 54%. Business and commercial plaintiffs file 20% of cases, government entities 13%, environmental groups 8%, tribal or cultural groups 4%, and labor unions 2%. The chart notes the analysis is based on 1,234 CEQA court opinions from 1973–2025 using CourtListener data, with HOAs/NIMBYs defined as homeowner associations, neighborhood groups, and ad hoc project-opposition groups.

jwmueller-pu.bsky.social
Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 6d
Damnatio Memoriae.

jwmueller-pu.bsky.social
Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 7d
Kate Wagner on the ballroom... and something else:

"The future of federal architecture, if we are going by what is actually being built at scale by the US government, appears to be the prison, the wall, the climate refugee camp."
Wrecking Ballroom
Trump is tearing down the White House. Good riddance.
nyra.nyc

jwmueller-pu.bsky.social
Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 7d
...a quarrel on a faraway continent, between people of whom we know nothing...
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 7d
Rubio on Russia-Ukraine: "It's not our war. It's a war on another continent."

jwmueller-pu.bsky.social
Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 7d
Best Reads of 2025.

I flagged Laura K. Field's Furious Minds.
PS Commentators’ Best Reads in 2025
PS editors ask Project Syndicate contributors to select the books that most influenced their thinking over the past year.
www.project-syndicate.org

Reposted by Michael E. Mann, Jan W. Mueller, Leigh Sparks , and 5 more

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 7d
Rubio on Russia-Ukraine: "It's not our war. It's a war on another continent."

jwmueller-pu.bsky.social
Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 7d
👇🎯

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller, David M. Farrell

casmudde.bsky.social
Cas Mudde @casmudde.bsky.social · 7d
The killing of these “regional centers” will make U.S. academia and society even more parochial and, ultimately, less competitive and safe.
UNC cuts all six area studies research centers, effective 2026
As part of the University's plan to make $70 million in budget cuts across the institution, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations Nate Knuffman projected that cutting 14 centers and institutes in...
dailytarheel.com

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller, David Lazer, Brian Keegan , and 2 more

natematias.bsky.social
J. Nathan Matias @natematias.bsky.social · 8d
Should scientists apply to OpenAI's fund for research on AI & mental health? Should policymakers consider it a credible safety effort?

Avriel Epps & I see it as "grantwashing," and it's an insult to anyone whose loved one's death involved chatbots. We explain:

www.techpolicy.press/beware-of-op...
Beware of OpenAI's 'Grantwashing' on AI Harms | TechPolicy.Press
J. Nathan Matias and Avriel Epps say OpenAI's announced research funding is the perfect corporate action to make sure we don't find answers for years.
www.techpolicy.press

jwmueller-pu.bsky.social
Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 8d
"Densification without social inclusion and environmental sustainability will fail politically."
Europe’s housing crisis is fuelling the rise of the far right. Our research shows how to address it | Tarik Abou-Chadi, Björn Bremer and Silja Häusermann
The mantra of ‘build, build, build’ misses something crucial: that few can afford these new homes, say Tarik Abou-Chadi, Silja Häusermann and Björn Bremer
www.theguardian.com

jwmueller-pu.bsky.social
Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 8d
Important thread:
jakubjaraczewski.bsky.social Jakub Jaraczewski @jakubjaraczewski.bsky.social · 8d
🇪🇺⚖️🇵🇱 Revenge is a dish best served cold (and after five years). Moments ago, CJEU, in the case Commission v. Poland, found that the Polish Constitutional Tribunal has not only violated EU law with its anti-EU rulings, but also was (is) not an independent court established properly by law. 1/