Halvard Leira
@halvardl.bsky.social
Research Director and Research Professor at NUPI, ass. ed. EJIR and HJD. Comment here primarily as a private citizen. I do research on conceptual history, privateers and diplomacy etc. I like mountains, skiing and my woodfired pizza oven.
Pinned
Reposted by Halvard Leira
Thinking back to this excellent concluding paragraph from @lioneltrolling.bsky.social's Substack post after Zohran Mamdani's initial primary victory:
November 5, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Thinking back to this excellent concluding paragraph from @lioneltrolling.bsky.social's Substack post after Zohran Mamdani's initial primary victory:
Reposted by Halvard Leira
– Hører ikke hjemme i et demokrati, mener prorektor ved Politihøgskolen. Professor Birgitte Ellefsen er enda krassere i kritikken av justiskomiteens leder etter at han gjøv løs på en av høyskolens forskere på grunn av en kronikk om unge kriminelle.
«Korstog mot forskere»: Professor på politihøgskolen mener Frp-Helgheim angriper akademisk frihet - Filter Nyheter
«Når straff ikke virker», lød tittelen på en kronikk publisert på NRK Ytring. Der argumenterer Elisabeth Myhre Lie, førsteamanuensus ved Politihøgskolen (PHS), for at straff mot mindreårige ikke gjør ...
filternyheter.no
November 5, 2025 at 10:49 AM
– Hører ikke hjemme i et demokrati, mener prorektor ved Politihøgskolen. Professor Birgitte Ellefsen er enda krassere i kritikken av justiskomiteens leder etter at han gjøv løs på en av høyskolens forskere på grunn av en kronikk om unge kriminelle.
Reposted by Halvard Leira
UNDERSTAND THE ASSIGNMENT!
AOC: "This is about, do you understand the assignment of fighting fascism right now? And they assignment is to come together across difference no matter what."
November 5, 2025 at 7:55 PM
UNDERSTAND THE ASSIGNMENT!
Reposted by Halvard Leira
Trump Says He Won’t Rule Out Third Reich
October 27, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Trump Says He Won’t Rule Out Third Reich
kvifor20.bsky.social - de kommer i mange fasonger :)
October 23, 2025 at 7:06 PM
kvifor20.bsky.social - de kommer i mange fasonger :)
Reposted by Halvard Leira
Uh if this guy wants to see "a virgin on screen" he should just put his phone in selfie mode
October 2, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Uh if this guy wants to see "a virgin on screen" he should just put his phone in selfie mode
Reposted by Halvard Leira
If a shooter’s politics are hard to pin down, he’s a leftist
If a shooter’s politics are right wing, he’s hard to pin down
If a shooter’s politics are right wing, he’s hard to pin down
Targeted attack on a dockside restaurant in North Carolina. Three dead. Suspect a former Marine sniper in Iraq and Haiti who tried to sue the US govt for “genocide against straight men by the LGBQT community.”
Flags at half mast? Endless op-eds? Victims’ faces on coins?
www.cnn.com/2025/09/28/u...
Flags at half mast? Endless op-eds? Victims’ faces on coins?
www.cnn.com/2025/09/28/u...
Man in custody after 3 killed, at least 8 injured in shooting at a waterfront bar in North Carolina, officials say | CNN
A 40-year-old man is facing murder charges after allegedly pulling up on a boat to a waterfront bar in North Carolina Saturday night and opening fire, killing three and injuring at least eight others.
www.cnn.com
September 28, 2025 at 9:03 PM
If a shooter’s politics are hard to pin down, he’s a leftist
If a shooter’s politics are right wing, he’s hard to pin down
If a shooter’s politics are right wing, he’s hard to pin down
Reposted by Halvard Leira
Jimmy Kimmel's Monologue now has 14.3 MILLION VIEWS on YouTube.
It would be a shame for you to share it
www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1tj...
It would be a shame for you to share it
www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1tj...
Jimmy Kimmel is Back!
YouTube video by Jimmy Kimmel Live
www.youtube.com
September 24, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Jimmy Kimmel's Monologue now has 14.3 MILLION VIEWS on YouTube.
It would be a shame for you to share it
www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1tj...
It would be a shame for you to share it
www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1tj...
Reposted by Halvard Leira
So many coverups.
Release the Epstein files.
Release the Homan tapes.
Release the Venezuelan fishing boats evidence.
Release the Epstein files.
Release the Homan tapes.
Release the Venezuelan fishing boats evidence.
September 22, 2025 at 8:03 PM
So many coverups.
Release the Epstein files.
Release the Homan tapes.
Release the Venezuelan fishing boats evidence.
Release the Epstein files.
Release the Homan tapes.
Release the Venezuelan fishing boats evidence.
Reposted by Halvard Leira
my mom took tylenol when she was pregnant, which made me super focused on menswear and now i have a million followers on twitter
September 22, 2025 at 11:10 PM
my mom took tylenol when she was pregnant, which made me super focused on menswear and now i have a million followers on twitter
Reposted by Halvard Leira
"fascism is a temper tantrum disguised as an ideology" = well, that's the internet won for the day; logging off, ttyt
September 19, 2025 at 7:17 PM
"fascism is a temper tantrum disguised as an ideology" = well, that's the internet won for the day; logging off, ttyt
Reposted by Halvard Leira
📢 New blog by @halvardl.bsky.social & @bdecarvalho.bsky.social - Status and Resources in Polar Politics
Possession remains the bedrock of polar politics. Denmark’s hold over Greenland is not justified by profits... but by the international weight it carries. 🔗https://bit.ly/3Ih0OzL
Possession remains the bedrock of polar politics. Denmark’s hold over Greenland is not justified by profits... but by the international weight it carries. 🔗https://bit.ly/3Ih0OzL
September 12, 2025 at 12:49 PM
📢 New blog by @halvardl.bsky.social & @bdecarvalho.bsky.social - Status and Resources in Polar Politics
Possession remains the bedrock of polar politics. Denmark’s hold over Greenland is not justified by profits... but by the international weight it carries. 🔗https://bit.ly/3Ih0OzL
Possession remains the bedrock of polar politics. Denmark’s hold over Greenland is not justified by profits... but by the international weight it carries. 🔗https://bit.ly/3Ih0OzL
Reposted by Halvard Leira
"The new draft strategy envisions deploying uniformed troops to US cities, building a militarized zone along the southern border, and redirecting air & naval assets to counternarcotics missions in the Caribbean. This is less a foreign strategy than a domestic one."
Good read by @sodrock.bsky.social
Good read by @sodrock.bsky.social
The Final Evolution of the GOP China Hawk Frauds
They Are Who We Thought They Were
secretaryrofdefenserock.substack.com
September 6, 2025 at 8:39 PM
"The new draft strategy envisions deploying uniformed troops to US cities, building a militarized zone along the southern border, and redirecting air & naval assets to counternarcotics missions in the Caribbean. This is less a foreign strategy than a domestic one."
Good read by @sodrock.bsky.social
Good read by @sodrock.bsky.social
Jeg sier som Dr. Alban:
Sometimes you have to look and listen
You can even learn from me
Little knowledge is dangerous
It's my life
Sometimes you have to look and listen
You can even learn from me
Little knowledge is dangerous
It's my life
Utenriksnytt for generasjon TikTok | NUPI Skole
Dagens barn og unge får utenriksnyheter raskt og fra mange ulike hold. Hvordan får de god og pålitelig kunnskap om den verden de skal være med på å forme?
www.nupi.no
September 4, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Jeg sier som Dr. Alban:
Sometimes you have to look and listen
You can even learn from me
Little knowledge is dangerous
It's my life
Sometimes you have to look and listen
You can even learn from me
Little knowledge is dangerous
It's my life
Norges tøffeste, Gen X-versjon. DET hadde blitt bra TV.
August 30, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Norges tøffeste, Gen X-versjon. DET hadde blitt bra TV.
Reposted by Halvard Leira
En ting jeg syns vi kanskje snakka litt lite om er at Sindre Finnes tjente en grei årslønn på aksjehandler og utbytter med handlene som gjorde statsministeren inhabil i utallige saker, og da Erna fant det ut sa hun «Jaha, det var synd.» Og bare beholdt pengene i deres felles, delte økonomi.
Sindre Finnes tjente 644.000 kroner på alle kjøp og salg
Sindre Finnes satt igjen med en betydelig lavere gevinst fra aksjehandel enn hva Erna Solberg tidligere har opplyst.
www.dn.no
August 30, 2025 at 6:39 AM
En ting jeg syns vi kanskje snakka litt lite om er at Sindre Finnes tjente en grei årslønn på aksjehandler og utbytter med handlene som gjorde statsministeren inhabil i utallige saker, og da Erna fant det ut sa hun «Jaha, det var synd.» Og bare beholdt pengene i deres felles, delte økonomi.
Come one, come all!
Why, in spite of the inhospitality of the regions in question, do states desire pole possessions?
In this talk, @nupinytt.bsky.social researchers @halvardl.bsky.social & @bdecarvalho.bsky.social, will add a dimension which is missing from most current accounts of polar politics
>>> bit.ly/3VpAZQU
In this talk, @nupinytt.bsky.social researchers @halvardl.bsky.social & @bdecarvalho.bsky.social, will add a dimension which is missing from most current accounts of polar politics
>>> bit.ly/3VpAZQU
August 29, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Come one, come all!
Reposted by Halvard Leira
Interacting with LLMs is like trying to get a favor from a fae. You have to be *very specific* with your request, you can't ask how it works, and they'll tell you exactly what you want to hear
The #1 thing that blows my mind about how most people use LLMs: they believe if they ask the LLM a question about how it works or how accurate it is, the LLM will truthfully answer them.
I have seen SO many seemingly-smart people do this.
I have seen SO many seemingly-smart people do this.
i don't think it helps that the llms constantly lie to the user about the capabilities of llms as part of its whole obsequious fawning style of interaction that oversells its abilities and obscures its obvious limitations by fundamentally misrepresenting how the technology works
August 11, 2025 at 8:43 PM
Interacting with LLMs is like trying to get a favor from a fae. You have to be *very specific* with your request, you can't ask how it works, and they'll tell you exactly what you want to hear
Reposted by Halvard Leira
I remember when colleagues—many with professional machine learning research experience—started seriously suggesting that we evaluate LLM output by, uh, prompting an LLM to evaluate the LLM output and "explain its reasoning". I don't know how to respond to that other than "are you fucking kidding me"
The #1 thing that blows my mind about how most people use LLMs: they believe if they ask the LLM a question about how it works or how accurate it is, the LLM will truthfully answer them.
I have seen SO many seemingly-smart people do this.
I have seen SO many seemingly-smart people do this.
i don't think it helps that the llms constantly lie to the user about the capabilities of llms as part of its whole obsequious fawning style of interaction that oversells its abilities and obscures its obvious limitations by fundamentally misrepresenting how the technology works
August 11, 2025 at 8:44 PM
I remember when colleagues—many with professional machine learning research experience—started seriously suggesting that we evaluate LLM output by, uh, prompting an LLM to evaluate the LLM output and "explain its reasoning". I don't know how to respond to that other than "are you fucking kidding me"
Reposted by Halvard Leira
My Democratic colleagues and I just left the state of Texas to break quorum and stop Trump’s redistricting power grab.
Trump is trying to rig the midterm elections right before our eyes. But first he’ll have to come through us.
It’s time to fight back.
Trump is trying to rig the midterm elections right before our eyes. But first he’ll have to come through us.
It’s time to fight back.
August 3, 2025 at 9:00 PM
My Democratic colleagues and I just left the state of Texas to break quorum and stop Trump’s redistricting power grab.
Trump is trying to rig the midterm elections right before our eyes. But first he’ll have to come through us.
It’s time to fight back.
Trump is trying to rig the midterm elections right before our eyes. But first he’ll have to come through us.
It’s time to fight back.
Don't say that he's hypocritical
Say rather that he's apolitical
"Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down?
That's not my department!" says Wernher von Braun
RIP
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEJ9...
Say rather that he's apolitical
"Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down?
That's not my department!" says Wernher von Braun
RIP
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEJ9...
Tom Lehrer - Wernher von Braun
YouTube video by The Tom Lehrer Wisdom Channel
www.youtube.com
July 27, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Don't say that he's hypocritical
Say rather that he's apolitical
"Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down?
That's not my department!" says Wernher von Braun
RIP
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEJ9...
Say rather that he's apolitical
"Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down?
That's not my department!" says Wernher von Braun
RIP
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEJ9...
Reposted by Halvard Leira
Reposted by Halvard Leira
the system is deeply flawed, deeply unfair, and internally contradictory, but at its best the marriage of a pact to outlaw aggression, a New Deal-style arrangement for global poverty alleviation and individual freedom, and avenues to underwrite post-colonial sovereignty had a lot to recommend it
To sum up: if you think Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower set up the liberal international order for no reason, because they were overwhelmed by charity (or war-mongering), you're a fool.
They set it up because they'd just got done punching Nazis and were facing Stalin.
It was all load-bearing.
They set it up because they'd just got done punching Nazis and were facing Stalin.
It was all load-bearing.
July 1, 2025 at 4:30 PM
the system is deeply flawed, deeply unfair, and internally contradictory, but at its best the marriage of a pact to outlaw aggression, a New Deal-style arrangement for global poverty alleviation and individual freedom, and avenues to underwrite post-colonial sovereignty had a lot to recommend it
Reposted by Halvard Leira
me, personally? i'd call it Reconstruction.
June 30, 2025 at 8:59 PM
me, personally? i'd call it Reconstruction.