Henry Farrell
@himself.bsky.social
Professor of democracy and international affairs. http://www.henryfarrell.net and newsletter at http://www.programmablemutter.com. Underground Empire: How America Weaponized the World Economy (Holt, Penguin). https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781250840554.
"I love genre! I love it so much I like to rub all of the genres over each other all the time. Which I suppose is less to say fuck genre and more that genre fucks."
I have a new interview about RAKESFALL up at Reactor! In which I am quite verbose reactormag.com/author-inter...
A Conversation With Vajra Chandrasekera, Author of Rakesfall - Reactor
"I think writers, like all artists, have a responsibility to act as human cultural workers in an actual society"
reactormag.com
November 11, 2025 at 3:27 AM
"I love genre! I love it so much I like to rub all of the genres over each other all the time. Which I suppose is less to say fuck genre and more that genre fucks."
Reposted by Henry Farrell
an underrated part of this turducken of garbage is Elon posting an image of the Odyssey while discussing the Iliad, but it's all so terribly, terribly pathetic
*maximum alpha at 1.25x speed* continuously lives on in my head, unfortunately.
November 11, 2025 at 1:48 AM
an underrated part of this turducken of garbage is Elon posting an image of the Odyssey while discussing the Iliad, but it's all so terribly, terribly pathetic
Reposted by Henry Farrell
I wrote about what I see as the real lesson of Mamdani's victory: not that Democrats needs to move left (or right, for that matter), but that they should try to build real-world relationships with normal voters. publiccomment.blog/p/mamdani-th...
Mamdani the Party Builder
Partyism in action
publiccomment.blog
November 10, 2025 at 10:31 PM
I wrote about what I see as the real lesson of Mamdani's victory: not that Democrats needs to move left (or right, for that matter), but that they should try to build real-world relationships with normal voters. publiccomment.blog/p/mamdani-th...
I am very much looking forward to this book.
Advanced read giveaway of the essay collection on the history & craft of science fiction & fantasy that Jo & I have coming out in spring! Pacing, plot, What Is Genre?, flying grapefruit, evolution of printing tech, impact of international translation, and much more!
(This giveaway is US only, alas)
(This giveaway is US only, alas)
Goodreads giveaway for Trace Elements!
@adapalmer.bsky.social is very interesting, science fiction is very interesting, sometimes when it isn't a Monday morning even I can be a bit interesting -- if you use Goodreads, sign up in the hope of a free copy of our book
www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...
@adapalmer.bsky.social is very interesting, science fiction is very interesting, sometimes when it isn't a Monday morning even I can be a bit interesting -- if you use Goodreads, sign up in the hope of a free copy of our book
www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...
November 10, 2025 at 7:10 PM
I am very much looking forward to this book.
The massacre of the ethics/safety teams and the internal reorientation away from anything that hinted at broader purpose (with exception for the more profitable bits of natsec) is a story that has yet to be properly told.
there was an incredibly stark change at my job between 2023 and 2025. just absolutely day and night.
i dont think there’s ever been a point where corporate america has had a sincere sense of morality but it is probably a sign of the times that the culture at most major firms does not even pretend to encourage ethical behavior anymore. the transformation is really stark in tech.
November 10, 2025 at 6:39 PM
The massacre of the ethics/safety teams and the internal reorientation away from anything that hinted at broader purpose (with exception for the more profitable bits of natsec) is a story that has yet to be properly told.
The Council on Foreign Relations online system - which requires you to re-register every month via _phone call_ (no other option available) is truly the most special of all. I suspect it is because (a) age demographic of average member, (b) lack of tech resources to guide confused members through.
To add insult to injury, this is my bank's service that sends out 2FA codes via SMS. Which I don't want to use in the first place, because I have a 2FA app that my bank's website won't let me use.
November 10, 2025 at 6:35 PM
The Council on Foreign Relations online system - which requires you to re-register every month via _phone call_ (no other option available) is truly the most special of all. I suspect it is because (a) age demographic of average member, (b) lack of tech resources to guide confused members through.
Reposted by Henry Farrell
Went to repost this and then depressingly saw it was from 8 months ago. This is still true, and I am now convinced it will remain true until there are successful primary challenges nationwide to the "roll over and play dead" Dems.
American politics makes a lot more sense when you realize that the GOP is afraid of pissing off the GOP base, and the Dems are afraid of pissing off the GOP base, but neither party is afraid of pissing off the Dem base.
November 10, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Went to repost this and then depressingly saw it was from 8 months ago. This is still true, and I am now convinced it will remain true until there are successful primary challenges nationwide to the "roll over and play dead" Dems.
Reposted by Henry Farrell
Well, it's happened. Burning Men is a physical artefact, out in the world.
On Saturday I went to John Sandoe Books in Chelsea to see it and get my author copies. Was not prepared for all the FEELINGS
If you're in London, pop in and get a free copy with your Christmas haul. It's ... smoking..!
On Saturday I went to John Sandoe Books in Chelsea to see it and get my author copies. Was not prepared for all the FEELINGS
If you're in London, pop in and get a free copy with your Christmas haul. It's ... smoking..!
November 10, 2025 at 8:20 AM
Well, it's happened. Burning Men is a physical artefact, out in the world.
On Saturday I went to John Sandoe Books in Chelsea to see it and get my author copies. Was not prepared for all the FEELINGS
If you're in London, pop in and get a free copy with your Christmas haul. It's ... smoking..!
On Saturday I went to John Sandoe Books in Chelsea to see it and get my author copies. Was not prepared for all the FEELINGS
If you're in London, pop in and get a free copy with your Christmas haul. It's ... smoking..!
Reposted by Henry Farrell
The combination of Cass invoking fortress USMCA as an example of sovereignty prevailing over efficiency & Miran getting excited about $ stablecoin expansion pushing down US rates is a reminder of a (bipartisan) view that US sovereignty requires asymmetric interventions in the sovereignty of others.
November 10, 2025 at 2:19 PM
The combination of Cass invoking fortress USMCA as an example of sovereignty prevailing over efficiency & Miran getting excited about $ stablecoin expansion pushing down US rates is a reminder of a (bipartisan) view that US sovereignty requires asymmetric interventions in the sovereignty of others.
Playing around with a notion of Cosma's regarding LLMs and The Singer of Tales, it is notable that GPT5 still has no grasp of meter, while Claude Opus not only groks iambic pentameter, but produces some genuinely striking lines. (prompt: Schelling's deterrence theory in sonnet+iambics)
November 9, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Playing around with a notion of Cosma's regarding LLMs and The Singer of Tales, it is notable that GPT5 still has no grasp of meter, while Claude Opus not only groks iambic pentameter, but produces some genuinely striking lines. (prompt: Schelling's deterrence theory in sonnet+iambics)
Reposted by Henry Farrell
Refusing to work with Israeli academics means refusing to work with one of the main sources of dissent within Israeli society. To be sure, their views are not uniform, but that is a reason to avoid broad based bans,
Israeli Academics Find Themselves Isolated Despite Gaza Cease-Fire www.nytimes.com/2025/11/09/w...
Israeli Academics Find Themselves Isolated Despite Gaza Cease-Fire
www.nytimes.com
November 9, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Refusing to work with Israeli academics means refusing to work with one of the main sources of dissent within Israeli society. To be sure, their views are not uniform, but that is a reason to avoid broad based bans,
Reposted by Henry Farrell
OMG. The site is literally called the Dunning Kruger Times.
With a “WOW!,” President Trump posts a claim about DOGE and “royalties linked to Obamacare” that originated on a satirical website. That site’s own About section reads: “Everything on this website is fiction… If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined.”
November 9, 2025 at 4:37 PM
OMG. The site is literally called the Dunning Kruger Times.
Reposted by Henry Farrell
wrote this a week ago and feel very strongly that there is just going to be a lot of pain any way you slice this. and i feel like the societal backlash might be genuinely surprising
November 9, 2025 at 2:34 AM
wrote this a week ago and feel very strongly that there is just going to be a lot of pain any way you slice this. and i feel like the societal backlash might be genuinely surprising
This is really good (and the linked collection is as good a way to spend $3 as you're likely to find - I'd also add shoutouts to "A Spanish Lesson" and "Mengele" as capturing a different aspect of where we are now, but that would be a different piece)
A piece by me on Lucius Shepard's stories of brutal, hallucinatory war in Latin America.
foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/07/l...
foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/07/l...
The Forgotten Visionary of U.S. War in Latin America
Lucius Shepard’s hallucinogenic stories anticipated Trump’s war fantasies.
foreignpolicy.com
November 9, 2025 at 12:29 AM
This is really good (and the linked collection is as good a way to spend $3 as you're likely to find - I'd also add shoutouts to "A Spanish Lesson" and "Mengele" as capturing a different aspect of where we are now, but that would be a different piece)
November 8, 2025 at 9:33 PM
"Any path forward will ultimately rest on public discontent with the president, and beyond that, Democrats are less in need of new messaging than they are in the social and political infrastructure needed to reach voters where they’re at." www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/o...
Opinion | We Can’t Pretend to Know the Future of the Democratic Party
www.nytimes.com
November 8, 2025 at 7:48 PM
"Any path forward will ultimately rest on public discontent with the president, and beyond that, Democrats are less in need of new messaging than they are in the social and political infrastructure needed to reach voters where they’re at." www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/o...
www.thebanner.com/community/ho... One of those articles that (a) has clearly been vetted very carefully by lawyers, (b) where a plausible story of what has going on is obvious if you read carefully, and (c) you worry both for people involved and because maybe indicative of _much_ bigger problems.
The housing hustle igniting a foreclosure crisis in Baltimore
The foreclosures could send neighborhoods spiraling and make Baltimore America’s next great housing crisis.
www.thebanner.com
November 8, 2025 at 7:36 PM
www.thebanner.com/community/ho... One of those articles that (a) has clearly been vetted very carefully by lawyers, (b) where a plausible story of what has going on is obvious if you read carefully, and (c) you worry both for people involved and because maybe indicative of _much_ bigger problems.
One underappreciated aspect of the Sicilian mafia is how wildly hard it was for mafiosi to work together and trust each other, especially after the Corleonesi began their takeover bid. The relevant bits from my first book on trust (also the only bits non-specialists might want to read)
November 8, 2025 at 5:37 PM
One underappreciated aspect of the Sicilian mafia is how wildly hard it was for mafiosi to work together and trust each other, especially after the Corleonesi began their takeover bid. The relevant bits from my first book on trust (also the only bits non-specialists might want to read)
Reposted by Henry Farrell
criterion 50% off sale at barnes and noble btw
November 8, 2025 at 2:00 AM
criterion 50% off sale at barnes and noble btw
Reposted by Henry Farrell
The incredible shrinking attack on U.S. universities continues.
Cornell has signed an agreement—but unlike the UVA agreement, instead of pledging to follow the gov't's highly questionable July "guidance" on discrimination, Cornell simply agrees to hand it out to faculty as a "training resource"!
Cornell has signed an agreement—but unlike the UVA agreement, instead of pledging to follow the gov't's highly questionable July "guidance" on discrimination, Cornell simply agrees to hand it out to faculty as a "training resource"!
November 7, 2025 at 5:32 PM
The incredible shrinking attack on U.S. universities continues.
Cornell has signed an agreement—but unlike the UVA agreement, instead of pledging to follow the gov't's highly questionable July "guidance" on discrimination, Cornell simply agrees to hand it out to faculty as a "training resource"!
Cornell has signed an agreement—but unlike the UVA agreement, instead of pledging to follow the gov't's highly questionable July "guidance" on discrimination, Cornell simply agrees to hand it out to faculty as a "training resource"!
Reposted by Henry Farrell
I successfully nerd-sniped myself into making a precinct-level dot-density map of the NYC mayoral election. kieranhealy.org/blog/archive...
Mamdani vs Sliwa and Cuomo
Mamdani’s victory in the New York City mayoral election gave me the opportunity to draw a few maps, and also to learn a bit about incorporating additional spatial data into maps drawn in R. R is not a...
kieranhealy.org
November 6, 2025 at 10:07 PM
I successfully nerd-sniped myself into making a precinct-level dot-density map of the NYC mayoral election. kieranhealy.org/blog/archive...
Reposted by Henry Farrell
This week's mailbag owes a lot to @mschmitt9.bsky.social, who goes unnamed here. www.offmessage.net/p/are-we-hea...
November 6, 2025 at 5:25 PM
This week's mailbag owes a lot to @mschmitt9.bsky.social, who goes unnamed here. www.offmessage.net/p/are-we-hea...
Reposted by Henry Farrell
Tonight at Harris School of Public Policy: Why Economic Inequalities Endure. For decades, Sam Bowles has challenged how we think about economics, democracy, and inequality. Ahead of his talk, hear him compare capitalism and democracy on The Inequality Podcast.
Listen → bit.ly/43Qi8mz
Listen → bit.ly/43Qi8mz
November 6, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Tonight at Harris School of Public Policy: Why Economic Inequalities Endure. For decades, Sam Bowles has challenged how we think about economics, democracy, and inequality. Ahead of his talk, hear him compare capitalism and democracy on The Inequality Podcast.
Listen → bit.ly/43Qi8mz
Listen → bit.ly/43Qi8mz
first as dark comedy and then as farce www.imdb.com/title/tt0717...
November 6, 2025 at 6:12 PM
first as dark comedy and then as farce www.imdb.com/title/tt0717...
us12.campaign-archive.com?u=6a195a173a... this by @johnsides.bsky.social at @goodauth.bsky.social seems exactly right to me.
New evidence on whether moderate candidates do better in elections
us12.campaign-archive.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:05 PM
us12.campaign-archive.com?u=6a195a173a... this by @johnsides.bsky.social at @goodauth.bsky.social seems exactly right to me.