Patrick Iber
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patrickiber.bsky.social
Patrick Iber
@patrickiber.bsky.social
7.2K followers 710 following 2.6K posts
Co-editor, Dissent Magazine. I teach history at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Write books about Cold War culture and propaganda. Have written for the set of all publications that are not members of themselves
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patrickiber.bsky.social
checking in on the principled restrainers over at Tucker HQ
An RT post of Tucker Carlson dung smug face above a post "Terrying sight of Pentagon "MOTHERSHIP SPECIAL OPS COMMAND CENTER" spotted off Venezuela's coast" with the text "Maduro bans gay marriage, abortion, and sex changes; His US-backed replacement wants to legalize them, Tucker explains. Will Americans fight and die for 'GLOBOHOMO'?
October 31, 2025 at 4:56 PM
patrickiber.bsky.social
From the article referenced below: tldr esp. in authoritarian systems, mediocrities and worse tend to go into the secret police b/c those with better performance have better opportunities elsewhere, so secret police gets the dregs who are extra-dependable because the thing they can offer is loyalty
Regimes, on the other hand, have good reasons to ad- mit underperformers to their key coercive unit and to not counteract the self-selection of such officials. From the perspective of leaders, underachievers are beneficial be- cause they must diligently work toward the autocrat's in- terests to retain their career chances. For example, Alexan- dru Drâghici, the former interior minister of Romania, was well aware that his secret police agents "had a fairly low level of training and general knowledge, but that these shortcomings were compensated for by their powerful revolutionary enthusiasm" (Deletant 2005, 304). By con- trast, leaders who assign high-performing officials to serve in the secret police must fear that their subordinates will not execute unpleasant orders. Having lucrative career options, competent officials make unreliable secret police agents, as they are likely to stay passive when the regime is under attack (Zakharov 2016).
October 23, 2025 at 7:24 PM
patrickiber.bsky.social
welcome to earth! can I interest you in a redevelopment opportunity
a still from the 1996 film Independence Day with a giant alien spacecraft shooting a blue laser into the White House as it begins to explode
October 23, 2025 at 4:10 PM
patrickiber.bsky.social
Is this good or bad
October 4, 2025 at 2:42 AM
patrickiber.bsky.social
Oof: "Pinochet does not ask the owners of the newspaper [El Mercurio] what they have done with the hundred million dollars, and El Mercurio does not ask Pinochet what he has done with the people--more than seven hundred of them--who have disappeared in Chile after being arrested by the military."
The regime has perfected the tech- nique of identifying themes likely to capture the popular imagination, and of using messages and images to dis- tract the public. Of course, there is nothing new about Pinochet's al- lowing El Mercurio to run up a debt to the government of roughly a hundred million dollars, and thus being able to count on its unconditional support. Pi- nochet does not ask the owners of the newspaper, the Edwards family, what they have done with the hundred mil- lion dollars, and El Mercurio does not ask Pinochet what he has done with the people more than seven hundred of them--who have disappeared in Chile after being arrested by the mili.
October 2, 2025 at 10:59 PM
patrickiber.bsky.social
Have you had any of these kind of thoughts about exile?
Then come the financial considera- tions and the negotiations with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. This stage is usually fol lowed by doubts and ambivalence: it is possible that Pinochet may continue in power only another year. Going inte exile also poses risks that must be con- sidered. The children may marry for- eigners while they are living abroad, and may not want to return to Chile when the dictator is overthrown. There are usually grandparents to think about; often they are in ill health. In addition, going into exile means that you lose your job, your professional qualifications, and your home. When a family faces exile, the countless elements that make up its life are all swept up in a devastating whirlwind. Exiles who have returned to Chile cannot help those who must make a decision about whether to escape. The exile's return is painful, despite the help of a team of psychologists spon- sored by the Catholic, Lutheran, and Methodist churches. It is not easy to renter Chilean life, and most exiles find that political solidarity has been extinguished by the repression and that economic solidarity has been made impossible by the hard times. The confusion suffered by adoles- cents and young people who return is expressed in their relations with the country and with their parents. In Eu- rope, the United States, or some of the other Latin-American countries, they have been able to enjoy almost bound- less freedom, and have become accus- tomed to it. Now they find themselves in a country that is almost unknown to them. They are startled by constant warnings from their parents about the limits they must observe. During the children's exile, the influence of the parents was strong, because the chil- dren saw them as linked to the recap- ture of their country. The children of whole families that have returned from exile look upon Chile, according to "Exilio, 1978-1986," a book writ- ten by a group of psychologists, as "the land of their parents and the friends of their parents, a land un- known, yet also desired, by the ado- lescents." Once the parents are back in Chile, however, they seem over- come by difficulties. Their spirits seem broken: they do not know how to
October 2, 2025 at 10:57 PM
patrickiber.bsky.social
So I found these passages of people speculating about other possible ends to the dictatorship to be a fascinating little view on that moment in time
Of the Chileans who believe that it is vitally necessary to eliminate Pi- nochet, the majority would prefer to see the United States do it, rather than the Communists. They believe that the Chilean armed forces would accept the operation if it were to be carried out by Washington, but that terrible, indis- criminate repression would be un- leashed if the Communists were to assassinate Pinochet, and this would consolidate the military regime. The truth is, however, that at the moment the United States has other plans for Chile. They are not violent, as they were with Nixon and his Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger. They are also far removed from the magic solution that Chilean politicians dream about- an Operation Chile to remove Pi- nochet which would be over in twen- ty-four hours. It is widely believed that the Reagan Administration wants the Chilean armed forces themselves to bring the Pinochet dictatorship to a close--peacefully and, if possible, within the legal framework of the regime. Pinochet would be allowed to spend the rest of his days in a country of his choice; the political parties would be expected to allow the military to return to their barracks in peace; and the Chilean Communist Party would be isolated. Although the proposal is simple, carrying it out would be extremely complex. Pinochet has his own friends in Washington, headed by Senator Jesse Helms and Jeane Kirkpatrick, the former ambassador to the United Nations, and he is maneuvering all the time. Pinochet is extremely good at political maneuvering. The Chilean political parties, for their part, have no common objective, even after fourteen years of dictatorship. Although their leaders have been together in jails, in exile, in the underground resistance, not one has ever managed to learn that he must sacrifice what may seem to be a benefit for his own party in pursuit of a common objective. What Washington has achieved in a short time, merely by changing its ambassador and its attitude, is, for the first time in Latin America, the peo- ple's acceptance-with enthusiasm, or, at least, with resignation of United States intervention. Pinochet's author- itarian personality and the savagery of the military repression have contrib- uted enormously to this acceptance of American intervention. The accep- tance was demonstrated in notable fashion toward the end of 1986 in a conference at the headquarters of Chile's professional association of journalists, in Santiago. A panel of political leaders from the right, the left, and the center discussed seri- ously, rationally, and with equanimity -the possible participation of Wash- ington in the overthrow of Pinochet and the American role in a period of transition to democracy. The topic was "Prospects for American Policy Toward Chile," and, naturally, the major complaints came from the left, but they did not constitute the tradi- tional, virulent attack on imperialist policies. Instead, the left, viewing the situation almost with sadness, la- mented that the United States inter- vened only in cases of crisis and, un- fortunately, the American experts did not yet detect a crisis in Chile. Wash- ington has achieved its consensus that no crisis exists because over the past two years it has publicized its almost constant criticism of human-rights vi- olations in Chile and has intervened to call for the lifting of restrictions on press freedom.
October 2, 2025 at 10:45 PM
patrickiber.bsky.social
Part of my editor's note on our suspension between states of democracy and authoritarianism www.dissentmagazine.org/article/fall...
Donald Trump and his subordinates demonstrate daily that their authoritarian desire for control extends across society’s institutions. The press and universities are being brought to heel by threats, lawsuits, and their billionaire backers. Government employees are losing their jobs for doing their jobs, or for no reason at all. Areas of inquiry are being shut down. While Gaza starves, criticism of Israel is dangerous. Civil and political liberties are blinking out. Women have lost rights; trans people are told that they should not exist. The government has institutionalized disappearance and torture by masked agents of the state and gleefully celebrated these actions in ethno-nationalist terms. Even naturalized citizens have been put on notice that their rights are provisional. The military is ordered to assume law enforcement functions. Trump muses about an unconstitutional third term, and the Republican Party is planning moves, like the gerrymander in Texas, that will make it harder to call upcoming elections free and fair. How many leaves have already fallen? A few decades ago, when the study of transitions to democracy rather than away from it occupied the attention of political scientists, one would occasionally encounter an apparent paradox. Consider Mexico’s slow exit from a complicated single-party autocracy under the Partido Revolucionario Institucional. The PRI lost control of Congress for the first time in almost seventy years in 1997. But no one was certain if the country met the standard to be called a democracy until the PRI also accepted its loss in the presidential elections of 2000. Only at that point did it seem reasonable to say that Mexico probably was a democracy in 1997 too. That process is now playing out in reverse around the globe. Core components of democracy are being lost, but people often don’t know what kind of system they are in at any given moment. That suspension between states may only be revealed by future events.
September 9, 2025 at 6:25 PM
patrickiber.bsky.social
The fall issue of Dissent, with a special section on Authoritarianism and Resistance, is off to the presses and will be in mailboxes soon. My editor's note contains this observation about our suspension of states between authoritarianism and democracy
A few decades ago, when the study of transitions to democracy rather than away from it occupied the attention of political scientists, one would occasionally encounter an apparent paradox. Consider Mexico’s slow exit from a complicated single-party autocracy under the Partido Revolucionario Institucional. The PRI lost control of Congress for the first time in almost seventy years in 1997. But no one was certain if the country met the standard to be called a democracy until the PRI also accepted its loss in the presidential elections of 2000. Only at that point did it seem reasonable to say that Mexico probably was a democracy in 1997 too. That process is now playing out in reverse around the globe. Core components of democracy are being lost, but people often don’t know what kind of system they are in at any given moment. That suspension between states may only be revealed by future events.
August 28, 2025 at 2:18 PM
patrickiber.bsky.social
Context matters, kids: it turns out the best title for a book is one of the worst things to see on a hat
Trump wearing a stupid red hat that says "Trump was right about everything" The cover of Leszek Kolakowski's book "My Correct Views on Everything", featuring Kolakowski with his face in his hands smirking and looking askance at the viewer
August 22, 2025 at 2:39 PM
patrickiber.bsky.social
Read the article that Bukele says is fake news! I'm quoted a bit (and I know people who have recently gone into exile, this is definitely not fake news) www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
Screenshot of the article and Bukele tweeting "Hahahahahaha You know, I once thought the news were real"
July 18, 2025 at 6:14 PM
patrickiber.bsky.social
Why did DHS share a painting by Thomas Kinkade? @sarahjones.bsky.social explains his importance to the evangelical movement: "His imaginary 1950s, without immigration or the civil rights movement, was where millions of people wanted to live long before MAGA." www.dissentmagazine.org/online_artic...
Screenshot of the DHS tweeting "Protect the Homeland" with a painting called Morning Pledge by Thomas Kinked; it shows an idealized small-town America, the pavement slick with rain, a church with an American flag, two figures walking past a white picket fence
July 18, 2025 at 4:14 PM
patrickiber.bsky.social
Chapter 6 of my new book, out fall 2026
Domino guy meme with "Ted Schultz defends substituting margarine for butter in wartime" at the low end and "Global Neoliberal Restructuring" at the big end
July 11, 2025 at 12:47 AM
patrickiber.bsky.social
Damn, it looks just like the photos of the disappeared that were put up by relatives in the South American dictatorships
Small selection of black and white photos of the faces of the disappeared of the Pinochet dictatorship, now at its Museum of Memory and Human Rights
July 4, 2025 at 10:03 PM
patrickiber.bsky.social
A group of Bluesky followers is called a copepod
Part of a deep purple panel in a museum with white text describing microscopic organisms called copepods
July 1, 2025 at 10:19 PM
patrickiber.bsky.social
Well, New York, which one do you want? (From Calvino’s Invisible Cities)
That said, it is pointless trying to decide whether Zenobia is to be classified among happy cities or among the unhappy. It makes no sense to divide cities into these two species, but rather into another two: those that through the years and the changes continue to give their form to desires, and those in which desires erase the city or are erased by it.
June 23, 2025 at 3:20 AM
patrickiber.bsky.social
A woman listening to the fractal radio used by Luthen Rael and the rebellion to communicate in Andor; hidden in Rael's antiquities shop; it has a similar technological vibe to the image of the Pope below
June 20, 2025 at 6:19 PM
patrickiber.bsky.social
Now _this_ I can celebrate
Kellogg's "Our Brands" with Raisin Bran, Fruit Loops, Pringles, etc.
June 17, 2025 at 7:26 PM
patrickiber.bsky.social
Humans are really good at recognizing faces so we see them in all kinds of places that they aren't; my guess is that we are really good at recognizing conscious agents by their use of communicational tools (most often language), and so we are seeing consciousness in LLMs where it isn't
A photo of a dirty bathtub that looks like a face, with the hot and cold handles for eyes and the spigot a nose and the overflow slot for a mouth
June 17, 2025 at 7:23 PM
patrickiber.bsky.social
Nicolás Medina Mora takes on the good, the bad, and the ugly from Greg Grandin's América, América in a review that is both erudite and sprightly www.dissentmagazine.org/online_artic...
More than anything else, Grandin should be commended for his vindication of what he calls “Latin America’s worldview.” In his scheme, the region’s “humanist” approach to politics—along with economics, literature, theology, diplomacy, ethnic inclusion, social welfare, and above all international law—constitutes a “remarkably coherent” rebuttal to the imperialist ideology of the United States. Now that the country that hubristically calls itself America has yet again been taken hostage by a clique of dime-store Eichmanns, it’s heartening to watch a U.S. historian conjure the spirit of Bartolomé de las Casas, the sixteenth-century Spanish friar who dedicated his life to defending the Indigenous peoples of the New World from the abuses of European colonizers. Yet America, América is ultimately disappointing. Essentializing millions of people from dozens of cultures that seem similar only when considered from the perspective of the United States—even if it is to vindicate them—is another form of imperial condescension.
June 11, 2025 at 6:32 PM
patrickiber.bsky.social
The second is this bench which sits outside the front door to the little house. It is made out of twist-off bottle caps strung together and was a gift to Pepe from patients at a mental hospital. When you wait to talk to him, you may sit there. The King of Spain sat there. Beautifully leveling.
Some trees and bushes, some cheap white plastic chairs in a stack. And the humble bench described in the post, a blue frame with red, white, and blue caps
May 14, 2025 at 6:16 PM
patrickiber.bsky.social
The two things that I will never forget from the visit: first, Mújica story of being held in solitary confinement, unable to read for more than seven years. When he was finally permitted books, he was still forbidden from anything in the humanities or social sciences
Pepe Mújica in 2023, with a blue jacket, inside his kitchen. He sits a simple table with a vinyl red-and-white checked cloth. The walls are cracking in the background
May 14, 2025 at 6:11 PM
patrickiber.bsky.social
I...uh...she wasn't wrong
Steve from Blues Clues, a basic white dude with light brown hair, a green-on-green polo and khaki slacks; the cartoon dog is on his shoulders
May 7, 2025 at 7:56 PM
patrickiber.bsky.social
In 2015 Ai Weiwei did an installation at Alcatraz dedicated to political prisoners
A photo of the exhibit with Lego bricks on the floor at Alcatraz made into portraits. In the photo you can see Martin Luther King Jr, John Kiriakou, Shaker Aamer
May 5, 2025 at 3:32 AM
patrickiber.bsky.social
Little makeover for my office door
An office door with the Spanish Civil War No pasarán poster on it, depicting a soldier carrying a rifle in the foreground and a shadowy worker carrying a rifle in the background
April 17, 2025 at 8:25 PM