Peter White
@petewhitepolisci.bsky.social
Associate Professor of Political Science at Auburn University
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=cADczJsAAAAJ&hl=en
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=cADczJsAAAAJ&hl=en
Reposted by Peter White
Sharing this recent podcast by me on how civil-military relations (ideally) should work in liberal democracies.
See here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsma...
See here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsma...
October 27, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Sharing this recent podcast by me on how civil-military relations (ideally) should work in liberal democracies.
See here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsma...
See here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsma...
Reposted by Peter White
I’ve done this for 2 weeks now and it *absolutely rules*. Best class discussions I’ve ever had. Best engagement with readings. They write in this worksheet for 15 minutes, then talk about their responses in groups of 3-4, then groups share with the whole class, and *then* we talk about the readings
Updating my comparative public admin seminar class—which was decimated by AI last year—to maybe be a little more LLM-proof by adding a 20–30 minute start-of-class writing & discussion activity. Will it work? Who knows! Full details and PDF here: governancef25.classes.andrewheiss.com/assignment/c...
September 5, 2025 at 1:11 AM
I’ve done this for 2 weeks now and it *absolutely rules*. Best class discussions I’ve ever had. Best engagement with readings. They write in this worksheet for 15 minutes, then talk about their responses in groups of 3-4, then groups share with the whole class, and *then* we talk about the readings
I wrote a "Letter to the Editor" of our student newspaper on AI in student writing
www.theplainsman.com/article/2025...
www.theplainsman.com/article/2025...
Letter to the Editor | Beware AI in classrooms - The Auburn Plainsman
AI is taking over in classrooms. To be clear, this is a powerful technology with many useful applications, including in the university setting. There is evidence that it can aid in some aspects o...
www.theplainsman.com
August 18, 2025 at 2:15 PM
I wrote a "Letter to the Editor" of our student newspaper on AI in student writing
www.theplainsman.com/article/2025...
www.theplainsman.com/article/2025...
Reposted by Peter White
Important perspective from @risabrooks12.bsky.social, one of the sharpest civ-mil experts around. The military can't save democracy, but in my judgment they can and should save their profession by defending its values.
My take is that senior officers are completely unprepared for this moment.
When demo is healthy, there is little tension btw adhering to civilian control & serving democracy
Faced w/ the manifest clash in principles these missions present, they are doing what's familiar--following orders.1/
When demo is healthy, there is little tension btw adhering to civilian control & serving democracy
Faced w/ the manifest clash in principles these missions present, they are doing what's familiar--following orders.1/
What's a MAJ supposed to do when they watch GOFOs and COLs do nothing and say nothing about what went down with LA, the parade, Bragg, and criticism of MoH recipients?
There's no top cover, no leadership, no hard convos. Just abdication and servility from the top creating difficulties on down.
There's no top cover, no leadership, no hard convos. Just abdication and servility from the top creating difficulties on down.
August 13, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Important perspective from @risabrooks12.bsky.social, one of the sharpest civ-mil experts around. The military can't save democracy, but in my judgment they can and should save their profession by defending its values.
Reposted by Peter White
My take is that senior officers are completely unprepared for this moment.
When demo is healthy, there is little tension btw adhering to civilian control & serving democracy
Faced w/ the manifest clash in principles these missions present, they are doing what's familiar--following orders.1/
When demo is healthy, there is little tension btw adhering to civilian control & serving democracy
Faced w/ the manifest clash in principles these missions present, they are doing what's familiar--following orders.1/
What's a MAJ supposed to do when they watch GOFOs and COLs do nothing and say nothing about what went down with LA, the parade, Bragg, and criticism of MoH recipients?
There's no top cover, no leadership, no hard convos. Just abdication and servility from the top creating difficulties on down.
There's no top cover, no leadership, no hard convos. Just abdication and servility from the top creating difficulties on down.
August 13, 2025 at 3:35 PM
My take is that senior officers are completely unprepared for this moment.
When demo is healthy, there is little tension btw adhering to civilian control & serving democracy
Faced w/ the manifest clash in principles these missions present, they are doing what's familiar--following orders.1/
When demo is healthy, there is little tension btw adhering to civilian control & serving democracy
Faced w/ the manifest clash in principles these missions present, they are doing what's familiar--following orders.1/
Reposted by Peter White
I’m excited that my first book is available for pre-order and will come out at the end of the month!
It looks at how to think about military ethics from a perspective of upholding democratic governance and values. Everyone can just ignore the chapter on Augustine unless you REALLY like Augustine 😂
It looks at how to think about military ethics from a perspective of upholding democratic governance and values. Everyone can just ignore the chapter on Augustine unless you REALLY like Augustine 😂
July 8, 2025 at 1:42 AM
I’m excited that my first book is available for pre-order and will come out at the end of the month!
It looks at how to think about military ethics from a perspective of upholding democratic governance and values. Everyone can just ignore the chapter on Augustine unless you REALLY like Augustine 😂
It looks at how to think about military ethics from a perspective of upholding democratic governance and values. Everyone can just ignore the chapter on Augustine unless you REALLY like Augustine 😂
Reposted by Peter White
My story. Told my way with truth and as much grace I can muster. Thank you, Tom.
Seven years ago, Pauline Shanks Kaurin left a good job as a tenured professor, uprooted her family, and moved to teach military ethics at the Naval War College. Now she's leaving in protest of policies she can't support and that make her job impossible.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
A Military Ethics Professor Resigns in Protest
Over the course of several months, Pauline Shanks Kaurin concluded she no longer had the academic freedom necessary for doing her job.
www.theatlantic.com
June 25, 2025 at 12:45 PM
My story. Told my way with truth and as much grace I can muster. Thank you, Tom.
Reposted by Peter White
Delighted to share that my work with @profteigen.bsky.social is out!
We test the often touted assumption/claim that people who live near military bases in the US will be more conservative/Republican. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, we find NO link.
So why has this myth persisted? 1/
We test the often touted assumption/claim that people who live near military bases in the US will be more conservative/Republican. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, we find NO link.
So why has this myth persisted? 1/
Base Assumptions: The Complex Electoral Geography of Stateside US Military Installations | PS: Political Science & Politics | Cambridge Core
Base Assumptions: The Complex Electoral Geography of Stateside US Military Installations
resolve.cambridge.org
June 25, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Delighted to share that my work with @profteigen.bsky.social is out!
We test the often touted assumption/claim that people who live near military bases in the US will be more conservative/Republican. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, we find NO link.
So why has this myth persisted? 1/
We test the often touted assumption/claim that people who live near military bases in the US will be more conservative/Republican. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, we find NO link.
So why has this myth persisted? 1/
Reposted by Peter White
Everything Lindsay said! Happy to share my recent @jpeaceresearch.bsky.social article with anyone who wants to learn more about the relationship between military recruitment practices and conflict initiation. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
June 23, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Everything Lindsay said! Happy to share my recent @jpeaceresearch.bsky.social article with anyone who wants to learn more about the relationship between military recruitment practices and conflict initiation. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Reposted by Peter White
Friends, followers, and colleagues: some professional news, as they say.
After four wonderful years with the US Army War College, I resigned my position effective May 2, 2025. 1/
After four wonderful years with the US Army War College, I resigned my position effective May 2, 2025. 1/
June 5, 2025 at 12:40 AM
Friends, followers, and colleagues: some professional news, as they say.
After four wonderful years with the US Army War College, I resigned my position effective May 2, 2025. 1/
After four wonderful years with the US Army War College, I resigned my position effective May 2, 2025. 1/
Reposted by Peter White
I am delighted to announce that the first H-Diplo|RJISSF roundtable I have had the pleasure to organize has been published! Check out the discussion of @tanishafazal.bsky.social’s excellent book, Military Medicine and the Hidden Costs of War, here: networks.h-net.org/group/discus...
H-Diplo|RJISSF Roundtable 16-41 on Fazal, _Military Medicine and the Hidden Costs of War_ | H-Net
H-Diplo | Robert Jervis International Security Studies ForumRoundtable Review 16-41 Tanisha M. Fazal, Military Medicine and the Hidden Costs of War. Oxford University Press, 2024. ISBN: 9780190057473....
networks.h-net.org
May 30, 2025 at 4:33 PM
I am delighted to announce that the first H-Diplo|RJISSF roundtable I have had the pleasure to organize has been published! Check out the discussion of @tanishafazal.bsky.social’s excellent book, Military Medicine and the Hidden Costs of War, here: networks.h-net.org/group/discus...
Please consider helping my good buddy, Greg, and his family, who lost their house and all their belongings in the LA fires. The post also lists some great charities that are helping on the ground in LA that are also worthy of your help:
gofund.me/0d8b87c7
gofund.me/0d8b87c7
Donate to Help Sarah & Greg Recover After Devastating Wildfire, organized by Maura Roosevelt
Our dear friends Sarah Paule and Greg Berger lost their house in … Maura Roosevelt needs your support for Help Sarah & Greg Recover After Devastating Wildfire
gofund.me
January 17, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Please consider helping my good buddy, Greg, and his family, who lost their house and all their belongings in the LA fires. The post also lists some great charities that are helping on the ground in LA that are also worthy of your help:
gofund.me/0d8b87c7
gofund.me/0d8b87c7
Reposted by Peter White
Can we PLEASE have a CivMilSky watch party when this premiers? I'm so excited about the prospect of a military workplace comedy. deadline.com/2024/05/deni...
Denis Leary Comedy Series ‘Going Dutch’ Ordered At Fox
Denis Leary to star in the newly greenlit single-camera comedy 'Going Dutch from creator/showrunner Joel Church-Cooper & Fox Entertainment Studios
deadline.com
December 5, 2024 at 2:05 AM
Can we PLEASE have a CivMilSky watch party when this premiers? I'm so excited about the prospect of a military workplace comedy. deadline.com/2024/05/deni...
Reposted by Peter White
Ok, let’s have a conversation about the true cost of the AVF, which it appears Elon and Vivek are just now discovering. But also why it’s the best system we have and why advocates for a return to the draft are fundamentally unserious. Buckle up for a fun #civmilsky thread 1/
November 30, 2024 at 9:37 PM
Ok, let’s have a conversation about the true cost of the AVF, which it appears Elon and Vivek are just now discovering. But also why it’s the best system we have and why advocates for a return to the draft are fundamentally unserious. Buckle up for a fun #civmilsky thread 1/
Reposted by Peter White
“Entire villages disappeared as the survivors abandoned the scenes of this nightmare. The lost communities included Tisquantum’s home of Patuxet, on the very site where the English would later found Plymouth.”
How Massasoit, a savvy Indigenous leader, kept peace with the Pilgrims for decades
Facing threats from local rivals and deadly epidemics, the Native American leader used his alliance with the English to protect his people.
www.nationalgeographic.com
November 26, 2024 at 2:45 PM
“Entire villages disappeared as the survivors abandoned the scenes of this nightmare. The lost communities included Tisquantum’s home of Patuxet, on the very site where the English would later found Plymouth.”
Reposted by Peter White
While I’m here, some incredible public servants honored last week with Presidential Rank awards. These folks launched the James Webb telescope, took on the Fentanyl epidemic, did heroic work to modernize the energy grid and much more. www.opm.gov/news/release....
President Biden Selects 2024 Presidential Rank Awards Winners Lock
Welcome to opm.gov
www.opm.gov
November 24, 2024 at 1:39 PM
While I’m here, some incredible public servants honored last week with Presidential Rank awards. These folks launched the James Webb telescope, took on the Fentanyl epidemic, did heroic work to modernize the energy grid and much more. www.opm.gov/news/release....
Reposted by Peter White
Exciting news from MicroProse on the digital version of my "Littoral Commander Indo-Pacific" #wargame. I am really excited to see the early access version in April 2025. #wargaming
November 21, 2024 at 1:17 PM
Exciting news from MicroProse on the digital version of my "Littoral Commander Indo-Pacific" #wargame. I am really excited to see the early access version in April 2025. #wargaming
Reposted by Peter White
Hello! I thought a list of women scholars in conflict and security studies could be helpful! Let me know if you want to be added/removed! go.bsky.app/Np3NivX
November 14, 2024 at 9:01 PM
Hello! I thought a list of women scholars in conflict and security studies could be helpful! Let me know if you want to be added/removed! go.bsky.app/Np3NivX
Reposted by Peter White
I have to teach a class rn but will come back to this to explain
1) National Guard stuff
2) Domestic use of federal forces stuff
1) National Guard stuff
2) Domestic use of federal forces stuff
1st, this is a good example of "Do not comply in advance".
2nd, I need an explainer of how the whole "the federal govt takes control of the National Guard" thing works, legally and in practice
3rd, I also need explained the current state of the principle "federal armed forces cannot be police"
2nd, I need an explainer of how the whole "the federal govt takes control of the National Guard" thing works, legally and in practice
3rd, I also need explained the current state of the principle "federal armed forces cannot be police"
JB Pritzker on Trump possibly using red state National Guards for deportation raids in Illinois: "That's just not something we're going to accept."
November 13, 2024 at 11:06 PM
I have to teach a class rn but will come back to this to explain
1) National Guard stuff
2) Domestic use of federal forces stuff
1) National Guard stuff
2) Domestic use of federal forces stuff
Reposted by Peter White
Ok, some thoughts:
1) this will be one of the biggest civil-military crises this country has ever seen.
2) it will have drastic negative effects on our military readiness and effectiveness
I’ll expand a little on each point below.
1/
1) this will be one of the biggest civil-military crises this country has ever seen.
2) it will have drastic negative effects on our military readiness and effectiveness
I’ll expand a little on each point below.
1/
I don’t even have a way to say how bad this would be. I will need some time to collect my thoughts from where this grenade just sent them.
Not that I didn’t expect politicization of the top ranks, but I didn’t think it would be this fast and furious.
Not that I didn’t expect politicization of the top ranks, but I didn’t think it would be this fast and furious.
Can’t tell you how bad this would be
November 13, 2024 at 12:53 PM
Ok, some thoughts:
1) this will be one of the biggest civil-military crises this country has ever seen.
2) it will have drastic negative effects on our military readiness and effectiveness
I’ll expand a little on each point below.
1/
1) this will be one of the biggest civil-military crises this country has ever seen.
2) it will have drastic negative effects on our military readiness and effectiveness
I’ll expand a little on each point below.
1/
Lindsay's point is really important. One of the big advantages the US military has over China's is that historically, the US civil-military relationships has not featured "subjective" control measures like purges and loyalty tests. This would be a major un-forced error in US competition with China.
I have to go to work.
Bottom line:
this is the kind of thing you do if you don’t need a military that’s effective at international security; you just need one for domestic control.
As always and as noted in my bio, all views are those of me as an academic and not me as a govt employee.
Bottom line:
this is the kind of thing you do if you don’t need a military that’s effective at international security; you just need one for domestic control.
As always and as noted in my bio, all views are those of me as an academic and not me as a govt employee.
November 13, 2024 at 2:23 PM
Lindsay's point is really important. One of the big advantages the US military has over China's is that historically, the US civil-military relationships has not featured "subjective" control measures like purges and loyalty tests. This would be a major un-forced error in US competition with China.