Scott Williamson
@scottrw630.bsky.social
Associate Professor of Politics at Oxford studying authoritarianism, migration, and the Middle East. https://www.scott-williamson.com
Pinned
Scott Williamson
@scottrw630.bsky.social
· Nov 27
The King Can Do No Wrong
Cambridge Core - Middle East Government,Politics and Policy - The King Can Do No Wrong
www.cambridge.org
My book is out! I’m grateful for the many people in Jordan, Tunisia, Stanford, and elsewhere who helped it reach this point.
If you’re interested in why some autocrats stay popular or why ruling monarchs are so durable in today’s world, this book is for you!
www.cambridge.org/core/books/k...
If you’re interested in why some autocrats stay popular or why ruling monarchs are so durable in today’s world, this book is for you!
www.cambridge.org/core/books/k...
Reposted by Scott Williamson
Thread: part of an ongoing project to erase people of color from military history:
1/ The US Government has quietly removed a memorial to Black soldiers who died in World War II from the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, South Limburg. The move follows a complaint from the right-wing Heritage Foundation to the American Battle Monuments Commission. ⬇️
November 9, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Thread: part of an ongoing project to erase people of color from military history:
Reposted by Scott Williamson
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
November 6, 2025 at 9:00 PM
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
Reposted by Scott Williamson
I am grateful for the strong commitment to lawful free speech here, but in the spirit of free speech and open disagreement, I don’t think that the position of institutional neutrality outlined by President Kramer in this interview is the right one: blogs.lse.ac.uk/highereducat... (1)
‘If it’s lawful speech, don’t ask us to condemn it’ - LSE Higher Education
Into his second year as President and Vice-Chancellor of the LSE, Larry Kramer has dealt with a pro-Palestinian encampment, academic freedom infringements, and visa restrictions for foreign students. ...
blogs.lse.ac.uk
November 7, 2025 at 9:43 AM
I am grateful for the strong commitment to lawful free speech here, but in the spirit of free speech and open disagreement, I don’t think that the position of institutional neutrality outlined by President Kramer in this interview is the right one: blogs.lse.ac.uk/highereducat... (1)
Reposted by Scott Williamson
We have just published the call for the Nuffield Postdoctoral Prize Research Fellowships in Politics. These are 3-year fully-funded postdocs that will allow you to focus on your research in a great academic environment. (And with excellent food)
www.nuffield.ox.ac.uk/the-college/...
www.nuffield.ox.ac.uk/the-college/...
Postdoctoral Prize Research Fellowships in Politics - Nuffield College Oxford University
www.nuffield.ox.ac.uk
November 6, 2025 at 1:27 PM
We have just published the call for the Nuffield Postdoctoral Prize Research Fellowships in Politics. These are 3-year fully-funded postdocs that will allow you to focus on your research in a great academic environment. (And with excellent food)
www.nuffield.ox.ac.uk/the-college/...
www.nuffield.ox.ac.uk/the-college/...
Reposted by Scott Williamson
🚨🚨🚨 The jury has reached a verdict. Sean Dunn, aka the DC Sandwich Guy, has been found NOT GUILTY of assault.
November 6, 2025 at 7:25 PM
🚨🚨🚨 The jury has reached a verdict. Sean Dunn, aka the DC Sandwich Guy, has been found NOT GUILTY of assault.
Reposted by Scott Williamson
(This was obvious to anyone with a pair of eyes $50bn ago. Autocracies - no matter how much oil they can drill, how many foreign advisors they can hire, and how slick their PR - remain highly inefficient at allocating resources in the long run.)
NEW: The End of the Line: the centrepiece of Saudi Arabia’s Neom gigaproject - a 500m tall, 170km long wall-like building intended ultimately to house 9 million people - can’t get out of the ground, say more than 20 former Neom architects, engineers and senior executives.
ig.ft.com/saudi-neom-l...
ig.ft.com/saudi-neom-l...
End of The Line: how Saudi Arabia’s Neom dream unravelled
Mohammed bin Salman’s utopian city was undone by the laws of physics and finance
ig.ft.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:19 AM
(This was obvious to anyone with a pair of eyes $50bn ago. Autocracies - no matter how much oil they can drill, how many foreign advisors they can hire, and how slick their PR - remain highly inefficient at allocating resources in the long run.)
Reposted by Scott Williamson
I’ll keep pushing this line of analysis because I’m increasingly convinced the clearest path out of this mess is for Dems to adopt a relentless anti-corruption, anti-inequality, anti-oligarchy, pro-democracy platform. The Dem leadership hasn’t realized it yet, but they’re now a reform party.
November 6, 2025 at 12:06 AM
I’ll keep pushing this line of analysis because I’m increasingly convinced the clearest path out of this mess is for Dems to adopt a relentless anti-corruption, anti-inequality, anti-oligarchy, pro-democracy platform. The Dem leadership hasn’t realized it yet, but they’re now a reform party.
Reposted by Scott Williamson
Most ppl - in Europe but also watch America last night - absolutely want lower life costs and feel urgency for the affordability crisis, but dont want to compromise a future of technological (competitive!) progress. It is not easy but elites gotta find creative and inspiring ways to do both things.
Reeves is considering slowing down electrification to have immediate 💸results, but electrification done right (eg w/ more renewables, reform of electricity market prices) is the midterm solution to high energy bills. There must be more sensible ways to help ppl in short run w/o killing midterm goals
Reeves considers cut to green levies in effort to reduce cost of energy bills
Exclusive: Chancellor hopes to save up to £170 from average bill but industry insiders say move would be ‘disastrous’
www.theguardian.com
November 5, 2025 at 7:04 AM
Most ppl - in Europe but also watch America last night - absolutely want lower life costs and feel urgency for the affordability crisis, but dont want to compromise a future of technological (competitive!) progress. It is not easy but elites gotta find creative and inspiring ways to do both things.
Reposted by Scott Williamson
There’s a number of commentators who’ve criticised the UK’s free speech laws in recent times, with I think some justification. But it’s worth noting that the First Amendment doesn’t defend itself and speech in the US is being criminalised as well.
It's impossible to overstate how much of what ICE is doing on the ground reflects this completely preposterous conflation of hostile *speech* and hostile *conduct.*
The First Amendment protects—or, at least, is supposed to protect—the former up and until it's a "true threat," which none of this is.
The First Amendment protects—or, at least, is supposed to protect—the former up and until it's a "true threat," which none of this is.
From Bovino's deposition: (1) he calls protestors "violent" if they articulate views hostile to ICE, even if no violence is manifested; (2) he instructs his forces to attack and arrest protestors who express "hyperbolic comments," which is to say, criticism of ICE and Bovino.
November 4, 2025 at 5:30 PM
There’s a number of commentators who’ve criticised the UK’s free speech laws in recent times, with I think some justification. But it’s worth noting that the First Amendment doesn’t defend itself and speech in the US is being criminalised as well.
Reposted by Scott Williamson
I truly think this is an underappreciated point that much of the "rising far right" polisci literature has missed.
We have n->inf findings that bad stuff leads to far right voting. But why _doesn't_ bad stuff lead to far left (or center left) voting? One big answer: A failure of political supply.
We have n->inf findings that bad stuff leads to far right voting. But why _doesn't_ bad stuff lead to far left (or center left) voting? One big answer: A failure of political supply.
🗳️ New study (w @jessicakuhlm.bsky.social) on AfD success in integration council elections in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany: AfD achieved significant results in councils elected exclusively by voters with migration backgrounds. It's not about economics—it's about political competition. (1/3)
November 4, 2025 at 11:06 AM
I truly think this is an underappreciated point that much of the "rising far right" polisci literature has missed.
We have n->inf findings that bad stuff leads to far right voting. But why _doesn't_ bad stuff lead to far left (or center left) voting? One big answer: A failure of political supply.
We have n->inf findings that bad stuff leads to far right voting. But why _doesn't_ bad stuff lead to far left (or center left) voting? One big answer: A failure of political supply.
Reposted by Scott Williamson
We are hiring an Associate Professor in Politics, Technology and Computational Social Science. The post will be part of our new Centre for Advanced Social Science Methods (CASSM) and is a joint hire with the Oxford Internet Institute. All details in the job ad below.
my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...
my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...
November 3, 2025 at 12:57 PM
We are hiring an Associate Professor in Politics, Technology and Computational Social Science. The post will be part of our new Centre for Advanced Social Science Methods (CASSM) and is a joint hire with the Oxford Internet Institute. All details in the job ad below.
my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...
my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...
Reposted by Scott Williamson
This from @nesrinemalik.bsky.social is a clear and horrifying explanation of the atrocities underway in El Fasher. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Blood spilled in Sudan can be seen from space. Nobody can feign ignorance about what’s going on | Nesrine Malik
The massacres carried out by the RSF in El Fasher, Darfur, with the support of its UAE sponsors, will only stop when the international community acts, says Guardian columnist Nesrine Malik
www.theguardian.com
November 3, 2025 at 7:05 AM
This from @nesrinemalik.bsky.social is a clear and horrifying explanation of the atrocities underway in El Fasher. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Scott Williamson
I hope it is now obvious why pillars of democracy like universities, the law, public broadcasting should be funded so that they are beyond the reach of financial coercion by hostile agents.
Pretty extraordinary story here
www-bbc-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc....
www-bbc-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc....
China intimidated UK university to ditch human rights research, documents show - BBC News
Sheffield Hallam University apologises to Professor Laura Murphy for restricting her academic freedom.
www-bbc-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org
November 3, 2025 at 7:01 AM
I hope it is now obvious why pillars of democracy like universities, the law, public broadcasting should be funded so that they are beyond the reach of financial coercion by hostile agents.
Reposted by Scott Williamson
This is a remarkable case of Chinese authorities threatening a UK university into halting research on human rights violations, and the university acquiescing.
China intimidated UK university to ditch human rights research, documents show
Sheffield Hallam University apologises to Professor Laura Murphy for restricting her academic freedom.
www.bbc.com
November 3, 2025 at 6:44 AM
This is a remarkable case of Chinese authorities threatening a UK university into halting research on human rights violations, and the university acquiescing.
Reposted by Scott Williamson
A checklist: "The Times editorial board has compiled a list of 12 markers of democratic erosion, with help from scholars who have studied this phenomenon."
Gift link: www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Gift link: www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
An authoritarian...
stifles dissent/speech
persecutes opponents
bypasses legislature
uses military domestically
defies courts
declares false emergencies
vilifies groups
controls info/media
controls universities
creates cult of personality
uses power for profit
manipulates law to stay in power
stifles dissent/speech
persecutes opponents
bypasses legislature
uses military domestically
defies courts
declares false emergencies
vilifies groups
controls info/media
controls universities
creates cult of personality
uses power for profit
manipulates law to stay in power
Opinion | In Trump’s America, Are We Losing Our Democracy? (Gift Article)
Donald Trump has wielded power as no previous president has.
www.nytimes.com
October 31, 2025 at 2:14 PM
A checklist: "The Times editorial board has compiled a list of 12 markers of democratic erosion, with help from scholars who have studied this phenomenon."
Gift link: www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Gift link: www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Reposted by Scott Williamson
Awful: Pentagon officials told lawmakers Trump now claims authority to bomb people merely “affiliated” with “narco-terrorist" groups, Rep Adam Smith tells me. But under questioning, they wouldn't say what “affiliated” even means!
Lots of fresh info in my new piece:
newrepublic.com/article/2025...
Lots of fresh info in my new piece:
newrepublic.com/article/2025...
November 1, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Awful: Pentagon officials told lawmakers Trump now claims authority to bomb people merely “affiliated” with “narco-terrorist" groups, Rep Adam Smith tells me. But under questioning, they wouldn't say what “affiliated” even means!
Lots of fresh info in my new piece:
newrepublic.com/article/2025...
Lots of fresh info in my new piece:
newrepublic.com/article/2025...
Reposted by Scott Williamson
Help shape Oxford’s new MSc in Global Challenges!
We’re seeking input from those interested in politics, climate change, or global inequalities.
Share your views in a 5-minute survey to help design impactful learning opportunities: forms.office.com/Pag...
We’re seeking input from those interested in politics, climate change, or global inequalities.
Share your views in a 5-minute survey to help design impactful learning opportunities: forms.office.com/Pag...
November 1, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Help shape Oxford’s new MSc in Global Challenges!
We’re seeking input from those interested in politics, climate change, or global inequalities.
Share your views in a 5-minute survey to help design impactful learning opportunities: forms.office.com/Pag...
We’re seeking input from those interested in politics, climate change, or global inequalities.
Share your views in a 5-minute survey to help design impactful learning opportunities: forms.office.com/Pag...
Reposted by Scott Williamson
@tomfletcherun.bsky.social:""But what is different today, we are seeing a different global reaction. One of resignation... So this is also a crisis of apathy."
Apathy to similar crimes elsewhere contributed to this situation. It's why tolerating these crimes is dangerous beyond any one conflict.
Apathy to similar crimes elsewhere contributed to this situation. It's why tolerating these crimes is dangerous beyond any one conflict.
The last hospital in Darfur's el-Fasher has been destroyed by paramilitaries — hundreds of patients killed and doctors taken. n.pr/4qBqlF7
Hundreds killed in Darfur hospital massacre, 'hero' doctors abducted
The last hospital in Darfur's el-Fasher has been destroyed by paramilitaries — hundreds of patients killed and doctors taken.
n.pr
October 30, 2025 at 11:24 PM
@tomfletcherun.bsky.social:""But what is different today, we are seeing a different global reaction. One of resignation... So this is also a crisis of apathy."
Apathy to similar crimes elsewhere contributed to this situation. It's why tolerating these crimes is dangerous beyond any one conflict.
Apathy to similar crimes elsewhere contributed to this situation. It's why tolerating these crimes is dangerous beyond any one conflict.
Reposted by Scott Williamson
Government has published one of those quiet but important documents that might get overlooked as it is not 'newsy'. The headline finding is that £1 of public R&D investment generates £8 in net economic benefits for the UK over the long term
www.gov.uk/government/p...
www.gov.uk/government/p...
The value of public R&D
www.gov.uk
October 30, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Government has published one of those quiet but important documents that might get overlooked as it is not 'newsy'. The headline finding is that £1 of public R&D investment generates £8 in net economic benefits for the UK over the long term
www.gov.uk/government/p...
www.gov.uk/government/p...
Reposted by Scott Williamson
People ask a lot about whether protests matter. While Trump’s approval rating is driven by many factors, events like the No Kings rallies likely play a role, too. Media coverage and people seeing their neighbors take a stand help convey that disapproval is not just acceptable but widespread.
Donald Trump's approval rating in our tracker has fallen to -18, the lowest it has ever been (lower than any point in his first term) www.economist.com/interactive/...
October 28, 2025 at 4:15 PM
People ask a lot about whether protests matter. While Trump’s approval rating is driven by many factors, events like the No Kings rallies likely play a role, too. Media coverage and people seeing their neighbors take a stand help convey that disapproval is not just acceptable but widespread.
Massive corruption in plain sight.
In the first half of this year, the income of President Trump's family business soared 17-fold to $864 million, based almost entirely on new crypto ventures that have been a magnet for overseas cash, a Reuters investigation found.
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
October 28, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Massive corruption in plain sight.
Reposted by Scott Williamson
If people in government want my longer thoughts on why arbitrarily extending the time to ILR for people who are already here is bad (let alone the mass deportation policies of their rivals), and a sense of what I think a sustainable policy might be, then see:
benansell.substack.com/p/select-and...
benansell.substack.com/p/select-and...
October 28, 2025 at 11:14 AM
If people in government want my longer thoughts on why arbitrarily extending the time to ILR for people who are already here is bad (let alone the mass deportation policies of their rivals), and a sense of what I think a sustainable policy might be, then see:
benansell.substack.com/p/select-and...
benansell.substack.com/p/select-and...
Reposted by Scott Williamson
Agree with this obviously.
But don't forget *the government* has also proposed vindictive, unpopular and economically damaging restrictions on ILR which could affect 100,000s of people here now, legally, mostly working. This is now the more immediate issue..
But don't forget *the government* has also proposed vindictive, unpopular and economically damaging restrictions on ILR which could affect 100,000s of people here now, legally, mostly working. This is now the more immediate issue..
Pressure therefore needs to be kept up on Tories, and Reform, regarding policies which will put at risk the lives and futures of millions of law abiding families in this country who have played by the rules, contributed, and done nothing on. Don't let up until this is ditched, by both parties
October 28, 2025 at 11:07 AM
Agree with this obviously.
But don't forget *the government* has also proposed vindictive, unpopular and economically damaging restrictions on ILR which could affect 100,000s of people here now, legally, mostly working. This is now the more immediate issue..
But don't forget *the government* has also proposed vindictive, unpopular and economically damaging restrictions on ILR which could affect 100,000s of people here now, legally, mostly working. This is now the more immediate issue..