Wlad
@wladc.bsky.social
Following news, trends and analysis on human rights, foreign affairs, journalism, extremism, diplomacy, defence and demography. Likes liberal democracy, cats and puns—not necessarily in this wor(l)d order
Follow≠endorsement, etc.
Follow≠endorsement, etc.
Reposted by Wlad
Imagine a country where a polarising president refused to accept an election defeat and inspired a failed insurrection. The trial of Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s former president, offers a lesson for America
Brazil offers America a lesson in democratic maturity
It is a test case for how countries recover from a populist fever
econ.st
September 2, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Imagine a country where a polarising president refused to accept an election defeat and inspired a failed insurrection. The trial of Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s former president, offers a lesson for America
Not necessarily new news, but nice and necessary research
australiainstitute.org.au/wp-content/u...
australiainstitute.org.au/wp-content/u...
May 20, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Not necessarily new news, but nice and necessary research
australiainstitute.org.au/wp-content/u...
australiainstitute.org.au/wp-content/u...
Looks like more vice than versa
There’s no country more important to Australia than Indonesia. Trouble is, the feeling isn’t mutual
theconversation.com/theres-no-co...
theconversation.com/theres-no-co...
There’s no country more important to Australia than Indonesia. Trouble is, the feeling isn’t mutual
Australia struggles to get Indonesia’s attention, and its leverage in Jakarta is limited. Anthony Albanese could begin to change this with one bold move.
theconversation.com
May 20, 2025 at 10:34 AM
Looks like more vice than versa
The glass cliff, everyone—🫤
“[Nats’ demands] sound reasonable. Except [Libs’s] Ley has been leader of the Liberals for just 1 week, her mother has just died, her party room did not have the chance to come together and debate the Nats demands (…) So (…) a colossal vote of no confidence in (…) Ley”
“[Nats’ demands] sound reasonable. Except [Libs’s] Ley has been leader of the Liberals for just 1 week, her mother has just died, her party room did not have the chance to come together and debate the Nats demands (…) So (…) a colossal vote of no confidence in (…) Ley”
Littleproud may have ended things, but this break-up was a decade in the making
The split between the Nationals and the Liberal Party isn’t some temporary break. And it all but guarantees Sussan Ley will never be PM.
www.theage.com.au
May 20, 2025 at 7:18 AM
The glass cliff, everyone—🫤
“[Nats’ demands] sound reasonable. Except [Libs’s] Ley has been leader of the Liberals for just 1 week, her mother has just died, her party room did not have the chance to come together and debate the Nats demands (…) So (…) a colossal vote of no confidence in (…) Ley”
“[Nats’ demands] sound reasonable. Except [Libs’s] Ley has been leader of the Liberals for just 1 week, her mother has just died, her party room did not have the chance to come together and debate the Nats demands (…) So (…) a colossal vote of no confidence in (…) Ley”
Reposted by Wlad
🚨New Bright Line Watch report on the state of US democracy
-Democracy ratings ↓ w/experts & public, including Rs
-Performance ↓ in numerous areas such as free speech/press, abuse of government powers
-Faculty report academic freedom decline & self-censorship
brightlinewatch.org/threats-to-d...
🧵
-Democracy ratings ↓ w/experts & public, including Rs
-Performance ↓ in numerous areas such as free speech/press, abuse of government powers
-Faculty report academic freedom decline & self-censorship
brightlinewatch.org/threats-to-d...
🧵
May 5, 2025 at 1:16 PM
🚨New Bright Line Watch report on the state of US democracy
-Democracy ratings ↓ w/experts & public, including Rs
-Performance ↓ in numerous areas such as free speech/press, abuse of government powers
-Faculty report academic freedom decline & self-censorship
brightlinewatch.org/threats-to-d...
🧵
-Democracy ratings ↓ w/experts & public, including Rs
-Performance ↓ in numerous areas such as free speech/press, abuse of government powers
-Faculty report academic freedom decline & self-censorship
brightlinewatch.org/threats-to-d...
🧵
Reposted by Wlad
In @nytopinion.nytimes.com
Three Yale professors who have written extensively on authoritarianism are leaving the U.S. “We’re like people on the Titanic saying our ship can’t sink,” Marci Shore said. “And what you know as a historian is that there is no such thing as a ship that can’t sink.”
Three Yale professors who have written extensively on authoritarianism are leaving the U.S. “We’re like people on the Titanic saying our ship can’t sink,” Marci Shore said. “And what you know as a historian is that there is no such thing as a ship that can’t sink.”
Opinion | We Study Fascism at Yale. We’re Leaving the U.S.
The decision by these three Yale professors to move to Canada is both a warning and a call to action.
www.nytimes.com
May 14, 2025 at 7:03 PM
In @nytopinion.nytimes.com
Three Yale professors who have written extensively on authoritarianism are leaving the U.S. “We’re like people on the Titanic saying our ship can’t sink,” Marci Shore said. “And what you know as a historian is that there is no such thing as a ship that can’t sink.”
Three Yale professors who have written extensively on authoritarianism are leaving the U.S. “We’re like people on the Titanic saying our ship can’t sink,” Marci Shore said. “And what you know as a historian is that there is no such thing as a ship that can’t sink.”
“(…) we are returning to the pre-American world of the 19th century (…) a return to the great power geopolitics of the 1900s (…) a multipolar system shaped primarily by a triumvirate of American, Russian and Chinese presidents (…) the start of the anti-Americanisation century (…)”
The Upending -my long read on how Donald Trump’s post-American world marks a return to the pre-American world.
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04...
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04...
We may be seeing the start of the 'anti-America century'
Some of America’s strongest allies are rethinking their relationship as Donald Trump’s isolationism threats to entirely remake the West.
www.abc.net.au
April 6, 2025 at 12:34 AM
“(…) we are returning to the pre-American world of the 19th century (…) a return to the great power geopolitics of the 1900s (…) a multipolar system shaped primarily by a triumvirate of American, Russian and Chinese presidents (…) the start of the anti-Americanisation century (…)”
“(…) The rules-based system is giving way to a new era of power based transactional negotiations, more like an arm wrestle among 'strongmen' leaders (…) This is not a temporary blip. A rules-based order relies on credible long-term commitment (…) There is no return to normal”
e61.in/wp-content/u...
e61.in/wp-content/u...
March 16, 2025 at 7:21 AM
“(…) The rules-based system is giving way to a new era of power based transactional negotiations, more like an arm wrestle among 'strongmen' leaders (…) This is not a temporary blip. A rules-based order relies on credible long-term commitment (…) There is no return to normal”
e61.in/wp-content/u...
e61.in/wp-content/u...
This
The assumption that economic pain will necessarily lead to political loss, with this information environment and polarized politics, is completely unwarranted.
with an electorate like this...
March 14, 2025 at 3:13 PM
This
In the absence of a save feature in Bluesky, reposting this here for read later
How do autocrats stay in power?
Our new research dives into the strategies of political control—repression, co-optation, and indoctrination—used across 229 autocracies from 1946 to 2010. What we found will change the way you think about authoritarian resilience. 🧵👇
Our new research dives into the strategies of political control—repression, co-optation, and indoctrination—used across 229 autocracies from 1946 to 2010. What we found will change the way you think about authoritarian resilience. 🧵👇
February 3, 2025 at 11:11 AM
In the absence of a save feature in Bluesky, reposting this here for read later
Reposted by Wlad
Mearsheimer's theory of Offensive Realism is based on US 19th century territorial expansion.
Back to the Future indeed!
Back to the Future indeed!
January 12, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Mearsheimer's theory of Offensive Realism is based on US 19th century territorial expansion.
Back to the Future indeed!
Back to the Future indeed!
Never really used IG; hoped Threads would grow less toxic than Twitter—now the former joins the latter in a fast-growing account graveyard.
January 12, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Never really used IG; hoped Threads would grow less toxic than Twitter—now the former joins the latter in a fast-growing account graveyard.
Four years—
Irreversible damage to liberal democracy as the new baseline. Free/fair elections, peaceful transfer of power no longer can be assumed.
Expectations this will be contained geographically and within the next four years ignores what events from four ago today show about the path ahead.
Irreversible damage to liberal democracy as the new baseline. Free/fair elections, peaceful transfer of power no longer can be assumed.
Expectations this will be contained geographically and within the next four years ignores what events from four ago today show about the path ahead.
January 6, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Four years—
Irreversible damage to liberal democracy as the new baseline. Free/fair elections, peaceful transfer of power no longer can be assumed.
Expectations this will be contained geographically and within the next four years ignores what events from four ago today show about the path ahead.
Irreversible damage to liberal democracy as the new baseline. Free/fair elections, peaceful transfer of power no longer can be assumed.
Expectations this will be contained geographically and within the next four years ignores what events from four ago today show about the path ahead.
Primeiro momento de comoção nacional do pós-emigração em massa do X. Mais semelhanças que diferenças nas narrativas presentes no Threads e Bluesky até aqui—
September 7, 2024 at 11:45 AM
Primeiro momento de comoção nacional do pós-emigração em massa do X. Mais semelhanças que diferenças nas narrativas presentes no Threads e Bluesky até aqui—
🇧🇷🌊🌊🌊
It's been a hectic week for Bluesky Trust & Safety. With the Brazilian wave, reports have skyrocketed, bad actors targeted the site, systems needed adaptation, and new harms emerged. 1/7
September 6, 2024 at 6:20 PM
🇧🇷🌊🌊🌊