We had been hoping that the US military would not obey illegal orders. The boat strikes have now taught us that was wishful thinking. Here's a great post explaining where we are and how we got here www.latimes.com/opinion/stor... #CivMilSky
November 18, 2025 at 1:58 PM
We had been hoping that the US military would not obey illegal orders. The boat strikes have now taught us that was wishful thinking. Here's a great post explaining where we are and how we got here www.latimes.com/opinion/stor... #CivMilSky
And now, a summary of my experience at #IUS2025, #civmilsky.
October 29, 2025 at 1:23 PM
And now, a summary of my experience at #IUS2025, #civmilsky.
Since apparently normal procedures around classified and secret information aren't enough... #civmilsky www.reuters.com/world/americ...
Exclusive: US military officials required to sign NDAs tied to Latin America mission, sources say
U.S. military officials involved with President Donald Trump's expanding operations in Latin America have been asked to sign non-disclosure agreements, three U.S. officials say, a development that raises new questions about a military buildup that Venezuela fears may lead to an invasion.
www.reuters.com
October 28, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Since apparently normal procedures around classified and secret information aren't enough... #civmilsky www.reuters.com/world/americ...
Among all the other awfulness, having armed agents of the state feel comfortable threatening violence on camera based on what is effectively party affiliation is. . .not great. #civmilsky
Ellis describes this incident:
As the agents drove away from a confrontation in Little Village on Thursday, “they pointed a pepper ball gun and then a real gun at … Chris Gentry, a combat veteran who was lawfully standing on the side of the road ‘bang, bang,’ and ‘you’re dead liberal.'”
As the agents drove away from a confrontation in Little Village on Thursday, “they pointed a pepper ball gun and then a real gun at … Chris Gentry, a combat veteran who was lawfully standing on the side of the road ‘bang, bang,’ and ‘you’re dead liberal.'”
October 28, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Among all the other awfulness, having armed agents of the state feel comfortable threatening violence on camera based on what is effectively party affiliation is. . .not great. #civmilsky
October 25, 2025 at 9:00 PM
One of the civil-military pathologies most closely associated with future military defeat is the use of the military for civil government functions. #civmilsky
Just got word from an immigration attorney: Bondi just announced the first batch of 11 permanent and 25 temporary military judges for immigration courts.
www.justice.gov/eoir/media/1...
www.justice.gov/eoir/media/1...
www.justice.gov
October 24, 2025 at 10:21 PM
One of the civil-military pathologies most closely associated with future military defeat is the use of the military for civil government functions. #civmilsky
🧵 I'm excited to share that my article "Democratic Backsliding and the Limits of Civilian Control of the Military" has been accepted @thejop.bsky.social.
It answers the question "how ought militaries act when civilian leaders turn on democratic institutions?"
1/
#CivMilSky #PolTheory
It answers the question "how ought militaries act when civilian leaders turn on democratic institutions?"
1/
#CivMilSky #PolTheory
October 12, 2025 at 1:32 PM
🧵 I'm excited to share that my article "Democratic Backsliding and the Limits of Civilian Control of the Military" has been accepted @thejop.bsky.social.
It answers the question "how ought militaries act when civilian leaders turn on democratic institutions?"
1/
#CivMilSky #PolTheory
It answers the question "how ought militaries act when civilian leaders turn on democratic institutions?"
1/
#CivMilSky #PolTheory
I saw someone asking for the generals and admirals to launch a coup to get rid of Trump. There might be worse ideas but this one is really, really awful. I have a short list here saideman.blogspot.com/2025/10/root... #CivMilSky
Beware of "Easy solutions" that are damn near catastrophic.
Beware of "Easy solutions" that are damn near catastrophic.
October 5, 2025 at 4:27 PM
I saw someone asking for the generals and admirals to launch a coup to get rid of Trump. There might be worse ideas but this one is really, really awful. I have a short list here saideman.blogspot.com/2025/10/root... #CivMilSky
Beware of "Easy solutions" that are damn near catastrophic.
Beware of "Easy solutions" that are damn near catastrophic.
I don't see where you can still "avoid" a civ-mil crisis when the military is already obeying illegal orders and the National Guard is being deployed against governors' will
Apparently, it's only a crisis when military leaders publicly voice dissent
www.foreignaffairs.com/us-militarys... #CivMilSky
Apparently, it's only a crisis when military leaders publicly voice dissent
www.foreignaffairs.com/us-militarys... #CivMilSky
October 1, 2025 at 8:36 PM
I don't see where you can still "avoid" a civ-mil crisis when the military is already obeying illegal orders and the National Guard is being deployed against governors' will
Apparently, it's only a crisis when military leaders publicly voice dissent
www.foreignaffairs.com/us-militarys... #CivMilSky
Apparently, it's only a crisis when military leaders publicly voice dissent
www.foreignaffairs.com/us-militarys... #CivMilSky
So glad I can catch up via Risa's excellent insights. I trust no one more than her to understand what is going on and explain it to the rest of us. A must thread!
#CivMilSky
#CivMilSky
It's easy to see this speech as just weirdly performative, but there's a lot more—and a lot worse—going on here.
The meeting & speeches are part of a larger project aimed at promoting the military leadership’s partisan alignment with the administration.
How? 1/
The meeting & speeches are part of a larger project aimed at promoting the military leadership’s partisan alignment with the administration.
How? 1/
Hegseth: "If the words I'm speaking today are making your heart sink, they you should do the honorable thing and resign."
September 30, 2025 at 5:31 PM
So glad I can catch up via Risa's excellent insights. I trust no one more than her to understand what is going on and explain it to the rest of us. A must thread!
#CivMilSky
#CivMilSky
And now it’s turned into a #civmilsky story. IDF made it clear it didn’t love the order and that it considered risking soldiers to place speakers inside Gaza unnecessary. Netanyahu claimed he ordered the speakers placed on the border, which reports on the ground quickly showed to be false.
Netanyahu orders IDF to broadcast his UNGA speech over loud speakers in Gaza. I'm dead serious.
September 26, 2025 at 1:18 PM
And now it’s turned into a #civmilsky story. IDF made it clear it didn’t love the order and that it considered risking soldiers to place speakers inside Gaza unnecessary. Netanyahu claimed he ordered the speakers placed on the border, which reports on the ground quickly showed to be false.
Hey #CivMilSky any recommend pieces on soldiers being loyal to the state/regime?
September 25, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Hey #CivMilSky any recommend pieces on soldiers being loyal to the state/regime?
When people argue that the military should be louder and demand more stuff faster, I take umbrage and blog thusly saideman.blogspot.com/2025/09/shou... #CivMilSky
September 24, 2025 at 3:13 PM
When people argue that the military should be louder and demand more stuff faster, I take umbrage and blog thusly saideman.blogspot.com/2025/09/shou... #CivMilSky
Anyways, I'm thinking of submitting a panel on post-coup transitions for APSA this year so please let me know if you're interested!
Polisky, dictatorsky, CivMilSky
Polisky, dictatorsky, CivMilSky
Increasingly of the view re: recent studies on coups, authoritarian politics, regime transitions, etc., we need to take the disaggregation of the military as our starting point. Why use "the military" when we really mean the senior officer corps?
CivMilSky, Polisky, dictatorsky
CivMilSky, Polisky, dictatorsky
December 21, 2023 at 6:40 PM
Anyways, I'm thinking of submitting a panel on post-coup transitions for APSA this year so please let me know if you're interested!
Polisky, dictatorsky, CivMilSky
Polisky, dictatorsky, CivMilSky
It's been another interesting day for Brazilian civil-military relations...
General Mourão - who repeatedly called for a military coup before he became vice-president - bitterly complains that military officers are being investigated for planning a coup
brazilian.report/liveblog/pol... #CivMilSky
General Mourão - who repeatedly called for a military coup before he became vice-president - bitterly complains that military officers are being investigated for planning a coup
brazilian.report/liveblog/pol... #CivMilSky
February 8, 2024 at 9:36 PM
It's been another interesting day for Brazilian civil-military relations...
General Mourão - who repeatedly called for a military coup before he became vice-president - bitterly complains that military officers are being investigated for planning a coup
brazilian.report/liveblog/pol... #CivMilSky
General Mourão - who repeatedly called for a military coup before he became vice-president - bitterly complains that military officers are being investigated for planning a coup
brazilian.report/liveblog/pol... #CivMilSky
Today at CivMilSky seminar we're talking about recruitment methods as DV. Reading @deborahavant.bsky.social on mercenaries, @eliotacohen.bsky.social to map options, and @victorasal.bsky.social, Conrad, and Toronto for quant approach. We'll probably talk a bit about reserves as well.
October 31, 2023 at 2:29 PM
Today at CivMilSky seminar we're talking about recruitment methods as DV. Reading @deborahavant.bsky.social on mercenaries, @eliotacohen.bsky.social to map options, and @victorasal.bsky.social, Conrad, and Toronto for quant approach. We'll probably talk a bit about reserves as well.
It's an interesting time to be teaching @colgateuniversity.bsky.social students about civil-military relations while in DC. But here we go!
First class is all about why we should care about civ-mil ft. work from @profjessblankshain.bsky.social & @risabrooks12.bsky.social.
#Civmilsky #poliscisky
First class is all about why we should care about civ-mil ft. work from @profjessblankshain.bsky.social & @risabrooks12.bsky.social.
#Civmilsky #poliscisky
a black and white photo of a man covering his face with his hands and the words `` so it begins ... '' .
ALT: a black and white photo of a man covering his face with his hands and the words `` so it begins ... '' .
media.tenor.com
January 17, 2025 at 12:53 AM
It's an interesting time to be teaching @colgateuniversity.bsky.social students about civil-military relations while in DC. But here we go!
First class is all about why we should care about civ-mil ft. work from @profjessblankshain.bsky.social & @risabrooks12.bsky.social.
#Civmilsky #poliscisky
First class is all about why we should care about civ-mil ft. work from @profjessblankshain.bsky.social & @risabrooks12.bsky.social.
#Civmilsky #poliscisky
I usually don't think of Civ/Mil this way - but it's interesting that the DoD chews up people who know exactly what they are doing. Is there a Civ/Mil issue in the esoteric knowledge needed to manage and run the department?
#CivMilSky
#CivMilSky
January 15, 2025 at 1:59 AM
I usually don't think of Civ/Mil this way - but it's interesting that the DoD chews up people who know exactly what they are doing. Is there a Civ/Mil issue in the esoteric knowledge needed to manage and run the department?
#CivMilSky
#CivMilSky
Hello everyone. Tell your friends and colleagues that Democratization is here. #Polisky #Dictatorsky #CivMilSky #Comparativesky #behavioursky
a black screen with green text that says hello world on it
ALT: a black screen with green text that says hello world on it
media.tenor.com
October 23, 2024 at 10:48 AM
Hello everyone. Tell your friends and colleagues that Democratization is here. #Polisky #Dictatorsky #CivMilSky #Comparativesky #behavioursky
Thanks for the shoutout!
Dictatorsky, polisky, CivMilSky, contentiousky
Dictatorsky, polisky, CivMilSky, contentiousky
This week’s MENA Academy roundup comes to you from sunny Scotland! Check out new articles on Egypt, UAE-Israel normalization, and more!
Menasky
open.substack.com/pub/abuaardv...
Menasky
open.substack.com/pub/abuaardv...
MENA Academy Weekly Roundup #8 (9.25.23)
More great academic research on the Middle East, sent from a Scottish castle
open.substack.com
September 25, 2023 at 11:48 AM
Thanks for the shoutout!
Dictatorsky, polisky, CivMilSky, contentiousky
Dictatorsky, polisky, CivMilSky, contentiousky
IDF Chief of Staff Halevi stated that if hospitals in Gaza actually run out of gas Israel will allow it to enter, under strict supervision Hamas won't expropriate it. Political leaders including Netanyahu rushed to announce they didn't approve of letting any gas into Gaza. civmilsky
November 2, 2023 at 3:46 PM
IDF Chief of Staff Halevi stated that if hospitals in Gaza actually run out of gas Israel will allow it to enter, under strict supervision Hamas won't expropriate it. Political leaders including Netanyahu rushed to announce they didn't approve of letting any gas into Gaza. civmilsky
"One risk of Mexico’s military dependency comes with the armed forces’ control of intelligence-gathering, which raises the possibility of military leadership shaping, rather than merely informing, civilian decisionmaking."
Read this new #onlineexclusive: www.journalofdemocra...
Read this new #onlineexclusive: www.journalofdemocra...
Can Mexico’s Next President Control the Military? | Journal of Democracy
The country’s military brass has a larger role governing Mexico than at any time in the past eighty years. It’s creating a dangerous dependency that won’t be easy to break. Can the generals be reined…
www.journalofdemocracy.org
March 27, 2024 at 4:28 PM
Job ad: Junior professorship "Security Policy and Peace" (W1) at Leuphana (Lüneburg, Germany)
www.leuphana.de/universitaet... #CivMilSky #Polisky #Conflictsky
www.leuphana.de/universitaet... #CivMilSky #Polisky #Conflictsky
Junior professorship "Security Policy and Peace" (W1)
THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS AT LEUPHANA UNIVERSITY LÜNEBURG AND THE GERMAN INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL AND AREA STUDIES INVITE APPLICATIONS FOR THE FOLLOWING JUNIOR PROFESSORSHIP:
www.leuphana.de
December 22, 2023 at 10:42 AM
Job ad: Junior professorship "Security Policy and Peace" (W1) at Leuphana (Lüneburg, Germany)
www.leuphana.de/universitaet... #CivMilSky #Polisky #Conflictsky
www.leuphana.de/universitaet... #CivMilSky #Polisky #Conflictsky
Hegseth ranting about 'the left' does sound a lot like listening to classic South American military musings about internal enemies during the Cold War
#CivMilSky
#CivMilSky
"A defense secretary with a tenuous grip on reality, who can’t differentiate foreign enemies from domestic political opponents, and who seems to exist in a state of permanent hysteria is a problem that the United States has never had to survive." www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
November 22, 2024 at 4:11 PM
Hegseth ranting about 'the left' does sound a lot like listening to classic South American military musings about internal enemies during the Cold War
#CivMilSky
#CivMilSky