Seva
@seva.bsky.social
Seva Gunitsky, associate professor of political science, University of Toronto. http://individual.utoronto.ca/seva/. book: http://amzn.to/2oRD2yG
Pinned
Seva
@seva.bsky.social
· Oct 28
Prosecuting the Powerful
Historical data shows putting leaders on trial is a healthy democratic practice.
foreignpolicy.com
Sarkozy is going to jail but he’s not the first one. In our new dataset we track modern leaders who have been prosecuted by their own states. There are 215 of them. Turns out leader prosecution is a common & healthy practice in democracies. Full access link: foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/28/d...
Reposted by Seva
Trump dozes while Marco Rubio speaks to him directly next to him. Just insane optics.
December 2, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Trump dozes while Marco Rubio speaks to him directly next to him. Just insane optics.
this used to be a great country that worked hard to justify its many illegal wars. now they don't bother even with that. sad
December 2, 2025 at 5:18 PM
this used to be a great country that worked hard to justify its many illegal wars. now they don't bother even with that. sad
Reposted by Seva
Not only is this 100% correct, but because of the ultra-high net worth individuals we’re dealing w/what you have is a gigantic insider threat & counterintelligence problem. 1/
one reason "great power competition" is a bad description of the emerging order is that an interlinked global kleptocracy does not care about national interests or rivalries
Extraordinary WSJ reporting today that unveils the extent to which Trump, Witkoff, Kushner and US business executives are salivating over business deals with Russia while Putin’s forces kidnap Ukranian children and bomb civilians in their apartments.
🎁 www.wsj.com/world/russia...
🎁 www.wsj.com/world/russia...
November 30, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Not only is this 100% correct, but because of the ultra-high net worth individuals we’re dealing w/what you have is a gigantic insider threat & counterintelligence problem. 1/
very stupid for any democrat to be performatively blasé about dearborn. at the same time, it would be nice for the left to display an iota of self reflection and occasionally admit they were wrong
December 1, 2025 at 4:33 AM
very stupid for any democrat to be performatively blasé about dearborn. at the same time, it would be nice for the left to display an iota of self reflection and occasionally admit they were wrong
Reposted by Seva
Computer, please summarize everything PG Wodehouse ever wrote in ten seconds
rich dudes got freakier after butlers fell out of fashion, like say what you will about having domestic servants but clearly it was some sort of moderating force on old rich dudes having a fancy man follow you around saying shit like "oh dear sir, that wouldn't be very becoming"
November 29, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Computer, please summarize everything PG Wodehouse ever wrote in ten seconds
one reason "great power competition" is a bad description of the emerging order is that an interlinked global kleptocracy does not care about national interests or rivalries
Extraordinary WSJ reporting today that unveils the extent to which Trump, Witkoff, Kushner and US business executives are salivating over business deals with Russia while Putin’s forces kidnap Ukranian children and bomb civilians in their apartments.
🎁 www.wsj.com/world/russia...
🎁 www.wsj.com/world/russia...
November 29, 2025 at 2:42 PM
one reason "great power competition" is a bad description of the emerging order is that an interlinked global kleptocracy does not care about national interests or rivalries
who would win in a drinking contest between hegseth and medvedev
November 29, 2025 at 4:13 AM
who would win in a drinking contest between hegseth and medvedev
Reposted by Seva
A chapter in Hegseth’s book is literally titled “More Lethality, Less Lawyers.”
It’s almost as if there were signs!
It’s almost as if there were signs!
November 29, 2025 at 3:02 AM
A chapter in Hegseth’s book is literally titled “More Lethality, Less Lawyers.”
It’s almost as if there were signs!
It’s almost as if there were signs!
Reposted by Seva
Seems like a weird thing to tweet on the day when your boss said he’d pardon someone convicted of sending 400 tons of cocaine into the US.
November 29, 2025 at 2:25 AM
Seems like a weird thing to tweet on the day when your boss said he’d pardon someone convicted of sending 400 tons of cocaine into the US.
marxism for me is the ultimate "love the band hate the fans" school of thought. the Tool of ideologies
November 29, 2025 at 3:04 AM
marxism for me is the ultimate "love the band hate the fans" school of thought. the Tool of ideologies
the real question is how long russia can keep jangling keys in front of trump's people
November 27, 2025 at 4:20 PM
the real question is how long russia can keep jangling keys in front of trump's people
Reposted by Seva
My microwave sings a little song when my Hot Pocket is done. Should it have the right to vote?
November 25, 2025 at 8:44 PM
My microwave sings a little song when my Hot Pocket is done. Should it have the right to vote?
in the course of musk's pronatalist crusade he implemented one of the largest single policy inflicted child death events of the 21st century so this is par for the course
November 24, 2025 at 3:38 AM
in the course of musk's pronatalist crusade he implemented one of the largest single policy inflicted child death events of the 21st century so this is par for the course
Reposted by Seva
Political scientists don’t really think about threats of violence as a constraint on elected officials but we really need to be thinking about it this way
#NEW: Gov. Mike Braun said he and his family are among the Republicans targeted in a wave of threats against state officeholders over Indiana redistricting. www.cnn.com/2025/11/21/…
Indiana’s governor and at least 8 lawmakers have been swatted or threatened as state Republicans...
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun said he and his family are among the Republicans targeted in a wave of threats against state officeholders this week as President Donald Trump pressures Hoosier State lawmak...
www.cnn.com
November 23, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Political scientists don’t really think about threats of violence as a constraint on elected officials but we really need to be thinking about it this way
Reposted by Seva
If I’m understanding this correctly, X is owned by a white nationalist who pays poor people of color in developing countries to pretend to be working class white Americans to scare other white Americans into being afraid poor people of color from developing countries are going to ruin America?
November 23, 2025 at 7:30 PM
If I’m understanding this correctly, X is owned by a white nationalist who pays poor people of color in developing countries to pretend to be working class white Americans to scare other white Americans into being afraid poor people of color from developing countries are going to ruin America?
cultural chauvinism can work in subtle ways. for example someone will be talking about ukraine and say "this should not be happening in the middle of europe"
November 23, 2025 at 7:53 PM
cultural chauvinism can work in subtle ways. for example someone will be talking about ukraine and say "this should not be happening in the middle of europe"
i’ve been making fun of realism a lot so I’ll say one nice thing about it: for all the accusations of amorality, the realist position that human needs & fears are basically the same everywhere is in some ways more humanist and cosmopolitan than liberal assumptions of institutionally-shaped cultures
November 21, 2025 at 3:18 AM
i’ve been making fun of realism a lot so I’ll say one nice thing about it: for all the accusations of amorality, the realist position that human needs & fears are basically the same everywhere is in some ways more humanist and cosmopolitan than liberal assumptions of institutionally-shaped cultures
you can always judge a country by the quality of its trash. my next door neighbor put out a flat screen tv with a sign that says “works!” and it’s been untouched for three days. I can only imagine the kind of gang warfare it would have caused in early 90s russia
November 20, 2025 at 5:28 PM
you can always judge a country by the quality of its trash. my next door neighbor put out a flat screen tv with a sign that says “works!” and it’s been untouched for three days. I can only imagine the kind of gang warfare it would have caused in early 90s russia
Reposted by Seva
@gelliottmorris.com's piece on what Americans actually want from parties is fascinating. It also (re-)produces a classic finding: Almost no one is in the "socially liberal but economically conservative" bucket, but those who are have very popular Substacks
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/not-just-l...
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/not-just-l...
November 20, 2025 at 3:51 PM
@gelliottmorris.com's piece on what Americans actually want from parties is fascinating. It also (re-)produces a classic finding: Almost no one is in the "socially liberal but economically conservative" bucket, but those who are have very popular Substacks
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/not-just-l...
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/not-just-l...
"russia is not possibly dumb enough to..." okay but are you sure. the people making decisions are insulated and face perverse incentives that have nothing to do with common sense or national security
⚡ German forces have run urban warfare drills in Berlin amid growing concerns that Russia could regain the capability to strike NATO territory by 2028.
Germany Drills for War in Berlin Subway as Russia Threat Looms Sooner Than Expected
The Bundeswehr's recent week-long exercises in Berlin focused on urban combat tactics amid warnings of Russia's military capabilities by 2028.
united24media.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:41 PM
"russia is not possibly dumb enough to..." okay but are you sure. the people making decisions are insulated and face perverse incentives that have nothing to do with common sense or national security
Reposted by Seva
"Are you taking notes on poli sci astrology?"
November 19, 2025 at 4:24 PM
"Are you taking notes on poli sci astrology?"
sometimes on campus you accidentally walk by a poli sci class and the professor is writing like “natural spheres of influence” on the board and everyone is taking notes like its real school
November 19, 2025 at 4:19 PM
sometimes on campus you accidentally walk by a poli sci class and the professor is writing like “natural spheres of influence” on the board and everyone is taking notes like its real school
ok it's not the biggest thing but people DO know that "disinterested" means "neutral" and it never means "uninterested". right?
November 19, 2025 at 3:07 PM
ok it's not the biggest thing but people DO know that "disinterested" means "neutral" and it never means "uninterested". right?
kid has become interested in flipping through new yorker cartoons lately and this morning gave me his own first one
November 19, 2025 at 2:46 PM
kid has become interested in flipping through new yorker cartoons lately and this morning gave me his own first one
Reposted by Seva
The thing is. Imagine if anyone spoke to you like this in real life. There's approximately a 50% chance you'd punch them in the face. Every day is such an utter fucking disgrace to the presidency.
"Quiet! Quiet, Piggy."
November 18, 2025 at 3:57 AM
The thing is. Imagine if anyone spoke to you like this in real life. There's approximately a 50% chance you'd punch them in the face. Every day is such an utter fucking disgrace to the presidency.