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Terrence Peterson

@tgpeterson.bsky.social

4.1K followers 2K following 2.3K posts

Parent. Gardener. Anti-fascist. Historian of Modern France, North Africa, Counterinsurgency, Migration. Curmudgeon. Associate Prof. No Tyrants, No Kings. Terrencepeterson.com https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501776960/revolutionary-warfare

www.cornellpress.cornell.edu

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Terrence Peterson @tgpeterson.bsky.social · Nov 11

Hi new folks! I'm a historian of French Empire, Algeria, decolonization, warfare, and migration, and I've just published a book. Check it out here (and use the code 09BCARD for 30% off if you're thinking of ordering):

www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...

Image of a book cover. Revolutionary Warfare: How the Algerian War Made Modern Counterinsurgency, by Terrence G. Peterson. The cover depicts a map of Europe and North Africa. Large red and black arrows sweep from the Soviet Union, through Egypt, and into Algeria. A blue arrow springs from France and slices the points off the arrows entering Algeria.

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Doctor Jeff Hawn 🌻🇬🇧🇺🇸🇺🇦 @jhawn.bsky.social · 1d

You shall know them as the righteous among nations

Sophie Sherry @sophiesherry.bsky.social · 1d

During a military-style raid on a building in Chicago’s South Shore, one resident heard a knock on his door.   It wasn’t the feds — it was a mom and her 7-year-old daughter, pleading for help.

He let them hide in his unit for the next 3 days.

chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

Neighbor shielded 7-year-old during South Shore federal raid: ‘I didn’t want them to take her’

During the Sept. 30 raid one tenant protected a terrified girl and her mom. Remnants at the complex, including a detailed map of all the units, offer clues to what authorities may have known before th...

chicago.suntimes.com

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Waitman Wade Beorn, PhD, FRHistS @waitmanwbeorn.com · 2d

And then your university decides it would be a great idea to BUY this shit and give it to students.

Ted McCormick @tedmccormick.bsky.social · 3d

Imagine studying a technology whose presence in the classroom is so detrimental to the development of writing and research skills (including even the will to know the sources behind claims!) that mitigating its effects becomes a central goal of course design, and concluding with tips on adopting it.

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Mary Lewis @profmarylewis.bsky.social · 2d

Fully disclosed in the byline, I’m sure. (Not).

Dan Sinykin @dan-sinnamon.bsky.social · 2d

And who is the author of this op-ed? The billionaire CEO of an asset management firm who helped author the compact.

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Terrence Peterson @tgpeterson.bsky.social · 2d

So funny to watch Republicans' efforts to forswear any knowledge of who Bad Bunny is. It's a mad scrambled to see who can be the most unrelatable square possible.

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Amanda Marcotte @amandamarcotte.bsky.social · 3d

I'm thinking about writing about the experience of being gaslit by rural and suburban family/friends who tell you that their paranoid fantasies of your city trump your lived experience.

Long way of saying share your stories in comments! I may quote them.

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Brooke Newman @brookenewman.bsky.social · 2d

🎁 link—worth your time. “In the course of quantifying the risks of A.I., I was hoping I would realize my fears were ridiculous. But the opposite happened: The more I moved from apocalyptic hypotheticals to concrete real-world findings, the more concerned I became.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/o...

www.nytimes.com

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Karl (sad trombone noise enthusiast) @brainnotonyet.bsky.social · 2d

Hey so about that whole elections thing and the reality that republicans are already blocking newly elected democrats from being sworn in a full year before the midterms.

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 2d

Column: Democratic Rep. Adelita S. Grijalva won her special election in Arizona more than two weeks ago, but House Republicans refuse to swear her in.

She believes it has to do with her stance on the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and her identity.

Column | Congresswoman-in-limbo Adelita Grijalva on the dilemma she faces

Democratic Rep. Grijalva won her special election more than two weeks ago, but House Republicans refuse to swear her into office.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Queer Hand Luke @lfschleusener.bsky.social · 2d

CHRIST

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 2d

"30-year-old conservative lawyer and activist who is Trump’s nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel, which deals with federal employee whistleblower complaints and discrimination" cancelled his colleague's hotel room so she would be forced to stay with him.
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

In late July, Paul Ingrassia, the White House liaison for the Department of Homeland Security, arrived at a Ritz-Carlton in Orlando with a lower-ranking female colleague and others from their department. When the group reached the front desk, the woman learned she didn’t have a hotel room.

Ingrassia then informed her that she would be staying with him, according to five administration officials familiar with the episode. Eventually the woman discovered that Ingrassia had arranged ahead of time to have her hotel room canceled so she would have to stay with him, three of those officials said.

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Todd Wolfson @proftwolf.bsky.social · 2d

Mark Bray and Yesenia Barragan, and the family, have safely embarked on their trip to Spain after being questioned by DHS.

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Terrence Peterson @tgpeterson.bsky.social · 2d

Thanks!

Terrence Peterson @tgpeterson.bsky.social · 2d

Visa to Algeria approved and in hand! Very excited to participate in the Salon International du livre d'Alger (Algiers International Book Fair) at the end of the month as one of the US Embassy in Algeria's invited authors.

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Jonathan Feingold @jpygold.bsky.social · 2d

lots of statements against Trump's "Compact" circulating rn. Here's a strong one from @higheredlabor.bsky.social

actionnetwork.org/petitions/un...

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Alyssa S. @drsepinwall.bsky.social · 2d

A 🗃️ colleague at Rutgers has been mercilessly doxxed for being a scholar of the history of antifascism - and his family (including another historian colleague) were prevented from leaving the country last night, in a very alarming development. See below for how to help!

Mark Bray @mark-bray.bsky.social · 2d

Friends and comrades made a crowdfunding page for my family.

It’s really hard to post this. I know that there are a lot of other important issues asking for money but things have gotten to the point where we need to open ourselves up to your support.

Thank you for your consideration.

"Help us leave safely" on FreeFunder

Click here to support "Help us leave safely" by Dara on FreeFunder!

www.freefunder.com

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Terrence Peterson @tgpeterson.bsky.social · 3d

If you're interested in reading now-Nobel laureate Lászlo Krasznahorkai, I highly recommend starting with his novella A Mountain to The North, A Lake to The South, Paths to The West, A River to The East

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Sam Klug @samklug.bsky.social · 3d

It is not a coincidence that TPUSA's first aggressive targeting campaign after Kirk's assassination is a professor at Rutgers, home of the strongest and most creative labor union in higher ed. This should be understood as a coordinated effort with the administration's "compact" with universities.

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Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 3d

What happened to all those constitutional conservatives in Congress?

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 3d

Trump: "We took the freedom of speech away because that's been through the courts and the courts said you have freedom of speech, but what has happened is when they burn a flag it agitates and irritates crowds."

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Alan Owlport 🦉 🎃 @alanallport.bsky.social · 3d

Pop quiz: can you give another name to the ‘fa’ that Weimar Antifa was against

Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 3d

"Antifa has been around in various iterations for almost 100 years in some instances, going back to the Weimar Republic in Germany."

- Jack Posobiec at Trump's roundtable on antifa

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David Kaib @davidkaib.bsky.social · 3d

An essential task is to decide what your root values are that are at stake and to articulate them clearly.

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Terrence Peterson @tgpeterson.bsky.social · 3d

Guys I can fix her. Tag me in

Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 3d

The French president could appoint a new prime minister in the next 48 hours, after last-ditch talks between political parties to avoid snap parliamentary elections. on.ft.com/4oa2XfW

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Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 3d

We know more about the massive military-style raid on a Chicago housing complex thanks to the reporting of @southsideweekly.bsky.social, @blockclubchi.bsky.social, and neighborhood resident Eboni Watson who chronicled the event. Among the emerging questions: what's real estate's role in this?

section of text from South Side Weekly's coverage, which says: "The building was purchased by Wisconsin-based investor Trinity Flood in January 2020, according to Cook County records. On October 1, the day after the raid, a judge reviewed an emergency motion from Wells Fargo seeking to appoint Matthew Tarshis of Frontline Real Estate Partners as the property’s receiver.

Flood purchased three multifamily properties in South Shore in 2020. The neighborhood, which had the highest number of eviction filings in Chicago from 2015-2019 according to the Law Center for Better Housing, has seen a rise in outside real estate investors since the 2017 announcement of the Obama Presidential Center’s construction in the neighboring Jackson Park.

Wells Fargo Bank foreclosed on the building in mid-2024, bringing a $27 million lawsuit against Flood for missed loan payments. In late 2024, the City began closing its largest migrant shelters and, through state funding assistance distributed via Catholic Charities and moving support from New Life Church, relocated many families to buildings such as this one."

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Joanne Freeman @jbf1755.bsky.social · 3d

Correct.

He’s staging “left-wing” attacks—or more accurately, trying to provoke them—to give him an excuse to use violence against his opposition.

Being Liberal ®🗽🏳️‍🌈 @beingliberal.bsky.social · 3d

“I co-wrote Trump’s first anti-terrorism plan in 2017-18. He’s not trying to stop ‘left-wing’ terrorism. He is staging it,” Taylor wrote. “His troop deployments are a false flag — meant to provoke a response..."

open.substack.com/pub/beinglib...

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"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 3d

"We took the freedom of speech away."

That's, um, uh, uh...wait, how did this Virginia State Flag get here...

An image of the flag of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

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Gabe Ortíz @tusk81.bsky.social · 3d

“Pope Leo XIV’s eyes grew misty Wednesday as an El Paso delegation led by Bishop Mark Seitz presented him letters and a video that captured the fears and anxieties of people facing mass deportation in the United States …”

The church “cannot be silent,” Pope Leo said.

Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 3d

Oh — new reporting on Pope Leo from El Paso Matters, citing footage they have of yesterday's meeting.

Sounds like the pope was even *more* forceful in urging U.S. bishops to speak out about immigration than first reported.

I mean, that's…not subtle. elpasomatters.org/2025/10/08/e...

“I was struck at the beginning (of the video), it talks about the feeling of powerlessness, which I think is so much. I think it’s so important that we as a church give a message of hope in the midst of these horrible struggles, what’s going on in so many cities in the United States right now. At least the church cannot be silent,” the pope told the El Pasoans, according to a video of the meeting provided to El Paso Matters by Hope Border Institute.

Seitz responded: “You’ve spoken very strongly. We’re trying to do the same in our country and yet not get into the political fray the best that we can.”

Pope Leo told Seitz that he’d like to see the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops become more vocal on immigration issues.

“I mean, even within the conference, there are challenges. That’s one place they should be … I wish they were stronger in their own voice,” Leo said, adding that Archbishop Timothy Broglio, the president of the conference, should speak out more on immigration.

“There’s been some good movement in that sense, but I certainly intend to continue to encourage” U.S. bishops to address immigration, Leo said.

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Terrence Peterson @tgpeterson.bsky.social · 3d

This is just totally unhinged. Completely divorced from reality.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 3d

Trump: "I don't know what could be worse than Portland. You don't even have stores anymore. They don't even put glass up. They put plywood on their windows."

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Gerardo Martí @gerardomarti.bsky.social · 3d

Leadership of the State Senate in Virginia have sent a detailed letter to UVA leadership to reject The Compact.

<too long for complete text>
SENATE OF VIRGINIA
SCOTT A SUROVELL
HOUNT VERONA 23121
October 7, 2025
President Paul Mahoney
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400224
Charlottesville, VA 22904
Rector Rachel Sheridan
University of Virginia Board of Visitors
Office of the Board of Visitors Charlottesville, VA 22904
Proposed Trump Administration "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education"
Dear President Mahoney and Rector Sheridan:
We write to you today with grave concern regarding reports that the University of Virginia has been invited to sign the Trump Administration's "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education." As the leadership of the Virginia Senate, we are compelled to express our unequivocal opposition to this proposal and to make clear the potential consequences should the University proceed with signing this compact.
This latest federal overture must be viewed in the context of the Trump Administration's recent
and unprecedented interference in University operations. Just months ago, the Department of Justice forced the resignation of President James Ryan through what can only be described as extortionate tactics-threatening hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding and the livelihoods of employees, researchers, and students unless he stepped down. The Administration demanded his removal not for any failure of leadership, but because they disagreed with the University's approach to diversity and inclusion. President Ryan, who had led the University to record fundraising success and navigated it through extraordinary challenges, was sacrificed to federal political pressure.
The proposed compact represents an unprecedented federal intrusion into institutional autonomy and academic freedom. The conditions outlined-mandating sweeping changes to admissions and hiring practices, imposing so-called "institutional neutrality," freezing tuition for five years, capping international enrollment, and suppressing viewpoints-are fundamentally inco…

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Having already demonstrated its willingness to force out a university president who would not bend to its will, the Trump Administration now seeks to formalize its control through this compact. The pattern is clear: capitulation invites further interference, not protection. President Ryan's resignation was meant to spare the University from federal retaliation, yet here we are again, facing even more aggressive demands on institutional autonomy. The lesson is unmistakable-appeasing this Administration only emboldens further encroachment.
The University of Virginia was founded by Thomas Jefferson on principles of free inquiry and intellectual independence. To surrender these core values in exchange for preferential federal funding would betray not only Jefferson's vision but also the faculty, students, alumni, and citizens of the Commonwealth who have supported and sustained this institution for more than two centuries.
Beyond the fundamental assault on autonomy, the compact itself is rife with internal contradictions and operationally unworkable provisions that would cripple the University's ability to function. The document simultaneously demands that universities ban "belittlement" of "conservative ideas" while in the very next sentence proclaiming protection for "academic freedom in classrooms, teaching, research, and scholarship." These provisions are logically incompatible and would subject faculty, departments, and the University to arbitrary federal enforcement based on undefined and politically malleable standards.
Consider the practical impossibility: Under this compact, if a UVA economics professor teaches established free-trade principles-positions championed by Ronald Reagan and supported by rigorous empirical analysis-would that "belittle" the current administration's protectionist policies? Would the Department of Justice determine that such teaching violates the compact, triggering loss of all federal funding? The compac…

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The principle remains clear: decisions about the University's academic policies, admissions standards, and institutional values belong to the University and the Commonwealth-not to federal bureaucrats pursuing a political agenda. Having failed to protect President Ryan from federal extortion, we must now draw a firmer line. The General Assembly will not stand by while the University surrenders its independence through this compact.
Therefore, we call upon you to immediately cease all consideration of signing this compact.
Furthermore, we want to be explicitly clear: if the University of Virginia signs this compact, there will be significant consequences in future Virginia budget cycles. As the leadership of the Senate with responsibility for appropriations affecting higher education, we will work with our colleagues to ensure that the Commonwealth does not subsidize an institution that has ceded its independence to federal
doltical control
The University has difficult decisions to make regarding federal funding, but compromising your
core mission is not a viable path forward. We urge you instead to join with other leading institutions in resisting this federal overreach and protecting the academic freedom and institutional autonomy that are essential to genuine higher education. As multiple scholars have noted, this compact is incoherent, contradictory, and drafted by officials who demonstrate no understanding of how universities operate or are funded. It is not a partnership—it is a trap that would subject the University to arbitrary federal enforcement with catastrophic financial consequences.
Moreover, signing this compact would violate the University's fiduciary duty to its students, faculty, and the Commonwealth. The vague and contradictory terms create legal exposure far exceeding any promised benefits. No responsible board could expose the institution to such unlimited and undefined federal control.
We expect the University to im…

Governor Glenn A. Youngkin
Secretary Aimee R. Guidera
Senator Ghazala F. Hashmi, Chair, Senate Education and Health Committee Senator R. Creigh Deeds, 11" District
Speaker Don Scott
Delegate Charniele Herring
Delegate Sam Rasoul, Chair, House Education Committee Delegate Katrina E. Callsen, 54° District
Porter N. Wilkinson, Vice Rector UVA Board of Visitors:
Daniel M. Brody, Member, UVA Board of Visitors Marvin W. Gilliam, Jr., Member, UVA Board of Visitors Hon. Paul C. Harris, Member, UVA Board of Visitors Stephen P. Long, M.D., Member, UVA Board of Visitors Paul B. Manning, Member, UVA Board of Visitors John L. Nau IlI, Member, UVA Board of Visitors David O. Okonkwo, M.D., Member, UVA Board of Visitors Amanda L. Pillion, Member, UVA Board of Visitors David F. Webb, Member, UVA Board of Visitors Douglas D. Wetmore, Member, UVA Board of Visitors James H. Lambert, Faculty Representative, UVA Board of Visitors Gregory D. Perryman, Jr., Student Representative, UVA Board of Visitors

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