Tom Pepinsky
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Tom Pepinsky
@tompepinsky.com
22K followers 1.2K following 2.9K posts
Teacher, researcher, globalist, republican.

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or… process anything sold, bought...
November 17, 2025 at 7:59 PM
tompepinsky.com
I’ve added Mexican oregano.

I’ve added Mexican

Whoa-oh

Oregano
November 16, 2025 at 8:14 PM
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If I could read two and only two things about regime change, thinking about the current global moment, I would read these:

www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/... by @adamprz.bsky.social

and

openlibrary.org/books/OL2710... by O’Donnell and Schmitter
More precisely, we assert that there is no transition whose beginning is not the consequence-direct or indirect-of important divisions within the authoritarian regime itself, principally along the fluctuating cleavage between hard-liners and soft-liners. The essay reviews some theoretical and methodological problems involved in the study of the transition to democracy. Two explanations frequently cited to explain breakdowns of authoritarian regimes are examined first. I argue that loss of legitimacy is not a sufficient condition of breakdown of such regimes and that what is required for liberalization is an open break within the ruling bloc. The coherence of the ruling bloc is highly vulnerable to any signal that a conflict may be impending. The latter part of the essay is devoted to the analysis of conditions for a democratic compromise. The argument is that substantive compromises are not possible since democracy means that outcomes of conflicts are at least to some extent uncertain. Institutional compromises can be developed, however, in such a way as to provide sufficient guarantees for the conflicting parties. The only problem is that these guarantees may have to be so strong that democrati.zation will be limited to formal political arrangements, with no consequences for the social and economic structure of the society.
November 16, 2025 at 4:10 PM
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I semi-seriously believe that you can make sense out of the second Trump administration by imagining that he is a Javanese king, demonstrating power through his wahju (enlightenment/revelation), tédja (glow/radiance), possession of sacred objects, and willingness to showcase his virility...
f he represented the first ruler of a new dynasty, he emerged as the man believed to have received the wahju, the divine radiance which passed from the disintegrating Power of one kingdom to the founder of its successor. Very often, the new ruler would be a parvenu of relatively humble origins—such as Ken Angrok, Panembahan Sena- pati, Sukarno, Suharto—coming to power after a period of turmoil and bloodshed usually instigated by the new ruler himself. Though Javanese history is replete with stories of rebellions, the leaders of these rebellions were never said to have the wahju unless they suc- ceeded in establishing a new dynasty. Failure in itself meant retro- spectively that the rebel leader did not have the Power; if he had, he would have succeeded. The main claim to legitimacy of the founder of a new dynasty rested on his successful destruction of a previous center of Power and the belief that in so doing he had received the divine wahju. But it is typical of the Javanese urge toward the center, toward the accumulation of all pools of Power, that the parvenu ruler frequently tried to associate himself through court chronicles with the residues of previous centers of Power and greatness. Schrieke, Berg, and Moertono have amply demonstrated the concerted attempts to link parvenu founders of dynasties with their predecessors through complicated (and often falsified) lines Power to be diffused by indulging their passions without restraint, whereas the former maintain that steadfastness, that tense singleness of purpose which assures the maintenance and continued accumulation of Power.16 Besides this orthodox view of the road to Power, another, hetero- dox tradition exists in Java, historically best exemplified in the per- son of the last ruler of Singhasari, King Kertanagara. In this Bhairavist (Tantric) tradition, Power is sought through a kind of Rimbaudian dereglement systematique des sens—drunkenness, sexual orgies, and ritual murder.17 But even this tradition, which still finds more or less clandestine adherents in contemporary Indonesia, ultimately aims at the same objectives as the more orthodox tradition. For in the Bhairavist belief-system, the system- atic indulgence of the sensual passions in their most extreme form was believed to exhaust these passions, and therefore to allow a mans Power to be concentrated without further hindrance. Thus in both traditions the ultimate aim was concentration for the sake of Power, although the paths chosen to reach this purpose radically diverged. The psychological grip of this image can be glimpsed in a remarkable speech given by Sukarno in 1963, on the occasion of receiving an honorary doctorate at the University of Indonesia in Djakarta.^5 On that occasion he spoke at length about the tedja, noting that various European figures had possessed it, among the most notable of whom was Adolf Hitler. Sukarno's discussion of Hitler and his tedja evoked dismay among some Western observers present, who judged it within the frame of reference of European history. But seen within the Javanese tradition, Sukarno's references were calmly analytical. Nowhere in his references to Hitler was there any mention of the moral qualities of the Fuehrer's rule. The reason for this omission was not that Sukarno lacked appreciation for moral questions, but rather that within the categories of Javanese political theory, the specific moral- ity of a government is quite secondary (both in historical and in analytical terms) to its Power aspects. The fact that Hitler had the tedja was central and formed the starting-point of any analysis of his regime.36 The glow of the tedja was traditionally associated with the public visage of the ruler. Moertono cites the case of Amangkurat III (1703-1708), of whom it was said, when he was about to be de- posed, that having "lost his tjahja (radiance), he looked pale as a Chinese with a stomach-ache." 3T By contrast, of Amangkurat II ( 1677-1703), at the moment of his resolve to resist the incursion of Trunadjaja and to defend the crumbling empire of Mataram, it was related that his followers "did not recognize their lord; formerly his expression was wan and without expression, now his countenance became bright and of a stately gravity." eath of Amangkurat II in 1703, was designed to indicate why Pangeran Puger, who with Dutch assistance usurped the throne from his nephew Amangkurat III, was the deceased sovereigns legitimate successor. "The story is told that the [dead] king's man- hood stood erect and on the top of it was a radiant light (tjahja), only the size of a grain of pepper. But nobody observed it. Only Pangeran Puger saw it. Pangeran Puger quickly sipped up the [drop of] light. As soon as the light had been sipped, the manhood ceased to stand erect. It was Allah's will that Pangeran Puger should succeed to the throne." 39 Indeed the sexual fertility of the ruler is one essential sign of the Power that he holds, for his seed is the microcosmic expression of the Power he has concentrated. The fertility of the ruler was seen as simultaneously evoking and guaran- teeing the fertility of the land, the prosperity of the society, and the expansionist vitality of the empire. The Sukarno period once again provides a striking modern parallel to this old idea. Outside ob- servers of the Indonesian scene frequently remarked that Sukarno's well-publicized sexual activities appeared to do him no political harm. It was even said that the Javanese indulgently expect their rulers to act in this way. But if the foregoing analysis is correct, the political aspects of Sukarno's personal life are overlooked in such a perspective. For signs of the ruler's virility are political indicators that he still has the Power. Conversely, any marked decline in sexual activity could be taken as sign of waning Power in other respects. More sophisticated observers of late Guided Democracy were indeed inclined to suspect that Palace officials deliberately spread exaggerated stories about the President's personal life as part of a continuing effort to maintain his authority.
November 15, 2025 at 1:55 PM
tompepinsky.com
I encourage everyone to click through this and browse the website and the organizers’ websites. You get the distinct impression that the whole thing is a kind of performance art, or perhaps a scam, and that you are reading words written by a computer, right in the "uncanny valley” of human cognition
Being dubbed the Max Verstappen of her field, she brings over 30 years of experience and has provided guidance and training to individuals at many organizations and universities worldwide.
November 12, 2025 at 2:05 PM
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Douthat: "Is there not a certain unique potency in the monarchy that some ambitious figure might try to revive and use before the end?"

Summon Orwell!

www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-f...
But suppose the crisis comes, with the existing institutions of Britain failing even more notably than they seem to be today. Is there not a certain unique potency in the monarchy that some ambitious figure might try to revive and use before the end? If not William, perhaps his steelier consort? Young Prince George (who knows what techno-monarchist Substacks he might end up reading?) or Princess Charlotte? Prince Archie of Sussex, his ambitions kindled by his mother’s on-the-make Americanism? Monarchy survived the 20th century by making its peace with liberalism and making its unruly members an anachronism. But in a post-liberal era, that unruliness might yet be a political virtue — or if not quite that, at least a way to close out the books of kings with a bang. Now, it is clear that the decline of a language must ultimately have political and economic causes: it is not due simply to the bad influence of this or that individual writer. But an effect can become a cause, reinforcing the original cause and producing the same effect in an intensified form, and so on indefinitely. A man may take to drink because he feels himself to be a failure, and then fail all the more completely because he drinks. It is rather the same thing that is happening to the English language. It becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts. The point is that the process is reversible.
November 8, 2025 at 6:28 PM
tompepinsky.com
Perhaps you would be interested in this crabby take on PR in the USA which has sat unedited on my desktop since fall 2020
THE CASE AGAINST PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION IN THE UNITED STATES Thomas B. Pepinsky* Cornell University ABSTRACT. Proportional representation (PR) is often proposed as a solution to partisan dysfunction in the United States. The most compelling argument for PR is that it would the break down the two-party system that characterizes US national politics. But in a federal system with a presidential form of government and a bicameral legislature with two single-member districts in each state in the Senate, PR could only be implemented for House elections. The likely result would be even more power accruing to the executive branch, increasing the all-or-nothing nature of presidential elections and undermining party discipline in the House. All the purported benefits of PR in the United States would be more easily obtained by switching from a presidential to a parliamentary form of government.
November 7, 2025 at 2:57 PM
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November 5, 2025 at 1:34 PM
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Charlotte Court House, VA is the closest thing I have to an ancestral family seat, and this result explains why just about everyone related to me moved away
November 5, 2025 at 2:05 AM
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Out on the road today, I saw a
Phish 95 license plate
November 4, 2025 at 1:58 PM
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<local hero> YOU KNOW WHERE YOU ARE??
Amelia Earhart Terminal
October 31, 2025 at 11:31 AM
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Preparing for a lecture on "Asian values” and “Asian-style democracy,” and really need to commend this outstanding agenda-setting essay on modern and historical liberalism in Southeast Asia by Leloy Claudio (Berkeley). Short 🧵

1/

www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...
A Research Agenda for the Study of Southeast Asian Liberalisms Lisandro E. Claudio ABSTRACT This article proposes a research agenda for a sympathetic study of liberalism in Southeast Asia. To do so, it outlines a vision for liberal scholarship, after which it responds to three obstacles that retard investigations of liberalism in the region: that liberalism is an elite project; that liberalism is ill-suited and detrimental to Asia; and that liberalism is emotionally barren. In addressing these obstacles, the article hopes to encourage capacious research on how liberalism has been interpreted and reinterpreted to address historical and contemporary political problems in Southeast Asia.
October 30, 2025 at 12:00 PM
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Iron Chef Ketchup
Trump-S. Korea menu
October 29, 2025 at 6:50 PM
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Everyone is having a lousy time except for Singaporean P.M. Lawrence Wong (far left), who like many Singaporeans enjoys a little holiday to KL sometimes even if KLCC kinda showing its age now
October 26, 2025 at 10:47 PM
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<Steve Winwood>

HALLOUMIIIIIIIII! HALLOUMI!
Halloumi, beans, and tomatoes
October 26, 2025 at 9:45 PM
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Indonesia, 1998. FOR EXAMPLE
The New Order subsequently stepped up its defense of economic management. Tutut led the charge with her public support of the Love the Rupiah campaign, targeting mobile capital in doing so. Tutut not only asked the konglomerat to show patriotism by holding rupiah assets but also pledged that the Soeharto family itself would exchange its foreign currency holdings for rupiahs.51 Amid some popular speculation that konglomerat’s business practices and involvement in currency deals showed their lack of patriotism, the regime began to target the konglomerat directly for participation in the Love the Rupiah campaign. These sentiments were particularly acute in the wake of the poor international reaction to the 1998 budget announced on January 5, which led to further rupiah depreciation and saw urban Indonesians beginning to hoard food and other necessary goods. With hoarding came accusations of price gouging from goods traders. Wealthy Indonesians – increasingly viewed by the public as Chinese Indonesians – bore the brunt of popular dissatisfaction in urban areas.52 The regime designed the Love the Rupiah campaign to present a united front of pribumi businessmen, konglomerat, and government figures with a firm plan to end economic troubles.53 For months after the initiation of the Love the Rupiah campaign, Indonesian newspapers printed stories of Indonesians – both rich and poor – spontaneously converting their assets into rupiah.
October 25, 2025 at 2:34 PM
tompepinsky.com
*sigh* the things one writes in 2025
Foreign policy will be transactional, with an eye for flashy wins in the U.S. media and a focus on mercantilist-inspired “deals.” For U.S. partners and allies in Asia, though, the most troubling developments are the Trump administration’s evisceration of the core institutions of the American state. The second Trump administration’s approach to government is guided by the politics of dominance. The administration’s social media strategy is, quite literally, shitposting.
October 22, 2025 at 11:56 AM
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Important to benchmark Kristi’s Kowboys relative to your standard shitlib globalist IPA dad
October 21, 2025 at 9:45 PM
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John Bender
October 16, 2025 at 8:24 PM
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Morris Buttermaker and Amanda
October 16, 2025 at 4:01 PM
tompepinsky.com
Here is Prabowo Subianto asking Donald Trump if he can meet Don and Eric. Then they’ll talk about “Harry,” which is almost certainly a reference to Hary Tanoe: this guy.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hary_Ta...
Hary Tanoe with Donald John Trump
October 13, 2025 at 5:45 PM
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I made saag paneer with kale instead of spinach. Never going back
Saag paneer
October 12, 2025 at 9:11 PM
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<Anthony Kiedes voice, Dave Navarro guitar>

Cheese said! All the whey. All the whey.
Curds and whey
October 12, 2025 at 1:26 PM
tompepinsky.com
“Theocratic libertarian” is exactly as incoherent as it sounds. No laws at all except for the laws of God, which… turns out… is gonna require a lot of laws written by men

"He Believes America Should Be a Theocracy. He Says His Influence Is Growing."
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/o...
The government should be significantly smaller than it is, and we need to curtail a lot of the busybodyness that we have. That’s why I would call myself a theocratic libertarian. There is a true libertarian element in this, and yet, the transcendent grounding for what we’re talking about means that we acknowledge the authority of God. We have racked up quite a body count of awful crimes, and I believe the only way out is for us to repent and turn to Christ. This would be things like no more Pride parades, no more drag queen story hours, no more abortion on demand, no more legalized same-sex unions — all of that, done. That’s the repentance part.
October 9, 2025 at 5:10 PM
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And then a piece by me, on social cleavages and electoral institutions in contemporary Indonesia

4/

journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
Indonesian democracy is characterised by large governing coalitions and a dominant presidency, coupled with weak parties with few programmatic differences. These features of coalitional presidentialism are the product of a presidential form of government and proportional representation with high district magnitudes and have implications for electoral politics in a diverse socioeconomic context. This manuscript shows that the core features of Indonesian party politics and electoral competition in the 2024 elections can be explained by applying the comparative literature on electoral institutions to Indonesia's social structure and political cleavages. Analysing the interaction of electoral rules, social structure, and politicians’ incentives provides insights into the roots of Indonesia's democratic decline and the pathways towards reform.
October 8, 2025 at 6:14 PM