The Mark Carney moment of hope for a reformed somewhat rules-based order is already over. The "West" has lost all credibility. You cannot condemn illegal aggression against Greenland and Ukraine on principle, then support illegal aggression against Gaza, Venezuela, and Iran.
Fwiw, Lippmann definitely saw parts of the public as stupid (see attached), but he chalked this up to nationalist stereotypes and immature emotions.
In one sense, you can see the entire classical realist project as an attempt to create restraint on people who were literally unable to conceive of their own limitations. For Niebuhr, involved turning to religion. Morgenthau, the balance of power. For Lippmann, natural law.
I think this is the classical realist view of tragedy, right?
When you have radically over-confident (i.e. stupid) people who are unable to recognize their limitations--or historical and political contingency for that matter--it leads to hubris and catastrophic outcomes.
I guess my question is "where is it?"
You think AI can write a publishable political theory article in 2 hours? Great. Show me. Send me the pdf of the published article.
Based on this logic, we should have 100,000s of new high quality AI articles being published?
Where are they?
Hot take: The Carney government put out a statement supporting the United States without knowing what it was doing. Now that the US/Israel have assassinated a state leader, and Hegseth has declared "no stupid rules of engagement", supporting the U.S. looks a lot more difficult.
This is excellent
Yes, you are! Feels like ages ago...
Congratulations! Straight to the read pile.
The emotional politics of sovereignty: On dignity, state personhood, and kidnappings
My co-authored article with @nckc.bsky.social is published in @ejisbisa.bsky.social with #openaccess!
We theorize captivity/kidnapping as a sovereignty violation, and states respond with emotional performativity to protect their dignity, constructing personhood.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Never has so much US combat power been assembled with so little explanation to the public, allies, or Congress regarding why or how it will be used. Never.
Canada is living through the most dangerous international crisis in living memory, but any attempt to study history, politics, or international affairs is dismissed as 'basket weaving' by the Premier of Canada's most populace province.
There is definitely an opening here for Democrats to claim that 'Trump Lost Canada', especially after Canada's EV deal with China. This seems like very low-hanging fruit.
www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
I’m very excited to share that my co-authored article with Todd Hall is now published in the @ejisbisa.bsky.social !
Many thanks to @profgustafsson.bsky.social and @rjsamuels.bsky.social for organising the special issue and for their guidance throughout the process.
doi.org/10.1017/eis....
Looks great, congratulations!
This is the way
Two, and I think Jen's post touches on this, is that successful cons often reveal our ideological desires. Trump's con reveals that there is a desire for cruelty, for ethnic cleansing, and antidemocratic politics.
People know that those desires are ugly and don't want to own up to them. /3
Cooling out the mark requires calming them down and helping them confront the pain and anguish that they've been duped.
In Trump's America, it's all scandals and atrocities that are emotional draining. After resistance & solidarity, there is very little left for comforting Trump's dupes /2
This is a *really* good take on Trump supporters, Goffman's classic account of the con man, and the problem of 'cooling out' Trump supporters.
I have two quick thoughts. One is that I think the reason there is no one to 'cool out' Trump supporters is that this requires emotional labour... /1
Tonight I watched Prime Minister Mark Carney take the actual Heated Rivalry Canada fleece from Hudson Williams, slip it on and say: “This is true soft power.”
So...not close at all?
This is a really good essay.
Congratulations, looks great!
I did some radio with CBC on the international politics of the Grok controversy and Canada's response.
Come for the incisive analysis, stay to hear my kids yelling at the dog for peeing on the carpet.
www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...
Oh my god this is so horrifying... this is the most despicable gaslighting imaginable - tech executives must be held responsible for what they create.
I would also note: X has deleted a handful of these images. But the vast majority of them remain live on X today.
Wow, what a catastrophically bad take, one of the worst I've seen in years.
Like I just can't imagine the sheer embarrassment of take so bad. It's like they made this in a lab...
Yes!
But Trump also probably realized he needed an off ramp and Rutte gave him one.
