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Noah Nathan

@nlnathan.bsky.social

650 followers 330 following 31 posts

Political scientist @MIT nlnathan.mit.edu

Videos

Political science 52%

Sociology 20%

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Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 8d

Trump's higher ed ransom note is here - everyone would have to acquiesce to their unprecedented demands or not be "given priority for grants," plus they can demand "reimbursement" for "violations" www.wsj.com/us-news/educ...

A mechanism to enforce fealty. An attack on academic freedom and democracy

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Reposted by Noah L. Nathan

Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 8d

Conventional wisdom says that, once in power, opposition parties will return backsliding countries to the democratic path. In reality, not only is this not true, but it is not uncommon for the opposition to adopt the autocratic habits of the regime they replaced.

muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
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Noah Nathan @nlnathan.bsky.social · 14d

Surreal to walk out of teaching Phil Roessler's book on the "coup-civil war trap" to see this headline about my own country. His book has some predictions, to say the least, about what would be about to go down if this were a stereotypical autocracy and this kind of "summit" were being called...

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 14d

Maybe just more Hegseth idiocy, but if this were happening in another country where an authoritarian leader was trying to consolidate power, we'd be very nervous

Joyce White Vance @joycewhitevance.bsky.social · 14d

“without a stated reason” www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Reposted by David R. Miller, Henrik Skaug Sætra, Noah L. Nathan

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 14d

Maybe just more Hegseth idiocy, but if this were happening in another country where an authoritarian leader was trying to consolidate power, we'd be very nervous

Joyce White Vance @joycewhitevance.bsky.social · 14d

“without a stated reason” www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Hegseth orders rare, urgent meeting of hundreds of generals, admirals

The Pentagon has summoned military officials from around the world for a gathering in Virginia. Top generals and their staffs don’t know the reason for the meeting.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Joanna Bryson, Anna O. Law , and 10 more Anne Applebaum, Joanna Bryson, Anna O. Law, Lisa W. Fazio, Jan W. Mueller, Brendan Nyhan, Michael A. Clemens, Guy Grossman, Jonathan Hopkin, David R. Miller, Max Nathan, Mark Rice, Noah L. Nathan

Filipe Campante @filipecampante.bsky.social · 20d

The H1-B visa thing is, like everything else in the Trump administration, set up to carve up exceptions for friends and punish enemies. It’s the authoritarian thru-line that stitches everything together.

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Reposted by Michael A. Clemens, Guy Grossman, David R. Miller , and 3 more Michael A. Clemens, Guy Grossman, David R. Miller, Scott A. Imberman, Noah L. Nathan, Gary Hollibaugh

Dan de Kadt @dandekadt.bsky.social · 20d

This H1B thing is a DISASTER for the USA. Phone your representative and senator NOW and demand action to protect America.

This is an attack on the American economy and American technological and scientific advancement. Not to mention a truly awful thing to do to half a million people.

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Reposted by Mark A. Lemley, Stefan Reis, Jesse H. Kroll , and 42 more Mark A. Lemley, Stefan Reis, Jesse H. Kroll, Steve Peers, Andrew Scott, Serge Guimond, Caroline Krafft, Elizabeth Stokoe, Vincent Tiberj, Eric Goldman, Richard Kay, Sabine Pahl, Alan Lester, Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, Robert Black, Michael Kevane, Jussi T. Eronen, Laurent Pech, David R. Miller, Robert Wolfe, W. Andy Knight, Gerald Friedman, Richard Larouche, Jonathan Birch, Anne Norton, Dean Eckles, Molly Scott Cato, Andrew Watkins, Stuart White, Henrik Skaug Sætra, Paul Ekblom, Noah L. Nathan, Simon Lester, Hilde De Weerdt, Christina Pagel, Gilles Louppe, Daxton R. Stewart, Manisha Sinha, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Dan Immergluck, Guy Dewsbury, Virginia Sapiro, Markus W. Gehring, Southern Africa

Barack Obama @barackobama.bsky.social · 21d

After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.

Let’s be clear about what happened to Jimmy Kimmel

Trump’s most brazen attack on free speech yet.

www.yahoo.com

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Noah Nathan @nlnathan.bsky.social · 22d

Yay! Congrats!!

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Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele, Will Jennings, Steve Peers , and 4 more Kim L. Scheppele, Will Jennings, Steve Peers, Efrén O. Pérez, Melissa R. Michelson, David R. Miller, Noah L. Nathan

Jonathan Ladd @jonmladd.bsky.social · 22d

There’s competition, I know. But threatening to pull the broadcast licenses of the affiliates of an entire “big-3” television network unless they stop their evening talk show host from criticizing the president has to be one of the biggest First Amendment violations in U.S. history.

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Reposted by Efrén O. Pérez, Noah L. Nathan

Ryan Enos @ryanenos.bsky.social · 22d

A free society is not one in which the government can use its power to silence critical speech. Decent people must oppose this.

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Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele, Elizabeth Saunders, Jonathan A. Eisen , and 33 more Kim L. Scheppele, Elizabeth Saunders, Jonathan A. Eisen, Joe R. Feagin, Will Jennings, Paul R. Bierman, John McLaren, Christopher Wright, Brian Leiter, Rosemary A. Joyce, Caroline Krafft, Melissa Johnson, Andrew Curry, Melissa R. Michelson, Joseph Schafer, Paul Goldstein, Ryan Enos, Kevin Carey, Robert Black, Michael Kevane, Melanie C. Green, David R. Miller, Scott A. Imberman, Robert B. Reich, Anne Norton, Henry Jones, Claire L. Adida, Henrik Skaug Sætra, Leah Stokes, Noah L. Nathan, S. J. Holmes, Raúl Pacheco-Vega, Deborah Avant, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Virginia Sapiro, Deborah M. Kolb

Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 22d

A free and democratic society cannot silence comedians because the President doesn’t like what they say.

This is an attack on free speech and cannot be allowed to stand.

All elected officials need to speak up and push back on this undemocratic act.

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Reposted by Anna O. Law, Andrew Curry, David R. Miller , and 6 more Anna O. Law, Andrew Curry, David R. Miller, Timothy Burke, Daniel Kuehn, Noah L. Nathan, Greg Linden, Prakash Kashwan, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 23d

“.. There has to be a line between crime and war,” said John Yoo, a former deputy assistant attorney general under President George W. Bush.

@politico.com
www.politico.com/news/2025/09...

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Reposted by Noah L. Nathan

African Politics Conference Group @africanpoliticscg.bsky.social · 28d

🎉 Congrats to @nicolewilson.bsky.social , winner of the 2025 Lynne Rienner Best Dissertation Award

👏 Honorable Mention: @victoragboga.bsky.social

👉 www.afpol.org/blog/nicole-...

Nicole Wilson (Northwestern University) wins the Lynne Rienner Best Dissertation Award

Nicole Wilson (Northwestern University) wins the APCG Best Dissertation Award for her dissertation titled “Seeing Like an Estate: Middle-Class Political Behavior After Collective Exit.”

www.afpol.org

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Reposted by Noah L. Nathan

Maxwell Palmer @maxwellpalmer.com · Aug 14

How to fix America's gerrymandering problem? @benschneer.bsky.social and I wrote in Time today about a solution we developed (with @cantstopkevin.bsky.social). time.com/7309565/amer...

How to Fix America’s Gerrymandering Problem

As Trump pushes states to redraw districts in favor of Republicans, this solution could help stop gerrymandering.

time.com

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Reposted by Noah L. Nathan, Ariel White

mitpolisci.bsky.social @mitpolisci.bsky.social · Aug 12

Check out the third cohort of Pathways@GDL Summer interns!

polisci.mit.edu/news/2025/pa...

@nlnathan.bsky.social @arielrwhite.bsky.social @ausis.bsky.social @ncatsuaggies.bsky.social @unm.edu @howard.edu @mit.edu @mit-cis.bsky.social

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Reposted by Noah L. Nathan

Abu Aardvark’s Ghost @abuaardvark.bsky.social · Aug 4

If there were still any hope for academic conferences in the US (I don’t think there is) then this would kill it.

Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · Aug 4

"The State Department is proposing requiring applicants for business and tourist visas to post a bond of up to $15,000 to enter the United States, a move that may make the process unaffordable for many."

"For many."

apnews.com/article/stat...

State Department may require visa applicants to post bond of up to $15,000 to enter the US

The State Department is proposing requiring applicants for business and tourist visas to post a bond of up to $15,000 to apply to enter the United States.

apnews.com

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Reposted by Noah L. Nathan

Anna Grzymala-Busse @annagbusse.bsky.social · Aug 1

Communist regimes insisted on a "propaganda of success," with the media daily and breathlessly reporting ever-higher quotas being met by the heroic workers and massive economic growth. Stalin sent the (few) authors of unfavorable economic reports to the gulag.

This of course is very different.

NBC News @nbcnews.com · Aug 1

BREAKING: President Trump fires the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics hours after weak jobs report.

Trump fires labor statistics boss hours after weak jobs report

The president implied that the BLS commissioner, long-time federal employee Erika McEntarfer, manipulated the data "for political purposes."

nbcnews.to

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Reposted by Dani Rodrik, Cas Mudde, Marc Lynch , and 32 more Dani Rodrik, Cas Mudde, Marc Lynch, Lisa W. Fazio, Jan W. Mueller, Archon Fung, Nancy Kanwisher, Tariq Modood, Will Jennings, Brendan Nyhan, Scott L. Greer, Steve Peers, Michael A. Clemens, Konstantin Sonin, Ralf Michaels, Ryan Enos, Maya Sen, Laurent Pech, Robert Wolfe, Tom van der Meer, Caroline T. Schroeder, Kennedy, Mary L. Dudziak, Bessma Momani, Tore Ellingsen, Michael Jones‐Correa, Thomas Hale, Naazneen H. Barma, Anna Grzymała-Busse, Nelson Flores, Noah L. Nathan, Tom Louwerse, Hong, Charles T. Mathewes, Ryan Goodman

Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · Jul 31

Wow. A group of top scholars at Harvard just sent a letter to its president, Alan Garber, warning against surrendering to Trump.

Signatories include Steven Levitsky, Dani Rodrik, Ryan Enos, Theda Skocpol, and Steven Walt.

Someone forwarded it to me. Read it here:

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Reposted by Dani Rodrik, Kim L. Scheppele, Lisa W. Fazio , and 8 more Dani Rodrik, Kim L. Scheppele, Lisa W. Fazio, Jan W. Mueller, Brendan Nyhan, Jennifer A. Richeson, Scott Gehlbach, Switzerland, Efrén O. Pérez, Stuart White, Noah L. Nathan

Reposted by Kevin J. Anchukaitis, Bangladesh, Bessma Momani , and 3 more Kevin J. Anchukaitis, Bangladesh, Bessma Momani, Julia M. Wright, Pablo Piccato, Noah L. Nathan

AAUP @aaup.org · Jul 24

Columbia University’s agreement with the Trump administration is a disaster for academic freedom, freedom of speech, & the independence of American higher education. Never in the history of our nation has an educational institution so thoroughly bent to the will of an autocrat.

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Reposted by Noah L. Nathan

George Kwaku Ofosu @gofosu.bsky.social · Jun 16

We are delighted to host Noah Nathan (@nlnathan.bsky.social) at our next
@lsegovernment.bsky.social APEG Seminar this Thursday, June 19 (12:00-1:30 PM GMT). Please join us.

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Reposted by Ben Worthy, Noah L. Nathan

Aaron Parnas @aaronparnas.bsky.social · Jun 12

BREAKING: SENATOR PADILLA HANDCUFFED AND THROWN TO THE GROUND AFTER BEING FORCIBLY REMOVED FROM PRESS CONFERENCE.

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Reposted by Noah L. Nathan

Political Networks @politicalnetworks.bsky.social · Jun 12

Congratulations to Noah L. Nathan @nlnathan.bsky.social for winning the Political Ties Award for "Do Grids Demobilize? How Street Networks, Social Networks, and Political Networks Intersect," published in @ajpseditor.bsky.social

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Reposted by Noah L. Nathan

Ryan Goodman @rgoodlaw.bsky.social · Jun 9

Escalating to escalate.

"Roughly 500 Marines based out of the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in California have been mobilized ... and will join the National Guard troops that were activated ... over the weekend without the consent of California’s governor or the city’s mayor."

Freeways blocked, cars on fire: LA protests against immigration raids and National Guard deployment | CNN

Police have used flash-bangs and tear gas while dispersing crowds as protesters set at least two Waymo self-driving cars on fire. Follow for live updates

www.cnn.com

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Reposted by Noah L. Nathan

Conor Sen @conorsen.bsky.social · Jun 5

Someone should tell Trump that Elon would feel very owned if he fully funded USAID and the CDC.

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Reposted by Justin H. Kirkland, Erika Franklin Fowler, Noah L. Nathan , and 1 more Justin H. Kirkland, Erika Franklin Fowler, Noah L. Nathan, Michael Evans

Maya Sen @mayasen.bsky.social · Jun 3

More polling just dropped -- by a pretty huge margin Americans think that having international students at US universities is good for the country, not bad -- 56% to 14% (+42)

and for 18-29 YOs, nearly 1/2 say international students are "very good"

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Reposted by Michelle L. Mazurek, Amy Donovan, Noah L. Nathan

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · May 30

Nature ran a piece finding that 25 million people could die as a result of ending USAID. This puts Trump and Musk in the category of the most brutal leaders of the 20th century in terms of unnecessary lives lost.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Nature graph documenting estimated lives lost from USAID. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01191-z

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Reposted by Noah L. Nathan, Joseph P. Laycock, Andrea Iaboni , and 2 more Noah L. Nathan, Joseph P. Laycock, Andrea Iaboni, Shaun C. Hendy, Melissa Mallon

Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · May 29

The New York Times has found at least two more fake citations in the MAHA report.

www.nytimes.com/2025/05/29/w...

White House Health Report Included Fake Citations

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Calvin K. Lai, Noah L. Nathan

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · May 12

Q: There are many people who fit the criteria of fleeing persecution. Afghans for example. But they're being denied refugee status. So why such an exception for the Afrikaners?

TRUMP ADMIN OFFICIAL: One of the criteria is making sure they can be assimilated easily into our country

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Reposted by Noah L. Nathan

southpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · May 12

Look at the Trump official’s tie.

The flag of South Africa from 1928 to 1994 was the flag of the Union of South Africa from 1928 to 1961 and later the flag of the Republic of South Africa until 1994. It was also the flag for South West Africa (now Namibia) under the former's administration (from 1915 to 1990).
Based on the Dutch Prince's Flag, it contained the flag of the United Kingdom, the flag of the Orange Free State, and the flag of the South African Republic (respectively) in the centre. 51 A nickname for the flag was Oranje, Blanje, Blou (Afrikaans for: "orange, white, blue"). "]
South Africa
米
"Oranje, Blanje, Blou" (1]
"Union flag" (2](3]
"Apartheid flag" [4)

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