LightNews
stephenwalt.bsky.social
Stephen Walt
@stephenwalt.bsky.social
3.5K followers 210 following 220 posts

Harvard professor, realist, FP columnist. Tennis enthusiast, amateur musician, pBute dad, & grateful husband. Troubled by the state of the world & looking for solutions. For speaking engagements contact John Bute at [email protected] .. more

Videos

Stephen Martin Walt is an American political scientist serving as the Robert and Renee Belfer Professor of international relations at the Harvard Kennedy School. A member of the realist school of international relations, Walt has made important contributions to the theory of neorealism and has authored the balance of threat theory. Books that he has authored or coauthored include Origins of Alliances, Revolution and War, and The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy. .. more

Political science 72%
Sociology 17%
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Melissa Johnson, Samantha Brennan , and 1 more

thetnholler.bsky.social
The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 14h
🤷🏼
790 2.3K 8.3K

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Lisa W. Fazio, Margaret Mitchell , and 23 more

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 16h
RFK Jr on Tylenol and autism: "It is not proof. We're doing the studies to make the proof."
1.9K 1.8K 5.7K

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Christopher Wright

ryanenos.bsky.social
Ryan Enos @ryanenos.bsky.social · 17h
Call me old school, but I don't think a person illegally blowing up boats and unleashing masked goons on his citizens would be a serious candidate for a peace prize.
110 650 2.9K

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Matthew P. McAllister, Sheila R. Foster , and 1 more

npr.org
NPR @npr.org · 21h
For the first time on record, renewable energy generated more electricity for the planet than coal, a new report says. n.pr/47hcegr
Renewable energy outpaces coal for electricity generation in historic first, report says
For the first time on record, renewable energy generated more electricity for the planet than coal, a new report says.
n.pr
83 1.2K 3.1K

Reposted by Dani Rodrik, Stephen M. Walt, Scott L. Greer , and 3 more

ryanenos.bsky.social
Ryan Enos @ryanenos.bsky.social · 23h
Harvard (and all universities) must take a stand against Trump's extorionary "compact". Enos and Levitsky.
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
Harvard Must Take a Stand Against Trump’s Compact | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson
Harvard, rather than quietly pursuing its own appeasement strategy, should lead the way to preserve academic freedom and democracy.
www.thecrimson.com
6 75 240

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Bessma Momani

katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 1d
Siva Vaidhyanathan on the Trump admin’s proposed “compact” for universities (to give up academic freedom in exchange for favorable treatment by the Trump government): “This ‘compact’ is more like an invitation to borrow money from the mob, with substantial control and future penalties assured.”
sivav.bsky.social
Siva @sivav.bsky.social · 1d
And from me:

newrepublic.com/article/2013...
Why This Essay Could Cause the University of Virginia to Shut Down
How Linda McMahon’s latest “compact” would do deep and permanent harm to American higher education
newrepublic.com
2 25 84

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt

nytpitchbot.bsky.social
NY Times Pitchbot @nytpitchbot.bsky.social · 1d
Since taking office, President Trump has used his cryptocurrency to accept billions of dollars from foreign entities. Here's our bombshell exposé of a land deal that Hunter Biden pursued in Romania in 2017.
7 100 710

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt

georgetakei.bsky.social
George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · 1d
This you, Kristi?
A screenshot of a post from X (formerly Twitter). The top tweet is from user @covie_93 with the caption: “This tweet aged like Stephen Miller…..”. Below it is a tweet from Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) that reads: “If Joe Biden federalizes the National Guard, that would be a direct attack on states' rights. Over the last several years, we've seen Democrats try to take away our Freedoms of religion, assembly, and speech. We can't let them take away our right to defend ourselves, too. South Dakota defends the Constitution.”
95 970 3.3K

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Bonnie Honig, Henry Farrell , and 1 more

katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 1d
Henry Farrell on the Trump admin’s proposed “compact” for universities, arguing that the rollout signals weakness, and that academics need to band together to reject this authoritarian attack on university independence and academic freedom.

Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/o...
2 61 130

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Norbert Schwarz, Nancy Kanwisher , and 15 more

laurahelmuth.bsky.social
Laura Helmuth @laurahelmuth.bsky.social · 1d
Six of the nine Nobel Prize winners this year work in the U.S.
Three of the six were born outside the U.S., which is the pattern most years. No country has benefited more from welcoming immigrants from around the world.
www.nobelprize.org
The official website of the Nobel Prize - NobelPrize.org
The Nobel Prize rewards science, humanism and peace efforts. This is one of the central concepts in the will of Alfred Nobel, and it also permeates the outreach activities that have been developed for...
www.nobelprize.org
27 450 1.2K

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt

profjwdavidson.bsky.social
Jason Davidson @profjwdavidson.bsky.social · 1d
@edwardluce.bsky.social

"The movie Wag the Dog depicted a US administration concocting a fake war to distract from domestic woes. Trump’s twist on that plot is to stage the fake war at home while lining up a foreign country for a co-starring role."

on.ft.com/4nzLdKY
Venezuela is Trump’s useful enemy
Despite the president’s claims, the South American country is nowhere close to being the US’s biggest drug supplier
on.ft.com
2 2

stephenwalt.bsky.social
Stephen Walt @stephenwalt.bsky.social · 2d
FP editor-in-chief Ravi Agrawal and I had a chance last week to talk at length about how the world has changed since October 7, 2023. You can watch the conversation here: foreignpolicy.com/live/#past
FP Live
foreignpolicy.com
1 4

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Will Jennings, Thomas Masterson , and 1 more

kevinmkruse.bsky.social
Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 3d
Sounds like Republicans ought to get all the Republicans who form the Republican majorities in the Republican-led House and the Republican-led Senate together to pass the budget that Republicans wrote with the Republican White House and that Republicans now insist absolutely must be passed.
atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 3d
Sean Duffy says the safety of the air traffic control system will start being impacted next Sunday if the shutdown continues
110 1.6K 5.6K

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Elizabeth Saunders, Will Jennings , and 5 more

marydudziak.bsky.social
Mary Dudziak @marydudziak.bsky.social · 3d
Has Trump’s second term posed a greater or lesser threat to the rule of law than you expected? @nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/m...
Has Trump’s second term posed a greater or lesser threat to the rule of law than you expected? Circular graph showing over half answered: much more than I expected, about a quarter: more than I expected, about an eighth: similar threat to what I expected, small sliver: much less threat than I expected.
35 89 270

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Jonathan A. Eisen, Tom Clark , and 6 more

akalhan.bsky.social
Anil Kalhan @akalhan.bsky.social · 4d
"[A]gents engulfed my car in tear gas, smashed my driver-side window, and pepper-sprayed my face.... I spent three nights and three days in federal custody. No explanation. No charges. No apology. One day, I was just told, 'you’re free to go.'" #KavanaughStop
I’m a US citizen and a veteran. ICE arrested me for no reason.
Jailed for three days without an explanation or ability to notify anyone, George Retes argues the only path to healing starts with the government taking accountability for its actions.
newsletter.ofthebrave.org
67 1.2K 2.3K

Reposted by Timothy Snyder, Stephen M. Walt, Will Jennings , and 16 more

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 4d
Trump: "The problem with Vietnam, we, you know, we stopped fighting to win. We would've won easy. We would've won Afghanistan easy. We would've won every war easy. But we got politically correct. 'Oh, let's take it easy.' We're not politically correct anymore, just so you understand."
970 330 1.5K

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Rosemary A. Joyce, Juan Cole , and 6 more

wyden.senate.gov
Senator Ron Wyden @wyden.senate.gov · 4d
They’re using American tax dollars to fund infrastructure in Argentina because that’s where they’re all going to flee when we kick them out of office
ryangrim.bsky.social
Ryan Grim @ryangrim.bsky.social · 8d
After announcing a $20 billion bailout of Argentina, the White House now says it's pausing $18 billion in funding for NYC infrastructure projects

Russ Vought would love nothing more than to tear this country down to its studs
670 4.2K 14K

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Brendan Nyhan, Laurent Pech , and 1 more

kimlanelaw.bsky.social
Kim Lane Scheppele @kimlanelaw.bsky.social · 4d
A must-read for those who are concerned about the future of universities under Trump. Trump is replacing the rule of law with rule by deal, and guaranteeing nothing for universities except that they give up their constitutional freedoms to avoid political punishments.
fishkin.bsky.social
Joey Fishkin @fishkin.bsky.social · 5d
I thought I'd put the administration's proposed "compact" with universities in context, so I wrote the blog post below.

It's especially for journalists covering this story!

Many details about how the compact itself works and why the administration has retreated to this strategy.
Balkinization: The Art of Replacing the Law with the Deal
A group blog on constitutional law, theory, and politics
balkin.blogspot.com
2 21 48

Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Stephen M. Walt, Michelle Everson , and 1 more

sturdyalex.bsky.social
Alex Andreou @sturdyalex.bsky.social · 4d
Here is a thing that I hear from *almost every British Jew I know* but have barely heard expressed in any of these programmes: No single person has done more to make Jewish people globally less safe than Benjamin Netanyahu.
38 250 1K

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Philip Nel, Jo Barraket , and 2 more

marcelias.bsky.social
Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 5d
🚨BREAKING: A federal judge Saturday blocked President Donald Trump’s call-up of the National Guard for a deployment in Portland, saying Trump’s actions were based on false claims and undermined Oregon’s sovereignty. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Seizure of Oregon National Guard for Portland Deployment
Read more here.
www.democracydocket.com
160 1.7K 6.5K

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Kim L. Scheppele, Lisa W. Fazio , and 24 more

fishkin.bsky.social
Joey Fishkin @fishkin.bsky.social · 5d
I thought I'd put the administration's proposed "compact" with universities in context, so I wrote the blog post below.

It's especially for journalists covering this story!

Many details about how the compact itself works and why the administration has retreated to this strategy.
Balkinization: The Art of Replacing the Law with the Deal
A group blog on constitutional law, theory, and politics
balkin.blogspot.com
12 260 540

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Brendan Nyhan

heidikitrosser.bsky.social
Heidi Kitrosser @heidikitrosser.bsky.social · 5d
In case you missed it: 🎁link to Erwin Chemerinsky's outstanding article on the Trump Administration's pernicious proposed "compact" with universities.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/o...
Opinion | Trump’s ‘Compact’ With Universities Is Just Extortion
www.nytimes.com
2 21 45

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Brendan Nyhan, Rosemary A. Joyce , and 3 more

davidcorn.bsky.social
David Corn @davidcorn.bsky.social · 5d
Can Miller really believe this? If so, he is delusional. If not, then he’s a reprehensible demagogue.
1.2K 1.2K 4.4K

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Christian Odendahl, Rebecca Solnit , and 15 more

cnn.com
CNN @cnn.com · 6d
Adults and children alike were pulled from their Chicago apartments, crying and screaming, during a large overnight raid that has left tenants and neighbors shaken. https://cnn.it/4pPCXIt
37 people arrested and American kids separated from parents after ICE raid at Chicago apartments | CNN
Adults and children alike were pulled from their Chicago apartments, crying and screaming, during a large overnight raid that has left tenants and neighbors shaken.
www.cnn.com
430 850 1.4K

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Steve Peers, Alan Richardson , and 3 more

dinfontay.com
Dave Infante @dinfontay.com · 6d
“'The fact that we don't have money to pay journalists, but we have money to pay Bari Weiss between $100 and 200 million is indicative of what the Ellisons' true goal here is,' a network correspondent said. 'And it's not journalism.'"
CBS News staffers are ‘literally freaking out’ about Bari Weiss taking over newsroom
EXCLUSIVE: ‘People are using words like depressing and doomsday – feels like some sort of doomsday,’ one source told The Independent about the mood inside CBS News right now.
www.independent.co.uk
110 2K 6.5K

stephenwalt.bsky.social
Stephen Walt @stephenwalt.bsky.social · 6d
There will come a time in America when many ICE agents delete it from their resumes.
6 5 37

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Susan Hyde, Jonathan Hopkin , and 1 more

jaylyall.bsky.social
Jason "Red5" Lyall @jaylyall.bsky.social · 7d
"It is not hyperbole to say that the future of higher education in America requires that every university reject it. If any schools capitulate, the pressure will be enormous on all to fold. The only solution is solidarity & collective action against this effort at federal control over higher ed"
Opinion | Trump’s ‘Compact’ With Universities Is Just Extortion
www.nytimes.com
1 46 100

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt

gypsyrights.bsky.social
Gypsy Guillén Kaiser @gypsyrights.bsky.social · 7d
Ideology over experience.
1

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Marc Lynch, Samantha Brennan , and 1 more

jacobtlevy.bsky.social
Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 8d
www.insidehighered.com/news/governa...

"Both graduation and retention rates have fallen since the takeover in 2023.... even as New College spends more than 10 times per student what the other 11 members of the State University System... a head count under 900 and a $118.5 million budget"
Spending Soars, Rankings Fall at New College of Florida
Student outcomes and rankings are slipping at the liberal arts college while spending is up. Critics believe the college is at risk of implosion, and some are calling for privatization.
www.insidehighered.com
15 70 160

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt

foreignpolicy.com
Foreign Policy @foreignpolicy.com · 9d
Trump’s tariffs and pointless military displays are the opposite of foreign-policy restraint, argues columnist @stephenwalt.bsky.social.
Donald Trump Will Never Be a Restrainer
The final verdict is in.
foreignpolicy.com
1 5 8