Hans Schattle
@hansschattle.bsky.social
Political science professor @ Yonsei University
American in Seoul, South Korea
Democracy, citizenship; media; politics of East Asia, Europe and the United States
American in Seoul, South Korea
Democracy, citizenship; media; politics of East Asia, Europe and the United States
Pinned
Hans Schattle
@hansschattle.bsky.social
· Jul 10
South Korea's ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol rearrested
Yoon is in detention for a second time over his failed martial law declaration last year.
www.bbc.com
Here's how the rule of law works, when it comes to presidents who abuse power and violate the constitution.
South Korea's ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol already faces criminal charges of insurrection, in connection with his failed martial law decree last year.
South Korea's ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol already faces criminal charges of insurrection, in connection with his failed martial law decree last year.
Reposted by Hans Schattle
The photos of the Hong Kong fire are heartbreaking. What makes it even worse is knowing that the lack of press freedom and the absence of democratically elected leaders will only hinder a real investigation and meaningful accountability. 香港平安！香港加油！
November 27, 2025 at 4:30 AM
The photos of the Hong Kong fire are heartbreaking. What makes it even worse is knowing that the lack of press freedom and the absence of democratically elected leaders will only hinder a real investigation and meaningful accountability. 香港平安！香港加油！
Reposted by Hans Schattle
The threats against Mark Kelly are the Trump administration in miniature: wildly authoritarian ambitions limited by their own terrible strategic and tactical choices www.vox.com/politics/470...
Why is Trump accusing a former astronaut of treason?
How MAGA’s war on Mark Kelly is a sign of a deeper weakness.
www.vox.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:16 PM
The threats against Mark Kelly are the Trump administration in miniature: wildly authoritarian ambitions limited by their own terrible strategic and tactical choices www.vox.com/politics/470...
Reposted by Hans Schattle
Crucially, by upholding their constitution and the rule of law, Brazil discovered that support for Bolsonaro evaporated save for a dwindling minority of die-hards and dead-enders. Because Brazilians see Bolsonaro as a criminal and a loser, they've largely moved on from him.
Could've been us...
Could've been us...
November 25, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Crucially, by upholding their constitution and the rule of law, Brazil discovered that support for Bolsonaro evaporated save for a dwindling minority of die-hards and dead-enders. Because Brazilians see Bolsonaro as a criminal and a loser, they've largely moved on from him.
Could've been us...
Could've been us...
Reposted by Hans Schattle
"Before they drove him away, Carlos started to tear up. Carreto told him, 'Don’t cry. I don’t know how, but I’ll get you back. Understand?'" www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
ICE Sent 600 Immigrant Kids to Detention in Federal Shelters This Year. It’s a New Record.
Under a zero tolerance policy, the first Trump administration separated immigrant children from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border. New data suggests separations are happening all over the count...
www.propublica.org
November 25, 2025 at 3:44 PM
"Before they drove him away, Carlos started to tear up. Carreto told him, 'Don’t cry. I don’t know how, but I’ll get you back. Understand?'" www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
Reposted by Hans Schattle
The movement to destroy liberal democracy is international, and so must be its defense
NEWS --> BBC confirms to me that they did edit a line out of historian @rutgerbregman.com's speech. It called Trump "the most openly corrupt president in US history."
BBC also confirms this was done on the advice of lawyers. So Trump's threats worked.
New piece:
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
BBC also confirms this was done on the advice of lawyers. So Trump's threats worked.
New piece:
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
Trump’s Fury at BBC Gets Unnerving Results with Pro-MAGA Edit Stunner
First, British Broadcasting Corporation execs resigned after Trump complained about a segment. Now the BBC edited out a line from a historian that was critical of Trump. Where does this end?
newrepublic.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:31 PM
The movement to destroy liberal democracy is international, and so must be its defense
Here's a sharp takedown by @timothysnyder.bsky.social of the bogus "peace plan" that basically would force Ukraine to cave in to Russia: "It acts to make the United States and Europe and Ukraine much weaker by drawing them to endorse things that are not true and forgetting things that are true."
Russian Unreality and American Weakness
Notes from a bizarre moment of diplomatic history
snyder.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Here's a sharp takedown by @timothysnyder.bsky.social of the bogus "peace plan" that basically would force Ukraine to cave in to Russia: "It acts to make the United States and Europe and Ukraine much weaker by drawing them to endorse things that are not true and forgetting things that are true."
Reposted by Hans Schattle
A peace that is imposed on Ukraine, that gives Ukraine nothing of what it has been fighting for, is not a just or negotiated peace. Just a surrender to Russia, and loss for global democracy.
Latest piece out in @theatlantic.com . Trump's "peace" plan for Ukraine, which he at this very moment trying to force on the country with threats and intimidation, is grotesque. The US president is admitting what too many refused to admit, he wants Putin to win. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Trump’s Devastating Plan for Ukraine
The White House is giving Putin permission to try again.
www.theatlantic.com
November 21, 2025 at 4:31 PM
A peace that is imposed on Ukraine, that gives Ukraine nothing of what it has been fighting for, is not a just or negotiated peace. Just a surrender to Russia, and loss for global democracy.
Reposted by Hans Schattle
“If accepted, it would reward armed aggression. The principle, sacrosanct since the Second World War, for obvious and very good reasons, that even de facto borders cannot be changed by force, will have been trampled on at the behest of the leader of the free world”
news.sky.com/story/trump-...
news.sky.com/story/trump-...
Trump peace plan: We could all pay if Europe doesn't step up and guarantee Ukraine's security
World leaders praising Trump for his Gaza ceasefire plan only encouraged him to believe he can solve the world's most complex conflicts with minimal effort.
news.sky.com
November 22, 2025 at 7:26 AM
“If accepted, it would reward armed aggression. The principle, sacrosanct since the Second World War, for obvious and very good reasons, that even de facto borders cannot be changed by force, will have been trampled on at the behest of the leader of the free world”
news.sky.com/story/trump-...
news.sky.com/story/trump-...
Reminds me of how Trump acted at his summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump knows a TV ratings success when he sees one, plus he and Mamdani - despite all their differences - share common ground as political insurgents who challenged the leadership of their parties and won.
I think this clip is the key to understanding why Trump acted the way he did with Mamdani. His world revolves around TV ratings.
"I tell you, the press has eaten this thing up."
"I tell you, the press has eaten this thing up."
November 22, 2025 at 12:48 AM
Reminds me of how Trump acted at his summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump knows a TV ratings success when he sees one, plus he and Mamdani - despite all their differences - share common ground as political insurgents who challenged the leadership of their parties and won.
Reposted by Hans Schattle
European leaders on Friday warned that the Ukrainian army should not be defanged and that they should be consulted on talks to end the war in Ukraine, as they scrambled to respond to a U.S.-Russian peace plan that has largely excluded them and Kyiv.
European Leaders Back Zelensky After U.S. Plan Leaves Them Out
The 28-point proposal would require Kyiv to surrender territory, reduce the size of its army and relinquish some weaponry, according to officials familiar with the proposal.
nyti.ms
November 21, 2025 at 1:30 PM
European leaders on Friday warned that the Ukrainian army should not be defanged and that they should be consulted on talks to end the war in Ukraine, as they scrambled to respond to a U.S.-Russian peace plan that has largely excluded them and Kyiv.
My two cents on APEC 2025, as part of the "Korea On Point" op-ed series -
"The summit highlighted a new reality: Asia-Pacific economies are increasingly coordinating among themselves as U.S. policy becomes less predictable, signaling both resilience and recalibration within the regional order."
"The summit highlighted a new reality: Asia-Pacific economies are increasingly coordinating among themselves as U.S. policy becomes less predictable, signaling both resilience and recalibration within the regional order."
APEC 2025: Keeping International Cooperation Resilient in Testy and Turbulent Times
Key Takeaways:- South Korea hosted the 2025 APEC summit amid unprecedented political upheaval at home and a disruptive, tariff-driven U.S. trade posture under Trump’s second administration-&nbs
koreaonpoint.org
November 21, 2025 at 1:56 AM
My two cents on APEC 2025, as part of the "Korea On Point" op-ed series -
"The summit highlighted a new reality: Asia-Pacific economies are increasingly coordinating among themselves as U.S. policy becomes less predictable, signaling both resilience and recalibration within the regional order."
"The summit highlighted a new reality: Asia-Pacific economies are increasingly coordinating among themselves as U.S. policy becomes less predictable, signaling both resilience and recalibration within the regional order."
Reposted by Hans Schattle
NEW: Rep Jason Crow (D-CO) and other Democratic veterans in Congress release a joint statement on President Trump’s call for their arrest and sedition trial: “Every American must unite and condemn the President’s calls for our murder and political violence.”
November 20, 2025 at 6:42 PM
NEW: Rep Jason Crow (D-CO) and other Democratic veterans in Congress release a joint statement on President Trump’s call for their arrest and sedition trial: “Every American must unite and condemn the President’s calls for our murder and political violence.”
Reposted by Hans Schattle
For the first time, climate models show limiting global warming to 1.5°C will not be feasible
• Under current climate policies, global temperatures could rise by 2.6-3.3°C this century
• Range drops to 2.1-2.9°C if countries meet climate pledges and to 1.8-2.3°C if they hit net-zero around 2050
• Under current climate policies, global temperatures could rise by 2.6-3.3°C this century
• Range drops to 2.1-2.9°C if countries meet climate pledges and to 1.8-2.3°C if they hit net-zero around 2050
November 20, 2025 at 8:01 AM
For the first time, climate models show limiting global warming to 1.5°C will not be feasible
• Under current climate policies, global temperatures could rise by 2.6-3.3°C this century
• Range drops to 2.1-2.9°C if countries meet climate pledges and to 1.8-2.3°C if they hit net-zero around 2050
• Under current climate policies, global temperatures could rise by 2.6-3.3°C this century
• Range drops to 2.1-2.9°C if countries meet climate pledges and to 1.8-2.3°C if they hit net-zero around 2050
Here's a practical way to respond to the climate crisis, lower air pollution, ease traffic congestion, and make public transportation more appealing and convenient. Iowa City's success story with its free buses shows this strategy can work in lots of other places, too. (Gift link)
Iowa City Made Its Buses Free. Traffic Cleared, and So Did the Air.
www.nytimes.com
November 20, 2025 at 1:49 AM
Here's a practical way to respond to the climate crisis, lower air pollution, ease traffic congestion, and make public transportation more appealing and convenient. Iowa City's success story with its free buses shows this strategy can work in lots of other places, too. (Gift link)
Reposted by Hans Schattle
“When will the woke left realize the evil of cancel culture”
New: Reuters has tallied job losses, suspensions and investigations stemming from the reaction to Charlie Kirk's Sept. 10 assassination. Its findings: More than 600 Americans have been punished, and the figure is likely to be an under-count.
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
November 19, 2025 at 10:44 PM
“When will the woke left realize the evil of cancel culture”
Trump's America in 2025: not even churches are safe from ICE raids.
Exclusive: Trump DHS Plans Immigration Raids on Churches Over Holidays
The Trump Dept. of Homeland Security is briefing federal agencies on plans for immigration enforcement operations inside churches over holidays.
thisweekinworcester.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Trump's America in 2025: not even churches are safe from ICE raids.
Reposted by Hans Schattle
Calling the ABC reporter’s question “insubordinate” explains everything about how Trump sees press freedom.
Q: Why wait for Congress to release the Epstein files? Why not just do it now?
TRUMP: It's not the question that I mind. It's your attitude. I think you're a terrible reporter. It's the way you ask these questions. You start off with a man who's highly respected asking him an insubordinate question
TRUMP: It's not the question that I mind. It's your attitude. I think you're a terrible reporter. It's the way you ask these questions. You start off with a man who's highly respected asking him an insubordinate question
November 18, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Calling the ABC reporter’s question “insubordinate” explains everything about how Trump sees press freedom.
Reposted by Hans Schattle
Trump says he will sell our most advanced fighter jets to the Saudis, who US intelligence says killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. Looks like Saudi Arabia’s billion-dollar business deals with the Trump family are paying off. This is outrageous.
November 17, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Trump says he will sell our most advanced fighter jets to the Saudis, who US intelligence says killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. Looks like Saudi Arabia’s billion-dollar business deals with the Trump family are paying off. This is outrageous.
None of these people should have been thrown into ICE jails to begin with, let alone subjected to the cruel, humiliating, depraved conditions there. How many thousands more have been suffering and will suffer in these prisons? Abolish ICE and reform the US immigration system from top to bottom.
Opinion | We Came Here Legally. ICE Locked Us Up Anyway.
www.nytimes.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:32 PM
None of these people should have been thrown into ICE jails to begin with, let alone subjected to the cruel, humiliating, depraved conditions there. How many thousands more have been suffering and will suffer in these prisons? Abolish ICE and reform the US immigration system from top to bottom.
Seoul's iconic, 600-year-old Namdaemun Market is receiving a major upgrade as city officials try to counter dwindling foot traffic compared with other popular tourist destinations. The new arcade looks good to my eyes, though I worry the changes could strip away the market's distinctive gritty feel.
Seoul's historic Namdaemun Market to receive major facelift as competitiveness wanes
Seoul's Namdaemun Market is set for a major redevelopment with the goal of transforming it into a “global heritage traditional market" under a plan announced by the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Mo...
koreajoongangdaily.joins.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Seoul's iconic, 600-year-old Namdaemun Market is receiving a major upgrade as city officials try to counter dwindling foot traffic compared with other popular tourist destinations. The new arcade looks good to my eyes, though I worry the changes could strip away the market's distinctive gritty feel.
Especially infuriating: most of the estimated 600,000 deaths so far are children who starved after highly effective programs preventing malnutrition were taken away. And this escalating catastrophe for humanity traces back to actions by two of the world's richest men. Congress should revive USAID.
This is a documented case of public man-made death. Why? Because a government dismantled oversight, purged experts, and ruled by decree, all things our assessment highlights.
www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.
www.newyorker.com
November 16, 2025 at 11:34 PM
Especially infuriating: most of the estimated 600,000 deaths so far are children who starved after highly effective programs preventing malnutrition were taken away. And this escalating catastrophe for humanity traces back to actions by two of the world's richest men. Congress should revive USAID.
Reposted by Hans Schattle
A potential prelude to military action against Venezuela—even though the FTO designation as such confers no authority to use force.
(And this supposed cartel may not even exist.)
A regime change campaign in the guise of counterterrorism.
(And this supposed cartel may not even exist.)
A regime change campaign in the guise of counterterrorism.
November 16, 2025 at 10:44 PM
A potential prelude to military action against Venezuela—even though the FTO designation as such confers no authority to use force.
(And this supposed cartel may not even exist.)
A regime change campaign in the guise of counterterrorism.
(And this supposed cartel may not even exist.)
A regime change campaign in the guise of counterterrorism.
Reposted by Hans Schattle
Via @charlotteobserver.com: Church members flee as federal agents arrive at east Charlotte place of worship
“Inside the church, women and children sobbed as they wondered whether their loved ones had been taken.” www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politic...
“Inside the church, women and children sobbed as they wondered whether their loved ones had been taken.” www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politic...
Church members flee as federal agents arrive at east Charlotte place of worship
Witnesses say one man was detained while doing yard work while his wife and child were inside.
www.charlotteobserver.com
November 16, 2025 at 1:50 AM
Via @charlotteobserver.com: Church members flee as federal agents arrive at east Charlotte place of worship
“Inside the church, women and children sobbed as they wondered whether their loved ones had been taken.” www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politic...
“Inside the church, women and children sobbed as they wondered whether their loved ones had been taken.” www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politic...
This piece by Rev. Michael Woolf, who ICE agents assaulted again this week near Chicago, captures the moral calamity and sheer terror of Trump 2.0, which Woolf compares to 1930s Germany. "It is important for my neighbors who were abducted to know that we will not stop fighting for their release."
Why clergy should risk assault to protest ICE
(RNS) — For people wanting to experience God, we are more likely to meet the Divine trying to shut down the Broadview, Illinois, ICE facility than we ever were in church.
religionnews.com
November 15, 2025 at 3:33 PM
This piece by Rev. Michael Woolf, who ICE agents assaulted again this week near Chicago, captures the moral calamity and sheer terror of Trump 2.0, which Woolf compares to 1930s Germany. "It is important for my neighbors who were abducted to know that we will not stop fighting for their release."
Reposted by Hans Schattle
Not three months ago, Bondi and Patel stated unequivocally that there was nothing more to investigate (but that is indeed the reason the will give for not releasing the files now)
Instead of just releasing the Epstein files, Trump ordered the DOJ to investigate Democrats and AG Pam Bondi is complying.
Are they setting up a pretext to block the release by arguing the files are now part of an active investigation? I’m not saying that would work, but he’s desperate to block.
Are they setting up a pretext to block the release by arguing the files are now part of an active investigation? I’m not saying that would work, but he’s desperate to block.
November 15, 2025 at 12:12 AM
Not three months ago, Bondi and Patel stated unequivocally that there was nothing more to investigate (but that is indeed the reason the will give for not releasing the files now)