Nicholas Lees
@ndmlees.bsky.social
Senior Lecturer in International Politics, University of Liverpool. Foreign policy, global inequality, democracy and conflict.
https://www.nicholasdmlees.net/
https://www.nicholasdmlees.net/
One of the most perceptive points I've seen, similar to the idea that crises are the product of complacency - a self-defeating prophecy.
The fact that Trump can only be relied on to chicken out when the S&P takes a hit means the TACO theory is a bit like the efficient market hypothesis, it doesn't really work if everyone believes it.
January 22, 2026 at 8:09 AM
One of the most perceptive points I've seen, similar to the idea that crises are the product of complacency - a self-defeating prophecy.
Has anyone checked on the Quincy Institute leftists since Friday evening?
January 6, 2026 at 1:32 PM
Has anyone checked on the Quincy Institute leftists since Friday evening?
Every year in Semester 1 computer lab sessions. Many are actively keen to develop computer skills they know they are lacking.
For the decade and a half that I've been teaching full time, I've been hearing about, "today's students, who are digital natives," and every year, Today's Digital Natives somehow get less and less tech savvy.
Walking my high school students through how to download and attach a pdf I really start to feel like Gen X & Millennials will be the only generations to understand even on a very cursory level how computers work
December 10, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Every year in Semester 1 computer lab sessions. Many are actively keen to develop computer skills they know they are lacking.
Reposted by Nicholas Lees
Yesterday was a very busy day for our department and knowledge production! Thank you to everyone who attended the book launch for Dr @ndmlees.bsky.social and our offsite round table for the Dayton Peace Agreement which featured Dr @birtegippert.bsky.social at @ljmuofficial.bsky.social 📚👩⚖️⚖️
November 20, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Yesterday was a very busy day for our department and knowledge production! Thank you to everyone who attended the book launch for Dr @ndmlees.bsky.social and our offsite round table for the Dayton Peace Agreement which featured Dr @birtegippert.bsky.social at @ljmuofficial.bsky.social 📚👩⚖️⚖️
Reposted by Nicholas Lees
An excellent day for the Liverpool politics departments
A superb book launch by the superb @ndmlees.bsky.social at UoL
And a brilliant roundtable at LJMU reflecting on 30 years since the Dayton Peace Agreement organised by @matesuba.bsky.social @birtegippert.bsky.social
A superb book launch by the superb @ndmlees.bsky.social at UoL
And a brilliant roundtable at LJMU reflecting on 30 years since the Dayton Peace Agreement organised by @matesuba.bsky.social @birtegippert.bsky.social
November 19, 2025 at 8:56 PM
An excellent day for the Liverpool politics departments
A superb book launch by the superb @ndmlees.bsky.social at UoL
And a brilliant roundtable at LJMU reflecting on 30 years since the Dayton Peace Agreement organised by @matesuba.bsky.social @birtegippert.bsky.social
A superb book launch by the superb @ndmlees.bsky.social at UoL
And a brilliant roundtable at LJMU reflecting on 30 years since the Dayton Peace Agreement organised by @matesuba.bsky.social @birtegippert.bsky.social
Launch event for my new book 'The International Relations of the North-South Divide' today.
Save the date 📅 We have an upcoming book launch by our very own @ndmlees.bsky.social on November 19th! 📚 Dr Nicholas Lees’ research examines the relationship between inequality, conflict, and democracy in world politics! We hope you can join us for what will be an exciting conversation.
November 19, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Launch event for my new book 'The International Relations of the North-South Divide' today.
An underrated big picture question is why small, rich countries exist. Why aren't they bullied and extorted by countries with greater total resources?
November 6, 2025 at 12:38 PM
An underrated big picture question is why small, rich countries exist. Why aren't they bullied and extorted by countries with greater total resources?
This is overall quite similar to Michael Mann's analysis of fascism's appeal as offering a) revenge for frightened elites b) 'cracking heads together' to get the nation moving again during a period of class conflict.
My rough view of fascism's rise 🧵
There are always reactionaries, in every human society
They disproportionately benefit from early phases of new media technologies because mis/disinformation helps them and institutional and cultural antibodies haven't been developed
There are always reactionaries, in every human society
They disproportionately benefit from early phases of new media technologies because mis/disinformation helps them and institutional and cultural antibodies haven't been developed
October 30, 2025 at 6:38 PM
This is overall quite similar to Michael Mann's analysis of fascism's appeal as offering a) revenge for frightened elites b) 'cracking heads together' to get the nation moving again during a period of class conflict.
Jost's recent book provides a new analysis of the dangers of fragmented national security institutions. The accompanying article in International Studies Quarterly has a slightly different (and better designed) quantitative analysis as well as an extra case study:
academic.oup.com/isq/article/...
academic.oup.com/isq/article/...
October 23, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Jost's recent book provides a new analysis of the dangers of fragmented national security institutions. The accompanying article in International Studies Quarterly has a slightly different (and better designed) quantitative analysis as well as an extra case study:
academic.oup.com/isq/article/...
academic.oup.com/isq/article/...
Book launch event upcoming!
Save the date 📅 We have an upcoming book launch by our very own @ndmlees.bsky.social on November 19th! 📚 Dr Nicholas Lees’ research examines the relationship between inequality, conflict, and democracy in world politics! We hope you can join us for what will be an exciting conversation.
October 23, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Book launch event upcoming!
'the Security Dilemma... does not exist without underlying competition – actual or potential – over scarce, coveted objects of human desire, which is the overlooked reason why the Dilemma flares up in the first place. The structural realists’ ‘explanation’ has no engine.'
Azar Gat
Azar Gat
Is the decline of war a delusion? An exchange between researchers following the publication of Azar Gat’s article on the subject
Published in Journal of Strategic Studies (Vol. 48, No. 4, 2025)
www.tandfonline.com
October 22, 2025 at 3:12 PM
'the Security Dilemma... does not exist without underlying competition – actual or potential – over scarce, coveted objects of human desire, which is the overlooked reason why the Dilemma flares up in the first place. The structural realists’ ‘explanation’ has no engine.'
Azar Gat
Azar Gat
The book is now with the publisher for printing and distribution.
bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-internat...
bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-internat...
The International Relations of the North–South Divide
The International Relations of the North–South Divide - Historical Inequality, Contemporary Disagreement and World Politics; Available open access digitally under a CC-BY-NC-ND license. This book exam...
bristoluniversitypress.co.uk
October 22, 2025 at 2:19 PM
The book is now with the publisher for printing and distribution.
bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-internat...
bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-internat...
An absolute classic. I think it's a broader phenomenon: 'We pretend to work and you pretend to pay us' ; 'We pretend to study and you pretend to test us'.
Gambetta & Origgi on the LL Game, in which agents prefer to deliver and receive (!) low quality.
This paper is absolutely savage but also feels uncomfortably relevant to parts of academia outside of Italy 👀
diegogambetta.org/wp-content/u...
This paper is absolutely savage but also feels uncomfortably relevant to parts of academia outside of Italy 👀
diegogambetta.org/wp-content/u...
October 16, 2025 at 8:02 PM
An absolute classic. I think it's a broader phenomenon: 'We pretend to work and you pretend to pay us' ; 'We pretend to study and you pretend to test us'.
Just read this very interesting contribution to the debate on the Global South as a diplomatic coalition at the United Nations by Gorana Draguljić and @nickanspach.bsky.social
academic.oup.com/isagsq/artic...
academic.oup.com/isagsq/artic...
Southern Solidarity? A Mixed-Methods Analysis of The G77 in the United Nations General Assembly
Abstract. North–South politics are a defining feature of modern international relations. Yet as the Global South becomes increasingly diverse, questions re
academic.oup.com
September 24, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Just read this very interesting contribution to the debate on the Global South as a diplomatic coalition at the United Nations by Gorana Draguljić and @nickanspach.bsky.social
academic.oup.com/isagsq/artic...
academic.oup.com/isagsq/artic...
Another great thread from Liam, genuinely very thought provoking.
In my mind Auden, Robert Frost, Rawls, CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien (slight edge case cos he was Catholic) and Mr. Rodgers are all part of the same early-mid 20thC. cultural movement which was trying to synthesise this genteel version of WASP culture, and it didn't quite work so now their hegemony is over.
August 15, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Another great thread from Liam, genuinely very thought provoking.
Really great thread. Seems to me like some of the 'restrainers' and unilateralists were suffering from what Jon Elster calls the 'younger sibling' fallacy - that others won't react strategically to our own strategic actions.
IR Theory 🧵: One issue I have with unilateralist and restraint approaches to foreign policy is that they assume other countries have no choice but to maintain their policies even the face of US withdrawal from global leadership.
The US can get all the benefits of global leadership without the cost.
The US can get all the benefits of global leadership without the cost.
July 1, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Really great thread. Seems to me like some of the 'restrainers' and unilateralists were suffering from what Jon Elster calls the 'younger sibling' fallacy - that others won't react strategically to our own strategic actions.
Had a great @mybisa.bsky.social panel on foreign policy of Global South states feat Obert Hodzi, Ahmed Umar, Thaís Doria with Meera Sabaratnam as discussant.
June 20, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Had a great @mybisa.bsky.social panel on foreign policy of Global South states feat Obert Hodzi, Ahmed Umar, Thaís Doria with Meera Sabaratnam as discussant.
Most self-proclaimed 'geopolitics analysts' simply aren't very good at analysing geopolitics. It's usually little more than sports commentary, with a terrible signal to noise ratio.
remember how the Gaza tunnels were an invulnerable fortress into which Hamas would simply retreat? and how Hizbollah would resist the Israeli forces in Lebanon to the death? and how Iranian missiles would wreck Israeli sites? there's been a lot of bad wish casting.
June 13, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Most self-proclaimed 'geopolitics analysts' simply aren't very good at analysing geopolitics. It's usually little more than sports commentary, with a terrible signal to noise ratio.
In a week and a day, I'll be presenting findings from my new book The International Relations of the North-South Divide as part of the British International Studies Association conference in Belfast. Looking forward to sharing ideas with others interested in Global South foreign policy.
June 5, 2025 at 8:56 AM
In a week and a day, I'll be presenting findings from my new book The International Relations of the North-South Divide as part of the British International Studies Association conference in Belfast. Looking forward to sharing ideas with others interested in Global South foreign policy.
Looking forward to @mybisa.bsky.social - where I'll be discussing 'Southern Strategies: Foreign Policy Perspectives of Global South States' with a great group of panelists. My paper offers a new way of looking at foreign policy differences between Global South states, using cluster analysis.
May 14, 2025 at 6:56 AM
Looking forward to @mybisa.bsky.social - where I'll be discussing 'Southern Strategies: Foreign Policy Perspectives of Global South States' with a great group of panelists. My paper offers a new way of looking at foreign policy differences between Global South states, using cluster analysis.
My forthcoming book with Bristol University Press, The International Relations of the North-South Divide, now available to pre-order from Blackwells.
blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...
blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...
The International Relations of the North-South Divide
Available open access digitally under a CC-BY-NC-ND license. This book examines the significance of both historical and contemporary inequality in shaping diplo
blackwells.co.uk
May 6, 2025 at 1:10 PM
My forthcoming book with Bristol University Press, The International Relations of the North-South Divide, now available to pre-order from Blackwells.
blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...
blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...
Reposted by Nicholas Lees
Research (incl mine) shows that making decisions in a bubble based on loyalty rather than competence can be disastrous for foreign & economic policy (never thought my research on dictatorships would be relevant to the US rather than its adversaries) www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9780801...
Dictators at War and Peace by Jessica L. P. Weeks | Paperback | Cornell University Press
The first book to focus systematically on the foreign policy of different types of authoritarian regimes, Dictators at War and Peace breaks new ground in our understanding of the international behavio...
www.cornellpress.cornell.edu
April 28, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Research (incl mine) shows that making decisions in a bubble based on loyalty rather than competence can be disastrous for foreign & economic policy (never thought my research on dictatorships would be relevant to the US rather than its adversaries) www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9780801...
Forthcoming, my first book 'The International Relations of the North-South Divide' with Bristol University Press.
bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-internat...
bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-internat...
The International Relations of the North-South Divide
The International Relations of the North-South Divide - Historical Inequality, Contemporary Disagreement and World Politics; Available open access digitally under a CC-BY-NC-ND license. This book exam...
bristoluniversitypress.co.uk
April 8, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Forthcoming, my first book 'The International Relations of the North-South Divide' with Bristol University Press.
bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-internat...
bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-internat...
I have a lot of new followers, so I thought I’d introduce myself. I’m Nicholas Lees, Senior Lecturer (Associate Prof) of International Politics at Liverpool University. I mainly research role of material inequalities in shaping diplomatic relations between states. Recent research below.
March 31, 2025 at 12:41 PM
I have a lot of new followers, so I thought I’d introduce myself. I’m Nicholas Lees, Senior Lecturer (Associate Prof) of International Politics at Liverpool University. I mainly research role of material inequalities in shaping diplomatic relations between states. Recent research below.
This is terrible news and a great loss for conflict studies. Valeriano made important contributions to research on international rivalries, territorial conflict and cyberwarfare. He also published a peer-reviewed forecast of the Russian war with Ukraine.
Farewell to Brandon Valeriano. Just taught his work on cyber today. Going to conferences just won’t be the same.
March 28, 2025 at 3:03 PM
This is terrible news and a great loss for conflict studies. Valeriano made important contributions to research on international rivalries, territorial conflict and cyberwarfare. He also published a peer-reviewed forecast of the Russian war with Ukraine.