Jan W. Mueller | Lightnews

Jan-Werner Mueller

@jwmueller-pu.bsky.social

16K followers 900 following 1.8K posts

Political Theory and Intellectual History. Politics of Architecture and Iconography. Some Public Affairs Commentary.

Posting in a personal capacity.

Texts mostly in LRB, Guardian, Foreign Policy, Architectural Review.

Representation: Wylie. .. more

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Computer science 57%

Mathematics 29%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 5h

"Justices have been almost exclusively engaged with how to deal with laws that directly punish or forbid certain speech, which is analytically easier than trying to determine when in the conduct of the government’s business a comparable result to that of direct censorship should be disallowed."

Universities Need a New Defense

The authoritarian threat is growing. The old playbook won’t work.

www.chronicle.com

Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 7h

"Trump ist nicht verrückt. Er will die Insel aus geostrategischen Gründen kontrollieren. Wenn, dann wird er hoffen, durch sein Säbelrasseln irgendeine Art von Deal zu erzwingen."

"WELT-Global-Reporter" weiss leider null von bestehenden "Deals" DK-USA.

Und ausserdem: Die Linken sind schuld!

Krise des Westens: Nicht Donald Trump, sondern der Linksliberalismus bedroht Europa - WELT

Muss Europa die Werte des Westens künftig allein verteidigen, ohne die USA? Diese Behauptung ist größenwahnsinnig. Denn der eigentliche Riss verläuft im Inneren unserer Gesellschaft.

www.welt.de

Reposted by Joanna Bryson

Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 9h

"The policies being enacted poll badly, often catastrophically. This is not a popular revolution. It is a minoritarian project exploiting a counter-majoritarian system—and regimes built that way are inherently unstable."

The Wall Looks Permanent Until It Falls

On the optimism of preparation in a time of democratic decay.

data4democracy.substack.com

Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 9h

"We have more lawyers per capita and the world’s most profitable legal services industry. Yet we rank 101 out of 114 countries—behind Afghanistan—in ordinary citizens’ ability to access and afford legal services."

The Wall Looks Permanent Until It Falls

On the optimism of preparation in a time of democratic decay.

data4democracy.substack.com

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller, Mark A. Lemley, Joe R. Feagin , and 3 more Jan W. Mueller, Mark A. Lemley, Joe R. Feagin, Daniel W. Drezner, Karen Benjamin Guzzo, David Darmofal

Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 10h

The U.S.-Born Unemployment Rate Rose After Trump Reduced Immigration www.forbes.com/sites/stuart...

The U.S.-Born Unemployment Rate Rose After Trump Reduced Immigration

Government data show the Trump administration’s policies reducing the number of foreign-born workers did not help U.S.-born workers in 2025.

www.forbes.com

Reposted by Fabián Muniesa, Henry Farrell

Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 10h

"Some might worry that signaling punishment for Trumpists down the line will only increase the lawlessness ...But...by that logic, one might as well give up on accountability altogether and concede that the initiative – and, ultimately, power – now rest permanently with one’s political adversaries."

A congresswoman wants to impeach Kristi Noem. She’s right to do so | Jan-Werner Müller

It may be tempting to dismiss the move as hopeless – but it interrupts the Trump administration’s promise of impunity

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller

Citizens' Impeachment @citizensimpeachment.com · 14h

"This administration has been running on a promise of impunity at all levels, and Democrats have to start signaling that actions have consequences."

An opinion piece from @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social worth reading this morning with your coffee.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

A congresswoman wants to impeach Kristi Noem. She’s right to do so | Jan-Werner Müller

It may be tempting to dismiss the move as hopeless – but it interrupts the Trump administration’s promise of impunity

www.theguardian.com

Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 1d

Personalism also means that you take every little loss of power personally.

Trump names battleship class after himself, advancing his personalization crusade

Sticking his name on everything is especially difficult to defend as it so plainly does little to meet the nation’s needs.

www.ms.now

Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 1d

👇🎯

Melissa Chan @melissakchan.bsky.social · 1d

It is possible to oppose Trump, see his comments on Iran, and still root for the Iranian people regardless of what the US president says. It’s not about him, it’s not about you, it’s about the people of Iran and not about just this protest, but years of people power heartbreak.

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller

Melissa Chan @melissakchan.bsky.social · 1d

Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 1d

Did he misspell her name because he assumed she has to be woke?

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller, Victor Pickard

Jay Rosen @jayrosen.bsky.social · 1d

Over at @status.news they're putting into the same frame the weakness of Tony Dokoupil, the new anchor at CBS, and the politics of Larry Ellison, "the billionaire Oracle co-founder who bankrolled his son’s takeover of CBS News’ parent company, Paramount."

Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 1d

"Today, we live in a clicktatorship, ruled by a LOLviathan. Our algothracy is governed by poster brains."

Recommended:

Life Under a Clicktatorship

What happens to government when everything is content?

donmoynihan.substack.com

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller

Alan Elrod @aselrod.bsky.social · 1d

“What Danish politicians are only slowly realizing is that the main issue isn’t national security, but the Trumpian euphemism of “economic security”.” @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social on the U.S. as mafia state

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The Trump doctrine exposes the US as a mafia state | Jan-Werner Müller

The Venezuela incursion is in line with this logic, made even plainer as the US eyes Greenland

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller, Brendan Nyhan, Steven French , and 4 more Jan W. Mueller, Brendan Nyhan, Steven French, Michael A. Clemens, Efrén O. Pérez, Rebecca Tushnet, Dan Immergluck

Ryan Enos @ryanenos.bsky.social · 2d

The most chilling thing to read.
“The bottom line is this: When a federal officer gives you instructions, you abide by them and then you get to keep your life,” Representative Wesley Hunt of Texas said on Newsmax."

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/o...

Opinion | By Killing Renee Good, ICE Sent a Message to Us All

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller, Steve Peers, Andrew Scott , and 4 more Jan W. Mueller, Steve Peers, Andrew Scott, Edgar Morgenroth, Jonathan Hopkin, Christopher Barrie, David Murakami Wood

Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 2d

Republican bullies deploy more threats against the UK to protect their big tech corporate allies.

Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 3d

Did many people first think it said "mortality"?

Trump Lays Out a Vision of Power Restrained Only by ‘My Own Morality’

www.nytimes.com

Gillian Branstetter @gbbranstetter.bsky.social · 3d

Editorial in the National Catholic Reporter: "The vice president's comments justifying the death of Renee Good are a moral stain on the collective witness of our Catholic faith. His repeated attempts to blame Good for her own death are fundamentally incompatible with the Gospel."

Catholic Vice President Vance takes to social media to justify killing of Renee Good

After the tragic shooting of Renee Good at the hands of ICE, the Catholic vice president of the United States took to social media to justify the killing.

www.ncronline.org

Reposted by Lisa W. Fazio, Jan W. Mueller, Matthew Bunn , and 38 more Lisa W. Fazio, Jan W. Mueller, Matthew Bunn, Dorothy Bishop, Brendan Nyhan, Tom Clark, Robert W. Wallace, Steven French, David Peetz, Rosemary A. Joyce, Jonathan M. Gilligan, American Library Association, Martin Paul Eve, Erica Chenoweth, Jacob Montgomery, Mickey Gjerris, Cathy N. Davidson, Ryan Enos, Elwys De Stefani, Robert C. Richards, Michelle L. Mazurek, Andrew Jacobs, Jacob T. Levy, Margot C. Finn, Scott A. Imberman, Christine Kooi, Michael H. Whitworth, Samantha Brennan, Ben Rosamond, Dana R. Fisher, Nigel Warburton, David Bartram, Alessandro Rigolon, Jeremy J. Schmidt, Hisham Zerriffi, Peter Godfrey‐Smith, Daxton R. Stewart, Michael Evans, Virginia Sapiro, Richard Moorhead, David Darmofal

Jonathan Birch @birchlse.bsky.social · 3d

Martin Peterson's creative response to being banned from teaching Plato (shared with his permission).

An email from Martin Peterson to university administrators.

Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 3d

"...niemand ist so unschuldig wie die Walliser Gottväter der Unbeflecktheit...die mächtigen Sepp Blatter und Gianni Infantino, stammen beide aus dem Oberwallis, es ist der irrste Umstand der weltweiten Sportpolitik...Blatter und Infantino haben immer alles überstanden, bis heute."

Tragödie von Crans-Montana: Der Schmerz und die Schuld des Wallis

Kein anderer Kanton der Schweiz erlebt derart viele Katastrophen wie das Wallis. Doch in kollektiver Trauer hat Einsicht wenig Platz. Das hat mit dem Grössenwahn der Bergler zu tun.

www.nzz.ch

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller, Steve Peers, Sanford F. Schram , and 3 more Jan W. Mueller, Steve Peers, Sanford F. Schram, Michael D. McDonald, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Timothy D. McBride

Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 3d

I wonder if anyone will revisit their charitable interpretations of Elon’s definitely-not-a-Nazi-salute

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller

Joerg Lau @joerglau.bsky.social · 3d

The FIFA World Cup, by the way, will take place in the "Western Hemisphere" (USA, Canada, Mexico), and Denmark still has a chance to qualify.
Should be fun if they make it after Trump kidnaps Greenland.

Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 4d

Any word on this from National Conservatives, the self-declared Burkean anti-imperialists?

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 4d

WATTERS: Taking out a dictator in Venezuela -- how does that help the average American?

JD VANCE: First of all, what it means is we're gonna be able to control the incredible natural resources of Venezuela

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller, Steve Peers, Rosemary A. Joyce , and 3 more Jan W. Mueller, Steve Peers, Rosemary A. Joyce, Edgar Morgenroth, Alan Richardson, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 4d

Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 4d

'...the logic of extraction (if, necessary, preceded by extradition to a US court), exploitation and, if necessary, extortion is what most seems to be animating the quest for what one sycophant in Congress has claimed should be re-named “Red, White, and Blueland.”'

The Trump doctrine exposes the US as a mafia state | Jan-Werner Müller

The Venezuela incursion is in line with this logic, made even plainer as the US eyes Greenland

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller, Kathleen Kennedy, David Spurrett

Josh Shepperd @joshshepperd.bsky.social · 4d

Bill Siemering, founding program director of NPR, author of its mission statement, has asked me to inquire if any profs might be interested in a Zoom class visit? No honorarium necessary. Bill founded All Things Considered, Fresh Air, won a MacArthur, etc.

A Founding Father of NPR Worries About Its Fate

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Leo Lucassen, John Morijn, Markus Haverland

Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 4d

The Donroe Doctrine: Extortion, Extraction, Exploitation (and Extradition, if needed).

The Trump doctrine exposes the US as a mafia state | Jan-Werner Müller

The Venezuela incursion is in line with this logic, made even plainer as the US eyes Greenland

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller

Joanna Bryson @j2bryson.bsky.social · 4d

Strong recommend for this short 2020 essay,which links at least 2 other great ones, eg

≈per Shirin Ebadi & other female Nobel laureates “the foundational autocratic bargain” promises “restoration of private privileges of men & elites, in exchange for tolerance of erosion of democratic freedoms.”≈

Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 5d