Abe Newman
@abenewman.bsky.social
W/Henry Farrell, Underground Empire: How America Weaponized the World Economy (Holt 2023/Penguin); Georgetown; This is a private account.
Exactly! legitimation through exceptionalism/divine right. This is not just one off behavior but the regularization of a new set of international practice.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Further Back to the Future: Neo-Royalism, the Trump Administration, and the Emerging International System | International Organization | Cambridge Core
Further Back to the Future: Neo-Royalism, the Trump Administration, and the Emerging International System - Volume 79 Issue S1
www.cambridge.org
November 27, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Exactly! legitimation through exceptionalism/divine right. This is not just one off behavior but the regularization of a new set of international practice.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
5/ And as @profsaunders.bsky.social argue…hold on to your hats. Because as the old order decays and the new one emerges, it is likely going to be a bumpy ride.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
The Unconstrained Future of World Order: The Assault on Democratic Constraint and Implications for US Global Leadership | International Organization | Cambridge Core
The Unconstrained Future of World Order: The Assault on Democratic Constraint and Implications for US Global Leadership - Volume 79 Issue S1
www.cambridge.org
November 27, 2025 at 12:22 PM
5/ And as @profsaunders.bsky.social argue…hold on to your hats. Because as the old order decays and the new one emerges, it is likely going to be a bumpy ride.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
4/With the rapid disassembly of the bureaucratic state, the interagency process gives way to diplomacy by economic (Witkoff) and family (Kushner) ties to the President. Good by NSC, hello neo-royalism.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Further Back to the Future: Neo-Royalism, the Trump Administration, and the Emerging International System | International Organization | Cambridge Core
Further Back to the Future: Neo-Royalism, the Trump Administration, and the Emerging International System - Volume 79 Issue S1
www.cambridge.org
November 27, 2025 at 12:19 PM
4/With the rapid disassembly of the bureaucratic state, the interagency process gives way to diplomacy by economic (Witkoff) and family (Kushner) ties to the President. Good by NSC, hello neo-royalism.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
3/And the tactics revealed in the phone call are not traditional bargaining/diplomacy but more akin to ’flattery inflation’.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
The Mechanisms of Cult Production: An Overview
This chapter argues that leader personality cults are typically produced by a specific set of mechanisms of flattery inflation. It describes how loyalty signali
papers.ssrn.com
November 27, 2025 at 12:15 PM
3/And the tactics revealed in the phone call are not traditional bargaining/diplomacy but more akin to ’flattery inflation’.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
2/As we saw in UAE deal, Witkoff’s job is about economic extraction for the clique not national interest.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/15/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/15/u...
Anatomy of Two Giant Deals: The U.A.E. Got Chips. The Trump Team Got Crypto Riches.
www.nytimes.com
November 27, 2025 at 12:12 PM
2/As we saw in UAE deal, Witkoff’s job is about economic extraction for the clique not national interest.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/15/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/15/u...
Reposted by Abe Newman
People scratching their heads about Thiel and Greenland but that is because stuck in an old model of international politics. This is neoroyalism rather than westphalia.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
November 26, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Our take is compatible. We are emphasizing less battle between autocratic/democratic states. more about emerging international order based on clique networks tied to personalist rulers. Cliques replace states. Extraction/dominance replace rules/sovereignty. legitimacy through exceptionalism.
November 25, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Our take is compatible. We are emphasizing less battle between autocratic/democratic states. more about emerging international order based on clique networks tied to personalist rulers. Cliques replace states. Extraction/dominance replace rules/sovereignty. legitimacy through exceptionalism.
Reposted by Abe Newman
Very compelling frame. I typically think of Trump as mob boss or warlord, which is similar to the royal personalist clique. The absolute sovereign distinction seems to work well though. We’ll have to wait til one of these sovereigns falters or passes, to see if anyone else can capture a clique.
November 25, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Very compelling frame. I typically think of Trump as mob boss or warlord, which is similar to the royal personalist clique. The absolute sovereign distinction seems to work well though. We’ll have to wait til one of these sovereigns falters or passes, to see if anyone else can capture a clique.
Cool. And Making me rethink decision to study Germany as site of past field work…
November 25, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Cool. And Making me rethink decision to study Germany as site of past field work…
Excited to read your book!
November 25, 2025 at 12:50 PM
Excited to read your book!
This is a great debate. What @segoddard.bsky.social argue is a. the International system is coming to be organized around clique interests b. The ordering logic is around dominance/extraction rather than rules/sovereignty . Brologarchs are one piece but should underestimate personalities rulers.
November 25, 2025 at 12:50 PM
This is a great debate. What @segoddard.bsky.social argue is a. the International system is coming to be organized around clique interests b. The ordering logic is around dominance/extraction rather than rules/sovereignty . Brologarchs are one piece but should underestimate personalities rulers.
Reposted by Abe Newman
Respecting the marble means respecting the grain.
Writing is the same. Feeling stuck isn’t a verdict. It’s a sign that you need a skeleton.
Link: catherineeunicedevries.substack.com/p/feeling-st...
Big thanks to @simonkuper.bsky.social & @abenewman.bsky.social for sharing their thoughts
/end
Writing is the same. Feeling stuck isn’t a verdict. It’s a sign that you need a skeleton.
Link: catherineeunicedevries.substack.com/p/feeling-st...
Big thanks to @simonkuper.bsky.social & @abenewman.bsky.social for sharing their thoughts
/end
Feeling Stuck? Start With the Skeleton
Why the Hardest Part of Writing Happens Before the First Sentence
catherineeunicedevries.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 8:28 AM
Respecting the marble means respecting the grain.
Writing is the same. Feeling stuck isn’t a verdict. It’s a sign that you need a skeleton.
Link: catherineeunicedevries.substack.com/p/feeling-st...
Big thanks to @simonkuper.bsky.social & @abenewman.bsky.social for sharing their thoughts
/end
Writing is the same. Feeling stuck isn’t a verdict. It’s a sign that you need a skeleton.
Link: catherineeunicedevries.substack.com/p/feeling-st...
Big thanks to @simonkuper.bsky.social & @abenewman.bsky.social for sharing their thoughts
/end