Ken Schultz
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kschultz.bsky.social
Ken Schultz
@kschultz.bsky.social
3.8K followers 670 following 1.3K posts
I am professor of political science at Stanford University and an avid nature photographer. All views are my own. More photos at https://kenschultz.smugmug.com
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kschultz.bsky.social
Church and state (Bellinzona, Switzerland) 📷
January 20, 2026 at 6:22 AM
kschultz.bsky.social
The library in the Abbey of St. Gallen 📷
January 11, 2026 at 9:22 PM
kschultz.bsky.social
Zürich in the snow 📷
January 9, 2026 at 7:23 PM
kschultz.bsky.social
Apropos current events, I want to tout this paper by @soyounglee.bsky.social showing that discussion of economic benefits can reduce public support for military action. People are skeptical when they think specific groups (e.g., oil companies) will benefit.

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Domestic Distributional Roots of National Interest SOYOUNG LEE Yale University, United States, and Duke University, United States What international issues become national interests worth fighting for, and why? Contrary to conventional wisdom, I argue that issues without clear economic value, such as barren lands, are more likely to be perceived as national interests because they do not benefit any single domestic group. Since who benefits is unclear, politicians have an easier time framing such issues as benefiting the whole nation. I test this argument using survey experiments on the American public. The results show that first, issues providing diffuse benefits to citizens are more likely to be considered national interests than issues providing concentrated benefits to certain domestic groups. Second, issues with clearer economic value are harder to frame as having diffuse benefits because they are more easily associated with specific beneficiaries. This study proposes a new theory of national interest and offers a potential explanation for why people frequently support conflict over issues without obvious benefits.
January 5, 2026 at 1:42 PM
kschultz.bsky.social
Water and ice ❄️ 📷
December 30, 2025 at 8:39 PM
kschultz.bsky.social
Cue heavenly choir 🎼🎶
A church tower with clock rises above snow covered roofs. The sun is glowing through clouds on the right. Misty mountains in the background.
December 25, 2025 at 3:51 PM
kschultz.bsky.social
Merry Christmas from Bellwald, Switzerland 📷
A church tower rises among snow-covered roofs with tall mountains in the background.
December 25, 2025 at 2:26 PM
kschultz.bsky.social
Luzern 📷
December 19, 2025 at 8:52 PM
kschultz.bsky.social
This afternoon’s view from Zürich’s Uitliberg mountain. 📷
December 17, 2025 at 8:07 PM
kschultz.bsky.social
The Habsburg castle in Aargau, Switzerland, from which the famous dynasty got its name (and yes, the castle had the name first).
December 13, 2025 at 6:18 PM
kschultz.bsky.social
"We must move forward, not backward; upward, not forward; and always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom!" (sorry)
President Trump’s foreign policy is pragmatic without being “pragmatist,” realistic without being “realist,” principled without being “idealistic,” muscular without being “hawkish,” and restrained without being “dovish.” It is not grounded in traditional, political ideology. It is motivated above all by what works for America—or, in two words, “America First.”
December 5, 2025 at 2:00 PM
kschultz.bsky.social
Four explicit references to the "Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine." BTW, the strategy in Latin America is to enlist friends and win over new partners. Does asserting the Monroe Doctrine advance that strategy?
December 5, 2025 at 2:00 PM
kschultz.bsky.social
Compare the order in which regions are discussed in the Trump 2017 (left) and 2025 (right) NSS:
T  S   R  C ................................................................45 Indo-Pacific .................................................................................................................................................................................................45 Europe .............................................................................................................................................................................................................47 Middle East .................................................................................................................................................................................................48 South and Central Asia ......................................................................................................................................................................50 Western Hemisphere ...........................................................................................................................................................................51 Africa ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................52 3. The Regions…………………………………………………………………. 15 A. The Western Hemisphere………………………………………………. 15 B. Asia…………………………………………………………………….. 19 C. Europe………………………………………………………………….. 25 D. The Middle East………………………………………………………... 27 E. Africa…………………………………………………………………... 29
December 5, 2025 at 2:00 PM
kschultz.bsky.social
But the real danger is that European countries will abandon the spirit of the North Atlantic charter. 🙄
Over the long term, it is more than plausible that within a few decades at the latest, certain NATO members will become majority non-European. As such, it is an open question whether they will view their place in the world, or their alliance with the United States, in the same way as those who signed the NATO charter.
December 5, 2025 at 2:00 PM
kschultz.bsky.social
The United States used to criticize the human rights practices of adversaries while shielding friends. Now we're going to do the opposite.
Flexible Realism – U.S. policy will be realistic about what is possible and desirable to seek in its dealings with other nations. We seek good relations and peaceful commercial relations with the nations of the world without imposing on them democratic or other social change that differs widely from their traditions and histories. We recognize and affirm that there is nothing inconsistent or hypocritical in acting according to such a realistic assessment or in maintaining good relations with countries whose governing systems and societies differ from ours even as we push like-minded friends to uphold our shared norms, furthering our interests as we do so.
December 5, 2025 at 2:00 PM
kschultz.bsky.social
Lots of contradictions between a minimal definition of US interests and a desire to act expansively on the world stage (and get Trump a Nobel Peace Prize).
After the end of the Cold War, American foreign policy elites convinced themselves that permanent American domination of the entire world was in the best interests of our country. Yet the affairs of other countries are our concern only if their activities directly threaten our interests. President Trump has cemented his legacy as The President of Peace. In addition to the remarkable success achieved during his first term with the historic Abraham Accords, President Trump has leveraged his dealmaking ability to secure unprecedented peace in eight conflicts throughout the world over the course of just eight months of his second term. He negotiated peace between Cambodia and Thailand, Kosovo and Serbia, the DRC and Rwanda, Pakistan and India, Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and ended the war in Gaza with all living hostages returned to their families. Stopping regional conflicts before they spiral into global wars that drag down whole continents is worthy of the Commander-in-Chief’s attention, and a priority for this administration. A world on fire, where wars come to our shores, is bad for American interests.
December 5, 2025 at 2:00 PM
kschultz.bsky.social
Hope you have time to enjoy the Christmas markets!
December 3, 2025 at 8:42 AM
kschultz.bsky.social
Christmas lights in Zürich 📷
November 30, 2025 at 9:17 PM
kschultz.bsky.social
Many stores in Switzerland were advertising “Black Friday” sales. Some even called it “Black Week.” Then there is this place…
A sign in a store window says “Black Every Day “
November 30, 2025 at 8:34 PM
kschultz.bsky.social
Three views of the Basel Cathedral surrounded by Christmas cheer. 📷
Bubbles float up in front of the twin towers of the cathedral. The cathedral reflected in a gold ornament nestled in a Christmas tree A night scene. A carousel and lit Christmas tree sit at the foot of the cathedral while people mill around enjoying the scene.
November 29, 2025 at 10:03 PM
kschultz.bsky.social
Just proves the old adage: “Factor fexcectorn in, factor fexcectorn out”
November 29, 2025 at 7:26 AM
kschultz.bsky.social
Zurich tonight 📷
November 26, 2025 at 9:04 PM
kschultz.bsky.social
Zurich decked out for Christmas 📷
November 25, 2025 at 6:43 PM
kschultz.bsky.social
A terrace with an amazing view on Lake Lugano (Gandria, Switzerland) 📷
November 23, 2025 at 7:45 PM
kschultz.bsky.social
Zurich 📷
November 18, 2025 at 10:41 PM