Michael Brenes
@mbrenes.bsky.social
980 followers 380 following 52 posts
Historian at Yale.Non-Resident Fellow @cipolicy.bsky.social. New book: “The Rivalry Peril: How Great-Power Competition Threatens Peace and Weakens Democracy.” Next: a history of the War on Terror for Grove Atlantic. Avi by @seanandrewmurray.bsky.social.
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mbrenes.bsky.social
It’s publication day!! Very grateful that our book is now out in the world. What started as a short article developed into a multiyear project, a close collaboration, and an enduring friendship. Thanks to @vanjackson.bsky.social and everyone who supported us along the way! 1/
Reposted by Michael Brenes
cornellbtpi.bsky.social
On October 2nd, our @cornellbtpi.bsky.social Fellows met with Professor @mbrenes.bsky.social: Co-Director of the Brady-Johnson Program at Yale University @yalepress.bsky.social and Professor Michael Williams: Associate Professor at the Maxwell School at Syracuse University @syracuseup.bsky.social.
Reposted by Michael Brenes
vanjackson.bsky.social
Awesome review of The Rivalry Peril in The Nation magazine! Thanks, @jeetheer.bsky.social! ( @mbrenes.bsky.social )
Reposted by Michael Brenes
the-syllabus.bsky.social
By framing China as an existential threat, this conversation explores how policymakers recycle discredited Cold War myths, fueling militarization, inequality, xenophobia, and global instability.

With @mbrenes.bsky.social on @amprestigepod.bsky.social
E220 - The Perils of Competition With China w/ Michael Brenes
Podcast Episode · American Prestige · 07/29/2025 · 1h 3m
buff.ly
Reposted by Michael Brenes
amprestigepod.bsky.social
E220 - The Perils of Competition With China w/ @mbrenes.bsky.social

Michael Brenes returns to the pod, this time to tell us why a rivalry with China might not exactly be in everyone’s best interest.

Link in replies!
Reposted by Michael Brenes
gesineweber.bsky.social
This looks like something I absolutely *must* read.

Whenever I (in "provocative European mode") ask US experts/ policymakers *why* US is obsessed with competition with China, the answer is often that it is "just logical", "obvious" etc. Looking forward to reading another perspective.
mbrenes.bsky.social
Many thanks to @profpaulpoast.bsky.social for the shout out! Awesome to have our book on his list. For some reason—I still don’t know why—you can get our book on Amazon for only $7 right now
mbrenes.bsky.social
I told Tom Edsall in @nytimes.com that Donald Trump is "profiting from the Democrats’ inability to put their house in order… Even if Democrats win the Senate and the House in 2026, Trump is unlikely to let that stop him from continuing his policies.”
Opinion | When It Comes to Undermining America, We Have a Winner
www.nytimes.com
Reposted by Michael Brenes
tomstrand.bsky.social
"Schlesinger’s theory worked in the twentieth century because it presumed that all Americans accepted liberalism or liberal tenets—everyone lived in the shadow of liberalism, even if they tried to avoid or repudiate it...

newrepublic.com/article/1975...
Reposted by Michael Brenes
vanjackson.bsky.social
We document many such cases like this in The Rivalry Peril
Reposted by Michael Brenes
andreapitzer.bsky.social
I wrote about how the Everglades experiment fits into the history of concentration camps in the US and abroad, and how it will connect a domestic network of camps to an international one. We’re watching the imposition of a global concentration camp network.
Opinion | Don’t call it ‘Alligator Alcatraz.’ Call it a concentration camp.
This facility’s purpose fits the classic model, and its existence points to serious dangers ahead for the country.
www.msnbc.com
Reposted by Michael Brenes
vivienlchang.bsky.social
Looking forward to seeing friends and colleagues at #SHAFR2025 this week! Join us on Saturday morning for our roundtable on The Global Cold War ✨
Reposted by Michael Brenes
shafrhistorians.bsky.social
The relaunch of the SHAFR Summer Institute in t-minus 20 minutes!! #SHAFRSummerInstitute #SHAFR2025
mbrenes.bsky.social
Update! Oral histories are back online! Thanks @altusip.bsky.social
mbrenes.bsky.social
Any historians/scholars affected by DOGE? I'm in the middle of writing my book on the history of the War on Terror, which relies upon oral histories published by the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP). DOGE killed it, sadly. And now the links to those oral histories are dead. Keep the citations, yes?
mbrenes.bsky.social
Any historians/scholars affected by DOGE? I'm in the middle of writing my book on the history of the War on Terror, which relies upon oral histories published by the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP). DOGE killed it, sadly. And now the links to those oral histories are dead. Keep the citations, yes?
Reposted by Michael Brenes
mwpalen.bsky.social
Today! Looking forward to discussing Pax Economica with @mbrenes.bsky.social and the Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy
Reposted by Michael Brenes
Reposted by Michael Brenes
lilipike.bsky.social
As Trump decides where to take China policy next—from Taiwan to AI, I took a step back and looked at whether the Biden administration’s strategy to outcompete China succeeded, and at what cost. Here's my deep dive:

foreignpolicy.com/2025/02/06/b...
Did Biden Get China Right?
The administration aimed to outcompete China. Four years later, here’s how it measured up.
foreignpolicy.com
Reposted by Michael Brenes
jwdwerner.bsky.social
I’ll be discussing new book The Rivalry Peril with its authors
@vanjackson.bsky.social and @mbrenes.bsky.social.

Where did Biden go wrong on US–China relations and what now for great power conflict after the Trump 2 rupture?

April 2 Wednesday 3–4pm EDT
quincyinst.org/events/book-...
Book Talk: The Rivalry Peril
A discussion of the new book from Van Jackson and Michael Brenes.
quincyinst.org