Michael Allen
@michaelallen.bsky.social
Professor • Boise State • International Relations • Focus: War, FoPo, Basing, and Troop Deployments • Nerd: scifi, gaming, methods.
Pinned
Michael Allen
@michaelallen.bsky.social
· Feb 24
Me: I need to write as soon as I get in the office.
Also Me: This person asked a decision theory problem in the game theory subreddit, how dare they. Also, I am going to do the math to answer their question.
Also Me: This person asked a decision theory problem in the game theory subreddit, how dare they. Also, I am going to do the math to answer their question.
December 10, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Me: I need to write as soon as I get in the office.
Also Me: This person asked a decision theory problem in the game theory subreddit, how dare they. Also, I am going to do the math to answer their question.
Also Me: This person asked a decision theory problem in the game theory subreddit, how dare they. Also, I am going to do the math to answer their question.
The hidden influence of the military on fashion.
Strange threadfellows: How the U.S. military shaped what we all wear : Planet Money
From nuclear fission to GPS to the internet, it’s common knowledge that many of the most resource intensive technologies of the last century got their start as military R&D projects in government-fund...
www.npr.org
December 10, 2025 at 3:26 PM
The hidden influence of the military on fashion.
1097 words so far this month. I have a modest goal due to admin stuff, but it is progress!
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
docs.google.com
November 2, 2025 at 11:40 PM
1097 words so far this month. I have a modest goal due to admin stuff, but it is progress!
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
It was worse than I imagined. Time to close that account.
October 31, 2025 at 5:44 PM
It was worse than I imagined. Time to close that account.
Why we should prefer switch-side Swiss pairings over dice rolls in TCG pairings:
zubrin.substack.com/p/improving-...
zubrin.substack.com/p/improving-...
Improving Tournament Pairings in Lorcana
How to add more draw/play equity in how we pair.
zubrin.substack.com
October 30, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Why we should prefer switch-side Swiss pairings over dice rolls in TCG pairings:
zubrin.substack.com/p/improving-...
zubrin.substack.com/p/improving-...
Reposted by Michael Allen
Given the recent Russian drone incursions into Polish airspace, sharing this recent article with @michaelallen.bsky.social , @flynnpolsci.bsky.social and Grzegorz Smułek where we explore NIMBYism wrt US troops in Poland in the context of Russian threats
www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...
www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...
At the edge of war: Frontline ally support for the United States military1
How does public messaging affect public support for, or opposition to, a U.S. military presence abroad? This study focuses on Poland as a frontline ally with an exceptionally high external security...
www.tandfonline.com
October 13, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Given the recent Russian drone incursions into Polish airspace, sharing this recent article with @michaelallen.bsky.social , @flynnpolsci.bsky.social and Grzegorz Smułek where we explore NIMBYism wrt US troops in Poland in the context of Russian threats
www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...
www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Reposted by Michael Allen
Happy to be in Vancouver for #APSA2025. This was our "troops as DV" paper that @michaelallen.bsky.social , @flynnpolsci.bsky.social , and I are finally getting back to. Thanks to @marinahenke.bsky.social and @mcfuhrmann.bsky.social for super useful feedback!
September 12, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Happy to be in Vancouver for #APSA2025. This was our "troops as DV" paper that @michaelallen.bsky.social , @flynnpolsci.bsky.social , and I are finally getting back to. Thanks to @marinahenke.bsky.social and @mcfuhrmann.bsky.social for super useful feedback!
Reposted by Michael Allen
I've had several friends send me this NYT piece. If you're interested in reading more about the complex relationships between U.S. bases and neighboring foreign communities, check out our book, Beyond the Wire, written during the 1st Trump admin (link in reply)
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/14/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/14/w...
In a German City Long Home to American Troops, Trump Era Tests Ties
www.nytimes.com
June 15, 2025 at 4:41 PM
I've had several friends send me this NYT piece. If you're interested in reading more about the complex relationships between U.S. bases and neighboring foreign communities, check out our book, Beyond the Wire, written during the 1st Trump admin (link in reply)
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/14/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/14/w...
Reposted by Michael Allen
Why Kissinger would have been a Fortnite champ − and other foreign policy lessons from the gaming world theconversation.com/why-kissinge...
@bloomsburypol.bsky.social
@michaelallen.bsky.social
@bloomsburypol.bsky.social
@michaelallen.bsky.social
Why Kissinger would have been a Fortnite champ − and other foreign policy lessons from the gaming world
A political scientist – with a penchant for gaming – explains how Minecraft, League of Legends and Civilization VII can help teach key international relations concepts.
theconversation.com
June 10, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Why Kissinger would have been a Fortnite champ − and other foreign policy lessons from the gaming world theconversation.com/why-kissinge...
@bloomsburypol.bsky.social
@michaelallen.bsky.social
@bloomsburypol.bsky.social
@michaelallen.bsky.social
Is Chomsky a fascist in the Lore universe?! @ryannorth.ca
June 1, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Is Chomsky a fascist in the Lore universe?! @ryannorth.ca
Listening to today's Econtalk podcast and the idea that if humans had an LLM's knowledge set, we would see more cross-domain insights instead of the statistically likely output (perhaps the difference between creative output versus statistically average output). So, I want to push chatgpt. #polisky
April 28, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Listening to today's Econtalk podcast and the idea that if humans had an LLM's knowledge set, we would see more cross-domain insights instead of the statistically likely output (perhaps the difference between creative output versus statistically average output). So, I want to push chatgpt. #polisky
Reposted by Michael Allen
Check out this amazing H-Diplo roundtable on our book, "Beyond the Wire." Thanks to Lindsay Cohn, @smsaideman.bsky.social, Sebastian Schmidt, and @cnwillis.bsky.social for engaging so thoughtfully with our work! @michaelallen.bsky.social @flynnpolsci.bsky.social
issforum.org/roundtables/...
issforum.org/roundtables/...
H-Diplo | RJISSF Roundtable 16-28 on Allen et al., Beyond the Wire
21 March 2025 | PDF: https://issforum.org/to/jrt16-28 | Website: rjissf.org | X: @HDiplo Editor: Diane Labrosse Commissioning Editor: Danielle Lupton Production Editor: Christopher Ball Pre-Production...
issforum.org
March 23, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Check out this amazing H-Diplo roundtable on our book, "Beyond the Wire." Thanks to Lindsay Cohn, @smsaideman.bsky.social, Sebastian Schmidt, and @cnwillis.bsky.social for engaging so thoughtfully with our work! @michaelallen.bsky.social @flynnpolsci.bsky.social
issforum.org/roundtables/...
issforum.org/roundtables/...
Not sure if this is a misspelling or the mobsters in this universe have very filthy guns. @ryannorth.ca
March 18, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Not sure if this is a misspelling or the mobsters in this universe have very filthy guns. @ryannorth.ca
I talked about my new book about gaming and international relations on the local Boise news:
I talked about my new book on the local news:
idahonews.com/news/local/b...
#irsky #polisky
I talked about my new book on the local news:
idahonews.com/news/local/b...
#irsky #polisky
Boise State professor uses video games to teach international relations
Video games are stepping beyond entertainment and into the realm of education at Boise State University.
idahonews.com
March 12, 2025 at 10:22 PM
I talked about my new book about gaming and international relations on the local Boise news:
I talked about my new book on the local news:
idahonews.com/news/local/b...
#irsky #polisky
I talked about my new book on the local news:
idahonews.com/news/local/b...
#irsky #polisky
About two years ago, @carlammm.bsky.social, @flynnpolsci.bsky.social, Grzegorz Smułek, and I conducted a survey experiment in Poland.
A few interesting finds: 1) Observationally, support for US basing was noticeably higher in 2023 than it was in 2020, when we last surveyed
#irsky #polisky
A few interesting finds: 1) Observationally, support for US basing was noticeably higher in 2023 than it was in 2020, when we last surveyed
#irsky #polisky
March 10, 2025 at 3:27 PM
About two years ago, @carlammm.bsky.social, @flynnpolsci.bsky.social, Grzegorz Smułek, and I conducted a survey experiment in Poland.
A few interesting finds: 1) Observationally, support for US basing was noticeably higher in 2023 than it was in 2020, when we last surveyed
#irsky #polisky
A few interesting finds: 1) Observationally, support for US basing was noticeably higher in 2023 than it was in 2020, when we last surveyed
#irsky #polisky
March 6, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Reposted by Michael Allen
People in Poland 🇵🇱 prefer U.S. military bases to be further from their homes, but contact with U.S. service members moderates NIMBY attitudes. New paper at @intlinteractions.bsky.social w/ @michaelallen.bsky.social @flynnpolsci.bsky.social , and Grzegorz Smułek
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
At the Edge of War: Frontline Ally Support for the United States Military1
How does public messaging affect public support for, or opposition to, a U.S. military presence abroad? This study focuses on Poland as a frontline ally with an exceptionally high external security...
www.tandfonline.com
March 6, 2025 at 1:30 PM
People in Poland 🇵🇱 prefer U.S. military bases to be further from their homes, but contact with U.S. service members moderates NIMBY attitudes. New paper at @intlinteractions.bsky.social w/ @michaelallen.bsky.social @flynnpolsci.bsky.social , and Grzegorz Smułek
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The doors have ears and the
March 4, 2025 at 6:14 PM
The doors have ears and the
If you are at ISA, consider joining us on Sunday at 10:30am to discuss "The Gamer's Guide to International Relations." Andrew Szarejko (@szarejko.bsky.social) chairs with great discussants including...
February 28, 2025 at 5:57 PM
If you are at ISA, consider joining us on Sunday at 10:30am to discuss "The Gamer's Guide to International Relations." Andrew Szarejko (@szarejko.bsky.social) chairs with great discussants including...