Mike Tierney
@miketierneyir.bsky.social
1.4K followers 1.1K following 100 posts
Director William & Mary's Global Research Institute | Prof. of International Relations | TRIP Survey (Bridging Academic-Policy Gap) | AidData (China's Development Finance) | International Organizations | Beer | Miami Dolphins https://mjtierney.weebly.com
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Reposted by Mike Tierney
govpritzker.illinois.gov
Let’s spell this out. Trump fired a qualified U.S. attorney who refused to do his bidding and installed his own personal lawyer to punish a perceived opponent. Justice needs to follow the law, not politics.

This is an attack on the rule of law. Full stop.
Former FBI Director James Comey indicted days after Trump demanded his DOJ move 'now' to prosecute enemies
Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted just days after President Trump issued a public demand for the DOJ to act "now" to prosecute him, sources say.
abcnews.go.com
Reposted by Mike Tierney
ncweaver.skerry-tech.com
Why is this horrible for Universities?

Just about everyone who isn't a citizen or green card holder already who's hired for a tenure track faculty position is hired through an H1B and then, after 3-5 years, applies for a green card.

This is literally "No more foreign professors can be hired"
gergely.pragmaticengineer.com
Those on an H1B cannot return to the US from tomorrow (Sunday) unless paying $100K. This is an out-of-the blue presidential action. We’ll see software engineers stranded abroad.

One easy to predict outcome: those on US visas will travel less… for work, for conferences etc.
Reposted by Mike Tierney
piie.com
SEPTEMBER 24: @cullenhendrix.bsky.social joins PIIE Insider LIVE to discuss how climate change is shaping human health & security & how government responses on critical minerals, tech, & more will shape the planet's future. Subscribe wherever you get podcasts.
Live event:
Climate change, security, and the race for critical minerals
Cullen Hendrix, PIIE senior fellow, joins Anjali V. Bhatt, PIIE communications manager and research fellow, for a live, virtual conversation about how climate change is shaping human health and securi...
www.piie.com
miketierneyir.bsky.social
Yes! Boykoff and Boykoff. We were building on their work. Thanks for connecting us.
miketierneyir.bsky.social
There are plenty of other descriptive findings in the new article that journalists, policymakers, or scholars might find interesting, but I'm most struck by the way journalists choose to report on issues where there is a scientific consensus. bit.ly/4mc2gBj
International Relations Scholars, the Media, and the Dilemma of Consensus | Perspectives on Politics | Cambridge Core
International Relations Scholars, the Media, and the Dilemma of Consensus
bit.ly
miketierneyir.bsky.social
This was true in our survey experiment for both arms control issues and trade issues, and it was true whether the experts were IR scholars or economists. The source of variation that has been previously documented in empirical studies appears to be driven by the reporting choices of journalists.
miketierneyir.bsky.social
(1) When there is overwhelming (93%) consensus among an expert community, and (2) when experts are evenly split on the wisdom of some policy. We find that foreign policy journalists overrepresent dissenters by a large amount in the face of expert consensus.
miketierneyir.bsky.social
In earlier research, we (TRIP Project at @wm.edu) documented a similar pattern in discussions about the Iraq War. In this new article, we survey foreign policy journalists to understand how they source expert opinion in two conditions:
miketierneyir.bsky.social
New Article. #Thread. Have you ever read a news story about #climatechange, where the journalist quotes one expert who represents the #Scientific consensus (human activity causes global warming) and one expert who disagrees with the consensus? Why do we see this "balance" in news coverage?
Reposted by Mike Tierney
charlesjkenny.bsky.social
US Administration said it was going to have a "180 day review" of involvement in international organizations. 223 days later there's still no review, but US has simply stopped paying membership dues to the considerable majority of organizations.
charlesjkenny.bsky.social
ICYM: International bodies for which the US Administration has apparently stopped paying assessed dues include (thread):
charlesjkenny.bsky.social
Blog: US Funding of International Organizations Has Collapsed

With weeks left in FY, US has paid zero toward assessed (membership) contributions to WHO, WTO, FAO, ILO, UNESCO, NATO, OECD, WMO, WIPO & more.

FY26 budget suggests paying dues to only 7 out of 46 organizations under the IO account.
miketierneyir.bsky.social
Great to host @jonesjay.bsky.social at Casa Tierney. Jay spoke clearly about the stakes in the race for Attorney General. Jay will defend public universities in VA, if he is elected. Thanks to the @virginiabeerco.bsky.social for fueling this event. See the first comment to support Jay's campaign.
miketierneyir.bsky.social
Awesome. I saw the same thing this summer and was also happy. Now, do positive externalities of nuclear war.
Reposted by Mike Tierney
jonesjay.bsky.social
Had a blast tailgating with folks in Charlottesville. As an alum of both UVA Law and William and Mary, looking forward to an exciting game!
Reposted by Mike Tierney
pfmanna.bsky.social
Hello listeners of my podcast Democracy in Five Minutes. I've posted a teaching resource to help folks use it in class. Link in next post. 1/3
@debbiejsr.bsky.social @brendannyhan.bsky.social @miketierneyir.bsky.social @patriciastrach.bsky.social @kellyzvobgo.bsky.social @protectdemocracy.org
Reposted by Mike Tierney
epssnet.bsky.social
EPSA have announced that they will hold a conference in July 2026.

😵‍💫 We understand that there might be some confusion about EPSS and EPSA.

👉🏽 So we thought we would clarify some things.

A short 🧵
Reposted by Mike Tierney
ayferkarakaya.bsky.social
Pleased to share my new article, "Alevis and Alawites: A Comparative Study of History, Theology, and Politics."

I hope it will be of interest to both academic and general audiences, and help clarify the often-confused similarities and distinctions between Alevis and Alawites.

www.mdpi.com/3434900
miketierneyir.bsky.social
Latest newsletter from @global-wm.bsky.social
with a feature story on the Geopolitics of Technology Initiative. s6.view.sfmc-marketing.com/view_email.a...
A message from the Director of GRI: Dear Friends, As we begin a new fiscal year, I wanted to share a quick update from the Global Research Institute at William & Mary. This past year, our student-faculty teams have continued to take on some of the world’s most pressing challenges, from international development and human rights to the rapidly evolving geopolitics of technology. GRI researchers have published in leading journals, briefed policymakers and corporate leaders, and even testified before Congress. The work happening here is not only academically rigorous, it’s making a real-world impact. Like many university-based research institutes, we’re navigating a shifting landscape. Federal funding for applied research is tightening, and researchers across the country are feeling the strain. But thanks to years of thoughtful strategy and a commitment to innovation, GRI is positioned to keep growing. Rather than pulling back, we’re leaning in! Our new projects, new partners, and new structures will allow some of our most promising research initiatives to stand on their own and scale. We’re especially proud of how entrepreneurial our model has become. In the past year, that’s meant more space for student-led experimentation, deeper engagement with public and private sector experts, and new pathways for projects that start at GRI to grow beyond the university. We’ll share more about what’s next in the months ahead. For now, thank you for being part of the GRI community. Our work is stronger because of it. Warmly, Mike Michael J. Tierney Director, Global Research Institute George and Mary Hylton Professor of Government & International Relations William & Mary
s6.view.sfmc-marketing.com
miketierneyir.bsky.social
If you need a ray of sunshine in this increasingly dark hellscape, here is a 2-minute video from @wm.edu students. They are reflecting on their field research in Colombia as @global-wm.bsky.social Summer Fellows. www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkhH...
Hands-On Research Across the Globe | William & Mary’s GRI Summer Fellows Program
YouTube video by William & Mary
www.youtube.com
Reposted by Mike Tierney
dhnexon.bsky.social
Was looking for supplementary readings for my Power Politics class. Came across this.

Sob.

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Screen shot of an article titled: "Foreign Aid and Soft Power: Great Power Competition in Africa in the Early Twenty-first Century" The abstract reads: foreign aid an effective instrument of soft power? Does it generate affinity for donor countries and the values they espouse? This article answers these questions in the context of Chinese aid to Africa and the competing aid regime of the United States. The study combines data on thirty-eight African countries from Afrobarometer, AidData, and the Aid Information Management Systems of African finance and planning ministries. The authors use spatial difference-in-differences to isolate the causal effects of Chinese and US aid. The study finds that Chinese aid to Africa does not increase (and may in fact reduce) beneficiaries’ support for China. By contrast, US aid appears to increase support for the United States and to strengthen recipients’ commitment to liberal democratic values, such as the belief in the importance of elections. Chinese aid does not appear to weaken this commitment, and may strengthen it. The study also finds that Chinese aid increases support for the UK, France and other former colonial powers. These findings advance our understanding of the conditions under which competing aid regimes generate soft power and facilitate the transmission of political principles and ideals."

Authored by Robert A. Blair, Robert Marty, and Philip Roessler
Reposted by Mike Tierney
reziemba.bsky.social
Great Aiddata report on mechanisms for Chinese investments/support for mining projects lots of great data.
Highlights that focus has been copper but that lithium on rise.
Also that focus on mining not processing.

www.aiddata.org/publications...
Reposted by Mike Tierney
jcca-gigahamburg.bsky.social
"China’s Expanding Influence in Latin America and the Caribbean: Development Financing, Public Perceptions, and Strategic Partnerships" will be edited by Dr. Narayani Sritharan, Dr. Ana Horigoshi, & Dr. Jonathan A. Solis from AidData, William & Mary
journals.sagepub.com/pb-assets/cm...