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Neysun Mahboubi

@neysunm.bsky.social

790 followers 600 following 91 posts

Administrative law/Chinese law. Director, Penn Project on the Future of U.S.-China Relations. Host, China Studies podcast. https://global.upenn.edu/global-initiatives/person/neysun-mahboubi

global.upenn.edu

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Neysun Mahboubi @neysunm.bsky.social · Jun 29

It was a great honor to share my thoughts at some length on how the landscape of U.S.-China relations looks to me now, especially through the prism of academic exchange, as part of the @scmpnews.bsky.social Open Questions interview series:

Exclusive | History tells us US-China ties will survive current rupture: Neysun Mahboubi

The leading academic finds grounds for ‘moderate optimism’ after leading a group of American students on a 10-day tour of China.

www.scmp.com

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Neysun Mahboubi @neysunm.bsky.social · 12h

Along with our Zhengfawei (soundcloud.com/user-8653541...) colleagues, I've enjoyed a fairly constant on and offline conversation with my friend @vicshih.bsky.social since February 2021, and so it was a delight to continue our chat before a terrific live audience at @fpri.bsky.social yesterday:

How Will Xi Handle the Succession Process?

YouTube video by Foreign Policy Research Institute

www.youtube.com

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Penn Project on the Future of U.S.-China Relations @penn-us-china.bsky.social · 14h

In September, our current fellows assembled in Washington DC for a week of intensive dialogues with a wide range of policymakers & other relevant actors on U.S. policy toward China. In Friday's webinar, some of those fellows will share their broad insights and general take-aways from these meetings

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Neysun Mahboubi @neysunm.bsky.social · 1d

Warmly welcome @vicshih.bsky.social to @upenn.edu today to meet with student fellows of @penn-us-china.bsky.social and share his insights about pursuing China Studies in these dramatic times

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Joey Fishkin @fishkin.bsky.social · 5d

The question journalists need to be asking is: WHY is the government trying this?

It’s because they want to control universities in unlawful ways that courts will not allow; it’s not working; so they’re trying to get universities to sign up “voluntarily” for unlawful levels of government control.

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Neysun Mahboubi @neysunm.bsky.social · 3d

4th term for Xi Jinping may be likely, but succession is inevitable. What can we glean from current signals & past practice about how that process might play out? I am looking forward to welcome my friend @vicshih.bsky.social to discuss these Qs @fpri.bsky.social on Tue: www.fpri.org/event/2025/h...

How Will Xi Handle the Succession Process? - FPRI Events

Xi Jinping has ruled China for well over a decade now, making him the longest serving official leader of China since Mao Zedong. As the prospect sharpens for

www.fpri.org

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Philip Bump @pbump.com · 5d

CHOTINER: Until what time?
RICHIE: Nearly 4 in the morning! It was absolutely wild and
CHOTINER: So not actually all night long.
RICHIE: Look, uh, artists take liberties. This is — can we stop for a sec

The New Yorker @newyorker.com · 5d

In a new interview, Lionel Richie discusses the lessons he learned from talking to artists like Tina Turner and Marvin Gaye. “Don’t say much. Just listen. And they’ll teach you the whole navigation of this crazy world we’re living in,” he said.

How Lionel Richie Mastered the Love Song

The artist discusses touring with Tina Turner, what he learned from Marvin Gaye, and the “most important note” to hit—in music and in life.

www.newyorker.com

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John Delury @johndelury.bsky.social · 5d

'How close are China, Russia, and North Korea, really?' This debate is at the heart of geopolitics. It's been going for years and will continue for a long time. In a new essay for @newlinesmag.bsky.social I offer the backlight of Cold War history to help us assess

newlinesmag.com/essays/beiji...

Beijing’s Military Parade May Not Be the Show of Unity That It Seems

newlinesmag.com

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Deborah Pearlstein @debpearlstein.bsky.social · 5d

First and Second Circuit Courts of Appeals striking birthright citizenship on the merits on the same day.

Reuters @reuters.com · 5d

Second US appeals court rejects Trump's order curtailing birthright citizenship reut.rs/4nCUhyO

Second US appeals court rejects Trump's order curtailing birthright citizenship

President Donald Trump's effort to curtail birthright citizenship was declared unconstitutional by a second U.S. appeals court on Friday, handing him another defeat on a core piece of his hardline immigration agenda whose ultimate fate may lay with the U.S. Supreme Court.

reut.rs

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Penn Project on the Future of U.S.-China Relations @penn-us-china.bsky.social · 5d

We are delighted to announce the selection of our second class of undergraduate student fellows, made up of ten outstanding students at the University of Pennsylvania. You can read more about them at our Project website here: global.upenn.edu/future-of-us...

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Chris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · 7d

No need to be scared of him. The trend is clear - everyone outside of his hard base is abandoning him.

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 8d

New: European Union leaders still want to collaborate with the United States on China policy – even as Washington’s envoys continue to slam the bloc’s digital laws.

My report on a dynamic that could get increasingly awkward

Europe, US continue to seek common ground on China, despite other policy differences

Washington’s envoys insist the EU must change its green, digital and economic policies but find more alignment than expected on Beijing.

www.scmp.com

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Alexandra Petri @petridishes.bsky.social · 8d

if the Trump Hegseth address had been an email www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...

To: Entire Military Leadership of the United States, Stationed All Over the World, Who Would Have to Be Flown In Very Disruptively and Expensively If This Weren't an Email but for Some Reason Were an Urgent In-Person Address
From: Pete Hegseth
CC: Donald J. Trump
Subject: WARFIGHTER ETHOS
PLEASE DROP EVERYTHING YOU ARE DOING TO READ THIS EMAIL AT ATTENTION. THIS IS NOT SPAM AND I AM EXTREMELY SOBER! YOU ARE TOO FAT TO FIGHT WARS!

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eileen chengyin chow @chowleen.bsky.social · 11d

The South Korean Ministry of Defense has awarded medals of merit to 11 officers for disobeying direct orders of superiors during the martial law fiasco, orders that they deemed to be contrary to the constitution and endangerment to democracy.
www.chosun.com/english/nati...

National Defense Ministry Honors 11 Soldiers for Refusing Illegal Orders

National Defense Ministry Honors 11 Soldiers for Refusing Illegal Orders Honored for rejecting illegal orders during martial law, Marine death probe

www.chosun.com

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Bill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · 13d

Congratulations to Lindsey Halligan—former insurance lawyer and third-runner-up in the Miss Colorado USA pageant—on her first indictment, which is almost as long as a Truth Social post.

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Neysun Mahboubi @neysunm.bsky.social · 15d

Omg 🍿🍿🍿

southpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · 15d

Isaac Chotiner interviews Cass Sunstein. www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...

=
THE NEW YORKER ICO
In terms of human rights, I've always found it a little bit puzzling, given what you write, and given who your wife is, that you two were so close to Henry Kissinger. Of all the pre-Trump political figures in America, he is the one I think of as in some ways the opposite of liberal, given his behavior toward the rest of the world.
I'll tell you a story. I wrote a book a few years ago on Star Wars. We invited Dr.
Kissinger to my Star Wars book party, and he said, "You wrote a book about Star Wars? Why'd you write a book about Star Wars?" He was puzzled and courteous, but really confused. And then he came to the book party, which was quite generous. He was a busy person.
But, despite his busyness, he came to the book party.
Yeah, and then I gave a talk on Star Wars, and he came up to me afterward and he said, "Oh, I see why you wrote a book on Star Wars. There's a lot there.
It's, like, about families and it's about governments and freedom." The amount of curiosity and generosity that he showed was incomparable. I don't know anyone who showed that level of curiosity and generosity. And we really got into Star Wars. He just wanted to think about it. I know there are strong views about his career, and I'm hardly an expert on his career.

But your wife is one of the great human-rights experts in the world. I asked you about him being anti-liberal, and your response was that he was very nice to you about your book.
About Star Wars.
It is certainly a touching story. But that's not totally an answer to the question.
Yeah. Well, I don't know. What he would think of this book I'd love to know.
But no second thoughts about being friends with him or anything?
I feel generally very grateful for friendship, and he was, when I knew him, a person of immense kindness.
Those who think of him as someone who was something horrible or worse, 1 don't know what to say about that.

But you could have an opinion on it.
You have an opinion on all kinds of things, right?
Well, on him and his role in
government, that's not something I've particularly studied, so I don't know. I know some people who think he was a horrible historic figure. They would say,
"Would you be friends with Genghis Khan? Would you be friends with Stalin?" And I wouldn't be friends with Stalin, so I concede that.
Well, the next time someone brings up a terrible anecdote about Cambodia or Vietnam, I will definitely drop the Star Wars story to show that people have two sides.
Yeah. And I get those who think you shouldn't be friends with someone who did terrible things. I hear that. I can just say that he was, as a very large number of people would say, though many fewer would say it publicly, an extraordinarily generous friend.
Professor, thank you so much for doing this.
Great, thanks. If we go light on the Kissinger part, I wouldn't complain, because it could dwarf everything else. *

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Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · 18d

Incompetence, laced with malice.

This is not a serious way to do anything.

And the more of this we get, the less we'll be able to plan and accomplish serious things.

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 18d

NEW: Hours before a new entry ban is supposed to go into effect, the federal government officially acknowledges for the first time that the restrictions do NOT apply to people who currently have H-1B visas.

Link: www.uscis.gov/sites/defaul...

J.S. Citizenshit and Immigratior
Services
September 20, 2025
Memorandum
TO:
Associate Directors,
Deputy Associate Directors, Program Office Chiefs
FROM:
JOSEPH B
Digitaly signed by
JOSEPH B EDLOW
Joseph B. Edlow
EDLOW
Date: 2025.09.20
Director, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services **00
SUBJECT: Proclamation, Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers, H-IB
On September 19, 2025, the President issued a Proclamation, Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers, to address systemic abuse of H-1B nonimmigrant visas. Pursuant to sections 212(f) and 215(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), 8 U.S.C. 1182(f) and 1185(a), the entry into the United States of aliens as nonimmigrants to perform services in a specialty occupation under section 101(a)(15)(H)(i)(b) of the INA, 8 U.S.C.
1101(a)(15)(H)(i)(b), is restricted, except for those aliens whose petitions are accompanied or supplemented by a payment of $100,000. This guidance applies to H-IB employment-based petitions filed after 12:01 AM ET on September 21, 2025.|
This proclamation only applies prospectively to petitions that have not yet been filed. The proclamation does not apply to aliens who: are the beneficiaries of petitions that were filed prior to the effective date of the proclamation, are the beneficiaries of currently approved petitions, or are in possession of validly issued H-1B non-immigrant visas. All officers of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services shall ensure that their decisions are consistent with this guidance. The proclamation does not impact the ability of any current visa holder to travel to or rom the United States.
cc: David V. Roy, Chief Counsel (A)
FOUO, For Official Use Only

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Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 19d

The White House convinced many its focus is “illegal” immigration.

Then:
—Today’s near-ban on LEGAL high-skill work visas
—Ended LEGAL refugee visas
—Slashing LEGAL student visas
—Ban all/most LEGAL visas for 17 countries
—Ending LEGAL parole & TPS for millions

Not a “crackdown”. A lawless purge.

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Penn Project on the Future of U.S.-China Relations @penn-us-china.bsky.social · 21d

For those who missed this lively discussion in-person last week, here is the video of our program at JF Books on "New Perspectives on U.S.-China Policy" featuring @kyleichan.bsky.social, Elsa Kania, Yingyi Ma & @carlminzner.bsky.social from our current cohort of Project Fellows:

季風人文講壇第68期: Kyle Chan, Elsa Kania, Yingyi Ma, Carl Minzner - "New Perspective on U.S.-China Policy"

YouTube video by JF Books 季風書園

www.youtube.com

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Josh Busby @busbyj2.bsky.social · 26d

Delighted to be part of this important initiative.

Penn Project on the Future of U.S.-China Relations @penn-us-china.bsky.social · 26d

Our third cohort fellows have enjoyed a wonderfully productive week in Washington DC! Many thanks to everyone in town who so kindly lent their time, energy & attention to dialogues such as the one below. Stay tuned for the products of all this work and discussion later this Fall.

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Penn Project on the Future of U.S.-China Relations @penn-us-china.bsky.social · 26d

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Penn Project on the Future of U.S.-China Relations @penn-us-china.bsky.social · 28d

Great audience (with outstanding questions!) for our third cohort fellows @kyleichan.bsky.social, Yingyi Ma, @carlminzner.bsky.social, & Elsa Kania tonight at JF Books

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Jake Grumbach @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social · Sep 7

Highest level of support since Gallup started asking this question a quarter century ago

Americans' Views on Immigration's Effect on the U.S.
On the whole, do you think immigration is a good thing or a bad thing for this country today?
— % Good thing - - % Bad thing
100%
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
79
17
2001
2005
2010
2015
2020
2025
The percentages who volunteer that the effects are "mixed" or who do not have an opinion are not shown.
GALLUP®

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Kori Schake @kschake.bsky.social · Sep 5

This is incorrect: (1) Department of War was just the Army, not the Navy and Marine Corps; and (2) the President does not have the authority, only Congress can make that change in the law. Be better, @npr.org.

NPR @npr.org · Sep 5

The change will return the department to a name that it carried for much of its history, until it became the Department of Defense in the wake of World War II.

President Trump signs order to rename the Defense Department as the Department of War

The change will return the department to a name that it carried for much of its history, until it became the Department of Defense in the wake of World War II.

n.pr

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Penn Project on the Future of U.S.-China Relations @penn-us-china.bsky.social · Sep 2

Many thanks to JF Books for hosting this event in Washington, DC next week featuring 4 of our current Project Fellows (Yingyi Ma, @kyleichan.bsky.social, Carl Minzner, & Elsa Kania) previewing the U.S.-China policy recommendations they are developing through our Project. Full details below:

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