Yusuf Sarfati
@yusufsarfati.bsky.social
9.7K followers 670 following 1.5K posts
Professor of Comparative Politics, Illinois State University, autocratization, religion, social movements & mobilization. Turkey, Israel. Istanbulite, Normalite. Anti-fascist. He/him. Siyaset Bilimi. Akademisyen. İnsan. Baba.
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Reposted by Yusuf Sarfati
yusufsarfati.bsky.social
Important read for opposition actors under autocratizing contexts:

"Trump will fail in remaking American politics if people and institutions coordinate against him, which is why his administration is targeting businesses, nonprofits and the rest of civil society"

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/o...
Opinion | Where Trump Is Vulnerable and How to Act on It
www.nytimes.com
yusufsarfati.bsky.social
Let me get this straight:

Settlers tried to attack a Palestinian village, left-wing activists tried to prevent it. Settlers called the police and IDF, and they arrested the left-wing activists, not the settlers!
Reposted by Yusuf Sarfati
yusufsarfati.bsky.social
Pritzker spells out Trump's authoritarian playbook! 🎯
atrupar.com
Pritzker: "He wants to militarize major cities because he wants us to get used to the idea of troops on the streets. I believe he's gonna post people outside of polling places and if he needs to in order to control those elections, he'll assume control of the ballot boxes & count the votes himself"
Reposted by Yusuf Sarfati
yusufsarfati.bsky.social
🚨🚨🚨
ariehkovler.com
Multiple reports from Israeli, Arab and US sources that a ceasefire deal in Gaza could be imminent, with the hope that Phase 1 is signed today or tomorrow and hostage releases would begin almost immediately.
Reposted by Yusuf Sarfati
benyoel.bsky.social
Good piece, but it misses some important context about attempts to polarize the opposition, which then leads pro-democracy movements to grapple with a strategic tradeoff (something I try to address in my dissertation).
yusufsarfati.bsky.social
🚨🚨🚨
ariehkovler.com
Multiple reports from Israeli, Arab and US sources that a ceasefire deal in Gaza could be imminent, with the hope that Phase 1 is signed today or tomorrow and hostage releases would begin almost immediately.
Reposted by Yusuf Sarfati
aloner.bsky.social
🧵
ariehkovler.com
Multiple reports from Israeli, Arab and US sources that a ceasefire deal in Gaza could be imminent, with the hope that Phase 1 is signed today or tomorrow and hostage releases would begin almost immediately.
yusufsarfati.bsky.social
Pritzker spells out Trump's authoritarian playbook! 🎯
atrupar.com
Pritzker: "He wants to militarize major cities because he wants us to get used to the idea of troops on the streets. I believe he's gonna post people outside of polling places and if he needs to in order to control those elections, he'll assume control of the ballot boxes & count the votes himself"
yusufsarfati.bsky.social
The best defense against this weapon is solidarity among groups who disagree ferociously on many questions, but who agree on the need to keep America democratic and rebuild institutions and social connections to make democracy more robust.
yusufsarfati.bsky.social
"The struggle over regime change is about whether the aspiring authoritarians can subdue civil society. Their strategy is to play divide and conquer, rewarding friends and brutally punishing opponents. They win when society cracks, creating a self-enforcing set of expectations."
yusufsarfati.bsky.social
Important read for opposition actors under autocratizing contexts:

"Trump will fail in remaking American politics if people and institutions coordinate against him, which is why his administration is targeting businesses, nonprofits and the rest of civil society"

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/o...
Opinion | Where Trump Is Vulnerable and How to Act on It
www.nytimes.com
yusufsarfati.bsky.social
The struggle over regime change is about whether the aspiring authoritarians can subdue civil society. Their strategy is to play divide and conquer, rewarding friends and brutally punishing opponents. They win when society cracks, creating a self-enforcing set of expectations.
yusufsarfati.bsky.social
Power is a “coordination game,” in which everything depends on what the public believes and does together. Even the most brutal tyrant does not have enough soldiers and police to compel everyone to obey at gunpoint. Authoritarian regimes need civil society to acquiesce to their rule.
yusufsarfati.bsky.social
Important read for opposition actors under autocratizing contexts:

"Trump will fail in remaking American politics if people and institutions coordinate against him, which is why his administration is targeting businesses, nonprofits and the rest of civil society"

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/o...
Opinion | Where Trump Is Vulnerable and How to Act on It
www.nytimes.com
Reposted by Yusuf Sarfati
rimaanabtawi.bsky.social
Yinon Magal reports a deal has been reached.

“Ynetnews source: The deal is closed and secured”

Grain of salt, atm, leaks might be used to shape realities, but this remains significant:
Reposted by Yusuf Sarfati
nberlat.bsky.social
again, more threats like this would be good!
furbabies.bsky.social
After yelling and obfuscating to senators for hours, Dick Durbin hit her with this one: "Eventually you are going to have to answer for your conduct in this. You won't do it today, but eventually you will." Suddenly, she went SILENT.🔥 She knows.

You're phucked, Pam....just sayin'
Reposted by Yusuf Sarfati
yusufsarfati.bsky.social
"The only way Democrats can make things worse for themselves or for the country at this point is by caving. Hopefully, as the GOP’s bad political position sinks in, they will have less temptation to do that."
by @nberlat.bsky.social
open.substack.com/pub/aaronrup...
Democrats are winning the shutdown
Republicans, meanwhile, are bumbling and stumbling.
open.substack.com
Reposted by Yusuf Sarfati
yusufsarfati.bsky.social
Gerontocracy is bad. Exhibit #7651
atrupar.com
Grassley to Bondi: "It's all pointing out the wrong of using the power of government to go after people -- political people you don't like. We're pointing this all out because we can't have this repeated in the United States."

(He's somehow not talking about Trump ... )
yusufsarfati.bsky.social
Gerontocracy is bad. Exhibit #7651
atrupar.com
Grassley to Bondi: "It's all pointing out the wrong of using the power of government to go after people -- political people you don't like. We're pointing this all out because we can't have this repeated in the United States."

(He's somehow not talking about Trump ... )
Reposted by Yusuf Sarfati
zohrankmamdani.bsky.social
My statement on the two year anniversary of October 7, 2023.
“Two years ago today, Hamas carried out a horrific war crime, killing more than 1,100 Israelis and kidnapping 250 more. I mourn these lives and pray for the safe return of every hostage still held and for every family whose lives were torn apart by these atrocities.

In the aftermath of that day, Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Israeli government launched a genocidal war: adeath toll that now far exceeds 67,000; with the Israeli military bombing homes, hospitals, and schools into rubble. Every day in Gaza has become a place where grief itself has run out of language. I mourn these lives and pray for the families that have been shattered. Our government has been complicit through it all.

This must end. The occupation and apartheid must end. Peace must be pursued through diplomacy, not war crimes, and our government must act to end these atrocities and hold those responsible to account.

These last two years have demonstrated the very worst of humanity. We must answer it by modeling the very best: a relentless pursuit of our higher ideals and an unwavering commitment to universal human rights.”
Reposted by Yusuf Sarfati
dovwaxman.bsky.social
On the second anniversary of the outbreak of the Gaza war that Hamas initiated with its horrific surprise attack in southern Israel, it’s worth taking stock of the war’s devastating toll. Here's a long thread, which is not exhaustive, of the toll:
Reposted by Yusuf Sarfati
mark-bray.bsky.social
I’ve received multiple death threats + doxing (including my home address) directly following harassment from Turning Point USA, Jack Posobiec, Andy NGO, + Fox News which called me an antifa ‘financier.’

I have been forced to move my classes online.

If journalists want to talk, DM me or reply here.
yusufsarfati.bsky.social
"The only way Democrats can make things worse for themselves or for the country at this point is by caving. Hopefully, as the GOP’s bad political position sinks in, they will have less temptation to do that."
by @nberlat.bsky.social
open.substack.com/pub/aaronrup...
Democrats are winning the shutdown
Republicans, meanwhile, are bumbling and stumbling.
open.substack.com
Reposted by Yusuf Sarfati
yusufsarfati.bsky.social
Illinois sues Trump. The lawsuit seeks to block the White House from sending Texas National Guard troops to Chicago. It came hours after a federal judge blocked deployments to Portland.

www.nytimes.com/live/2025/10...
Live Updates: Illinois Sues Trump Over Guard Deployments, Expanding Multistate Fight
www.nytimes.com
Reposted by Yusuf Sarfati
darinself.com
The stock market is just a bunch of bettors running as fast as humanly possible because they know if any one of them slows it all crashes.
justinhendrix.bsky.social
"The hundreds of billions of dollars companies are investing in AI now account for an astonishing 40 per cent share of US GDP growth this year... In a way, then, America has become one big bet on AI."
America is now one big bet on AI
It’s seen as the magic fix for every threat to the US economy
www.ft.com