Thomas Zeitzoff
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zeitzoff.bsky.social
Thomas Zeitzoff
@zeitzoff.bsky.social
9.6K followers 2.8K following 370 posts
Professor @au-spa.bsky.social

Pol Violence | Pol Psychology

New Book: “NO OPTION BUT SABOTAGE”

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/no-option-but-sabotage-9780197796849

1st Book: "Nasty Politics"

https://www.zeitzoff.com/book-project.html
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zeitzoff.bsky.social
Two books I’ve been reading and highly recommend:

1) “To Catch A Fascist” by @letsgomathias.bsky.social

www.simonandschuster.com/books/To-Cat...

2) “Goliath’s Curse” by @lukekemp.bsky.social

www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/691357...
Picture of both books: To Catch A Fascist and Goliath’s Curse
February 14, 2026 at 9:18 PM
zeitzoff.bsky.social
DC folks: I will be moderating an event on Misinformation and National Security at @au-spa.bsky.social next Tuesday with @jjgreenjr.bsky.social and Bret Schafer.

RSVP here: american-spa.swoogo.com/misinformation
Misinformation and National Security Event https://american-spa.swoogo.com/misinformation
February 13, 2026 at 9:36 PM
zeitzoff.bsky.social
We’re going to have to reckon with AI, and it's here to stay.

It’s going to disrupt politics, economics, and society.

One simple indicator: about 2 in 3 U.S. teens say they’ve used an AI chatbot, and 3 in 10 use it daily. www.pewresearch.org/internet/202...
Pew graphic showing a majority of teens have used a chatbot 3 in 10 say they use a chatbot every day (Pew).
February 11, 2026 at 5:54 PM
zeitzoff.bsky.social
My book, No Option But Sabotage, traces the history of the radical environmental movement and how activists are responding to the rising climate threats and policy rollbacks given a shrinking space for dissent.

It comes out next Monday, Feb 16. Pre-order info is pinned.
No Option but Sabotage book cover
February 11, 2026 at 2:39 PM
zeitzoff.bsky.social
A defining feature of Trump II has been its war on environmental policy:

-gutting the EPA

-attacking climate research and cutting its funding

-blocking renewables

-and opening public lands to drilling.
The Guardian: More pollution and higher energy costs: critics condemn Trump’s anti-environment agenda US courts, scholars and Democrats are pushing back against the president’s aggressive drive to boost fossil fuel https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/10/trump-anti-environment-agenda-pushback Trump Allies Near ‘Total Victory’ in Wiping Out U.S. Climate Regulation A small group of conservative activists has worked for 16 years to stop all government efforts to fight climate change. Their efforts seem poised to pay off. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/climate/endangerment-finding.html
February 11, 2026 at 2:39 PM
zeitzoff.bsky.social
*No Option But Sabotage* is out in 10 days.

Pre-order links are pinned—thank you for all the support!
Stacks of No Option But Sabotage
February 6, 2026 at 2:45 PM
zeitzoff.bsky.social
Pre-orders:

-OUP (30% discount code: ASFLYQ6):

global.oup.com/academic/pro...

-Bookshop:

bookshop.org/p/books/no-o...

-Amazon:

www.amazon.com/dp/019779684...
Picture of No Option But Sabotage cover
February 2, 2026 at 3:13 PM
zeitzoff.bsky.social
No Option But Sabotage coming 2/16:

Draws on 150+ interviews & historical data and it examines:

– origins of radical environmentalism

– subcultures & mobilization

– repression & tactical choice

– shrinking space for protest

Pre-order (30% off with @academic.oup.com code ASFLYQ6) ⬇️
OUP Discount Code Physical Picture of No Option But Sabotage
February 2, 2026 at 3:13 PM
zeitzoff.bsky.social
Really enjoyed the conversation last Friday at Politics and Prose with @jjgreenjr.bsky.social —talking repression, protest tactics, and climate activism.

We discussed my new book, No Option But Sabotage, that comes out Feb 16 with @academic.oup.com ⬇️
Picture of me discussing my book with JJ Green at Politics and Prose on the Wharf
February 2, 2026 at 3:04 PM
zeitzoff.bsky.social
So in my view, we’re less likely to see durable Trumpian one-party rule.

But we are more likely to see even more reckless and dangerous things over the next 2–4 years.

It’s bottom right—Stupid and Scary—for the next three years.
A 2 x 2 diagram of actions that leaders can take that are either not stupid or stupid, and not scary or scary.
January 31, 2026 at 5:22 PM
zeitzoff.bsky.social
There are two ways to frame what happened in Fulton County today.

A) FBI and others indulging Trump in his weird 2020 obsession

B) A threat to future election integrity and democracy itself.

Media coverage has been A.

But scholars & practitioners who study democratic backsliding see B.
NYTimes coverage framing it as a 2020 issue FBI raids Atlanta-area elections office amid Trump’s push to relitigate 2020 election **HOW IT SHOULD BE FRAMED** An aging and increasingly unpopular leader used his expanding autocratic control over what were once independent federal law-enforcement institutions to carry out an unprecedented raid on election administration officials in a key battleground state. Scholars and practitioners who study democratic backsliding said it was consistent with patterns seen in Turkey and Hungary. They also issued a stuck warning. Along with other recent authoritarian moves—prosecution of opposition politicians, increasing repression of activists, and lack of legislative checks—this action represents a direct threat to the integrity of future elections and to democracy itself.
January 28, 2026 at 11:40 PM
zeitzoff.bsky.social
I’ll be doing a book talk with @jjgreenjr.bsky.social
for my new book:

*No Option But Sabotage*

at Politics and Prose (The Wharf) this Friday, 1/30.

We'll be discussing:

-the climate crisis
-social movement
-protest tactics
-and responses to repression

politics-prose.com/thomas-zeitz...
Flyer for the Wharf: Thomas Zeitzoff — No Option But Sabotage: The Radical Environmental Movement and the Climate Crisis -with JJ Green — at The Wharf Book cover: "No Option But Sabotage"
January 28, 2026 at 3:55 PM
zeitzoff.bsky.social
There's other reasons to hope.

-Tech CEOs are unpopular, and keep doing things to make themselves more so

-Americans remain skeptical of AI

-Resistance to AI data centers and tech in general is growing
Musk wrestling with UFC DailyMail Polling show that Tech CEOs are very unpopular Pew survey people think AI will worsen creative and meaningful relationships More people saying not to data centers...NPR story Why more residents are saying 'No' to AI data centers in their backyard https://www.npr.org/2025/07/17/nx-s1-5469933/virginia-data-centers-residents-saying-no
January 26, 2026 at 9:50 PM
zeitzoff.bsky.social
Tech oligarchs now control key media infrastructure.

Musk (X), Bezos (WaPo), the Ellisons (CBS/TikTok).

The pattern is similar:

-degraded products (because the product isn't the goal)
-slanted coverage favorable to the incumbent (Trump)

In exchange for regulatory favors and gov't contract $$$.
The New Yorker: Inside Bari Weiss’s Hostile Takeover of CBS News The network’s new editor-in-chief has championed a press free from élite bias, while aligning herself with a billionaire class more willing than ever to indulge Donald Trump. By Clare Malone January 19, 2026
January 26, 2026 at 9:50 PM
zeitzoff.bsky.social
As scholars like @gabrielzucman.bsky.social, @adambonica.bsky.social, and @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social show, extreme wealth concentration profoundly distorts U.S. politics:

data4democracy.substack.com/p/money-does...

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

paulkrugman.substack.com/p/talking-wi...
Campaign Funding Increasingly Dominated by Ultra-Wealthy in the U.S.
January 26, 2026 at 9:50 PM
zeitzoff.bsky.social
On Saturday, 1/24, mere hours after Alex Pretti was murdered by federal agents, the White House screened the “Melania” documentary for tech billionaires & CEOs.

It was absurd. But also revealing. The authoritarian threat in the U.S. is deeply intertwined with the power of tech billionaires.

-🧵-
Headline: ‘Melania’ Doc Screens at White House After Alex Pretti Was Shot to Death by ICE in Minneapolis Saturday night’s attendees included President Donald Trump, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, Tim Cook, Mike Tyson, Ellen von Unwerth and disgraced director Brett Ratner JD Knapp The Wrap
January 26, 2026 at 9:50 PM
zeitzoff.bsky.social
When you explain it plainly, it’s hard not to see where we are as a country.
An aging, increasingly unpopular leader with autocratic impulses sends masked agents into opposition areas to provoke unrest. Those agents shoot an unarmed civilian observer after disarming him, obstruct evidence collection, and the government then lies about it publicly.
January 25, 2026 at 6:31 PM
zeitzoff.bsky.social
The book is officially out on February 16 with @academic.oup.com.

Pre-orders:

-OUP (30% discount code: ASFLYQ6) global.oup.com/academic/pro...

-Bookshop: bookshop.org/p/books/no-o...

-Amazon: www.amazon.com/No-Option-bu...
OUP Discount Code AFLYQ6
January 23, 2026 at 4:44 PM
zeitzoff.bsky.social
2) Given the threat from climate change, the backsliding on environmental issues, and the increasing state repression—what are activists willing to do?
Bondi and DOJ investigating and targeting Antifa EPA to stop considering "lives saved" when setting rules on air pollution LA Times Article: How the Trump administration sold out public lands in 2025
January 23, 2026 at 4:44 PM
zeitzoff.bsky.social
The book is based on 150+ interviews w/ 100+ activists and experts, as well as new historical data.

The book asks two questions:

1) After 9/11, the U.S. radical environmental movement was labeled the #1 domestic terror threat—why and what happened?
The Green Scare Intercept article
January 23, 2026 at 4:44 PM
zeitzoff.bsky.social
I’m excited to share that I’ll be doing a book talk and launch with @jjgreenjr.bsky.social for my new book:

*No Option But Sabotage*

at Politics and Prose (The Wharf) next Friday, 1/30.

politics-prose.com/thomas-zeitz...
Screenshot of Thomas Zeitzoff — No Option But Sabotage: The Radical Environmental Movement and the Climate Crisis -with JJ Green — at The Wharf. No Option But Sabotage Cover
January 23, 2026 at 4:44 PM
zeitzoff.bsky.social
I wrote this piece with @jkertzer.bsky.social nearly nine years ago on what to expect from Trump's foreign policy.

It still holds up.

If anything, the underlying pathologies have intensified, and the guardrails are gone.

politicalviolenceataglance.org/2017/02/13/b...
Picture of Trump, and title "Beyond Narcissism: What Political Psychology Tells Us About Foreign Policy Under Trump" First, at 70 years old, Trump is the oldest US president ever to take office. Research by Michael Horowitz, Rose McDermott, and Allan C. Stam suggests that older leaders, particularly in democracies, are at a heightened risk of initiating, and escalating, conflict. The exact mechanisms behind this relationship are subject to debate, but older leaders may have shorter term horizons, making them more likely to take risks in order to make their mark. Second, although Trump has stated that the military boarding school he attended gave him “more training militarily than a lot of the guys who go into the military,” he has no formal military experience. Recent scholarship by Michael Horowitz, Allan Stam, and Cali Ellis suggest that leaders at the highest risk of initiating conflicts are those that have served in the military, but never saw combat, since combat experience makes leaders “more knowledgeable about the risks and consequences” of the use of force. Third, one of Trump’s most frequently brandished credentials on the campaign trail was his experience as a business leader. Ongoing research by Matthew Fuhrmann finds that leaders with business backgrounds are more likely to free-ride in alliances. Fourth, although there have been debates about the relationship between gender and conflict propensity, there is little systematic evidence to suggest that male leaders are more conflict-prone than female leaders, such that Trump’s gender offers little indication of his potential foreign policy behavior. Much of a President-elect’s appeal lies in brash style, and self-professed skill and acumen as a negotiator able to “get things done.” Political psychologists have studied the individual-level determinants of negotiation success, and the findings have important implications for Trump’s negotiating prowess. In a forthcoming article by Brian Rathbun, Joshua Kertzer, and Mark Paradis in International Organization, bargaining skill is argued to be a product of two negotiator-level characteristics. The first is high epistemic motivation: the extent to which individuals are motivated to carefully consider and think through different options. The second is a proself social value orientation: the extent to which individuals focus on gains for themselves rather than on shared gains with the other side. If prosocials are preoccupied with fairness, proselfs focus instead on relative and absolute gains. Individuals who are high-cognition proselfs are good negotiators resembling the ideal-typical notion of “homo economicus”. When in a position of strength, they exploit their bargaining leverage, but in a position of weakness, they understand the importance of making concessions in order to secure a deal. Low-cognition proselfs, however, are bad negotiators, overplaying weak hands, and more likely to experience bargaining failures and scuttle mutually beneficial deals that were otherwise achievable. Where does Trump fit into this framework? In campaign speeches, Trump promised to put America first in terms of foreign policy, and strongly suggests he sees the world of international relations as zero-sum — if other countries are doing well, America must be losing. This zero-sum worldview, with its focus on relative gains, suggests a proself value orientation. Furthermore, anecdotes from past business associates, biographers, and campaign staffers suggest that Trump makes quick decisions, shies away from deep deliberation, and tends to lump unrelated issues together. His low levels of intellectual curiosity – and preference for following his gut and making spur of the moment decisions – suggests someone low in epistemic motivation. Indeed, this paucity of epistemic motivation is a hallmark of Trump’s style, as well as a potential source of his appeal: in one analysis of polling data from the 2016 American National Election Survey, for example, even controlling for partisanship, political ideology, age, education, and gender, a major predictor of support for Trump was respondents’ own low levels of epistemic motivation. If Trump is indeed a low-cognition proself, he is likely to be less skilled of a negotiator than one might expect from the author of The Art of the Deal.
January 20, 2026 at 9:51 PM
zeitzoff.bsky.social
This 2021 piece by Rumer and @andrewsweiss.bsky.social on "Ukraine: Putin’s Unfinished Business" is so eerily prescient.

You can literally substitute Trump for Putin and Greenland for Ukraine and the logic is largely the same.

carnegieendowment.org/research/202...
Carnegie article: Ukraine: Putin’s Unfinished Business Putin has stepped up his rhetoric about Ukraine throughout 2021. With new moves on the Russian-Ukrainian border, the saber-rattling has to be taken seriously. Putin has also stepped up his rhetoric about Ukraine in multiple public appearances during 2021. He has hinted broadly that his patience with Kyiv is running out. A careful review of the Russian leader’s record with respect to Ukraine suggests that almost all of the requisite components and justifications for military intervention are either in—or moving into—place. Both the near- and long-term indicators suggest that Kyiv and Washington have good reasons to worry. Thinking About the Unthinkable It would be a risky proposition to assume that Putin has made his peace with the status quo or that he is unwilling to push the envelope once again over Ukraine. The spring 2021 war scare and the 2018 Kerch Strait incident both exposed the limits of Western support for Ukraine and served as vivid illustrations of the fact that neither NATO as a whole, nor the United States or any other individual member of the alliance, is prepared to risk war with Russia over Ukraine.
January 15, 2026 at 2:47 AM
zeitzoff.bsky.social
First, Trump’s arrival on the political scene coincided with a sharp ↑ in violent and dehumanizing rhetoric.
He was often the central driver.

A key feature of the MAGA movement has been its willingness to engage in nasty politics and use of political threats.

theconversation.com/idiots-crimi...
Graph showing the two red spikes in violent rhetoric in US politics from York Times stories— Civil War, and Trump election in 2016.
January 11, 2026 at 5:56 PM
zeitzoff.bsky.social
There’s a lot of talk today about violent rhetoric—who’s responsible, and what leads to political violence.

As someone who wrote a book on violent rhetoric, here’s what we actually know:
Politico article about Tom Homan, blaming protesters and Minneapolis local leaders for violent rhetoric. Cover of my book: Nasty Politics
January 11, 2026 at 5:56 PM