there's like a whole statebuilding literature. A whole literature on statebuilding *in africa* even. lyman knows what he should do to have an informed take about this stuff, but, y'know, that means he couldn't be a racist shitheel, so he doesn't do the reading
"lyman you can't just say shit without knowing anything, please... stop..."
"well they all live around those big lakes, innit?"
"well they all live around those big lakes, innit?"
mine is when he said rwanda, burundi, and the kivus should unite into one country
January 2, 2026 at 5:29 AM
there's like a whole statebuilding literature. A whole literature on statebuilding *in africa* even. lyman knows what he should do to have an informed take about this stuff, but, y'know, that means he couldn't be a racist shitheel, so he doesn't do the reading
This is actually not really within the Eastern European parameters of normal statebuilding
April 7, 2026 at 9:22 AM
This is actually not really within the Eastern European parameters of normal statebuilding
there's a massive neglect of the role the sea plays in popular conceptions of statebuilding and empire pre 19th century. as hobsbawm points out sea travel (and river travel) was often faster than land travel outside of flat land / plains / agricultural land up until railways came by
October 27, 2025 at 11:27 PM
there's a massive neglect of the role the sea plays in popular conceptions of statebuilding and empire pre 19th century. as hobsbawm points out sea travel (and river travel) was often faster than land travel outside of flat land / plains / agricultural land up until railways came by
Könnten wir bitte aufhören, Zionismus und Judentum gleichzusetzen? Ein Statebuilding-Projekt, das aktuell in ein Apartheidregime geführt hat, hat nichts mit der Glaubensgruppe zu tun.
Warum bekommen wir es geschäftlich nicht hin, das zu trennen?
Warum bekommen wir es geschäftlich nicht hin, das zu trennen?
March 16, 2026 at 8:36 AM
Könnten wir bitte aufhören, Zionismus und Judentum gleichzusetzen? Ein Statebuilding-Projekt, das aktuell in ein Apartheidregime geführt hat, hat nichts mit der Glaubensgruppe zu tun.
Warum bekommen wir es geschäftlich nicht hin, das zu trennen?
Warum bekommen wir es geschäftlich nicht hin, das zu trennen?
This is genuinely an amazing achievement for many many many reasons but no 1 is quite plainly that the more people are seated around the Interim Government's table, and the more diverse they are, the more consensus-based and therefore democratic the outcome of statebuilding is likely to be.
Reuters: SDF signs agreement w/ Damascus.
"...all civilian and military institutions in northeast Syria will be integrated within the state, which will thus take over control of borders, airports and oil and gas fields."
www.reuters.com/world/middle...
"...all civilian and military institutions in northeast Syria will be integrated within the state, which will thus take over control of borders, airports and oil and gas fields."
www.reuters.com/world/middle...
March 10, 2025 at 7:59 PM
This is genuinely an amazing achievement for many many many reasons but no 1 is quite plainly that the more people are seated around the Interim Government's table, and the more diverse they are, the more consensus-based and therefore democratic the outcome of statebuilding is likely to be.
📚🚨 My book, "Governing After War: Rebel Victories and Post-war Statebuilding", will be out on Feb 22 and avail for pre-order! bit.ly/govafterwar
❓: how does rebel governance & social control shape rebel victors' post-war strategies for consolidating power?
❓: how does rebel governance & social control shape rebel victors' post-war strategies for consolidating power?
January 22, 2024 at 7:16 PM
📚🚨 My book, "Governing After War: Rebel Victories and Post-war Statebuilding", will be out on Feb 22 and avail for pre-order! bit.ly/govafterwar
❓: how does rebel governance & social control shape rebel victors' post-war strategies for consolidating power?
❓: how does rebel governance & social control shape rebel victors' post-war strategies for consolidating power?
So happy to finally have "Weapons of the Weak State: How post-conflict states shape international statebuilding" with
@susannacampbell.bsky.social in print (open access): link.springer.com/article/10.1...
@susannacampbell.bsky.social in print (open access): link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Weapons of the weak state: How post-conflict states shape international statebuilding - The Review of International Organizations
International Organizations (IOs), such as the United Nations (U.N.), engage in statebuilding in a range of post-conflict states. Statebuilding scholarship largely assumes that IOs, backed by their po...
link.springer.com
September 11, 2024 at 9:30 PM
So happy to finally have "Weapons of the Weak State: How post-conflict states shape international statebuilding" with
@susannacampbell.bsky.social in print (open access): link.springer.com/article/10.1...
@susannacampbell.bsky.social in print (open access): link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Romania is Europe's Romania, Moldava is Romania's Romania and Transnistria is a satirical commentary on Post-Soviet statebuilding.
April 5, 2026 at 11:09 PM
Romania is Europe's Romania, Moldava is Romania's Romania and Transnistria is a satirical commentary on Post-Soviet statebuilding.
Now out in World Development, Giorleny Altamirano Rayo, @emosinger.bsky.social and I analyze how statebuilding incentives explain when Indigenous autonomy over governance, resource control, & territory expand, are maintained, or erode, comparing Honduras, Panama, & Nicaragua. Polisky latinsky
Statebuilding and indigenous rights implementation: Political incentives, social movement pressure, ...
What explains when states strengthen, maintain, or erode political-territorial Indigenous autonomy regimes? Indigenous activists around the world have…
www.sciencedirect.com
December 23, 2023 at 4:51 PM
Now out in World Development, Giorleny Altamirano Rayo, @emosinger.bsky.social and I analyze how statebuilding incentives explain when Indigenous autonomy over governance, resource control, & territory expand, are maintained, or erode, comparing Honduras, Panama, & Nicaragua. Polisky latinsky
Basically what I'm saying is it's interesting to think of Japan as an invention of the same era of early feudal statebuilding as the caliphates, the post-Carolingian kingdoms, or Bulgaria
January 13, 2026 at 3:17 AM
Basically what I'm saying is it's interesting to think of Japan as an invention of the same era of early feudal statebuilding as the caliphates, the post-Carolingian kingdoms, or Bulgaria
Great to have When Rebels Win now in physical form! It’s available from Cornell University Press (use code 09BCARD for 30% off) or other major booksellers www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...
December 8, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Great to have When Rebels Win now in physical form! It’s available from Cornell University Press (use code 09BCARD for 30% off) or other major booksellers www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...
I’ve taught State Failure & Statebuilding @warstudieskcl.bsky.social at King’s for the past 13 years.
There are MANY reasons why it’s a bad idea for the US to ‘run’ Venezuela.
An economy in crisis. Disintegrating infrastructure. Nonstate armed groups deeply embedded into the state.
/1
There are MANY reasons why it’s a bad idea for the US to ‘run’ Venezuela.
An economy in crisis. Disintegrating infrastructure. Nonstate armed groups deeply embedded into the state.
/1
January 3, 2026 at 8:55 PM
I’ve taught State Failure & Statebuilding @warstudieskcl.bsky.social at King’s for the past 13 years.
There are MANY reasons why it’s a bad idea for the US to ‘run’ Venezuela.
An economy in crisis. Disintegrating infrastructure. Nonstate armed groups deeply embedded into the state.
/1
There are MANY reasons why it’s a bad idea for the US to ‘run’ Venezuela.
An economy in crisis. Disintegrating infrastructure. Nonstate armed groups deeply embedded into the state.
/1
Happy to share I've signed a contract with Cornell University Press for my book When Rebels Win: Ideology, Statebuilding, and Power after Rebel Victory in Civil War. It should be out in 2025 alongside great new related books by Philip Martin, @thedapperchef.bsky.social, & others!
May 29, 2024 at 4:06 PM
Happy to share I've signed a contract with Cornell University Press for my book When Rebels Win: Ideology, Statebuilding, and Power after Rebel Victory in Civil War. It should be out in 2025 alongside great new related books by Philip Martin, @thedapperchef.bsky.social, & others!
IANAH, but it's starting to feel like the last century of politics was a generation or two roleplaying Serious Statesmen because after WW2 large-scale statebuilding was simply what had to be done, and we're reverting back to this kind of monkey brain stuff
September 2, 2025 at 8:09 PM
IANAH, but it's starting to feel like the last century of politics was a generation or two roleplaying Serious Statesmen because after WW2 large-scale statebuilding was simply what had to be done, and we're reverting back to this kind of monkey brain stuff
"The war might've been longer and millions more of the Soviet subhuma- sorry, heroic martyrs would die but at least France would've been a Stalinist puppet like DDR, Romania, Poland or Hungary, famous models of Soviet statebuilding. A sacrifice I would've been willing to accept."
June 6, 2026 at 6:13 PM
"The war might've been longer and millions more of the Soviet subhuma- sorry, heroic martyrs would die but at least France would've been a Stalinist puppet like DDR, Romania, Poland or Hungary, famous models of Soviet statebuilding. A sacrifice I would've been willing to accept."
I gave a talk using a poem and sketches :) on "subjective peace- and statebuilding in Africa".
Have a look & share:
youtu.be/hMlbUC5vZSA?...
#SciComm #Afripolsky #Security
@abi-freiburg.bsky.social @ascleiden.bsky.social @leidenglobal.bsky.social
Have a look & share:
youtu.be/hMlbUC5vZSA?...
#SciComm #Afripolsky #Security
@abi-freiburg.bsky.social @ascleiden.bsky.social @leidenglobal.bsky.social
Subjective dimensions of peace- and statebuilding across Africa
YouTube video by African Studies Centre Leiden
youtu.be
May 7, 2025 at 10:06 AM
I gave a talk using a poem and sketches :) on "subjective peace- and statebuilding in Africa".
Have a look & share:
youtu.be/hMlbUC5vZSA?...
#SciComm #Afripolsky #Security
@abi-freiburg.bsky.social @ascleiden.bsky.social @leidenglobal.bsky.social
Have a look & share:
youtu.be/hMlbUC5vZSA?...
#SciComm #Afripolsky #Security
@abi-freiburg.bsky.social @ascleiden.bsky.social @leidenglobal.bsky.social
"my task is to keep the left pro-israel" ok first of all ethnic nationalism as a principle of statebuilding is intrinsically destructive and hegemonic religion is incompatible with liberal democracy, write that down.
March 24, 2025 at 1:28 AM
"my task is to keep the left pro-israel" ok first of all ethnic nationalism as a principle of statebuilding is intrinsically destructive and hegemonic religion is incompatible with liberal democracy, write that down.
In the Star Trek universe, there must be a polisky thesis called: "Warp made the state, and the state made warp" about the impact of FTL travel on intergalactic statebuilding.
September 23, 2023 at 3:00 PM
In the Star Trek universe, there must be a polisky thesis called: "Warp made the state, and the state made warp" about the impact of FTL travel on intergalactic statebuilding.
By the wise logic of Habsburg era Croat nationalists, only Bosnians are a statebuilding nation.
April 1, 2025 at 1:08 PM
By the wise logic of Habsburg era Croat nationalists, only Bosnians are a statebuilding nation.
When Rebels Win
Ideology, Statebuilding, and Power After Civil Wars
www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...
Ideology, Statebuilding, and Power After Civil Wars
www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...
April 13, 2026 at 6:07 AM
When Rebels Win
Ideology, Statebuilding, and Power After Civil Wars
www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...
Ideology, Statebuilding, and Power After Civil Wars
www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...
Very much worth reading by @wlacher.bsky.social & @yguichaoua.bsky.social -- especially for those who have been involved in the peace/statebuilding & "stabilization" industry over the past decades.
dissentmagazine.org/article/the-...
dissentmagazine.org/article/the-...
January 17, 2026 at 10:17 AM
Very much worth reading by @wlacher.bsky.social & @yguichaoua.bsky.social -- especially for those who have been involved in the peace/statebuilding & "stabilization" industry over the past decades.
dissentmagazine.org/article/the-...
dissentmagazine.org/article/the-...