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Biff Parker-Magyar

@biffpm.bsky.social
1.8K followers 552 following 125 posts

Assistant Prof. in Political Science @Yale. Formerly @MITPoliSci @HarvardWCFIA. Contentious politics in Jordan & Syria. peripatetic product of the garden state. biffpm.github.io

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Biff Parker-Magyar @biffpm.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Excited to see this! Comparing Egypt’s Muslim Brothers and Iraq’s Communist Party, Nasir Al Masri brings a focus on colonialism, time, and factional dynamics to look at why some groups choose radicalism or moderation
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Biff Parker-Magyar @biffpm.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Pleased that my paper “Paper Pusher or President’s Guard: Contentious Action in Syria’s Revolution” has been conditionally accepted at the Journal of Peace Research. The latest version is online here: osf.io/preprints/os...
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Svend-Erik Skaaning @skaaning.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Three 2-year full-time postdoctoral positions in autocratic politics at the Department of Political Science at Aarhus University (in connection to projects headed by Jakob Tolstrup and Alexander Baturo). Flexible start date. Application deadline: June 1, 2026. international.au.dk/about/profil...
international.au.dk
Three 2-year Postdoctoral positions at Aarhus University: Projects on personality cults and strategic communication in autocracies - Vacancy at Aarhus University
Vacancy at Department of Political Science, Aarhus University
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Biff Parker-Magyar @biffpm.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Again, these are two sides of the same coin. These experts would have strenuously opposed bumbling into a global conflict with no endgame. This administration did not want to listen to them in the first place; they wouldn’t be calling on them now.
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Biff Parker-Magyar @biffpm.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
#APSALabor's annual virtual workshop is next Friday, and this year's organizers have done an incredible job. Please circulate and DM for the Zoom link if you'd like to join! We're on from 7 am to 5:40 pm EDT, with a great set of presenters from across oceans and timezones.
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Marsin Alshamary @marsin.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
My article for @brookings.edu with @hamzehhadad.bsky.social on the value of Iraqi stability for the region, and the cost of allowing it to descend into the regional war: www.brookings.edu/articles/ira...
brookings.edu
Iraq must not be a staging ground for war with Iran | Brookings
Iraq has long balanced between Washington and Tehran, but the coming weeks will test Iraq’s resolve and capability like never before.
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Biff Parker-Magyar @biffpm.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
The Washington Post laying off their Middle East team weeks ago is of course a feature, not a bug, of this moment: Broad devaluation of fact based analysis and even the pretense of scrutiny of U.S. policies beyond the superficial press releases of our ossified alliances
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The Wall Street Journal @wsj.com · 09/02/2026
An immigration court dropped its case against Turkish graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk, a little less than a year after federal agents arrested her on a street near Tufts University
on.wsj.com
Immigration Court Drops Case Against Tufts Student Rumeysa Ozturk
The Turkish national had been arrested by plainclothes federal officers outside her apartment.
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Abu Aardvark @abuaardvark.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
October 2025 Arab Barometer Palestinian opinion survey finds “widespread frustration with existing leadership. Fatah’s support has eroded sharply, Hamas has largely maintained its base, and political alienation has become the dominant stance.” www.arabbarometer.org/media-news/p...
arabbarometer.org
Press Release: Two Years of War on Gaza Reshape Palestinian Priorities, Politics, and Social Norms – Arab Barometer
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Lisel Hintz @liselhintz.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
February 1 deadline for @apsamena.bsky.social award nominations. Advisers/committee members/mentors, please nominate students with strong dissertations. Self-nominations welcome in all other categories. apsamena.org/awards/apsa-...
apsamena.org
APSA-MENA Section Awards, 2025-26 - APSA MENA POLITICS
The Middle East and North Africa Politics Section of the American Political Science Association (APSA) seeks nominations for several awards recognizing exceptional contributions to the field that inte...
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taylr @taylordahlin.com · 27/01/2026
brass solidarity band performing “stand by me” in the streets of whittier next to alex pretti’s memorial. the crowd started chanting “the people united will never be defeated” so they incorporated it into the song. i love minneapolis
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Rana B. Khoury @rbkhoury.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Kind of surreal to be discussing my new book on my favorite podcast for learning about new books. Marc as always knows so much about the topic; it's a real privilege (if intimidating) to be in conversation with him.
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Jared Malsin @jmalsin.bsky.social · 29/12/2025
Our just-published investigation into Assad's surveillance state which revealed how the former regime urged friends, spouses, and neighbors to inform on each other, leaving a legacy of broken trust that will take years to unravel. www.wsj.com/world/middle...
wsj.com
Families, Neighbors Informed on Each Other in Assad’s Syria, With Deadly Consequences
Intelligence files found in a Damascus prison complex reveal cases that led to brutal detentions; a wife records a husband.
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Brian Highsmith @bhighsmith.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
🚨We analyzed 138 million geocoded property tax records to quantify how municipal boundaries spatially overlap onto economic segregation in every US metro area—creating disparities in localities’ ability to fund public goods. And we made an interactive map of our results! [1/16]
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APSA @apsa.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
Call for Applications: Early-career scholars in the Arab #MENA region are invited to attend the 2026 Institute for Qualitative and Multi-Method Research (IQMR), held at @maxwellsu.bsky.social. Deadline: Dec 14th. Apply now!
buff.ly
Call for Applications: 2026 Institute for Qualitative and Multi-Method Research (IQMR) | Deadline: December 14, 2025 -
Call for Applications: Apply Now for the 2026 Institute for Qualitative and Multi-Method Research (IQMR) Deadline: December 14, 2025 Maxwell School, Syracuse University, NY, USA June 14–26, 2026 The…
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Biff Parker-Magyar @biffpm.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
earlier this year I learned that Benjamin Netanyahu was enrolled in MIT's Political Science PhD news.mit.edu/1996/netanya... bsky.app/profile/dand...
news.mit.edu
Professor recalls Netanyahu's intense studies in three fields
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Biff Parker-Magyar @biffpm.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
third recent text from friends in ~Jordan asking if Zohran Mamdani is *really* about to win 1. as a political scientist we absolutely love to discuss early voting 2. first time in a while my voice messages back haven't needed to explain some distressing feature of U.S. politics 3. fingers crossed
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POMEPS @pomeps.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
TWO MORE DAYS to apply for the POMEPS Travel – Research – Engagement (TRE) grants for 2026. Awards of up to $3,000 will be offered to support research travel to the broader Middle East. Deadline to apply: Oct. 15th. More info: pomeps.org/call-for-pro...
pomeps.org
Call for Proposals: 2026 Travel Research Engagement Grants - Project on Middle East Political Science
The Project on Middle East Political Science announces a call for proposals for POMEPS Travel – Research – Engagement (TRE) grants for 2026. Awards of up to $3,000 will be offered to support research ...
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Weatherhead Center for International Affairs @weatherheadcenter.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
New article from @biffpm.bsky.social on a little-noticed court decision to outlaw Jordan’s teacher’s union. Her analysis? The muted response underscores how Jordan’s political landscape has shifted as attention/activism center on Gaza. loom.ly/D97MUsU
Graph shows the number of monthly protests in Jordan from 2016 to 2024, with a steep rise in protests in 2024 focused on Palestine.
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POMEPS @pomeps.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
POMEPS is pleased to call for proposals for the POMEPS Junior Scholar Book Development Workshops to be held in a virtual format throughout the academic year 2025-2026. The deadline to apply is Sept. 15. More info: pomeps.org/pomeps-junio...
pomeps.org
Call for Proposals: POMEPS Junior Scholar Book Development Workshops 2025-2026 - Project on Middle East Political Science
The Project on Middle East Political Science is pleased to call for proposals for the POMEPS Junior Scholar Book Development Workshops to be held in a virtual format throughout the academic year 2025-...
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Rafe Meager (they/them) @economeager.bsky.social · 08/08/2025
Oh so it does have phd level intelligence
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Biff Parker-Magyar @biffpm.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
I wrote a piece for @jodemocracy.bsky.social on a little-noticed court decision last week to effectively permanently outlaw Jordan’s teacher’s union www.journalofdemocracy.org/online-exclu...
journalofdemocracy.org
The Quiet Demise of Jordan’s Political Space | Journal of Democracy
In the shadow of Gaza’s destruction, the Jordanian regime has quietly repressed one of the main sources of the country’s political activism.
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Steven Heydemann @stevenhyde.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
reuters.com
Syrian forces massacred 1,500 Alawites. The chain of command led to Damascus.
A Reuters investigation found 40 distinct sites of killings, looting and arson during three days of sectarian massacres following an Assad loyalist insurgency. The chain of command led from the attackers directly to men serving alongside Syria’s new leaders in Damascus. The killings now threaten Syria's fragile transition.
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Diana B. Greenwald @dbgreenwald.bsky.social · 22/06/2025
"'This was an amazing success tonight,' Trump told Reuters in a telephone interview. 'They should make peace immediately or they'll get hit again.'" That does not sound like a leader who wants this to be "one and done." www.reuters.com/world/middle...
reuters.com
Iran, Israel launch new attacks after Tehran rules out nuclear talks
Iran and Israel exchanged fresh attacks early on Saturday, a day after Tehran said it would not negotiate over its nuclear programme while under threat and Europe tried to keep peace talks alive.
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Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
NEW: Why are women overrepresented in STEM fields in the Arab world, despite broader gender inequality? Fida Adely, Jennifer Olmsted and Sana Odeh surveyed members of Arab Women in Computing to find out, and the results defy simplistic economic explanations. READ NOW
buff.ly
Unpacking the Gender 'Paradox’ Behind Arab Women in Tech - MERIP
ompared to women in the United States and most European countries, Arab women are highly represented in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and related computing fields. In fact, six of […]
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Biff Parker-Magyar @biffpm.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
10 million people "President Donald Trump on Monday urged everyone to immediately evacuate Tehran, and reiterated that Iran should have signed a nuclear deal with the United States." (as a quick reminder, it did.) www.reuters.com/world/middle...
reuters.com
Trump says everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran
President Donald Trump on Monday urged everyone to immediately evacuate Tehran, and reiterated that Iran should have signed a nuclear deal with the United States.
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Biff Parker-Magyar @biffpm.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
list experiment in the wild
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Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
Days before masked ICE agents detained Tufts student Rumeysa Ozturk to deport her, Dept determined that the admin had not produced any evidence showing she engaged in antisemitic activities or made public statements supporting a terrorist organization www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
washingtonpost.com
No evidence linking Tufts student to antisemitism or terrorism, State Dept. office found
An internal memo, prepared before Tufts student Rumeysa Ozturk was detained by ICE, raises doubts about the Trump administration’s claims that she supports Hamas.
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Authoritarian Political Systems Group @apsgworkshop.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
Join us next week! Polisky Dictatorsky On Tuesday April 8 at 11:00-12:00pm EST/5:00-6:00pm CET Ahmed Ezzeldin Mohamed (Toulouse) will present "Monopolizing Clientelism During Regime Transition" followed by comments by @shalaby12.bsky.social (Wisconsin-Madison) and @biffpm.bsky.social (@harvard.edu)
The image repeats the information in the post
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Jonathan Ladd @jonathanmladd.com · 27/03/2025
"Creating a ruckus" is his euphemism for wrote an op-ed in a newspaper. The Constitution protects all people under U.S. jurisdiction (not just citizens) from government actions penalizing them for speech, use of the free press, or peaceful assembly.
1st Amendment
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Biff Parker-Magyar @biffpm.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
It's a rare bit of good news to (belatedly) see this order re: the Columbia student been in hiding. Hopefully it's followed Honest q is when will we see lawsuits on the legal rationale for Rubio unilaterally revoking visas? Would that go to the Supreme Court? www.nytimes.com/2025/03/24/n...
nytimes.com
Columbia Student Hunted by ICE Sues to Prevent Deportation
Yunseo Chung, a legal permanent resident who has lived in the U.S. since she was 7, participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Immigration agents visited residences looking for her.
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Omar Wasow @owasow.bsky.social · 02/02/2025
Many “savvy” folks argue protests can’t work. Evidence suggests otherwise. “Muslim ban set off a fury of protests across US, garnering tremendous media attention and discussion… Portraying ‘Ban’ at odds with inclusive elements of American identity prompted some citizens to shift their attitudes…”
link.springer.com
A Change of Heart? Why Individual-Level Public Opinion Shifted Against Trump’s “Muslim Ban” - Political Behavior
Public opinion research suggests that rapid and significant individual-level fluctuations in opinions toward various policies is fairly unexpected absent methodological artifacts. While this may gener...
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Biff Parker-Magyar @biffpm.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
www.wsj.com/world/middle...
wsj.com
Oscar-Winning Palestinian Film Director Attacked by Israeli Settlers, Detained
Hamdan Ballal, co-director of “No Other Land,” was blindfolded and taken into custody by Israeli forces, according to his lawyer, footage from the scene and witnesses.
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Biff Parker-Magyar @biffpm.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
Our article “Social Media Narratives Across Conflict: Evidence from Syria” is now ahead of print at the Journal of Politics!
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Biff Parker-Magyar @biffpm.bsky.social · 16/03/2025
"In a second order filed Sunday morning, the judge said there was reason to believe U.S. Customs and Border Protection had willfully disobeyed his previous order to give the court notice before expelling the doctor." www.nytimes.com/2025/03/16/u...
nytimes.com
Brown University Professor and Doctor Is Deported to Lebanon Despite a Judge’s Order
Dr. Rasha Alawieh, a kidney transplant specialist and Brown University professor who had a valid visa, was expelled in apparent defiance of a court order.
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Clara Jeffery @clarajeffery.bsky.social · 15/03/2025
1/ So this Fulbright scholar wasn’t a protest organizer or even participant, got kettled coming back to campus and released, had liked some posts about human rights and signed an open letter, and DHS came to her door three times to arrest and deport her www.nytimes.com/2025/03/15/n...
nytimes.com
How a Columbia Student Fled to Canada After ICE Came Looking for Her
Ranjani Srinivasan’s student visa was revoked by U.S. immigration authorities. That was just the start of her odyssey.
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Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
The detention of Mahmoud Khalil puts all Americans fundamental rights at risk. And if you can’t see that because you oppose his politics, well that’s exactly the reaction Trump and his cronies are counting on. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
theatlantic.com
Mahmoud Khalil’s Detention Is a Trial Run
The pro-Palestine student was arrested without due process for exercising his right to free speech. He will not be the last.
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Biff Parker-Magyar @biffpm.bsky.social · 10/03/2025
"the moderator, began the off-the-record event by explaining Harvard’s guidelines on disruption, noting that dissenting audience members who interrupt the speaker would be removed. Bennett then interrupted to add: `I think we’ll just give them a pager.'" www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
thecrimson.com
At Harvard Talk, Former Israeli PM Joked He Would Give Exploding Pagers to Protesters | News | The Harvard Crimson
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett joked to hundreds of people about sending detonators to dissenting event attendees at a talk at the Harvard Business School on Thursday, according to six ...
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ACLU @aclu.org · 09/03/2025
Ripping a student from their home, challenging their immigration status, and detaining them solely based on political viewpoint will chill student speech and advocacy across campuses nationwide. Political speech should never be a basis of punishment or lead to deportation.
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Biff Parker-Magyar @biffpm.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
"Bringing hell to Boston is like bringing sand to the beach" www.bostonglobe.com/2025/03/04/m...
bostonglobe.com
Trump’s border czar warned he was ‘bringing hell’ to Boston. On social media, people are pushing back. - The Boston Globe
“Bringing hell to Boston is like bringing sand to the beach,” one person said of Tom Homan’s remarks.
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Biff Parker-Magyar @biffpm.bsky.social · 03/03/2025
However if you’re in Boston you *can* see this film at the Coolidge Corner theater in Brookline, where it’s sold out multiple times in recent weeks
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Daniel Tavana @danieltavana.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
Excited to share my new article in the American Journal of Political Science (@ajpseditor.bsky.social)! "Endogenous Opposition: Identity and Ideology in Kuwaiti Electoral Politics" explores how authoritarian elections generate opposition to incumbent autocrats. Link: www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ukrer...
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Biff Parker-Magyar @biffpm.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
fascinating paper -- bsky.app/profile/chag...
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Biff Parker-Magyar @biffpm.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
I've received amazing, queer affirming care for years at Boston's Fenway Health. Every time I'm there, I think of how many orgs. like Fenway grew out of the catastrophic denial of healthcare to gay men in the AIDS epidemic. We will look back at this latest moral panic in similar shame
washingtonpost.com
Federal judge blocks Trump order on health care for transgender youth
A federal judge in Baltimore blocked executive orders signed by President Trump that targeted transgender people and their health care, giving temporary relief to LGBTQ individuals and their families ...
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Biff Parker-Magyar @biffpm.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
proposals to "clean" Gaza of Palestinians are so beyond any normative conception that it's difficult to respond to them with anything other than moral outrage but Trump does appear entirely serious about cutting Jordan + Egypt aid if they don't agree www.nytimes.com/2025/02/10/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Says He Could Cut Aid to Jordan and Egypt Over Gaza Development Plan
The president turned up the pressure on the two nations to agree to his plan for them to house the Palestinian population of Gaza and said the Palestinians would not have the right to return to the te...
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Laura Royden @lauraroyden.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
It's hard to respond to this because two things are true at the same time: 1. I believe one (1) trans woman has competed in the Olympics as a woman. Absurd to spend this much time fussing about one person. 2. Even if there were thousands of trans women competing, this would still be shameful!
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