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Kieran Williams

@kieranwilliams67.bsky.social
298 followers 298 following 25 posts

Comparative political scientist. Author of books on the 1968 "Prague Spring", intelligence services, electoral systems, Václav Havel. scholar.google.com/citations?user=m… kdwilliams7.medium.com

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Reposted by Kieran Williams
Marius Sältzer @msaeltzer.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Our colleague and friend Philipp Köker has left us and i can't begin to order my thoughts. I hope I can express to his family the feeling of loss we can't beginn to understand, but attempt to share. rundblick-niedersachsen.de/politikwisse...
rundblick-niedersachsen.de
Politikwissenschaftler stirbt überraschend mit 40 Jahren
Philipp Köker, habilitierter Politikwissenschaftler und Experte für die Erforschung politischer Institutionen, ist im Alter von 40 Jahren überraschend gestorben. Die Nachricht hat in Kreisen der Unive...
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České novinky 🇨🇿 @news-flows-cz.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Petr Pavel a Keanu Reeves podruhé. Tentokrát se setkali v New Yorku Český prezident Petr Pavel se v rámci své americké cesty setkal také s hercem, hudebníkem a filantropem Keanu Reevesem. Viděli se přitom poměrně nedávno, koncem června, na neformální schůzce na Pražském hradě. Nyní je svedlo...
novinky.cz
Petr Pavel a Keanu Reeves se setkali v New Yorku
Český prezident Petr Pavel se v rámci své americké cesty setkal také s hercem, hudebníkem a filantropem Keanu Reevesem. Viděli se přitom poměrně nedávno, koncem června, na neformální schůzce na Pražsk...
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Reposted by Kieran Williams
The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 17/09/2026
The situation in Russian-occupied Oleshky was dire. Now it's 'hell'
kyivindependent.com
The situation in Russian-occupied Oleshky was dire. Now it's 'hell'
Residents in Russian-occupied Oleshky in Kherson Oblast face an escalating humanitarian crisis, as constant Russian drone attacks and artillery shelling have made it impossible to deliver essential fo...
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Kieran Williams @kieranwilliams67.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Rally gone very wrong ✔️ Pharaonic building projects ✔️ Snipers ✔️
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Kieran Williams @kieranwilliams67.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I don't know whether to take industry awards seriously, but it does seem to confirm that a) many of the best airlines are run by authoritarian regimes and b) most Americans don't realize how mediocre their airlines are.
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Reposted by Kieran Williams
Matthew Shugart @laderafrutal.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
How common is access to data on who has voted throughout an election day? The recent ruling against such access in Israel prompts this question. fruitsandvotes.wordpress.com/2026/09/17/a...
fruitsandvotes.wordpress.com
Availability of voter data on election day
The High Court of Israel today ruled that parties could not use real-time voter data on election day. I wonder how common bans on this practice are in other democracies. Here in California, it is p…
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Kieran Williams @kieranwilliams67.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
My article on immunity of heads of state and heads of government in Europe has been published in the Drake Law Review and is available on open access as part of a fantastic symposium with @stevevladeck.bsky.social , Penelope Andrews and Carlos Bernal: drakelawreview.org/vol-73-no-2-...
drakelawreview.org
Vol 73 No. 2, 2026
Volume 73, No. 2, 2026 ARTICLES DEMOCRATIC REINFORCEMENT OR OVERREACH? JUDICIAL INTERVENTION TO HOLD SOUTH AFRICA’S PRESIDENT ACCOUNTABLEPenelope Andrews PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY AND LEGAL LIABILITY O…
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Jake Charles @jacobdcharles.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Gift link to my @slate.com piece criticizing the assault weapon challengers' invocations of democracy. One response to the argument I make is that the Constn is the expression of We The People & so arguing to strike these laws isn't anti-democratic. Two points in reply 🧵 slate.com/news-and-pol...
slate.com
We Found the Most Galling Argument of the Upcoming Supreme Court Term (Gift Article)
This fall, the Supreme Court will entertain a Second Amendment challenge to the prohibition of assault weapons in Viramontes v. Cook County.
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Jake Charles @jacobdcharles.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Since the govt decided to charge a firearms crime, wonder if we will get the chance to see the historical tradition that supports this law against Second Amendment challenge, a law which SCOTUS precedent suggests must be presumed to be unconstitutional?
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Kieran Williams @kieranwilliams67.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I had a similar score but different language range. taketest.xyz/multilang-vo...
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Kieran Williams @kieranwilliams67.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Six hours really tests my determination to see Part II.
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Joost @almodozo.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
The AfD's election victory relied overwhelmingly on voters who didn't vote at all last time around. Even if you add up all the voters the AfD gained from other parties, left and right, the sum is still far below the number of votes it gained from the 2021 non-voting camp.
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The Trace @thetrace.org · 03/09/2026
Police shoot pets far more often than you think.
thetrace.org
Newsletter: The Police Killing of HeeHaw the Donkey Illustrates a Larger Problem
Police shoot pets far more often than you think.
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Tarik Abou-Chadi @tabouchadi.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Wir werden am Sonntag nichts neues lernen über die AfD. Die Aufmerksamkeit wird aber riesig sein. Ein großer Moment, in dem die immer wieder gleichen Narrative hervorgeholt werden. Wir werden sicher wieder hören die SPD hätte ihre Wähler an die AfD verloren. Das ist falsch. bsky.app/profile/tabo...
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Rob Cameron @robcjournalist.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Russia tried this before. In 1968, Soviet forces seized an airport, sent tanks towards the capital, and captured the country’s leaders. In 2022, Moscow tried the same ​t​hing in Ukraine. This time, it failed. Why? robjcameron.substack.com/p/the-prague...
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Kieran Williams @kieranwilliams67.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
It's that time of year when we recall the 1968 #PragueSpring. Rather than '68 itself I've collected some thoughts for the 60th anniversary of the techno-optimist "Richta report" (Civilizace na rozcestí) that anticipated a future of fully automated communism. medium.com/@kdwilliams7...
medium.com
The Prague Spring, techno-optimism, and fully automated communism
Czechoslovakia’s experience of reform communism in the 1960s included speculation about the role of technology in the future of humanity.
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Kieran Williams @kieranwilliams67.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
My photos from the failed coup in Moscow in August 1991 - 35 years ago (!). #WhiteHouse #USSR #SovietUnion #Moscow #augustCoup medium.com/@kdwilliams7...
medium.com
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Democratic Theory @democratictheory.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
"The New Prometheans: Rescripting the Dreamscapes of the Hi-Tech Bros" is one of Professor William Connolly's final papers. We are grateful to have had the privilege to read, review, collaboratively edit and ultimately publish his important work. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
cambridge.org
The New Prometheans: Rescripting the Dreamscapes of the Hi-Tech Bros | Democratic Theory | Cambridge Core
The New Prometheans: Rescripting the Dreamscapes of the Hi-Tech Bros
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Spooky Back From The Dead Lazarus @jlazarus.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Legislative term limits are a terrible institutional reform that no jurisdiction should ever enact. We have mountains of data published in dozens if not hundreds of studies about what term limits have done where they've been enacted and there's not a single desirable outcome reported in any of them.
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Pavol Hardoš @pavolhardos.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
🎉 *Conspiracy Theories in the European Digital Sphere* has just been published; it is the result of the international research project REDACT, in which I had the honor of participating as a researcher. (Thus whenever Slovakia is discussed in this book, I had a hand in it as an author.)
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Denník N @dennikn.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Francúzsky týždenník L’Express publikoval sériu článkov o európskych tajných službách, ktorá vychádza z rozhovorov s desiatkami odborníkov z tejto oblasti v 25 krajinách. Na základe toho zostavil rebríček najlepších a najefektívnejších tajných služieb v Európe. Na jeho konci skončila SIS.
dennikn.sk
Slovensko má najhoršiu tajnú službu v Európe, Pavol Gašpar je špión v šľapkách, píše francúzsky časopis
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Jack Dean @jackddean.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
The infighting in PiS has been an admittedly entertaining subplot of Polish politics for the last few weeks, but today's news has really blown the issue up into a major news story. After years of Kaczynski dominating the party through a selection of loyalist candidates, change is happening.
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Euan MacDonald @euanmacdonald.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
A Ukrainian drones dives into an already blazing Wildberries warehouse in St. Petersburg, fascist Russia, this morning. Smoke from another blaze can been seen in the distance. Another Wildberries was hit in Crimea earlier. Claims up to 450 drones launched at Russia overnight.
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Brian Taylor @bdtaylor-su.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Very interesting new commentary by Tatiana Stanovaya @ceip-politika.bsky.social: “It Has Begun: On a New Crossroads for the Putin Regime.” Key claim is that there has been a “tectonic shift” in Russia, “where the elite is beginning to realize that ‘the cat isn’t catching any mice’.” 1/5
carnegieendowment.org
Началось, или О новой развилке путинского режима
В России рождается два разнонаправленных тренда, рвущие режим на части. Первый — это путинская логика войны, где эскалация влечет за собой еще большую эскалацию, второй — запрос на перемены, на реалис...
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The Associated Press @apnews.com · 22/07/2026
OpenAI has disclosed an "unprecedented cyber incident" where its AI system allegedly hacked into another AI company.
bit.ly
OpenAI says its AI technology acted on its own in an 'unprecedented' hack of another company
OpenAI has disclosed an "unprecedented cyber incident" where its AI system allegedly hacked into another AI company.
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Stevan Bozanich @stevanbozanich.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
🧵
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Christopher Miller @christopherjm.ft.com · 21/07/2026
BREAKING: Volodymyr Zelenskyy has chosen Mykhailo Drapatyi to be commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces and dismissed controversial general and close ally Oleksandr Syrsky in the biggest shake-up of the country’s military leadership since 2024. @financialtimes.com
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The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 21/07/2026
⚡️Breaking: Zelensky dismisses Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi amid widespread protests. President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 21 dismissed the Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi.
kyivindependent.com
Breaking: Zelensky dismisses Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi amid widespread protests
President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 21 dismissed the Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi. The move comes amid ongoing mass protests in Kyiv and across Ukraine, in which d...
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Adam Bonica @adambonica.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Serbian President Vucic announced he’ll resign after 18 months of student protests. That’s Bangladesh, Nepal, Madagascar, Bulgaria, Hungary, and now Serbia, all in the past two years. Anti-corruption is the most potent force for positive political change right now. The US remains ripe.
reuters.com
Serbian President Vucic says he will resign within weeks
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Saturday he would resign ​within weeks and the country will hold early presidential and parliamentary elections, following 18 months of anti-government prote...
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Leonardo Carella @leonardocarella.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
🗳️ Electoral Reform Alert 🗳️ Yesterday, the Italian Lower House approved a new electoral reform, now headed to the Senate. This would be the fifth major reform of the electoral system in Italy since 1993, and it could bring an even more radical right-wing party into the next government coalition. (1)
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Jake Charles @jacobdcharles.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
It me. I include a nifty flow chart showing the eleventy billion (aka at least 12) questions and sub- & sub-sub questions that Bruen demands.
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Seán Hanley @drseanhanley.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Despite momentum, Count Binface has only narrow path to victory. But his surge raises a bigger question: when & why do parody candidates stop being a joke & start to matter for democracy? My latest Substack asks what we can learn from Iceland, Hungary & elsewhere open.substack.com/pub/speculat...
open.substack.com
Could Binface win?
The perennial novelty candidate is no joke.
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Steven Mazie @stevenmazie.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Agree on both counts. The Constitution wins by a hair.
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POLITICO Europe @politico.eu · 29/06/2026
Britain is announcing one of the biggest shake-ups of its armed forces in decades, and it’s using the experience of the war in Ukraine as a model. www.politico.eu/article/brit...
politico.eu
Britain unveils its new Ukraine-modeled armed forces
The U.K. is learning from Ukraine’s war against Russia to build its own armed forces to prepare for a similar conflict this decade.
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Rick Hasen @rickhasen.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
#ELB: My New One in Slate on How The Voter-Friendly States-Rights Ruling in Watson Portends a Much Bigger Loss for Voters Next Year in Arizona Case (Gift Link) electionlawblog.org/?p=156982
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Chris Orton @chriso1.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
RIP Penelope Keith.
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euobserver — EU news that matters @euobserver.com · 17/06/2026
The European Commission has denied that EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas will attend Dialog, the secretive society event hosted by German-American billionaire and Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel, after a leak revealed her name on the list of attendees.
euobserver.com
EU denies Kallas attendance at Peter Thiel’s secret ‘Dialog’ society following leaked guest list
The European Commission has denied that EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas will attend Dialog, the secretive society event hosted by German-American billionaire and Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel, after a leak revealed her name on the list of attendees.
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bne IntelliNews @intellinews.com · 15/06/2026
Decision moves the accession process for the two countries beyond the legislative screening stage and into substantive negotiations aimed at aligning their laws and institutions with EU standards. Bne IntelliNews #EU #Ukraine #Moldova #AccessionTalks #EUIntegration
dlvr.it
EU unanimously approves opening of first accession talks cluster with Ukraine and Moldova
Decision moves the accession process for the two countries beyond the legislative screening stage and into substantive negotiations aimed at aligning their laws and institutions with EU standards.
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iROZHLAS.cz @irozhlas.cz · 20/05/2026
Knihovna Václava Havla je v rozkladu. Zaměstnancům se nelíbí směr, kterým knihovnu vede Tomáš Sedláček. „S Václavem Havlem zachází jako se zpeněžitelným artiklem. To je pro mě nepřijatelné,“ vyčítá šéfovi v rozhovoru pro iROZHLAS spisovatel a dramaturg knihovny Jáchym Topol. 🔗 irozhl.as/BBE
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Europe Elects @europeelects.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
UK (Wales), Final election result: Welsh parliament seat projection PC-G/EFA: 43 (+30) REFORM~NI: 34 (+34) LAB-S&D: 9 (-21) CON~ECR: 7 (-9) GPEW-G/EFA: 2 (+2) LDEM-RE: 1 +/- vs. Last election result ➤ europeelects.eu/uk
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Europe Elects @europeelects.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
UK (Wales), Final election result: Welsh Parliament election PC (Greens/EFA): 35.3% (+14.6) REFORM (~NI): 29.3% (+28.2) LAB (S&D): 11.1% (-25.1) CON (~ECR): 10.7% (-14.4) GPEW (Greens/EFA): 6.6% (+2.2) LDEM (RE): 4.5% (+0.2) +/- vs. Last election result ➤ europeelects.eu/uk
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Rick Hasen @rickhasen.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
“Supreme court’s Voting Rights Act ruling cited misleading data from DoJ” electionlawblog.org?p=156002
electionlawblog.org
"Supreme court’s Voting Rights Act ruling cited misleading data from DoJ" #ELB
The Guardian: In his opinion gutting section 2 of the Voting Rights Act last week, Alito said that Black voter turnout had exceeded white voter turnout in two of the five most recent presidential elec...
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Anna Grzymala-Busse @annagbusse.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
Reuters says Tisza has at least 135 seats: 133 is the constitutional supermajority! Live by highly disproportional electoral systems (which Orbán made even more disproportional with the extra compensation votes awarded to winners), die by highly disproportional electoral systems.
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Juraj Medzihorsky @medzihorsky.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
Fidesz-KDNP currently at ~28% of seats with ~39% of the vote, having stepped on its own electoral-engineering rake. "A thing like that...," as Pete Campbell used say.
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Anna Grzymala-Busse @annagbusse.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
Ding dong, the mafia state is out! Magyar has his work cut out for him: much of the damage in Poland is still there, and that regime only lasted 5 years. But in the meantime, this is a fantastic result, and so overwhelming that Orbán conceded without the expected legal challenges, etc!
bbc.com
Hungary election: Viktor Orbán concedes with opposition on course for landslide election win - follow live
Hungary's prime minister has been ousted after 16 years in power, with Péter Magyar set to be the country's new leader.
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Deník N @denikn.cz · 07/04/2026
Vývoj bojů (1503. den): Ukrajina udeřila na další ruský přístav – Novorossijsk. Kromě ropného terminálu zasáhla také fregatu. Média odhadují, že jen za poslední týdny Rusko mohlo přijít až o miliardu dolarů z ropných příjmů.
denikn.cz
Vývoj bojů (1503. den): Další přístav, další terminál, další ztracené miliardy. Ukrajina znovu udeřila v Rusku, zasáhla i fregatu
Rusko přišlo až o miliardu dolarů z ropných příjmů. Ukrajinci zaútočili na přístav Novorossijsk, zasáhli dvě kotviště. Poškodili také fregatu třídy Grigorovič, již Rusko využívá k útokům na…
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Brian Taylor @bdtaylor-su.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Russian oil & gas budget revenues still lag behind 2025, although now trending upward. The longer the Iran war goes on, the more likely that Russia hits its budget target for oil & gas revenues this year. Although Ukrainian attacks on infrastructure are causing Russia problems. t.me/ejdailyru/39...
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Aviel Roshwald @avielroshwald.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
If the Iranian regime ever faces another popular uprising over the economic consequences of the war, it will likely be only in the conflict’s aftermath—which, paradoxically, is an incentive for Tehran to keep dragging the war out.
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Anna Kubišta @annakubista.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
Voir Lviv, dont l'architecture rappelle tellement Prague (à 700 km !!) ou d'autres villes de la Mitteleuropa, ainsi détruite est un crève-cœur... Imaginez juste deux minutes ça chez vous... Il faut aider l'Ukraine plus que jamais !
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