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Robert Ralston

@robertralston.bsky.social
846 followers 1.1K following 160 posts

Lecturer (assistant prof) at University of Birmingham. Grand Strategy; Politics of Decline/Declinism; Civil-Military Relations sites.google.com/view/robert-ralsto…

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Reposted by Robert Ralston
Michael @michaeljsc.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
does he ask ChatGPT “make this sound more uncanny” for every sentence?
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sianushka.bsky.social @sianushka.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
I don’t understand why I or anyone should care what Ratcliffe has to say or why it is on the news
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Robert Ralston @robertralston.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
It was great to recieve a surprise package from Singapore with a special treat inside: "Transatlantic Storms in Anglo-American Relations: How the Alliance Weathers Crises" (not timely at all....) from @wdjames.bsky.social. press.georgetown.edu/Book/Transat...
Book: Transatlantic Storms in Anglo-American Relations: How the Alliance Weathers Crises
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victoria scott @victoriascott.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
This isn’t funny. Commodities traders only do this when they’re in extreme distress
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Enough Of That Now @andygilder.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Trump becomes the first orange man to support a united Ireland
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In Medias Malone @professormusgrave.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
It 100% happened and was real to the point it quickly felt weirdly oppressive on its own terms, but we have literal numbers for this! Dubya had approval ratings in the 90s!
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Henry Mance @henrymance.ft.com · 09/09/2026
There's a constant insinuation that Ed Miliband is not a 'real Jew', and it seems very bad
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AkivaMCohen @akivamcohen.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
It's worse than this. Because in the early morning of October 7, Israeli intelligence picked up signs that Hamas was doing something - but concluded that it was likely just a drill. Had Netanyahu passed along the specific warning from MBZ that Sinwar was planning something big and imminent ...
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
New PISA data out England is now top ten in all three areas (reading, maths, science) and the second highest performing country outside of east Asia (after Estonia). This is a huge public policy success.
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Robert Ralston @robertralston.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
As I'm prepping for teaching rising powers and global order again (with @macvieira.bsky.social), this recent review essay is excellent. Non-Western Visions of International Order - www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
annualreviews.org
Non-Western Visions of International Order
The scholarship on the concept of order has been expanding within international relations. The continuous upheaval of world politics first triggered a broad debate on the resilience of the liberal int...
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MapQuest @mapquest.com · 27/08/2026
We’re not changing it.
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Sumita Pahwa @sumitapahwa.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
It's that time again....
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Robert Ralston @robertralston.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
We find something kinda similar in civ-mil -- that folks are happy deferring to the military when their man is out of power, but become lovers of civilian control when their man is out of office www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
cambridge.org
No Right to Be Wrong: What Americans Think about Civil-Military Relations | Perspectives on Politics | Cambridge Core
No Right to Be Wrong: What Americans Think about Civil-Military Relations - Volume 21 Issue 2
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In Medias Malone @professormusgrave.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
I don’t know what the word is, but the Trump administration’s record in everything in and around my expertise makes me feel like watching someone torching the library of Alexandria
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Walter Olson @walterolson.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Trump has threatened to sue the left-leaning @americanprogress.bsky.social (CAP) and its donors over a study it published questioning the benefits of his National Guard deployment. I'm proud that Cato's president is speaking out against this act of intimidation. "We stand with CAP." /1
Cato Institute graphic with text "Disagreements on matters of policy should be settled through open inquiry, evidence, and debate -- not threats designed to silence criticism. We stand with CAP in defending the fundamental American principle of free speech." -- Peter Goettler President and CEO Cato Institute with picture of Goettler
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Stephen Walt @stephenwalt.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
#Trump is torching relations with some of our closest friends (e.g., Canada) because 1) he’s a vengeful bully, and 2) he mistakenly thinks a trade deficit means other countries are stealing from us. In other words, he does not understand how international trade works. At all.
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Ian Boudreau @ianboudreau.com · 23/08/2026
I guess it's kind of hard to view the dismissal of one grublike phrenologist as a major hit to free speech after major American universities have in the past year banned the use of words and eliminated entire departments in the hopes of pleasing the senile president
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Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 12/08/2026
Incredible. When E—n M—k & his crew obliterated USAID in a weekend, they deleted a vast trove of publicly-funded knowledge: the Development Experience Clearinghouse. A Canadian high school student (!) happened to have downloaded the entire thing for a project. AidData has now posted it for all.
aiddata.org
Before reimagining development data, remember what we’ve learned
Why we’re publishing a free, searchable, and ungated archive featuring a quarter-century of USAID evaluation reports.
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Robert Ralston @robertralston.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
looks like a v important contribution
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Robert Ralston @robertralston.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
“It’s not an intentional attack but it’s the unintended consequences. No one is looking at the cumulative effect, which has been as bad or worse than anything that’s happened in the US,” Labour has harmed universities as much as Trump, LSE head says giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
giftarticle.ft.com
Labour has harmed universities as much as Trump, London School of Economics head says
LSE vice-chancellor Larry Kramer points to domestic students’ fees, limits on international students and rise in employers’ national insurance
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Gary Dauphin @ebogjonson.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
I try to resist the impulse to read any single story as a sure sign of impending national/civilizational collapse. but at any given moment there are four or five things happening at once that I'm trying not to be a doomer about, which is about three too many
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Dan Nexon @dhnexon.net · 27/07/2026
This is yet another reminder that fascism has been normalized across much — but not all — of the so-called "advanced industrial democracies." The ultimate goal should be to re-stigmatize it, but the reality is that, at least for now, it's going to be a "normal" part of the political landscape. 1/2
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Robert Ralston @robertralston.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
unfortunately a widespread phenomenon: "Research income targets for Liverpool’s new academics ‘unfair’" - Growing pressure on probationary staff to win grants represents ‘material divergence’ from agreed policies, argue UCU leaders www.timeshighereducation.com/news/researc...
timeshighereducation.com
Research income targets for Liverpool’s new academics ‘unfair’
Growing pressure on probationary staff to win grants represents ‘material divergence’ from agreed policies, argue UCU leaders
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Matt Motta @mattmotta.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
If anyone wants to read about what efforts are being taken to regulate prediction markets, and how the Trump admin is trying to stand in the way... @robertralston.bsky.social and I wrote about this recently! theconversation.com/prediction-m...
theconversation.com
Prediction markets are opening many new opportunities for unregulated insider trading and unethical bets – in the name of making a game out of politics
The rapidly growing popularity of prediction markets is sparking worries about the markets’ effects on US politics, where campaign staff has bet on its candidate’s electoral performance.
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Arthur Snell @snellarthur.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
We aren’t a serious country.
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Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Zia Yusuf claims Farage is bravely "bringing forward" the judgment of "the ultimate authority": the people of Clacton. Two problems here: 1) He's insisting they judge *before* the full evidence has been heard, not *after*; 2) No constituency can exempt its MP from rules designed to protect us all
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Ted Underwood @tedunderwood.com · 06/07/2026
If England barely fights off the Norwegians, but then is too exhausted to resist France, you do realize we’re getting a tapestry about it
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Josh Chafetz @joshchafetz.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
see this is why it was a mistake for the LSAT to get rid of the logic games
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lastpositivist.bsky.social @lastpositivist.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
I don't know if we can attribute everything to Greggs' patriotic decision to remove their Mexican menu items, but we can surely attribute some credit thereto.
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Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
How it started / how it’s going
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NY Times Pitchbot @nytpitchbot.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
My grandkids have measles and I’m about to get kicked out of my nursing home since they had to fire all the Haitian nurses. But at least now I know that the students at some school I never heard of aren’t going to get trigger warnings anymore.
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Naomi Schalit @democracyeditor.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Prediction markets may not be only influencing international affairs; they could also affect the 2026 midterm elections. @mattmotta.bsky.social & @robertralston.bsky.social sound the alarm theconversation.com/prediction-m...
theconversation.com
Prediction markets are opening many new opportunities for unregulated insider trading and unethical bets – in the name of making a game out of politics
The rapidly growing popularity of prediction markets is sparking worries about the markets’ effects on US politics, where campaign staff has bet on its candidate’s electoral performance.
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In Medias Malone @professormusgrave.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Not to make it All About Me but when you need a cite for how high gas prices affect public support for foreign policy (say because the WH just made this explicit) you can read my new @fpajrnl.bsky.social piece academic.oup.com/fpa/article/...
academic.oup.com
Pay Any Price? Measuring Americans’ Willingness-to-Pay for Sanctions on Russia and China
Abstract. Economic sanctions appear to be an inexpensive means for wealthy countries to punish or coerce targets. Not all sanctions are, or will be, cheap,
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Matt Motta @mattmotta.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Prediction markets are turning US politics into a game. Today in @us.theconversation.com, @robertralston.bsky.social and I discuss how prediction markets could impact the Midterms, and why some efforts to regulate them are challenging Trump admin. priorities. theconversation.com/prediction-m...
theconversation.com
Prediction markets are opening many new opportunities for unregulated insider trading and unethical bets – in the name of making a game out of politics
The rapidly growing popularity of prediction markets is sparking worries about the markets’ effects on US politics, where campaign staff has bet on its candidate’s electoral performance.
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Robert Ralston @robertralston.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
new from @mattmotta.bsky.social and me: Prediction markets are opening many new opportunities for unregulated insider trading and unethical bets – in the name of making a game out of politics theconversation.com/prediction-m...
theconversation.com
Prediction markets are opening many new opportunities for unregulated insider trading and unethical bets – in the name of making a game out of politics
The rapidly growing popularity of prediction markets is sparking worries about the markets’ effects on US politics, where campaign staff has bet on its candidate’s electoral performance.
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Gerasimos Tsourapas @tsourapas.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
I am happy to share our new, open-access article in International Political Sociology: how enforced disappearance in Libya became a durable tool of authoritarian rule, from Italian colonial rule through Gaddafi to today. With Walid Ali & Iosif Kovras. Available here: doi.org/10.1093/ips/...
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Plague Poems @plaguepoems.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
When you see the story about how the world now has its first trillionaire, and when you see the story about how laboratories in Congo have run out of supplies to test for Ebola, it is important to understand that in many ways these are the same story.
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
DfE pupil data is out today and shows that the number of private school pupils has dropped 5.6% since VAT was introduced. Not 25% like the independent schools council predicted. Or the 50% we saw in some right-wing papers. 5.6%.
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In Medias Malone @professormusgrave.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
It’s funny that rich people nurseries have low-no tech and just endless amounts of wood
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G Elliott Morris @gelliottmorris.com · 02/06/2026
New report out today with my friends at Verasight writing up a couple new studies I designed on AI “digital twins” in polling. The upshot is basically these tools are very inaccurate unless you have raw polling data to build on (which defeats the purpose!)
verasight.io
Can AI "Digital Twins" Replace Human Survey Respondents? | Verasight
Verasight ran four experiments on AI "digital twins." Synthetic samples can match polls on Trump approval and the generic ballot, but fail systematically on almost everything else.
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Duck of Minerva @duckofminerva.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
We are saddened to learn of the passing of Duck contributor @raulpachecovega.bsky.social. He was a friend to all on their social science journeys. If anyone would like to write a tribute, please DM us.
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Robert Ralston @robertralston.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
"The Office for Students, which regulates the sector, found this month that 43 per cent of universities were likely to have ended 2025-26 in deficit after “over-optimistic” attempts to boost student recruitment." giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
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Starfire’s Deranged Neocon Foreign Policy Podcast @irhottakes.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
See, the thing is that whether USAID was a cynical op to expand imperial influence or a sincere act of goodwill from the United States, all those Africans are still dead.
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ae @aelkus.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
really hard to beat this as a symbol of institutional decay. the SEALs — a unit that has become infamously loose in discipline — escorting a corrupt politician without any discipline (Patel) on a party inside a hallowed watery graveyard for the fallen
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Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Did not expect Mahmood to deny Starmer ILR but I guess those are the new Home Office rules.
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Oona Hathaway @oonahathaway.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
The Defense Department has requested funds for danger pay to troops that are at increased risk of taking hostile fire or other dangers. Rather than paying more danger pay, let's stop the illegal war of choice that's putting our troops in danger. www.militarytimes.com/news/your-mi...
militarytimes.com
Danger pay for US troops could double, expand to more regions
The U.S. defense budget request for Fiscal Year 2027 has raised the prospect of an increase in the monthly stipend paid out to troops in dangerous regions.
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Robert Ralston @robertralston.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
lol, typically understated by Barry Posen: "Barry Posen, a professor of political science at MIT and former director of its Security Studies program, said Hegseth appears to “have a preference for people who look like him.”" www.salon.com/2026/05/01/r...
salon.com
Republican lawmakers increasingly concerned over Hegseth's ideological military - Salon.com
Conservatives are voicing criticisms after Hegseth unceremoniously fired a top military leader
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Mike Black @mikeblack114.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
the thing dem pols need to internalize is this guy and his entire family will vote republican for the rest of their lives, regardless of the republican party literally ending their livelihood
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Robert Ralston @robertralston.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Have you been to/facilitated a writing retreat for faculty? If so, do you have any tips?
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