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Tom Theuns

@tomtheuns.bsky.social
8.9K followers 918 following 1.2K posts

Assoc. Prof. Political Theory & European Politics, Leiden Uni | Democracy | EU private handle: views mine Out now: PROTECTING DEMOCRACY IN EUROPE Hurst/OUP blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/9… Prev. UWC; Maastricht; Oxford; Sciences Po

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Reposted by Tom Theuns
arnisatepelija.bsky.social @arnisatepelija.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Vučić's resignation is a chronicle of a resignation foretold: a long-awaited move answering the pulsing rage of the protests that followed the deaths of 16 people in the collapse of the Novi Sad railway station roof in November 2024. It leaves a rule of law wreck track behind too.
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Tom Theuns @tomtheuns.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
After the Green + Left merger in the Netherlands, especially now they have voted to sit with S&D (centre-left) in the European Parliament, I expect it’s going to be tough to prevent another Green Party emerging. Or perhaps the Party for the Animals will be able to pick off disgruntled Green voters.
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Princeton University Press @princetonupress.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Wonderful to see that Helen De Cruz has won the International Society for Science & Religion's General Readership Book Prize for her work, Wonderstruck! This illuminating book reveals how wonder and awe are catalysts that can help us reclaim what makes life worth living. Learn more: buff.ly/IYNfe0Q
Wonderstruck: How Wonder and Awe Shape the Way We Think by Helen De CruzHelen De Cruz
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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
‼️Népszabadság is returning on 8 October, exactly ten years after Orbán’s government shut it down. I was the paper’s Brussels correspondent when it was closed. For those of us who witnessed the destruction of Hungary’s independent press from the inside, this is a deeply personal moment. 2/1
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Simon Otjes @simonotjes.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Out now! Cynthia van Vonno (@polscileiden.bsky.social) and I look at the political events in the Netherlands in 2025 for the @ejprjournal.bsky.social's PDY www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
cambridge.org
The Netherlands: The end of the Schoof experiment | Political Data Yearbook | Cambridge Core
The Netherlands: The end of the Schoof experiment
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Steven Klein @stevenklein.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
my book Union has a cover. Indeed, two covers- one for the UK release and one for the US. Forthcoming August of next year.
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Tom Theuns @tomtheuns.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Very worrying news on so-called “world rhino day” — the rhino population in Botswana has DOUBLED this year because of migration from South Africa. At this rate, rhinos will outnumber humans in Botswana by 2055. Another Great Replacement?! rhinos.org/blog/botswan...
rhinos.org
Botswana Black Rhino Translocations
In late March, South African wildlife biologists launched an operation that will help re-establish a viable black rhino population in Botswana, where the species was previously extirpated.  Led by vet...
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Tom Theuns @tomtheuns.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
ayfkm Thiel/Palantir is among the worst of the techno-fascist bunch (and I mean techno-fascist in an absolutely literal, blink-and-liberal-democracy dies sort of way) www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson joins Palantir
Peer takes full-time position at the controversial company as it fends off pressure from both Andy Burnham’s government and Sadiq Khan
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James Kanter @jameskanter.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Von der Leyen rightly celebrates 12 April as the "day the Hungarian people took their future into their hands" by evicting Viktor Orbán from power in Hungary but overlooks the way her own EPP group waited until 2019 to suspend Fidesz's membership. Europeans could use an apology. #soteu #epp #fidesz
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Sarah de Lange @sldelange.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Interview met collega Mateo Cohen over zijn fantastische boek 'Radicalized Conservatism in Israel: The One-State Ideology and Democratic Decay”
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Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
After committing a manifest misuse/abuse of powers by releasing eu funding under false pretences at a time where Orban was weaponising 🇭🇺 veto, VDL commission and some governments/EPP actors are seemingly seeking to sacrifice (again) the rule of law - & taxpayers money - to political considerations
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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
‼️There is an EU rule-of-law case that seems to have been almost forgotten. It shouldn’t be. If the Court of Justice follows the Advocate General’s opinion, the consequences for Hungary’s access to EU funds could be significant. And there is a remarkable twist: HUN now has a different government.🧵
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Jan Eijking @janeijking.com · 04/09/2026
Really happy to receive an @erc.europa.eu Starting Grant, for a project on the history of transnational regulation in shipping, agriculture, and telecommunications, 1850-1950. Thanks so much to everyone who’s helped me prepare and practice along the way. 🙏
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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Hungarian PM Péter Magyar just dropped a press release after meeting EPP President Manfred Weber in Budapest. It signals a massive shift in how Budapest plans to deal with Brussels, but his strategy raises serious questions. Let’s break it down. 👇 4/1
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Jan Eijking @janeijking.com · 29/08/2026
My latest for the @newstatesman1913.bsky.social — with many thanks to Nick Harris for excellent edits.👇
newstatesman.com
The loathing of technocracy
"Technocrats" are the sworn enemy of populists. But who are they?
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Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Just last month, the @ec.europa.eu and many EU governments were willing to ignore all available evidence of democratic and rule of law regression in Serbia and advance country's membership bid... www.politico.eu/article/eu-m...
politico.eu
EU plan to advance Serbia’s membership bid fails to win over capitals
The EU executive wants to use progress on Serbia’s accession to keep it from disengaging with the bloc. Some governments aren’t convinced.
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Gabriela Greilinger @gabrielagreilinger.com · 28/08/2026
There is this narrative that far-right actors, when in power, will do certain things, but "through legal means". When they say they will act in line with the rule of law, that means they will change the law in specific ways beforehand to suit their interests. Ortbán is a prime example here too. 1/
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Tom Theuns @tomtheuns.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
I read this great piece on the body politic and an immunology-analogy to democratic resilience (by my brother—in arms and the other way—@jorimt.bsky.social): kettering.org/what-a-fever...
kettering.org
What a Fever Taught Me About Democratic Resilience
Democracy, like the body, must learn when to fight, when to tolerate, and how to adapt. Jorim Theuns turns a fever into a powerful reflection on democratic resilience.
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enzo rossi @enzoreds.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
📢 New preprint! 📖 Tl;dr - Too much talk of disobedience in the literature, hardly any of direct action. We define it, explain how it works, and show what difference it makes to how we understand social movements. Coming soon to an AJPS near you: philpapers.org/rec/RAETLO-4
“The Logic of Direct Action” abstract
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Toby Buckle @polphilpod.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
my—just updated—political philosophy starter pack bsky.app/starter-pack...
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Annette Zimmermann @drzimmermann.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Visiting the Baltics this fall for some talks, keen to connect with the broader local #AI / #philosophyofAI / #AIethics / #AIpolicy / #democraticinnovations community. What should I make sure not to miss & who should I talk to? Recs welcome!
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Tom Theuns @tomtheuns.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
It’s a wrap — heading home after a lovely French holiday Lunch in Morlaix, dinner 900 km away in Rotterdam thanks to high speed trains 😁 These ads from the local paper Le Télégraphe made me laugh on my way to the station (translation: feet in Brittany, eyes on the world)
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nicoblar.bsky.social @nicoblar.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Cited in this @newarab.com.web.brid.gy piece on the latest Amnesty International report statinng that India sent over 2,500 weapons shipments to Israel since October 2023 www.newarab.com/news/why-ind...
newarab.com
Why India won’t walk away from its arms partnership with Israel
Research by Amnesty International found that India sent over 2,500 weapons shipments to Israel since the outbreak of the Gaza genocide two years ago.
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Tom Theuns @tomtheuns.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
This is the sort of stuff I think of when I see you driving in your ‘but it’s still a great car’
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Tom Theuns @tomtheuns.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Just out! 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘌𝘜 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 #openaccess in Democratization: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... Attila Mráz and I study the legitimacy of individual actors like MEPs taking militant (prima facile anti-democratic)actions to respond to anti-democratic threats.
tandfonline.com
Individual militant democracy in EU institutions
The literature on whether militant democracy can be used to justify EU sanctions against Member States due to their democratic backsliding has so far focused on EU institutions and Member States as...
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Stuart Elden @stuartelden.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
David Armitage, Teresa M. Bejan, and Felix Waldmann eds. The Political Thought of John Locke: New Perspectives – Oxford University Press, July 2026 global.oup.com/academic/pro... @academic.oup.com @tmbejan.bsky.social
cover of book, black background with text in white, and painting of John Locke (old and thin, with long grey hair)
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Kim Lane Scheppele @kimlanelaw.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Péter Magyar has now called on the public to be engaged in a search for a new president, who must be named within 30 days. The transition is a work in progress as Magyar and his team cross the tightrope between autocracy and (one hopes) democracy without the safety net of checks and balances.
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Kenny Stewart @kennystew.art · 18/07/2026
Inside the hydrogen and oxygen campaign to infiltrate water.
Times headline: 
Inside the extreme far-right campaign to infiltrate Restore Britain
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Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
“Magyar’s authority is subject to few meaningful constraints beyond public opinion, his own popularity & perhaps the EU”, says @danielhegedus.bsky.social. “The success of 🇭🇺 re-democratisation will ultimately depend on the willingness of Tisza & Péter Magyar to exercise political self-restraint.”
ft.com
The Magyar revolution: Hungary’s new era
What will the dismantling of the Orbán machine lead to?
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Jan Eijking @janeijking.com · 13/07/2026
Excited to join @unileiden.bsky.social this September as Assistant Professor of International Relations at @polscileiden.bsky.social. Looking forward to meeting new colleagues and students in Leiden and The Hague after the summer!
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Romain Lachat @rlachat.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
📢 Job opening The Cevipof is recruiting an Assistant Professor in Political Science in the field of political institutions and contemporary transformations of democracy @cevipof.bsky.social @sciencespo.bsky.social
sciencespo.fr
Recruitement : Assistant Professor (tenure track) in Political Science
CEVIPOF / Sciences Po is recruiting an Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) in Political Science, Topic Immigration and Democracy / Political Theory. The application deadline is 18 September 2026.
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Tom Theuns @tomtheuns.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
When is it (un)fair to use LLM tools to grade students? I only had a small role in this publication, but I’m proud with the result: we take a contractual (Scanlonian) approach to argue for 9 rules of fair educational assessment in the age of AI. Out now with OUP: academic.oup.com/edited-volum...
academic.oup.com
Higher Education Assessment in the Age of Generative AI: A Fairness Framework
Abstract. Generative AI technology (GenAI) is disrupting established practices of assessment in higher education, as students and teachers adopt GenAI in t
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Thu Nguyen @onethuthree.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
We are looking for a Postdoctoral Researcher in EU Law and Politics at @delorsberlin.bsky.social! You will be working closely with Mark Dawson in the DFG research group Reconfiguring Europe. Deadline for application is 14 August. More info here: hertie-school.dvinci-easy.com/en/p/en/jobs...
hertie-school.dvinci-easy.com
Postdoctoral Researcher – European Union Law and Politics (gn) full-time (40 hours/week)
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Verfassungsblog @verfassungsblog.de · 30/06/2026
Gender equality is a value in Art. 2 TEU – but it is nearly absent in the CJEU’s Commission v Hungary. @silviasteininger.bsky.social & SEONA KIM apply a feminist re-reading to the Court's arguments and ask what a non-patriarchal European society would actually require. buff.ly/sn5U9qP @mpil.de
Quote: “An anti-patriarchal society is not anti-men but focuses on challenging interlocked systems of domination.”
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Tom Theuns @tomtheuns.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
My partner made a Far Breton and got the rum wrong by a factor of five and I think we’re on to something
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Jonathan Floyd @jonathanfloyd.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Interested in giving an online pol-theory seminar to an excellent audience made up of members of the 4 ECPR pol-theory Standing Groups? If so, just fill in this form (These are always Wednesdays 5pm CET): app.oxfordabstracts.com/stages/82952... p.s. I'm not the organiser, so don't ask me questions!
app.oxfordabstracts.com
Oxford Abstracts
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Tom Theuns @tomtheuns.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Massive heatwave. everyone freaking out. Airlines too. Taxes too high apparently. You can’t make this shit up.
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Tom Theuns @tomtheuns.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Our Democratic Theory manifesto, open access with UCL press is making waves. Credit to the leadership and vision of Benjamin Abrams, Jean-Paul Gagnon and the work of all the co-authors 👏👏
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Jonathan Floyd @jonathanfloyd.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
I'm DELIGHTED 2 say that @psapolthought.bsky.social have just approved a funding application I put in to host a pol-theory book workshop in Spring '27. If you have a manuscript you think would benefit from this then let me know! @biapt.bsky.social @ecpr-nptmethods.bsky.social @ipsa-rc31.bsky.social
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Tineke Strik @tinekestrik.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Today’s Art. 7 hearing gives MS a real chance to test Hungary’s Rule of Law reform plan. The anti-corruption steps are welcome, but a democratic reset can’t be selective. I urge MS to press for reform across all tracks, incl. asylum, LGBTIQ-rights, civic space, media freedom & judicial independence.
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Tom Theuns @tomtheuns.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Happy to be at University College Dublin Dublin (yes!) for CES. DM me if you’re around and would like to grab a coffee
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Tom Theuns @tomtheuns.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
I got to meet one of my heroes today… Pretty incredible to speak alongside Adam Bodnar (former 🇵🇱 MoJ & Ombudsman) at a symposium of @vanmierlostichting.bsky.social on (fittingly) Democratic Inspiration. He was one of the beacons of liberal democracy in Poland in the dark days!
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Diane Bolet @dianebolet.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
A fully funded 2-year postdoc for my ERC project on climate politics, comparative politics and political economy. Deadline: 29 July 2026, 10am CET Starting date: Jan 2027 (flexible) Feel free to reach out next week at EPSS if you’d like to discuss the position www.sciencespo.fr/centre-etude...
sciencespo.fr
Call for Applications - Postdoctoral Position GREENLOSS Project
2 Years - Postdoctoral Position Starting January 2027
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Politics_Oxford @politicsoxford.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Who built the foundations of global governance? Not just politicians. In The Technocratic International, DPIR alumnus @janeijking.com reveals how 19th-century experts, engineers, and capitalists shaped the modern international order. Read more: f.mtr.cool/xndtvyqvvj
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Tom Theuns @tomtheuns.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
Saturday morning treat, unboxing author copies of the 2nd (paperback) ed. of Protecting Democracy in Europe Printed in the UK, with a thick cover and French flaps, they feel really nice! @hurstpublishers.bsky.social
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Carmen van Alebeek @cvalebeek.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
🇳🇱 While the Netherlands continues to score highly on international democracy indices such as V-Dem, 40% of respondents in the new Dutch Parliamentary Election Study perceive at least some degree of democratic erosion. A new chapter by @jmvanlit.bsky.social and me explores these perceptions. 1/🧵
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Tineke Strik @tinekestrik.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
The Hungarian prosecutor just dropped the case against the organiser of Pécs Pride arguing that organising Prides is not crime, referring to the EU Court of Justice judgement on HU’s anti LGBTIQ-law. A very encouraging step in the restoration of the rule of law and fundamental rights in Hungary!
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Jakub Jaraczewski @jakubjaraczewski.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
🇭🇺💶⚖️🇪🇺 Over the last few days, there was a lot of analysis flying around that Hungary won't have it as easy with unlocking EU funds, unlike Poland, but here I thought "trust the process", and I was right - the Commission walks into the same river once more. 1/
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Zselyke Csaky @zecsaky.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
So after all the speculation, Hungary gets a political agreement on almost all of the suspended EU money. It's important that the money is *not* yet flowing. Let's look at the details & concrete promises in exchange 🧵 www.euractiv.com/news/eu-unlo...
euractiv.com
EU unlocks cash for Hungary | Euractiv
Magyar admitted he had not hoped for so much
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