Thomas Ruckebusch

Lila Corwin Berman - Who Is American?

Belonging and the Question of Jewish Citizenship

À paraître en juin aux Princeton UP

🔈Join us for "21st-Century US: A Historical Assessment" U Paris Cité, Nov 20&21! Organized by @tamaraboussac.bsky.social @hbouvard.bsky.social & Anne Légier, supported by @echelles-umr8264.bsky.social @chcscuvsq.bsky.social @institutdesameriques.fr @mondesamericains.ehess.fr @parissaclay.bsky.social

Hadn't seen this until now. The book is on my desk to read ASAP--I can't wait. I've heard about it for years, have done my own research & writing on the topic, & even hold a chair in national security studies--Preston's work is likely to define the field of study.🗃️ @shafrhistorians.bsky.social

Moscow's thinking about spheres of influence. ... and the origins of the Cold War.

Historians will appreicate. Soviet thinking about spheres of influence. It's time that this document is widely shared in the English translation [Free]. open.substack.com/pub/profradc...

Très heureux de cet atelier doctoral franco-allemand organisé avec ma collègue Christina Schröer, accueilli par le #CERC de @unibonn.bsky.social et soutenu par @humanites-ulille.bsky.social

Cc : @irhisulille.bsky.social

La délégation lilloise de l'université de Bonn au complet : @valentinfontana.bsky.social @valentinmrx.bsky.social @thomasruckebusch.bsky.social @helenekowalski.bsky.social @colinelambert.bsky.social Louis Fortemps 💪
Ce fut un très beau séjour doctoral 😊

Avec @valentinfontana.bsky.social, @thomasruckebusch.bsky.social et Louis Fortemps à l'université de Bonn !

@irhisulille.bsky.social en force !

Plutopopulism: Wealth and Trump’s Financial Base SEAN KATES, ERIC MANNING, TALI MENDELBERG and OMAR WASOW Comparative scholarship suggests authoritarian candidates often rely on backing from the wealthy. The wealthy are also said to play an important role in American campaign finance. Studies of Donald Trump, however, found that he drew significant support from white Americans with less education and privilege. We evaluate wealthy and non-wealthy Americans’ financial support for Trump, compared to other candidates, by constructing a comprehensive dataset of property values matched to contributions and voter files. We find Trump underperformed among wealthy Republican donors while mobilizing new non-wealthy donors. Trump also diversified the donorate, especially by education. That is, Trump built an unusual coalition of wealthy and non-wealthy donors. Our results support an alternative, “plutopopulist” model of Trump’s financial base.

Is America an oligarchy?

Bernie and AOC say yes, touring the country to “Fight Oligarchy.” Other Democratic leaders aren’t so sure.

With the debate heating up, I wanted to share a few insights from our recent paper on who’s funding American politics. 🧵 cup.org/4cfm0Az

In Brief: Foreign Policy Surprises in Trump’s First 100 Days - War on the Rocks Today marks the 100th day of Donald Trump’s second presidential administration. We asked five foreign policy and national security experts: What has

We asked five foreign policy and national security experts what surprised them most about President Trump’s first 100 days in office. warontherocks.com/20...

Vietnam was the first so-called “living room war,” watched on TV and seen through remarkable photography. Photojournalists captured the war’s most personal moments, the best and worst of human nature. See the photos, 50 years after the war ended. nyti.ms/4iG1Kd0

Fires, wars and bureaucracy: The tumultuous journey to establish the US National Archives Every democracy needs a national archive. Trump’s staffing shake-up is endangering an institution that preserves the nation’s history.

The National Archives was born from disaster that proved the fragility of government records. Now, after Trump fired the head archivist in Feb 2025 and top staff left, it faces a new era of uncertainty. An archivist explains:

Ce fut un vrai plaisir de participer au colloque international dédié à la vice-présidence américaine, organisé à l'Université de Grenoble Alpes.

Grand merci à Séverine Nicot, Gregory Benedetti et Pierre-Alexandre Beylier pour l'organisation de ces deux journées stimulantes et fascinantes!

President Lyndon Baines Johnson and National Security Advisor McGeorge Bundy, seated converse in the Oval Office using emoji. Bundy: eyeglasses, a shirt and tie, and a pile of books; Johnson: an American flag, a guy in a cowboy hat and a steak.

The Advice Elissa Slotkin Didn’t Take The Michigan senator wants to set a new tone for the Democratic resistance.

“It doesn’t win elections to just speak to the base of the party,” Slotkin said. “If it did, Kamala Harris would be president.”

Fascinant article sur la réponse de la sénatrice Elissa Slotkin à la Joint Address de Donald Trump.

www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

1990s culture wars: We’re cancelling the Enola Gay exhibit bc veterans and historians can’t agree whether we should celebrate its role in ending WWII or critically assess the decision to use nuclear weapons

2020s culture wars: We’re cancelling the Enola Gay bc “gay” is a no-no word

Stand Up for Science France 2025 Défendre les sciences et les humanités, la liberté académique et l’Université, comme piliers d’une société démocratique.

Défendre les sciences et les humanités, la liberté académique et l’Université, comme piliers d’une société démocratique

www.universite-paris-saclay.fr/actualites/s...

Mon slogan du jour :

Mieux vaut faire de la science debout qu'être ignare à genoux

Inside U.S. spy agencies, workers fear a cataclysmic Trump cull Firings and mass disruptions at the CIA could harm intelligence collection on foreign threats and future recruiting, current and former officials say.

“We’re shooting ourselves in the head, not the foot…We’re mortgaging our future.”

www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

The Renegade Order How Trump Wields American Power

On the U.S. as a renegade power. Unfortunately, Trump chose the destructive path rather than the balanced one. reader.foreignaffairs.com/2025/02/25/t...

Today on the blog, Michael De Groot: “The Soviet bloc’s inability to adapt to the global economic shocks of the 1970s played the decisive role in its collapse.” shorturl.at/bnJEe

The Crisis of Democracy Is Here And it’s going to get a lot worse.

The Crisis of Democracy Is Here
www.persuasion.community/p/the-crisis...

Inside the Trump Purge: Federal Workers Tell Their Stories (Gift Article) Dozens of government employees grapple with the president’s war on bureaucracy.

Worth your time today.

Listen to Federal Workers via @nytimes.com. ⬇️

www.nytimes.com/2025/02/19/p...

Face à la vague d'autoritarisme qui enfle un peu partout dans le monde, on se demande souvent comment il se peut que l'ethos démocratique soit si fragile et résiste aussi peu. S'il est fragile, c'est qu'il gouverne en vérité assez peu de sphères sociales.

People have gathered outside USAID HQ for press event with Democratic Congressmen Beyer, Raskin, Connolly and Olzewski and Senator Van Hollen where they're addressing the building's mysterious shutdown today in the midst of the Trump admin dismantling the agency.

(Photos shared with me)