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osamet.bsky.social
Opposition parties, authoritarianism, and democratization in Southeast Asia and beyond. PhD candidate @ UC Berkeley orensamet.com
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As a human rights scholar, I've read countless reports where both Western media + prominent human rights organizations term this as an "enforced disappearance" when this happens in other countries. Wild (and completely unsurprising) how the same terminology is missing when it's happening in the US

submitted 3 days ago • 4 comments

Dark day for global freedom in more ways than one. Senseless, cruel, and so damaging in both the short and long run

submitted 12 days ago • 0 comments

This is a fascinating one. Kind of hilarious that they even included it. Doesn’t fit with the rest at all. Joe Wilson has been interesting to watch the past few weeks on Russia/Ukraine, especially.

submitted 12 days ago • 0 comments

Major news out of Thailand with the refoulement of 40 Uyghurs to China. Sec Rubio condemned the move (he also raised this in his confirmation hearing). But with the US deprioritizing human rights in foreign policy, the Thai gov has clear incentives to go w/China here www.voanews.com/a/outcry-bui...

submitted 13 days ago • 0 comments

It hasn't been a major news item, but the implications of what's happening to the NED are far-reaching. Unrelated to the foreign assistance freeze (already a legally dubious), Musk and his minions have simply shut off Congressionally authorized funding www.ned.org/statement-on...

submitted 15 days ago • 1 comment

In the aftermath of a very close presidential election last year, Turkey appears to be following a pattern I identified in my recent @ajpseditor.bsky.social article: "When you come at the king..." Regime crackdowns follow evidence of opposition threat onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

submitted 15 days ago • 0 comments

Seems increasingly clear that the USAID moves by DOGE constitute both an ideological crusade and a highly calibrated power play. Choosing one of the weakest orgs from a public opinion standpoint and pushing beyond the limits of legality to demonstrate Congress & State’s impotence

submitted 15 days ago • 2 comments

More evidence of autocrats are being empowered by Trump admin policy. This is the longer tail of all the USAID funding freeze crap. It makes it so that even if funding resumes, it isn't safe or sustainable for civil society groups to access it www.reuters.com/world/serbia...

submitted 15 days ago • 0 comments

Huge layoffs at the National Democratic Institute, a major funder of democracy and rule of law programs, today.

submitted 29 days ago • 2 comments

What Marco Rubio has been signaling the past few days is that they are going to dismantle democracy, rights, and governance work across the U.S. government.

submitted 37 days ago • 1 comment

The DEI caused the plane crash narrative is a distraction. The tariffs are a distraction. Whatever insane nonsense Trump spews that the media will chase like cats chasing a laser light is a distraction. The only story that counts right now is the wholesale hijacking of control of the US government.

submitted 38 days ago • 1035 comments

Useful info in here on what the Trump admin might be planning re: USAID. tl;dr: merging it with the State Dept in all but name (which would require Congressional approval) www.politico.com/news/2025/01...

submitted 40 days ago • 0 comments

Fantastic thread that gives more details about the program that Trump personally highlighted canceling. Incredibly cruel and short-sighted in more ways than one #USAID #Myanmar

submitted 41 days ago • 0 comments

“The junta could not silence Mizzima but Trump may well have succeeded because as of now, one of his executive orders has stopped all US foreign aid” More bleak news about how the aid freeze is impacting #Myanmar. @mizzimadailynews.substack.com has been one of the most important outlets for years

submitted 42 days ago • 0 comments

Deeply disturbing -- and not a good sign for other countries facing threats to their sovereignty or territory...

submitted 47 days ago • 0 comments

Alarming development (among many this week). Just throwing many, many people and programs into chaos for no reason

submitted 47 days ago • 0 comments

Cool to see my @carnegiedcg.bsky.social work w/Tom Carothers referenced in this recent @newyorker.com article www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...

submitted 75 days ago • 1 comment

Thanks for sharing @apsgworkshop.bsky.social! Interested in authoritarian politics, elections, opposition, or repression? Check it out! Dictatorsky polisky

submitted 82 days ago • 0 comments

I’m new here & thought I'd share a snippet of my work! In this working paper I use a face-to-face survey exp, an original survey and a panel to show that the male migration disrupts the household status quo by creating the routine absence of men leading to the feminization of political engagement.

submitted 82 days ago • 1 comment

🚨 New article alert! polisky dictatorsky In @ajpseditor.bsky.social @osamet.bsky.social examines how opposition coalitions shape electoral performance in authoritarian regimes—and why near-victories can sometimes backfire. Read it here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

submitted 82 days ago • 1 comment