Cas Mudde

🚨 CHANGE IN DATE AND TIME 🚨 As of 9 September, my International Office Hours are WEDNESDAYS from 2 to 4 PM Atlanta time! You can sign up through the link below: it should be open to all. Please save this email if you are interested, as the slots fill up quick - best chance is Wednesday after 4!

If Israel's current exit polls hold, the parties representing the Jewish center will have to make a choice: partner with Arab parties or else keep Bibi in power. A pretty clear metaphor for the choice facing Israel more broadly.

This has actually been a longstanding grievance among Arab Israelis, which is almost completely ignored by most media, because it doesn’t fit “the frame.” A bit like economic concerns of African Americans and Hispanics in the U.S…. See a pattern here?

"Hello, son, when are you going to pardon me?" "Dad, I have to tell you something..." (h/t CRK)

Thought-provoking reflection on the transformation of academic life (in Australia) by @duncanmcdonnell.com Much resonates with me in the U.S., where political interference adds a fourth layer.

Ah, ik zie dat Turning Point USA de Christenunie van de VS is. 🤡 “rechts-christelijk” @nrc.nl ???

Crazy to see how a democracy with rule of law works…

I saw Lou Reed at Pinkpop in 1987. Mostly remember Iggy Pop, Hüsker Dü, the rain, and this song. Lou Reed was rock ‘n roll royalty, but he wasn’t really for me. And now, 40 years later, I find out that he was the replacement for The Smiths!!! I could have seen The Smiths! Anyway, R.I.P. Lou Reed

Important op-Ed for the Euro Bubble by @catherinedevries.bsky.social The EU is too focused on surviving and too little on delivering, inspiring, and empowering.

La próxima semana en la Universidad de Costa Rica con Prof. @casmudde.bsky.social

"Netanyahu is a convenient scapegoat most of all for Israeli centrists and liberals, those enlightened opposition voters who would like to believe that they bear no personal responsibility for their country’s policies." www.equator.org/articles/isr...

The MLS “no-politics rule” is even more problematic than @leanderalphabet.bsky.social argues here, as not only does the MlS allow pride flags (for example) in its stadiums, it actively propagates pro-LGBTQIA+ and anti-racism policies!

Seriously doubt 1 played a significant role. I think Musk and DOGE was the first trigger for mobilization, even if they might mainly have mobilized the Democratic base. Gas prices reaching $4 ($6 diesel) play major role too. Until then, many soft Reps cared little about Iran war.

Before people start to generalize these results, the large number of "null" or "blank" votes is largely a consequence of compulsory voting, which you don't have in France, Germany, Poland, U.S., etc. Moreover, most of these countries also don't have two-round elections.

Everything is fine….

Good thread on the upcoming Israeli elections. tldr: there are 3 blocks: (1) pro-Netanyahu, (2) anti-Netanyahu, (3) Arab parties, and none will have a majority. Given that both Jewish blocks have strong far-right parties in them, neither wants to work with the Arab parties.

Bad weekend for Neymar Jr. A red card and a Bolsonaro loss. 😂

Fascism hasn’t been defeated and democracy isn’t and wasn’t dead. But in an attention economy, where analysts are their own media brand, politics is increasingly reduced to simplistic sensationalist statements, which generate strong emotional responses but little actual insight.

Sie forschen zur Etablierung der radikalen Rechten, zu Umgang, Gegenstrategien und Brandmauern? Dann ist diese Woche noch Gelegenheit, einen Paper-Vorschlag für das von Anna-Sophie Heinze und mir geleitete Panel beim DVPW-Kongress 2027 in Leipzig einzureichen! 👇🏻

The only downside of these great political victories outside of the U.S. are the incredibly bad and parochial takes of U.S. politicos.

Obrigado, povo brasileiro! 📸 Ricardo Stuckert

Yes, there will be a Blue Wave in the Midterms next month, but that has nothing to do with today’s results in Brazil and Serbia.

OMG! I’m starting to believe! 😍

Lula now has a Hillary Clinton level chance of winning the election!

After more than 10% of polling stations have been counted, Lula is given a 92% chance to win and is expected to win by a 4% margin, despite the attempts of pro-Bolsonaro politicians and businessmen to keep Lula supporters from voting. If true, this would be another amazing comeback by Lula.

The victories in Hungary and Serbia do not so much show that (liberal) democracy works but rather that competitive authoritarianism is not as strong as is often assumed.

What an absolutely wonderful and deserved victory. May this be the long last start of the youth revolution in Europe. ✊

What a monumental success in Serbia. Young people coming together, believing in change and fighting for a better future. It should be a lesson for democracies around the globe. Our democracies can only work when young people are represented and empowered, when engagement goes beyond career politics.

Brazilian media report on a dubious lack of public busses on voting day. This already happened in the last presidential election and seems an attempt by pro-Bolsonaro forces to keep Lula voters from voting.

Socrates says: Vote Lula! 🌹

Fingers crossed 🤞 Unlike people in other countries confronted with an authoritarian regime (🙄), Serbians have protested and resisted bravely, continuously, and virulently. ✊

We staan vierde in de Eredivisie. En terwijl ajax en Feyenoord beter zijn geworden, is vooral PSV nog zwakker dan vorig seizoen. Wederom niet echt nagedacht over de achterhoede. En blessures zijn ook geen excuus als je geblesseerde spelers koopt. 😔

Style icon and gender bender

What a wonderful band! ❤️

This is a fairly common gender gap, kind of holding the middle between that of conservative and far-right parties, reflecting the Bolsonaro coalition.

What this article fails to mention, perhaps because it has become so common for all car manufacturers, Audi chooses Georgia because it is a “right to work” state (hello Orwell), which means a union-busting state.

The German car industry has a long history of embracing right-wing authoritarian regimes, from Hitler to Orbán to Trump.

This is amazing! Most endowments go to buildings, sports, or students. Very few go to faculty… almost as if they are not really important. 🙄

The Timbers Army stands in support of the Rose City Riveters and our transgender and LGBTQ+ community. We see you. We support you. We protect our own. Hateful messages about gender and identity are not acceptable in our spaces. #RCTID

I think there is a difference between "impeachment" and "investigation". Impeachment is not just largely symbolical, as it won't lead to actual change, it's also perceived as purely "political" (i.e. partisan). Legal investigations are different and connect closer to public concerns of corruption.

I fully agree with Tarik and the only thing that makes me somewhat optimistic about the future is talking to younger people for whom “radical change” simply means “change”. Progressive organizations need to embrace and empower the youth, in particular young women.

None of these “innovations” help us. A robot doesn’t deliver better than a human. They are all for “them”. A way to escape paying people minimum wage and to further commodify their clients.

What’s picture 😲

Burgers 🍔

Everyone goes on and on about Infantino making so much money for FIFA, but a monkey could get $10 billion for a World Cup. The World Cup is a great product, despite rather than because of infantino!

AUSWÄRTSSIEG!!! 🤍🖤

Funny, I pay all my taxes and also stay in my state, and I don't even have the right to vote or the power to influence my overly ambitious and unprincipled governor. Yet, no one is cheering for me.... 🤡