A lot of social scientists have migrated to Bluesky from Twitter. This is part of an attempt to recreate what Academic Twitter used to be like before Musk bought the platform and turned it into a right-wing disinformation arm rife with trolling and void of meaningful discussion. The quality of posts and conversations on Bluesky are already superior to those on Twitter. Here are some starter packs (curated lists of accounts that can be followed with one "follow all" click) for new Bluesky users who are interested in IR and social science more broadly but feel overwhelmed by having to re-create a feed from scratch:

• https://bsky.app/starter-pack/profalexp.bsky.social/3l4tsdod5fb2y
• https://bsky.app/starter-pack/miniannette.bsky.social/3laqqhkb5db25
• https://bsky.app/starter-pack/thomsampson.bsky.social/3l2jll7uuaw2e
• https://bsky.app/starter-pack/klamberg.bsky.social/3lajldso5nc2g
• https://bsky.app/starter-pack/nielsarts.bsky.social/3lawk7u22pb2m
• https://bsky.app/starter-pack/pavisuri.bsky.social/3lapekf7g7e2z
• https://bsky.app/starter-pack/charig.bsky.social/3laj3u2ffoy2h
• https://bsky.app/starter-pack/nhledbetter.bsky.social/3laikb7ruld2w
• https://bsky.app/starter-pack/oonahathaway.bsky.social/3lamb3baq5c2n
• https://bsky.app/starter-pack/sebvanbaalen.bsky.social/3l3sxcj2inp2q
• https://bsky.app/starter-pack/anthonymkreis.bsky.social/3laogyklmh42r
• https://bsky.app/starter-pack/drrobthompson.com/3lak5xl7fpe2f
• https://bsky.app/starter-pack/mararevkin.bsky.social/3lapk5mx4q223
• https://bsky.app/starter-pack/jessicavanmeir.bsky.social/3lamnmraz3o2w

I don’t know if it’s going to be attractive to have a remote IR bachelor degree for an employer. Specially considering that IR is already thought enough to find a job…

Has anyone studied there? Would you recommend doing it or not doing it?

Hi - I want to study a masters in international relations with a view to developing a specialism in the Middle East.

Which uni should I consider? Any other advice or tips? Any books I should read?

Thanks

I’m a 2nd year student in undergrad at UCSD which from my understanding is a very good IR school. I am currently thinking I will do a Masters here but am not fixed on the idea.

I am thinking I want to study abroad for my third year and am heavily considering science po as I have a background in French but I’m uncertain. Would studying there make me competitive for future grad programs or employment? Where else should I consider? Any general advice?

Thanks, Lost undergrad

Hi everyone! im writing my senior history capstone on the BRICS group and analyzing their challenge to american hegemony, particularly from the viewpoint of Russia. I am wondering if anyone has any helpful sources or points that i can make, as its due pretty soon and i havent really done much of it. I have a lot of secondary sources that analyze the economics of BRICS+ but im wondering if anyone has any other helpful sources about idealogy... or basically anything helpful!

I'm working on a research paper on perspectives surrounding the idea of the "New Cold War". Does anyone know of any prominent Western scholars refuting this idea?

I apologize in advance if this isn't the proper place to ask this. What can the relevant offices and institutions do to prepare for, prevent, and mitigate damages which may be incurred by the US State Dept being transitioned from strong, competent, and experienced leadership to potentially weak, unskilled, and relatively unseasoned leadership?

Thankfully being a federated system, the individual US states can counteract (to some degree) social measures the incoming administration may try to push. Being perhaps the preeminent capitalist country on earth, business leaders and monetary wonks will push back on the economic front. Foreign affairs, being a different beast, doesn't seem to offer too much in the way of recourse.

Hi all,

I know the basics of the conflict, but I feel like I see zero news coverage as to where the war stands today.

Does it look like it'll end any time soon or could it drag on another 10 years? Does the U.S. election mean anything new for the conflict? What's keeping this conflict lasting so long?

Nuclear weapons will likely proliferate at a higher rate in the coming decades thanks to the unreliability of alliances that provide nuclear umbrellas. Ukraine, South Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia and other places with long standing security problems will embrace domestic nuclear arsenals instead of relying on the United States, Russia or China.

Hello, i’m on my last semesters of College and I’m intrested in trying get an essay or research paper publish in an student run undergraduate journal or academic magazines and I was wondering if anyone has had any experience in submitting and getting thier work published in undergraduate journals or the like.

I'm an undergrad IR student and I'm finishing in summer 2025. I live in Hungary currently, and I was wondering what should I do after graduation. I'm not interested in going back home and work for the government; I'd like to stay in europe and either try to find a job or study Masters, which I'm considering international economics or public policy. I aim to work for international organizations as a project manager or consultant, although I'm looking for other options as plan B and C.

Esp, In particular, what do all "Rulers" have in common?

(I've seen the cgp grey video rules for rulers and read dictators handbook, I love those as suggestions but just to be clear I'm asking because I want resources beyond those!/to hear other perspectives)

If we go by dictators handbook, it seems like what's constitutive of a ruler is the power of the purse. "They know where the money is". But that doesn't seem to match my intuitions? Like, the finance minister, the central banker, the person in charge of taxation, the most senior administrators in the executive branch: sometimes these people are the "real power", but the ruler is doing something right? Or are all rulers figureheads unless they're also detail oriented accountants?

So yeah, what "functional roles" appear in all governments? And in particular, at least where there is a single person we could reasonably call the ruler, what is the functional role that corresponds to?

(Some functional roles I take it all governments have: some suborganization involved in collecting taxes, some suborganization involved in spending taxes, some suborganization which proposes new laws, some suborganization which enshrines new laws (I take it having a body which votes on laws is contingent not universal), some suborganization which maintains and uses military force).

I'm (24F) a Dutch/Belgian/Moroccan citizen and speak 5 languages fluently. I have a Bsc in Political Science and a Msc in International Politics. I've done an internship at an NGO in Brussels, one at our Diplomatic Mission to the UN in New York and an internship at our Consulate-General in Canada. You might think my network should be very good now, which is the case, but it doesn't help. I graduated last summer and cannot find a job. I haven't gotten a single reply to any job I applied for. People have reviewed my resume and motivation letters and nobody understands.

Every single entry-level job requires two years of experience and the competition is insane. Your competition is basically the rest of the world. Finding a job in the US or UK is impossible because of visa sponsorship. I've started looking at the Gulf countries (I speak Arabic) but even there it's hard as a person without experience. Brussels is currently a sh*t show, 30-year olds are still applying for internships. I'm feeling so lost and don't know what to do. I am not picky at all when it comes to location but even the field office jobs in underdeveloped countries require experience. So what am I supposed to do now? Do I have to settle for another unpaid internship? I've checked every single youth program, every fellowship program. I am also looking in the private sector such as consulting, banks.. I just feel so lost right now.

I’m interested in researching the differences between personalistic autocracies and party states.

First, if anyone knows of relevant studies or papers on this topic, I’d really appreciate any recommendations.

Beyond that, I’m looking for a consistent methodology to distinguish between the two. I can usually tell the difference if given an example (for instance, I'd feel comfortable calling Francoist Spain a personalistic dictatorship even though they technically had a one-party system). But going through various regimes and classifying them by hand could introduce bias into any research.

So, I’m wondering if anyone is familiar with or has ideas for a reliable methodology to differentiate between the two? Thank you!

Currently Trump is the "Sum of all Beers" president - tweeting about watching football and shipping designer watches....

I'm wondering what you think - does the current model, outside of MAD - need an update or is it sufficient? Or what else? When we talk about the sweeping forms of policy - things which happen within and outside - competition, what's the requirement?

Like - if we imagine a word - ambitious - is the standard appropriate? How does this get answered? What do you think?

Sorry I won't be "Crazy_Cheescaking142" my way around here - I have two original dumb questions, in the last week. Happy sunday and much love from where I am, to where you are -