Ken Schultz

@kschultz

I am professor of political science at Stanford University and an avid nature photographer. All views are my own. More photos at

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Ken Schultz@kschultz· 4d

Just recalling this passage from the National Security Strategy (Nov 2025)

But the days in which the Middle East dominated American foreign policy in both long-term planning and day-to-day execution are thankfully over—not because the Middle East no longer matters, but because it is no longer the constant irritant, and potential source of imminent catastrophe, that it once was. It is rather emerging as a place of partnership, friendship, and investment—a trend that should be welcomed and encouraged. In fact, President Trump's ability to unite the Arab world at Sharm el-Sheikh in pursuit of peace and normalization will allow the United States to finally prioritize American interests.

Ken Schultz@kschultz· 6d

As an addendum to the discussion of institutional neutrality clause in the Vanderbilt statement, I want to call out this passage. If I'm not mistaken, it articulates a political ideology and theory of social change before saying that universities cannot have such things.

To ensure this enduring success, American universities need to be firmly committed to their core purpose: the cultivation of a free and self-governing republic by the creation, preservation, and dissemination of knowledge through reason, argument, and evidence, rooted in the pursuit of truth and discovery at the frontiers of human knowledge and in a university culture of free inquiry, wide-ranging debate, and academic excellence.

If faculty and students seek to pursue the truth wherever it lies, a university cannot have a political ideology or pursue a particular vision of social change.

Ken Schultz@kschultz· 11d

When you are defeated in the sense of “unable to achieve your goals” but not defeated in the sense of “unable to continue military operations” then you are perpetually “headed for defeat” until you decide to end it. That’s how you get forever wars.

In Iran, the U.S.
Appears Headed for a Strategic Defeat, Allies
Fear

Ken Schultz@kschultz· 17d

You can’t message a war into being popular without changing the underlying reality. Good paper on this from Baum and Groeling. www.jstor.org/stable/40930...

Reality Asserts Itself: Public Opinion on Iraq and the Elasticity of Reality Matthew A. Baum and Tim Groeling
Abstract
Prevailing theories hold that U.S. public support for a war depends
primarily on its degree of success, U.S. casualties, or conflict goals. Yet, research into the framing of foreign policy shows that public perceptions concerning each of these factors are often endogenous and malleable by elites. In this article, we argue that both elite rhetoric and the situation on the ground in the conflict affect public opinion, but the qualities that make such information persuasive vary over time and with circumstances. Early in a conflict, elites (especially the president) have an informational advantage that renders public perceptions of "reality" very elastic. As events unfold and as the public gathers more information, this elasticity recedes, allowing alternative frames to challenge the administration's preferred frame. We predict that over time the marginal impact of elite rhetoric and reality will decrease, although a sustained change in events may eventually restore their influence. We test our argument through a content analysis of news coverage of the Iraq war from 2003 through 2007, an original survey of public attitudes regarding Iraq, and partially disaggregated data from more than 200 surveys of public opinion on the war.

Ken Schultz@kschultz· 29d

The Berlin Holocaust Memorial at night 📷

A row lined with rectangular stones with the rectangular windows of an apartment building in the background.

Ken Schultz@kschultz· Jul 11

Not going to hold my breath.

"Secretary Rubio said that we are not at war with Venezuela," Representative Sean Casten, Democrat of Illinois, said to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during a congressional hearing in February. What authority, Mr. Casten asked, did the United States have to control Venezuelan assets?
Mr. Bessent told Mr. Casten that he would get back to him.

Ken Schultz@kschultz· Jul 11

The Tulip Stairs, Queen’s House, Greenwich 📷

Ken Schultz@kschultz· Jun 28

p=0.06

Video review from Portugal-Colombia game showing Colombian player’s toe just offsides.

Ken Schultz@kschultz· Jun 21

Quirky find at the Ambrosiana museum in Milan: gloves worn by Napoleon at Waterloo.

Ken Schultz@kschultz· Jun 20

View from the Palazzo Borromeo on Lake Maggiore, Italy. 📷

View through a on open door looking out on lake with an island and mountains behind. The doorway is ornately decorated with stones.

Ken Schultz@kschultz· Jun 16

When Trump withdrew from JCPOA in 2018, Mike Pompeo gave a speech outlining a set of demands that any new agreement would have to meet. If we want to judge, not just the outcome of this war, but the broader project of renegotiating the Iran deal, this is a useful yardstick.

So what should it be? We must begin to define what it is that we demand from Iran.

First, Iran must declare to the IAEA a full account of the prior military dimensions of its
nuclear program, and permanently and verifiably abandon such work in perpetuity.

Second, Iran must stop enrichment and never pursue plutonium reprocessing. This
includes closing its heavy water reactor.

Third, Iran must also provide the IAEA with unqualified access to all sites throughout the
entire country.

Iran must end its proliferation of ballistic missiles and halt further launching or
development of nuclear-capable missile systems.

Iran must release all U.S. citizens, as well as citizens of our partners and allies, each of
them detained on spurious charges.

Iran must end support to Middle East terrorist groups, including Lebanese Hizballah,
Hamas, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Iran must respect the sovereignty of the Iraqi Government and permit the disarming,
demobilization, and reintegration of Shia militias.

Iran must also end its military support for the Houthi militia and work towards a peaceful
political settlement in Yemen.

Iran must withdraw all forces under Iranian command throughout the entirety of Syria.

Iran, too, must end support for the Taliban and other terrorists in Afghanistan and the
region, and cease harboring senior al-Qaida leaders.

Iran, too, must end the IRG Qods Force's support for terrorists and militant partners
around the world.

And too, Iran must end its threatening behavior against its neighbors - many of whom are
U.S. allies. This certainly includes its threats to destroy Israel, and its firing of missiles into
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. It also includes threats to international
shipping and destructive - and destructive cyberattacks.

Ken Schultz@kschultz· Jun 5

Paris sunset 📷

Ken Schultz@kschultz· May 28

Saying goodbye to Zurich, my home away from home for the past 8 months. Thanks for a great time.

Ken Schultz@kschultz· May 27

Jaws meme "You're going to need a bigger column."

Ken Schultz@kschultz· May 24

Wildflowers and wild mountains (Grosser Mythen peak, Switzerland)📷

Ken Schultz@kschultz· May 22

Zurich

A blurry tram passes by a cityscape with a church tower in the background. The sky has remnants of sunset.

Ken Schultz@kschultz· May 20

The plan to put him in power involved bombing his home??

Mr. Ahmadinejad was injured on the war's first day by an Israeli strike at his home in Tehran that had been designed to free him from house arrest, the American officials and an associate of Mr. Ahmadinejad said.
He survived the strike, they said, but after the near miss he became disillusioned with the regime change plan.

Ken Schultz@kschultz· May 18

Yep, did that too

Ken Schultz@kschultz· May 18

Switzerland’s incomparable Lauterbrunnen Valley. (Said to be the inspiration for Tolkien’s Rivendell.) To make it a truly Swiss experience, the photo was taken from a moving train. 📷

An idyllic valley with two waterfalls. A town with a charming church is nestled within, next to a churning river.

Ken Schultz@kschultz· Apr 26

View on the Stoosbahn, the steepest funicular rail in Europe, with a maximum angle of 47.7 degrees. The circular cabins rotate to keep passengers level.