Will Smiley

@will-smiley

History (Ottoman and Russian Empires) and international law. Author, "From Slaves to Prisoners of War" (Oxford, 2018) and co-author, "To Save the Country" (Yale, 2019). All views strictly my own.

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Will Smiley@will-smiley· 26d

This kind of thing always makes me think of when the NYT interviewed a rising (Republican) political star in Mississippi a couple years ago:

Mr. White, the Mississippi state auditor, majored in political science and economics at the University of Mississippi before becoming a Rhodes scholar and a graduate of Harvard Law School — a fine example, perhaps, of the value of the liberal arts.
But if he could do it over again, he might switch majors, he said, because "political science majors don't command a high salary." Working on a campaign or in government might be more valuable experience than the degree, he said.

Will Smiley@will-smiley· Jul 7

The script-writers missed an obvious opportunity for this to be the UN Headquarters.

New York Times Headline: "Midtown Manhattan Building Evacuated as Officials Warn of Collapse."

Will Smiley@will-smiley· Jun 18

Oh there’s an even better analogy

Will Smiley@will-smiley· Jun 17

Ok maybe more like Zsitvatorok, if the two sides can't even agree on a shared written text.

Will Smiley@will-smiley· Jun 10

You hear stories about 1970s inflation but this brings it home: in 1974, IJMES articles were just 6 pages long. Now they're 20. I suppose after our current round of inflation they'll be over 100.

A title and header for an 'International Journal of Middle East Studies' article, Metin Kunt's 'Ethnic-Regional (Cins) Solidarity in the Seventeenth-Century Ottoman Establishment,' showing that it ran from pages 233-239 when it was published in 1974.

Will Smiley@will-smiley· Jun 8

amazing and so telling to compare this to Mike Lee in 2016. Back then he saw the history of LDS persecution by Protestants as a reason to stand up for all minority religious rights. Now he apparently just wants his own group not to be seen as a minority group. www.nytimes.com/2016/07/01/u...

Not finished, Mr. Lee went on to express concern about things that Mr. Trump has said about Muslims and how that turns off voters in his state, which has a large Mormon population.

“We can go through the fact that he has made some statements that some have identified correctly as religiously intolerant,” Mr. Lee said.

He added: “We can get into the fact that he is so unpopular because my state consists of members who were a religious minority church — a people who were ordered exterminated by the governor of Missouri in 1839, and statements like that make them nervous.”

Will Smiley@will-smiley· Jun 1

and as if to prove my point, the NYT today on the president of SJSU: gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/06/01/m...

Teniente-Matson, who arrived at San Jose in 2023 after eight years at the helm of Texas A&M University-San Antonio, is leading the school’s A.I. charge. In person, she is affable and eccentric, and often power-dresses in bright primary colors. When we met, she was wearing green rhinestone-studded high heels in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. She frequently refers to herself as the “C.E.O.” of the university and compares herself to tech leaders in Silicon Valley: “We’re all trying to do the same thing,” she told me, “which is to mobilize our entire work force in this rapidly changing environment to adapt, create, innovate and be more productive.”

Will Smiley@will-smiley· May 21

This new requirement replaces existing humanities/social science requirements. Those gen ed reqs were carefully planned by experts and the legislature is just trashing them. This will not only narrow education, but also devastate enrollments and threaten the future of those departments.

2. A course required by this section shall fulfill the general educationor core curriculumrequirementfor social sciences or humanities, as designatedby the institution, that a student is requiredto complete as a conditionof graduation.

Will Smiley@will-smiley· May 18

...and thus did the English merchants of the Levant Company set sail for Alexandretta in search of silk and spices, bypassing Portuguese control of Hormuz and the Indian Ocean.

New York Times Headline: "A Search for Ways Around Blocked Strait of Hormuz Leads to Syria: The latest war in the Middle East has created new economic opportunities for Syria thanks to its geography."

Will Smiley@will-smiley· May 10

huge crowds

Will Smiley@will-smiley· May 10

The EU flag back up on the Parliament building (it wasn't there in the morning, before the new government came in)

Will Smiley@will-smiley· May 10

The reaction as Magyar became PM:

Will Smiley@will-smiley· May 10

On the left is the chief of staff of the Hungarian army (check the nametag!)

Will Smiley@will-smiley· May 10

A few more pics from yesterday--

Will Smiley@will-smiley· May 9

Alkotmány utca is packed and impassable for its entire length. Budapest, with less than 2 million people, is definitely putting on a much bigger party today than Moscow, with over 13 million. Huh.

Will Smiley@will-smiley· May 9

And now the EU flag is up on the Parliament building. This was not flying 3 hours ago (before the new parliament took office)

Will Smiley@will-smiley· May 9

I’m at the Parliament Building in Budapest where they’re about to swear in Péter Magyar as PM. People are out with Hungarian, EU, and NATO flags. Also there’s a Smash Burger and a BBQ serving pulled pork. And I saw someone drinking Dreher beer which is a nice send off for Rod.

Will Smiley@will-smiley· May 9

Ready to return from exile?

The Central European University building at Nádor Utica 9 in Budapest, still bearing the university name despite its expulsion from the country a decade ago.

Will Smiley@will-smiley· Apr 28

Will Smiley@will-smiley· Apr 15

I teach a Russian history survey course. I specifically did NOT focus it on "East and West," and I definitely didn't use those terms in the course description. But Google Gemini decided they should be there anyway, because you just can't have a Russian history course without an east-west obsession!

A google AI overview resulting from a search for a course titled "Russia and the World." It says:

"Russia and the World" is a course (HUMA 547 or HIST 547) offered at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) that covers the history of the Russian state from the 1200s to the present, focusing on imperial expansion, cultural diversity, and international relations. It examines the continuities between Muscovy, the Russian Empire, and the Soviet Union. ® University of New Hampshire +1
Key Aspects of the Course
• Time Period: Covers from 1200s through the Russian Federation.
• Focus: Analyzes Russia's role in the world, specifically its relationships between
East and West.
• Themes: Includes war and society, social justice, political freedom, and state building.
• Example Term: Fall 2024 (HUMA 547, 4.0 credits). @ University of New Hampshire +2
This course is listed under both Humanities and History departments at
UNH. ® University of New Hampshire

Will Smiley@will-smiley· Apr 11

It gets better

Will Smiley@will-smiley· Apr 10

Viscount Bury, the John Mearshimer of his day (1878)--just replace "Treaty of 1856" with "NATO expansion" and you're good to go.

"It must be remembered that the Treaty [of Paris, 1856] was imposed upon Russia at the time of her direst despair, when she was on her knees with the bayonets of half Europe at her throat. Then unable to resist, she was obliged to sign that Treaty, which took from her many of what she considered her rights, which she had fought for on many a bloody field...The Treaty of 1856 was looked upon by Russian statesmen as the disgrace of their manhood, and they wished now utterly to wipe out and destroy it. It could not be supposed that at this moment, when the Czar had made so may sacrifices, he would yield to this country [Britain] merely because it sent its Diplomatists into a Conference."

Will Smiley@will-smiley· Apr 10

Wow.