The Loop. A Political Science Blog from @ECPR

📯 Important announcement! 🚛 We have moved 🙋🏼Come with us?👇🏽

First piece of 2026: 'How nuclear weapon reductions backfired for NATO' for @ECPR_TheLoop theloop.ecpr.eu/how-nuclear-we…

🚁 On 3 January 2026, US military invaded Venezuela, capturing and removing president #NicolásMaduro. 💡 But @vasabjit_b & @Maripuerta caution that beyond Maduro's ousting, the Trump administration lacks a plan for sustaining a democratic regime 👇 bit.ly/4pznACr

🇺🇸 The US capture and extraction of Venezuelan leader #NicolásMaduro on 3 January 2026 was an act without precedent. 🇻🇪 But Ruairidh Brown argues that recent events in #Caracas were only the second Act in an unfolding post-exceptionalist world order ⤵️ bit.ly/49zgdoD

🇺🇦 A fair and durable #PeaceSettlement for Ukraine remains elusive. According to Dennis Shen, an outcome that is overly accommodating of Russia’s war aims would only deepen present global geopolitical tensions and compound fiscal and economic challenges ⤵️ bit.ly/4jAEy1U

'At the individual level, car use isn’t a choice for many, but the consequence of a system that renders them reliant on cars to function. This leaves millions in effective poverty because they have no choice but to own a car.' - Will Edmonds @ECPR_TheLoop theloop.ecpr.eu/the-social-cos…

🎈No.5 @anmingli75 introduces a pioneering #DeliberativeDemocracy project inviting students & staff to develop measures to future-proof their university against social and environmental challenges, bridging the citizen-institution #RepresentativeDisconnect bit.ly/4jBg7Bn

🪧Many #extremist organisations operate in democratic societies. Some get banned; others don’t. Why? 🇩🇪 Using data from Germany, @michaelczeller explains why governments ban only some organisations working to undermine constitutional democracy #extremism ⤵️bit.ly/3YuECH0

🇺🇸 The #TrumpAdministration is advancing an #illiberal #Atlanticism that reimagines the West in manners uncannily similar to how #Putin imagines Eurasia. 🌎@SunSibei considers what this means for future transatlantic relations #illiberalism #Eurasianism ⤵️ bit.ly/4b8eqtl

🚗 The UK’s car-centric transport policy is pushing millions into effective poverty through forced car ownership. 🚌 Will Edmonds argues that prioritising #PublicTransport - and equalising accessibility - would break Britain's reliance on the car. ⤵️ bit.ly/49GkFDg

👨‍💻 In a piece based on @PolBehavior research, @chrisbutlerpol reports on his recent survey of politicians. 💡 While politicians do have reasonable understanding of which issues matter, they often make mistakes that have consequences for representation 👇🏾 bit.ly/3KZhugI

📘My new piece @ECPR_TheLoop is out. #Türkiye shows a shift toward governing through permanent crisis—#elections remain, but #liberal guarantees are hollowed out. In this context, #cities like #Istanbul can still keep #democratic practices alive. theloop.ecpr.eu/what-turkiye-r…

👨‍💻 Information warfare has moved to the centre of the UK security agenda. 🖥️ Digital manipulation and foreign interference now shape public understanding of risk. 🇬🇧 Yuliia Turchenko weighs up the threat - and suggests how the UK should respond. ⤵️ bit.ly/4plPSjM

🎈#RepresentativeDisconnect No.5 @SuleYaylac, @Edana_Beauvais & Mark E. Warren show how #DemocraticInnovations help elites tackle inclusion gaps, agenda-setting dilemmas, and decision-making deadlocks. They also highlight the risks of #DemocracyWashing 👇bit.ly/4paqmOh

🇹🇷 @gulsendgnn argues that Türkiye’s long crisis reveals a new way of governing, stretching liberal rules without fully abandoning them. Cities like Istanbul keep democratic options alive even as national politics turns in a more authoritarian direction 👇bit.ly/4aBnbMa

🇪🇺 The rapid contraction of EU presence in the #Sahel has sparked debate over Europe’s diminishing influence. EU capacity building in Sahel 🇳🇪 Niger, says Elise Ketelaars, offers lessons for crisis management and security sector reform efforts #SahelNiger bit.ly/3MJVy9Q

🇺🇸 Trump’s 2025 tariff shock marks a turn toward a near-isolationist US #TradePolicy. 💱Yet, in their piece based on @IntOrgJournal research, @andduer & @al_invernizzi argue the international trading system is likely to weather the storm #TrumpTariffs ⤵️bit.ly/4pPsGeG

@ECPR_TheLoop invites pitches for the Future of Populism blog series, co-edited by @petraguasti.bsky.social and myself. 🔍 Any country, method, approach. 🎓 PhD students & ECRs especially encouraged. ✍️ Submit via The Loop 👉 lnkd.in/ghAy6s96

💪 Through strongman toughness or maternal guardianship, populists model idealised versions of a nation’s citizens + naturalise exclusion. ♀️♂️ Selina Mabrouki shows how #populist leaders exploit gendered role models as tools of emotional persuasion. 👇 bit.ly/44HLcNH

🎈 #RepresentativeDisconnect No.4 🔗 Can we reconnect political institutions + citizens? 🔃 Dario Castiglione says we must first rethink democratic representation as a process of mutual engagement; then re-imagine its political practices + institutions. 👇 bit.ly/4pXC3ta