Historian and author, THE ATLANTIC REALISTS @Stanfordpress; Sr. Fellow, Inst. Euro. Studies@UCBerkeley; editor @HistJrlTheory; lecturer in History@SantaClaraU

Joined July 2009
117 Photos and videos
Pinned Tweet
Habermas was extremely generous with me as a young doctoral student writing his dissertation on his political development in the Federal Republic. RIP.
4
15
139
11,698
Matthew Specter retweeted
A very good book -- there is undoubtedly a future for intellectual work, but perhaps not in the form we have grown used to. Congratulations @cwellmon!
3
65
400
26,468
Matthew Specter retweeted
Historian here I never thought I would be in People magazine thanks to a History podcast produced by President Obama. The first episode on Reconstruction dropped June 4 on Audible and will be widely available on all platforms on June 18. Give it a listen people.com/barack-obama-laun…
4
26
82
3,795
Matthew Specter retweeted
published by @HurstPublishers and @OxUniPress this week, my 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐬: 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤 hurstpublishers.com/book/dem…
1
37
115
6,757
Matthew Specter retweeted
Read General Budanov’s detailed analysis here: tinyurl.com/2ff7mffz
3
31
164
13,085
Matthew Specter retweeted
Congratulations to Lydia Walker, Mershon Center affiliate, on being selected as one of five finalists in the History category for the 2026 @ACLS1919 Open Access Book Prize and Arcadia Open Access Publishing Award.
1
3
11
418
Matthew Specter retweeted
1/ Human equality comes before human difference. We can spot differences only because we're all humans first—and in that regard, equal.
1
2
3
500
Matthew Specter retweeted
The series that I co-edit w/ Antonio Costa Pinto at Cambridge University Press, Elements in the history and populism of fascism is growing!!! New books by Amy King and Constantin Iordachi will be out soon!!! @CUP_Elements @CUP_PoliSci cambridge.org/core/publicati…
1
15
50
3,871
Matthew Specter retweeted
🎥 “It’s like you might as well be sitting with a fourth grader.” — Jeremy Scahill relaying how Iranian officials described U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff during ongoing negotiations with Iran. Speaking on Majority Report, Scahill said the talks reflected a broader pattern of U.S. policy in the region being shaped by Israeli intelligence and around Israeli objectives. Iran came to the table with nuclear PhDs and experts fluent in every clause of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The U.S. “sent Trump’s golf buddy and his son-in-law.” Scahill said Jared Kushner was “not…operating on behalf of U.S. national security” at all — but those of Israel, the Gulf states, and the “Trump crime family” business. He cited Kushner’s significant financial backing from Gulf sovereign wealth funds and reported ongoing coordination with PM Benjamin Netanyahu throughout the talks. Contrasting that with Iran’s delegation of nuclear specialists and policy experts, Scahill said Iranian officials ultimately concluded the February negotiations were not serious, but a prelude to war. @jeremyscahill | @EmmaVigeland
38
890
2,645
99,543
Matthew Specter retweeted
This exchange between @SenBlumenthal and Trump’s judicial nominees is utterly astounding. If you can watch this and still think this country isn’t falling into authoritarianism and fascism under Donald Trump, then you are not being honest with yourself.
1,148
9,212
26,569
742,027
New co-authored article out in International Political Sociology: "The Uses and Abuses of the Anti-Colonial in Global Reactionary Politics".
10
56
267
61,251
Matthew Specter retweeted
Everyone should read what the Israeli military did to journalist Amal Khalil today in this minute-by-minute account as the international community watched in horror. First the text messages threatening her then trapping her and a photographer in a house then bombing them then firing on international rescue crews, all with the world watching in real time. There are no words left for the horrors that U.S. political leaders are enabling.
🚨BREAKING🚨Israeli forces are now issuing direct death threats to Lebanese journalists on WhatsApp as well as besieging them. Al-Akhbar correspondent @AmalKhalil83, who has been documenting the devastation across southern Lebanon, received these messages from an Israeli number ( 972 54-869-5113): “We know where you are… we will reach you… leave if you want to keep your head on your shoulders.” First message: “Alright, my lady, you are moving from one village to another, but you still haven’t gone to enough funerals or hospitals. There is a lot of grief & sorrow behind that smile you try to show on Twitter. Let’s see what your answer will be… Is your house still standing, Anisa (Miss)? I hope so?” Second message: “We know where you are & we will reach you when the time comes. Even though you are not important to us, in the end we will take everything into account. I suggest you flee to Qatar or somewhere else if you want to keep your head connected to your shoulders :)” This is not intimidation. This is the IDF issuing an explicit death threat to a journalist for covering their crimes. At the same time, Israeli forces besieged Amal al-Khalil & journalist Zeinab Faraj in al-Tayri, blocking the Red Cross & Lebanese Army from reaching them. They were in a delegate vehicle when a drone strike hit a vehicle behind them, killing two people. Both journalists were trapped at the scene. Amal contacted the Red Cross before her phone died. Her last message confirmed she was still safe. Rescue teams still cannot reach the two besieged journalists, Amal al-Khalil & Zeinab Faraj. They are just 500 meters away, but the road has been cut off by an Israeli strike, according to Red Cross paramedics. This is targeting journalists in real time. This is a crime. Pure state terrorism against the press.
191
12,631
22,834
792,569
Matthew Specter retweeted
The Collaborative Constitution is ‘one of those rare field-defining works that will stimulate discussion and further scholarship for years’ Blown away by this generous review of my book by @MarkTushnet in the recent issue of @icon_journal. Thanks, Mark! academic.oup.com/icon/articl…
2
18
57
7,491
Matthew Specter retweeted
Latin America from past to present. @JaneyProgram annual conference. This year: 2 panels on Venezuela & Mexico with Caterina Pizzigoni (Columbia), Paul Gillingham (Northwestern), @AleVelascoNYU & Ale Panzarelli, Daniel Fermin & myself from @TheNewSchool
7
17
1,720
Matthew Specter retweeted
BREAKING: U.S. Military veterans are occupying the Cannon building in the nation’s Capitol to protest the US’s war on Iran and Israel’s genocide on Gaza.
1,821
35,572
131,194
2,055,504
Matthew Specter retweeted
CONFIRMED: The US joint Chiefs of staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine stormed out of an emergency meeting with Trump. Insiders indicate that Trump wanted to invoke the nuclear codes as a deterrence against Iran but Caine refused and invoked the U.S. Uniform Code of Military Justice.
1,867
11,540
43,617
2,969,554
Matthew Specter retweeted
Fascism and the Global Right, just received this new key book by @mfuentescodera & J. Rodrigo
2
47
227
9,199
Matthew Specter retweeted
Thanks for sharing this @RNCResearch Yes I am for Medicare for all & free college and trade schools. Tax billionaires. No funding for war in Iran.
Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna calls for socialized healthcare and "free" college: KHANNA: "The moment has finally come for national health insurance...we need free college and free trade schools."
1,783
1,937
13,543
351,782
Matthew Specter retweeted
Apr 14
Khanna: They’re saying this technology is going to be bigger than nuclear, bigger than electricity, bigger than aviation. Last I checked, we have an FAA for aviation, nuclear energy is regulated, and electricity is regulated.  So you’re telling me on one hand that this is going to be bigger, and then you’re saying you don’t want any regulation. I mean, it makes no sense.
112
1,688
8,913
409,856
Matthew Specter retweeted
Hotlines for US soldiers thinking of leaving the armed forces as "conscientious objectors" are being overwhelmed. Almost all the calls mention the bombing of the girls' school in Iran that killed more than 100 school children. npr.org/2026/04/10/nx-s1-577…
600
9,168
22,202
761,710
Matthew Specter retweeted
Meanwhile Budapest is absolutely glowing tonight! 🇭🇺 Massive crowds turned out for Péter Magyar’s Tisza Party opposition rally — a sea of torches and lights lighting up the night against Orbán and Russia. Elections are tomorrow…
341
3,962
20,829
640,153