folks who teach undergrad Middle East politics courses, what books do you assign? I had been using Lynch's Arab Uprisings Explained, but I worry the Arab Spring focus is out of date. Was also considering Milton-Edwards' textbook. Any thoughts welcome.

just wrote this for the Duck of Minerva, on the anniversary of Russia's invasion of #ukraine. Putin used religious appeals to build a transnational coalition, but this failed to undermine Western opposition to the invasion. I discuss why, drawing on my forthcoming book with Cornell UP
https://www.duckofminerva.com/2023/02/the-transnational-coalition-that-wasnt-russia-the-west-and-ukraine.html

one of the more annoying bad reviewer comments is when they complain that you "cited but did not engage w/" a scholar. Honestly not sure what that means, besides that I didn't base my theory on that work or amplified its conclusions instead of my own. #academicmastodon

I had a recent paper get a set of reviews that basically wanted me to write something different. Editors graciously gave me a R&R, but I told them there's no way to satisfy the reviewers. We need to stop doing this to ourselves.

we need to talk abt peer review. There are so many issues w/ it, and change can start w/ academics. Stop getting annoyed at disagreements. Stop expecting authors to write the paper you would have written. Respond to what they actually wrote. It all comes down to the Golden Rule. This can be a less painful process if we just change how we approach it. #academicmastodon

honest question- I just made some variables based on conditions statements (if X&Z=1, B=1, etc.) just using baser ifelse. Why would I ever use dplyr and mutate? #rstat

The #altac push depends on the idea PhDs can "just go into tech." But tech jobs are drying up, as seen here and w Microsoft. Instead we need better coaching of students before they go for a PhD #academicmastodon
Google Parent Alphabet to Cut 12,000 Jobs https://nyti.ms/3iTCoiY

When someone asks you to "consult" on a funded project, how do you politely ask to get paid? #academicmastodon

Got my copy edited manuscript for my forthcoming book with Cornell UP and am going through the editor queries. There's not a lot of issues to resolve. I'm proud of myself.

The hard thing about academia, to me, is the way it giveth&taketh away. Except for the rare superstar, good news is always balanced by bad. I recently received an exciting fellowship, and then got an article rejection soon afterwards. I remember my pre-academic careers being more consistently good or bad. #academicmastodon

@KyleReedPhD literally had a rejection like that. All three had same issues but one said revise, one a gentle reject, and third was a "you're an a#$ for writing this"

Seeing many people share the New York times article on the #academicfreedom controversy over depictions of #ProphetMuhammad. Newlines actually broke that story, which the Times doesn't acknowledge. Shameful act by the Times. They knew about Newlines coverage just don't note that's where their story came from. Read and share the original https://newlinesmag.com/argument/academic-is-fired-over-a-medieval-painting-of-the-prophet-muhammad/

On the anniversary of the 1/6 attack on the Capitol, my Duck of Minerva piece on why we should call it terrorism
https://www.duckofminerva.com/2022/01/why-we-should-call-1-6-21-a-terrorist-attack.html

ICYMI good Duck of Minerva piece from @dhnexon on the issues with "novelty" in publishing. For me the issue is its arbitrariness. When combined w equally arbitrary defs of significance, it lets editors favor certain work. That's how we end up w entire issues of top "general interest" journals on the same topic. Sometimes w the same authors #academicmastodon
https://www.duckofminerva.com/2022/12/get-off-my-lawn-are-journal-demands-for-novelty-creating-a-culture-of-low-level-academic-dishonesty.html

Some evidence that #alqaeda is in disarray #terrorism
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230103-al-qaeda-s-bizarre-silence-over-zawahiri-successor

if open access journals are going to charge authors 1000+ dollars to publish, then they can pay reviewers. Otherwise, I'm rejecting the weekly requests I get.

I'm glad to see this guy go to jail, but it's not clear this was terrorism. Terrorism isn't just "terrorizing people," it needs to have a political component. There doesn't seem to be an indication of that, at least in the info available.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/subway-shooting-suspect-pleads-guilty-federal-terrorism-charges/story?id=96116527

@sarahemclaugh the best part was that it was "one or more" students who complained- i.e. one student. University Admins over-react to any issue, that is the real issue here, not Muslim students

continued ISIS-inspired attacks across different countries. Some may dismiss local groups affiliating w/ ISIS as immaterial, but it did seem to transform/extend these conflicts. Some of the new work I'll be doing on my sabbatical explores this

http://www.fides.org/en/news/73236-AFRICA_MOZAMBIQUE_A_new_attack_on_a_village_in_the_north_of_the_country_claimed_by_ISIS_Mozambique

https://www.jpost.com/international/islamic-terrorism/article-726425

can a male Professor be gaslit by a student?