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Michael Robinson

@eclipticevader.bsky.social

139 followers 216 following 25 posts

Army Strategist | Stanford PhD |
Adjunct Associate @GeorgetownCSS |
Fmr Asst Prof @westpointsosh.bsky.social (all views own, not DoD ); civil-military relations.

Author of Dangerous Instrument: Political Polarization & US Civil Military Relations

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Michael Robinson's avatar Michael Robinson @eclipticevader.bsky.social
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This comes from a great paper and fantastic research into perceptions regarding domestic use of the military by top scholars

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Kori Schake's avatar Kori Schake @kschake.bsky.social
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My California hometown celebrating our American independence and our Mexican heritage. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

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John Bull's avatar John Bull @garius.bsky.social
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2nd July 1863. Battle of Gettysburg. For perhaps the only time in the entire war the Confederates seem to be winning. Dan Sickles, commander III Corps, is ordered hold on Cemetery Ridge. For reasons unknown he advances. Broken, his men begin to flee. This is the moment on which the war depends /1

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Reposted by Michael Robinson

Michael Robinson's avatar Michael Robinson @eclipticevader.bsky.social
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** For the Gallup figures, the loss in confidence in the military is percentage point change since 2018, in which GOP went from 90 to 68, and Dems went from 63 to 62, for reference **

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Michael Robinson's avatar Michael Robinson @eclipticevader.bsky.social
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Throughout this election year, addressing the challenge of military 'politicization' means an honest appraisal of the causes and consequences of politicization. This also means admitting that not every solution is the military's to control. Civilian leaders and the public matter too!

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Michael Robinson's avatar Michael Robinson @eclipticevader.bsky.social
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These are useful cases because they illustrate how difficult the landscape is -- the military can be politicized not only by its own actions, but by the activity of *other* political actors -- the military can in essence be 'politicized' just by standing still too.

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Michael Robinson's avatar Michael Robinson @eclipticevader.bsky.social
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But these remarks were instead seen as a "rare rebuke" of the CiC, because of the comparably extreme position taken by the WH, which a majority of Americans found insufficiently critical of extremist groups.

www.npr.org/2017/08/16/5...

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Michael Robinson's avatar Michael Robinson @eclipticevader.bsky.social
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One example used in the book is Charlottesville. The service chiefs issued statements denouncing racial extremism after the event, statements that on their own were largely uncontroversial reiterations of DoD policy.

www.nytimes.com/2017/08/16/u...

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Michael Robinson's avatar Michael Robinson @eclipticevader.bsky.social
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When these actions happen through the parties themselves, I term this “relative” politicization: party positions become extreme or asymmetrically polarized & the public mistakenly believes the military is “moving” closer to one party. In truth, it is bc the heuristic goalposts have changed.

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Michael Robinson's avatar Michael Robinson @eclipticevader.bsky.social
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The “SEALS/woke” story illustrates an example of what I term “aspect” politicization – viewers reliant on third-parties for info about the military are convinced the military is moving “away” from them, when the viewer’s own ideological position is becoming extreme due to narrow media habits.

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Michael Robinson's avatar Michael Robinson @eclipticevader.bsky.social
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This reporting turn tracks directly with lower GOP support for the services. Many point to recent surveys as evidence of a "loss of confidence in the military" but the "loss" comes nearly all from GOP (-22pp), versus Dems (1pp), following the turn in media coverage.

news.gallup.com/poll/509189/...

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Michael Robinson's avatar Michael Robinson @eclipticevader.bsky.social
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The DoD has recognized pride month every year since 2012, following the repeal of DADT. Not a new policy; the "backlash" is a shift in how conservative media outlets report on the military, which *is* new. The case is a great data point in the debate over "politicization" and the military. (🧵)

9 replies 107 reposts 310 likes

Michael Robinson's avatar Michael Robinson @eclipticevader.bsky.social
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Perfect encapsulation of the issue: *history*, the good and the bad, is taught in schools and captured in museums — *memorials* are about holding up specific cases from history as positive examples. They are not the same.

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Michael Robinson's avatar Michael Robinson @eclipticevader.bsky.social
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Unlikely to be the last time these retrograde events happen, but every time they do, advocates should very simply be asked: what qualities do you believe this person embodies that are worthy of emulation?

1 replies 4 reposts 12 likes

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Reposted by Michael Robinson

Lindsay P Cohn's avatar Lindsay P Cohn @lindsaypcohn.bsky.social
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The important thing to recognize about reforming the Insurrection Act is that it started out as a fairly limited delegation of legislative power to the executive and continuously expandednover time. There is no reason we can’t simply restore some of theboriginal/early provisions. 1/

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Kori Schake's avatar Kori Schake @kschake.bsky.social
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So for me the difference between @bsky.app and the bad place is that while I get less engagement here, I also don't get furious avalanches of "he wasn't a KKK leader, it was just a harmless social practice" responses to my @warontherocks.bsky.social piece on Longstreet. So net gain.

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Kori Schake's avatar Kori Schake @kschake.bsky.social
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Just a reminder, my friends, that it's so important it's inscribed over our highest court: equal justice before the law.

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Reposted by Michael Robinson

Risa Brooks's avatar Risa Brooks @risabrooks12.bsky.social
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In this piece, I discuss the next phase of politicization of the U.S. military and its implications for the country’s security. I tried to be dispassionate, but honestly I am pretty worried about how this all might end. No paywall (for now).

2 replies 21 reposts 39 likes

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Reposted by Michael Robinson

Reposted by Michael Robinson

Dr. Danielle Lupton's avatar Dr. Danielle Lupton @proflupton.bsky.social
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I really enjoyed working with these two fabulous women. Thanks to the editors and reviewers! Polisky Academicsky CivMilSky

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Reposted by Michael Robinson

Kori Schake's avatar Kori Schake @kschake.bsky.social
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Huntington's Soldier and the State is a terrible book!

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Kori Schake's avatar Kori Schake @kschake.bsky.social
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National Guard are under command of governors until called into federal service; but average Americans won't see the distinction. TX Gov using Guardsmen for this drags our military further into political territory.

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Risa Brooks's avatar Risa Brooks @risabrooks12.bsky.social
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Last night I taught my new military, society, politics course & focused on tropes associated w/ veterans (victim, hero, villain). Students' takeaway: there is no single veteran experience; veterans are just ppl Also, stereotyping is distancing & prevents connecting w/others. CivMilSky

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Kori Schake's avatar Kori Schake @kschake.bsky.social
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My favorite quote: "Hide behind the suits. That's what the suits are there for," Schake added.

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Michael Robinson's avatar Michael Robinson @eclipticevader.bsky.social
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Podcast with USAWC Civ-Mil Relations Center Director @carriealee.bsky.social from back in September that just came out today -- discussed some of the key findings in the book, military politicization in general, and ways forward for civilian and military leaders. Thanks to the CMRC team!

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Reposted by Michael Robinson

Kori Schake's avatar Kori Schake @kschake.bsky.social
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When YouTube did the surveys for Jim Mattis’ and my book Warriors and Citizens we found the same: their reflexes are similar to people who lived through the Great Depression and WW2

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Foreign Affairs's avatar Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.bsky.social
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Has the world shifted away from American unipolarity? Read the debate with Joshua Shifrinson, Anne-Marie Slaughter, Bilahari Kausikan, Robert Keohane, Stephen Brooks, and @wwohlforth.bsky.social:

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Kori Schake's avatar Kori Schake @kschake.bsky.social
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I struggle with this, because the other word for veteran is citizen, & they don't give up their public rights beyond their term of service; but the public makes no distinction and while they very much want the military to take sides in partisan disputes, all sides respect them less when they do.

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