I recently submitted my PhD dissertation titled "Illiberalism Beyond Borders. Dissecting Russian and Turkish External Influence in Bosnia and Georgia" at @FU_Berlin. Interested in what I found? Read this thread ⬇️

To begin with, I hypothesise that illiberal external influence (IEX) is more likely to contribute to the contestation of #democracy in a given polity when it appears in the context of a favorable domestic environment and the absence of liberal external counterpressure.
I particularly scrutinise the role of domestic elites in facilitating/obstructing IEX, based on findings by J. Tolstrup, @otansey, R. Vanderhill et al. I also look at how liberal ext. counterpressure can help prevent a major contribution of IEX to the contestation of #democracy.
Between 2016-2018, I conducted 95 interviews in #Tbilisi, #Moscow, #Sarajevo & #BanjaLuka (thx to all interlocutors!). Given the increasingly unfree environment in Turkey, I didn't dare to make a trip to Ankara, but talked to local experts about Turkish IEX in BiH & Georgia.
In #Bosnia, #Ankara has engaged in illiberal sponsorship of the Party of Democratic Action for many years. However, in both Bosnia and #Georgia, Ankara mostly exerted illiberal external influence after the 2016 coup attempt, following which it exerted pressure on the rule of law.
#Russia, in contrast, has exerted illiberal external influence in #BiH & GEO for much longer. The #Kremlin has sponsored pro-Russian & illiberal forces & served as an inspiration for attempts to challenge the freedom of association & expression as well as sexual minority rights.
Importantly, all investigated cases clearly demonstrate the agency of domestic elites in facilitating or obstructing IEX. For instance, in #Bosnia, #Dodik & the SNSD have made great use of the Kremlin to further their own political goals.
In Georgia, the #Saakashvili governments effectively counteracted Russian IEX. Although this is not part of my research, I note that in doing so, they posed their own challenges to democracy, which points at the tension between deterring IEX and safeguarding/promoting liberalism.
Beyond highlighting domestic elites, my findings stress the potential of liberal external counterpressure. E.g., in the Turkish-Georgian case, the EP, specifically the involvement of @RebHarms, seemed too deter some of the Turkish IEX on the contestation of the rule of law.
Illiberal external influence is very difficult to trace & I often wished I had chosen a different topic. Nevertheless, it is crucial to understand how external & domestic factors contributing to the contribution of democracy are interlinked & every attempt to do so is worth it.
Crucially, I look at IEX as one out of many (!) factors that contribute to the contestation of liberal democracy in a given polity. Blaming rising illiberalism predominantly on external forces is reductionist and dangerous. Plus, even in the case of IEX, domestic elites are key.
Last but not least: don't hesitate to contact me if you'd like to collaborate or are looking for a speaker/writer on these matters. While I kept relatively quiet about my PhD research for a long time, I'll be happy to finally share my findings and experience. Thanks!

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An interesting thing about carp is that they can go into anoxic hibernation and switch to an anaerobic metabolism based on converting glycogen to ethanol.

The waste ethanol is diffused out the gills

https://t.co/V3D1umHf04

Carp can switch over to an anaerobic metabolism and quietly exhale booze until the situation gets better.

They basically evolved the same metabolic pathway as yeast, independently.

In theory, if you spent a few thousand years breeding carp for it, you could use them to make booze.

They'd be enormous, almost entirely glycogen deposits with a fish added as an afterthought.

The really interesting thing about anaerobic carp, is that they can go 4-5 months without oxygen by relying on liver glycogen.

You, a human, have only about 100 grams of glycogen in your liver, about 400 more grams in your skeletal muscles. Call it 500 grams total.

In humans, glycogen is also burned for energy. This is where the marathon runner's bonk comes from: you only have about 2,000 calories worth, and running a marathon burns those 2,000 calories.
All modern research questions frame your mindset and self-frame research paradigm. Broad thinking: how little of everything can a citizen survive on; how cheap can your upkeep be? /1


When an American patient lands in an Austrian hospital for a back problem, a doctor tells him to perform a set of exercises.

- How many?
- Do you have anything else to do? /2

This interchange illustrates two mindsets colliding at bedside. How little can I get away with vs there is no limit to effort when it comes to your wellness. /3

When you were robbed of movement, somebody started selling you exercise. To understand that digging a ditch, to build a house, or to carry a child around, or waking to your grandparents for an hour is not the same as jogging on a treadmill... will reveal what research hides.
/4

When I talk about doing a purposeful activity outdoors, I look at complexity of movement, purpose, meaning, sun, and air, even an opportunity to meet a neighbor... that is now reduced to a calcium pill, vitamin D, an antidepressant, an osteoporosis shot, and an oxygen tank. /5

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