“In the past years,Cyprus got very close to the US, forming lots of defence relationships with them. That is going to cause tension if we're trying to create an EU that's independent of the US.We have Cyprus leading the EU presidency, and the US is building bases here. This is going to be a tension”

The US has loads of military installations in Europe. It likes to pretend this is for Europe’s protection, but this is only partly true. Ramstein, as mentioned here by the Greens’FP expert is a good example. If the US decides to attack Greenland, throwing out US mil installations should be discussed

“Not only does Europe’s submission make Trump look strong, increasing the appeal of imitating his nationalistic policies at home, but it also takes away the original rationale for European integration: that a united Europe can more effectively represent its interests.”

Recommended reading from 2023, newly relevant in these times. Only that now, the US has joined the Grossraum-thinking www.zeit.de/2023/49/carl...

I told myself I would start into the new year with no open tabs. The deadline is tomorrow. So tonight, I am reading… 😂😭

Yes, hello? I don’t think 2026 is working properly. I’d like to cancel my free 5 day trial please.

“My biggest regret is being too reassuring, wanting to believe that American politics had returned to normal.” - Amanda Sloat, Senior Director for Europe in the National Security Council under President Biden. time.com/7340472/trum...

Wer unsere Fähigkeit - oder Unfähigkeit - zur Vorhersage quasi live überprüfen will, dem seien die ersten 20min unserer Jahresendfolge ans Herzen gelegt, in der wir ua diskutieren, ob die USA wohl in Venezuela einmarschieren wird podcasts.apple.com/fr/podcast/s...

Mr drone becomes Ukrainian defence minister.

!!!!!!!

grim posthumous scenario i had not previously considered: you post a picture of the missile headed straight for you, and are memorialized by a bunch of random assholes complaining about alt text

“My biggest regret is being too reassuring, wanting to believe that American politics had returned to normal.” - Amanda Sloat, Senior Director for Europe in the National Security Council under President Biden. time.com/7340472/trum...

The way to actual tech sovereignty from the US? Extremely interesting talk by Cory Doctorow. pluralistic.net/2026/01/01/3...

These were actually pretty accurate.

If someone could get Lisa Nandy or Liz Kendall to explain, on the record, why they’re not treating this as a major issue, that’d be much appreciated

Some very interesting polling results in this @grandcontinent.bsky.social survey of 9 EU countries (Thread) legrandcontinent.eu/fr/eurobazoo...

“The Navy should explore using high-powered water cannons—also known as firefighting monitors—as ship-based counter-UAS (cUAS) weapons.” That is actually quite clever and I must admit I haven’t seen this before, is anyone aware of existing systems? www.usni.org/magazines/pr...

The way to actual tech sovereignty from the US? Extremely interesting talk by Cory Doctorow. pluralistic.net/2026/01/01/3...

“The Navy should explore using high-powered water cannons—also known as firefighting monitors—as ship-based counter-UAS (cUAS) weapons.” That is actually quite clever and I must admit I haven’t seen this before, is anyone aware of existing systems? www.usni.org/magazines/pr...

By the end of the financial year in March, India will overtake Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest economy—and within striking distance of the third-largest, Germany. The milestone is about more than bragging rights

“According to you, could one of these geopolitical actors go to open war with your country in the coming years?” Unsurprisingly, terrorist organisations and Russia top the list, but 10% of Europeans also think there is a serious risk of the US going to war with European countries.

A large majority of Europeans (74%) want their country to stay in the EU (vs 19% who want to leave). But there are some interesting national divergences, with lowest support for the EU in France (still 61 vs 27)

On Helsing’s loitering munition/drone, currently in tests with the Bundeswehr www.welt.de/wirtschaft/p...

Is Donald Trump a friend or an enemy of Europe? 48% of Europeans think he is an enemy, only 10% say he is a friend. Only in Poland, more people think he is a friend, rather than an enemy.

Some very interesting polling results in this @grandcontinent.bsky.social survey of 9 EU countries (Thread) legrandcontinent.eu/fr/eurobazoo...

On Helsing’s loitering munition/drone, currently in tests with the Bundeswehr www.welt.de/wirtschaft/p...

Recommended article by @mariamlau.bsky.social on the state of the Bavarian CSU, and a little bit about the state of the governing coalition and German politics more generally. 🎁🔗 www.zeit.de/2026/01/csu-...

The same, horrifying procedure as every year: two 18 year olds die in Germany as they use homemade fireworks. www.spiegel.de/panorama/jah...

Guten Rutsch! (Bild von @taz.de )

US uses drone to strike Venezuelan territory www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/u...

If you’re wondering what this is about, I wrote an explainer here ecfr.eu/article/the-...

Decision on next steps for FCAS postponed indefinitely Sure sure, no rush. 🫠 www.hartpunkt.de/entscheidung...

Decision on next steps for FCAS postponed indefinitely Sure sure, no rush. 🫠 www.hartpunkt.de/entscheidung...

Oh honey

Oh honey

How I am walking out of 2025

Germany is: waiting, totally naturally, at a red light when there are no cars in sight.

Americans are now spending more time alone than ever, @dkthomp.bsky.social wrote in January. It’s changing our personalities, our politics, and even our relationship to reality. Spend time with one of The Atlantic’s most-read stories of 2025: theatln.tc/1Dpgaik7

Huh. Bienvenue I guess

New reading

“Trump is unpopular in Europe, even among the supporters of right-wing populist parties he sees as allies… In France and Germany, only about a third of people who said they had supported right-wing parties reported seeing Trump in a favorable light.” www.politico.eu/article/poli...

another robot highlight for 2025: man wearing humanoid mocap suit kicks himself in the balls

“It is always difficult to say goodbye to what one considers normal, but this is exactly what is needed now.” - What I will be looking out for next year. www.worldpoliticsreview.com/global-2026-...

“Earlier, if we engaged in combat, we could jump out and act,” he said. “Now, everything is dominated by drones. So is there any point in having people just sit in a hole?”

“The ubiquity of drones has made things worse because it is nearly impossible for soldiers to move positions without being spotted.” www.nytimes.com/2025/12/27/w...

“The data offers a unique insight into what is flying around over The Hague in unmanned aircraft. Between September 2023 and September 2024, the radars recorded more than 2,000 different #drones, accounting for a total of 11,622 flights. That's an average of 32 per day.”

!!!!!

I did the same and massively recommend it. It is *so easy* to fall into rabbit holes - doesn’t need to be radicalising stuff, just unbelievable time wasters as there is always another video. Since I did this I go to YT to watch my one thing and that’s it.

Here’s to 2026

“The data offers a unique insight into what is flying around over The Hague in unmanned aircraft. Between September 2023 and September 2024, the radars recorded more than 2,000 different #drones, accounting for a total of 11,622 flights. That's an average of 32 per day.”