X soft censored the video of Elon Musk agreeing with Thierry Breton on the DSA by declaring it "age-restricted adult content" 🙄🙄🙄

Before I sign off to enjoy a few days in peace and away from the news, a word on the recent U.S. sanctions: The "global censorship-industrial complex" is a far right fantasy. Most of the DSA is about transparency and forcing platforms to provide info about how they moderate and boost content 1/

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My wish for 2026 is for Americans to realize they're not that special. Many other countries have gone through these types of authoritarian crackdowns before, and their experiences hold valuable lessons, but obsession with their own exceptionalism is preventing Americans from making use of them.

“Chinese analysts have interpreted the new strategy as evidence of American retreat.” www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/b...

I read Black Pill by @ellereeve.bsky.social this year, and this quote by White Nationalist Chris Cantwell really stuck with me: "The goal was to become the system... We want to wield the tremendous power of the United States government."

🇨🇳 How is Beijing shaping global narratives—and what role does Washington play? In their latest analysis, GMF's Mareike Ohlberg and Andy Chen explore China’s efforts to “tell its story well” and the implications for democratic discourse worldwide. 📖 Read the article: buff.ly/fiZW8OR

The US is now making coercive threats to fine random European companies in retaliation for EU digital regulations that are designed to prevent hate speech, disinformation and harm to children. www.ft.com/content/001d...

‘Once we become submissive, thinking that [accommodation] can protect us, we still get targeted in the end … [B]eing targeted has nothing to do with content actually having an issue’ madeinchinajournal.com/2025/12/12/w...

This never was a “national security trial”. It was a regime security kangaroo court. It’s purely about political control.

“🇺🇸 Americans continue to have a positive view of relations between the two countries, even with a significant decline in perceptions since last year. 🇩🇪 Germans have completely flipped their assessments of the relationship over that same period.” 🔗 www.pewresearch.org/global/2025/...

"Foreign journalists can hardly gain access to Xinjiang. But, good for me I can." With these words Guan Heng starts his documentary providing crucial evidence of mass incarcerations of muslim minorities in Xinjiang, China. He had to flee to the US. ICE arrested him. A threat to his life.

Trump is envisioning a new world order where great powers cut deals — and look the other way when needed — rather than restrain each other's ambitions www.axios.com/2025/12/12/t...

Du sagst nach einer Chinareise, Du hast mit einer ominösen Diamanten-Firma mit Chinaverbindungen gar nichts zu tun. Aber auf einer Visitenkarte bist Du als Vertriebsleiter angegeben: Jan-Wenzel Schmidt von der AfD. Text von @jmuellertoewe.bsky.social & Annika Leister

GMF wrapped the inaugural GMF–GWU Masterclass on City International Engagement, convening members of GMF’s City Directors of International Affairs Network from 15 cities across North America and Europe to deepen skills and exchange practical tools for local‑level international engagement.

According to this report, a longer internal version of the NSS exists in which the US proposes creating a “Core 5” (C5) made up of the US, China, Russia, India and Japan. It would meet regularly, as the G7 does, for summits. www.defenseone.com/policy/2025/...

Stupid and short-sighted move by the Trump Administration, but also by Nvidia. They're basically acting like the German automotive industry and are selling their future in return for better numbers in the next quarter www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

This should go on the next banner overlooking Schuman.

Can it be any clearer?

"It is long past time for Europe to realize that, when it comes to the Russia-Ukraine war and the continent’s security, it is, at best, alone. At worst, it now faces two adversaries: Russia in the east and Trump’s United States in the west."

The U.S. government is openly admitting that it intends to interfere in European elections…. to support the same guys Russia wants to win.

Es ist ein unentschuldbares Versäumnis, dass in den letzten Jahren so inflationär das Wort "Frieden" für einen Zustand der Besatzung verwendet wurde. Von einigen gewollt, natürlich. Aber häufig auch aus Gleichgültigkeit, Unwissenheit und Leichtsinn gewählt. Keiner will so eine Besatzung.

At some point in late January or early February, I realized the things that the new U.S. National Security Strategy put into words today. My intellectual response was lying down on the floor and contemplating I'm quite likely to die before my 50th birthday. That's still my response today.

Die neue US Sicherheitsstrategie spricht vieles aus, was Beobachter schon wussten. Das heutige demokratische Europa, die EU als Institution wird offen zum Gegner erklärt, und ein Regimewandel angestrebt. Die Verharmlosung dieses Dokuments wäre fatal für Europa. Die Konsequenzen sind dramatisch.

I think the media should be making a far bigger deal about this than they are. bsky.app/profile/nina...

This fetid landmark, this historical stain on humanity is primarily due to the stunningly reckless obliteration of America's foreign assistance agency earlier this year. Led by the richest man on earth. In secret, on a weekend. With zero analysis or discussion of its catastrophic impacts.

This is what government censorship actually looks like: defunding entire fields, deporting researchers, and quite effectively chilling speech that helps people understand how our information systems are being exploited and calls out powerful people and platforms for their bullshit.

The censorship lie is a major part of US foreign policy: -Rubio instructed diplomats to “lobby” against online safety regulations in EU & UK -tech companies are passing what is said in private meetings btwn CSOs & regulators to Trump admin -US lawmakers harassing foreign regulators -and now this:

I just want you all to know I'm wearing my dumpster fire earrings today

'The Trump administration had offered no warning, for instance, about its move to suspend certain weapons shipments to Ukraine. For information about American policy, Freuding has looked to the German embassy in Washington, where “there is somebody who tries to find somebody in the Pentagon.”'

JD Vance's Munich speech unfortunately already made it clear that the U.S. had switched sides and was aiming for regime change in Europe, but good to finally see realization sink in. And yes, Moscow is very much the "civilizational ally" that MAGA world wants. www.economist.com/internationa...

New survey shows the massive impact China's rare earth controls are still having on EU firms - One company said the controls cost 20% of its global revenue - 40% said licensing process added 2 months+ to delivery times - 38% expect significant disruption or production stoppages

The arrests in Hong Kong right now are déjà vu for mainlanders like me who were active in civil society in the 2000s: citizens demanding investigations and accountability after public disasters are met not with answers, but arrests and intimidation. #mainlandization #香港加速内地化

I’ve been monitoring online discussions from Hong Kong about why HKers consider blaming bamboo scaffolding is a gov spin, and I think many AUS media have got it WRONG. They think it’s a spin NOT because they see bamboo scaffolding as a tradition that distinguishes HK from China.

I feel like a broken record telling media, universities, and think tanks that falling in line and enabling an authoritarian takeover won't save you from the authoritarian's reprisals. It just marks you as an idiot who can be squeezed for more concessions.

People keep calling me a pessimist when all of my predictions are wildly too optimistic and the world consistently out-pessimists me. Yes, my views tend to be more 'pessimistic' than most, but they still fail to accurately describe developments and as such err on the side of optimism and hope.

Brutal examination, agree fully: "Putin has just made one of his most cherished dreams come true: he has compromised the United States in his efforts to demolish international law. This is the primary objective of the Witkoff/Dmitriev peace plan". desk-russie.info/2025/11/27/t...

It is really quite striking that Witkoff sounds 100% like the German advocates of Nord Stream and business deals with the Kremlin as a bridge to peace and stability. With the only difference that those doing the deals are now supposed to be Americans not Germans.

A lot of the political arguments you are having on social media aren’t real. www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcn...

By tomorrow, @rferl.org.web.brid.gy will cease its 🇭🇺 operations. After returning in 2020 amid Hungary’s deepening autocratization, it is now withdrawing again — another move by the Trump administration shoring up Orbán at a moment of rising domestic pressure, a clear sign of illiberal solidarity.

The example blue notice we include in this post is hugely concerning too. A police notice from Chongqing announcing an investigation into Taiwanese lawyer and legislator Shen Bo-yang (沈伯洋), who is also known as Puma Shen.

This was really interesting. I want to know what the company plans to do when law enforcement comes and asks for recordings from inside the homes of particular clients from them, because it WILL happen. What do they store, what will they share? @kevinroose.com @caseynewton.bsky.social

“In September 2024, the university informed Chinese state security that it would not be publishing a final phase of research on forced labour in China. “Immediately, relations improved,” an administrator wrote.” www.theguardian.com/education/20...

This is great!

I wish it was only the billionaires.

I probably shouldn't be, but I'm always astonished by the people who can see the authoritarian turn in the US very clearly but somehow still manage to whitewash, ignore or play down authoritarianism in China despite having lived in the country. And I'm not talking about the classic tankies.

Congratulations, Elon Musk.

Huge if true, and seems to confirm that the semiconductor export control regime was indeed up as a bargaining chip in Trump's talks with Xi, which begs the question of what else might be up for negotiation

Thanks for publishing this. Reading the exchange, I couldn't help but think that the reason why Halligan feels so unconstrained to go for this ham-fisted intimidation/manipulation attempt is that this kind of stuff probably works on an unfortunately high number of people.

I like to joke that Xi Jinping is my most important and reliable ally when it comes to convincing the US and Europe to make better China policy. Maybe I need to add Putin to my list of "allies."