River Thames

Pleased to be a part of this issue ->

Almost done. Our Fall 2025 issue “Defending Europe‘s Economic Security“ will be out on Tuesday, marking IPQ‘s fifth anniversary — w/ Luuk van Middelaar, Hans Kribbe @jbenford-berlin.bsky.social @lucyaash.bsky.social @helenalegarda.bsky.social @rebeccawire.bsky.social @anandmenon.bsky.social et al.

720 Tage.

Great move! Merz is picking up on a proposal his predecessor as party leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer suggested to him in our pages back in May ip-quarterly.com/en/op-ed-how...

statistic of the day

This “summer of humiliation” gave rise to a sentiment that we Europeans are indeed weak. Like all things that are emerging, Europe is first a space that is experienced before being a space that is defined. Trump has added to that experience. 👉Column @ipq.bsky.social ip-quarterly.com/en/europeani...

Eighteenth-Century Clickbait...

Part of Europe’s new reality www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

⚡️ NATO jets intercept Russian spy plane over Baltic Sea, Germany says. The aircraft, an Il-20M, departed from Russia and entered international airspace without establishing communication, making visual identification the only way to confirm its presence.

Royal Air Force Typhoons have flown their first NATO air defence sortie over Poland as part of NATO’s Eastern Sentry www.gov.uk/government/n...

As predicted, Germany‘s patience is running out with France/Dessault re: FCAS, the Future Air Combat System … www.ft.com/content/29f5...

Brillanter Leitartikel von Johannes Leithäuser zu Trumps zweitem Staatsbesuch in Großbritannien in der F.A.S. @faznet.bsky.social www.faz.net/aktuell/poli...

Time to move a US aircraft carrier into the Baltic Sea, it seems.

It‘s true, we’re turning five in October.

NEW: The Russian drones incident may well shift Poland’s foreign policy, @ecfr.eu's Piotr Buras writes. ip-quarterly.com/en/drones-in...

The technical term is nuclear proliferation. And this is probably just the start…

NEW: History shows that long-term conflicts tend to work to the underdog’s advantage, and defeat has dramatic consequences for the aggressor. That’s why Europe in particular should dramatically expand military aid to Ukraine, John R. Deni & Elisabeth Nielsen argue. ip-quarterly.com/en/case-war-...

So while Trump is pushing the EU to do 100% tariffs on China, he is eyeing another phase one like purchase agreement, involving largely soybeans and Boeings...

EU and Indonesia agree trade deal on.ft.com/4pFqsPE

NYT INVESTIGATION: Anatomy of Two Giant Deals: The U.A.E. Got Chips. The Trump Team Got Crypto Riches. NYT digs into links between a lucrative transaction involving the Trump family’s cryptocurrency firm and an agreement giving the Emiratis access to A.I. chips. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/15/u...

A determined US public. What will the weakest US president in recent memory make of it?

It’s almost as if the past three years didn’t happen in NATO‘s universe…

Greatly honoured to be joining the @congeostrategy.bsky.social as an (associate) International Fellow!

Official. 39 year-old Sébastien Lecornu appointed France’s PM. For once, President Macron was swift.

Couldn’t agree more!

When free speech is defined as the right to spread hate speech and disinformation, while making money from the societal disarray that results, it is not free speech at all.

And there goes the new German government’s claim to European leadership when it comes to Europe’s future security order. Merz cut down to size after only four months in office. dpa-international.com/politics/urn...

New: @aylinmatle.bsky.social & @weberv.bsky.social argue that it would be in Germany’s interests to supply arms to Taiwan, as it struggles with the effects of late and insufficient US deliveries. ip-quarterly.com/en/case-berl...

F is for Fleet Street ----- 'Amongst the Nerves of the World' (1930) by Christopher RW Nevinson (London Museum)

From the SCO’s Tianjin Declaration. Europe is neglecting geostrategy at its peril.

Confirmed: Macron and Starmer will co-chair in Paris on Thursday morning September 4th a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing for Ukraine, with Président Zelensky present

Chimes well with the coveted Nobel Peace Prize …

I‘m completely at a loss to understand why Starmer (or anybody else, frankly) isn’t taking the fight to Reform UK.

I believe it when I see it.

The backstop, it’s coming.

It continues: Foreign Min @aussenminister.diplo.de Johann Wadephul first vetoed Defense Min Boris Pistorius‘ national service reform (rightly based on voluntary service), then withdrew his opposition. How is this “Außenpolitik aus einem Guss“ (foreign policy cast as one piece)“? #auseinemguss

ICYMI (like myself) Mario Draghi’s Rimini speech of 22 August is available in English … www.meetingrimini.org/en/turn-skep...

Should 🇬🇧 (and key European powers) now follow 🇺🇸 on 🇷🇺 & 🇺🇦? ✍️ Dr Przemysław Biskup, @henninghoff.bsky.social, Linas Kojala, Dr Donatas Kupciunas, @philippelefevre.bsky.social, Dr Timothy Less, Andrea Marchesetti, George Scutaru, Dr Marc De Vore, Prof. Mark Webber #BritainsWorld #BigAsk

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has started an untimely—and ill-informed—debate about “German boots on the ground in Ukraine,” making clear that a more strategic and coherent foreign policy is still a long way off, @henninghoff.bsky.social writes. ip-quarterly.com/en/will-germ...

‘It would be fatal if the current flurry of Trumpian diplomacy fosters the impression – at least in London and Berlin – that someone else will once again solve Europe’s security problems,’ argues @henninghoff.bsky.social, @ipq.bsky.social #BritainsWorld #BigAsk

New #BerlinCable Trump’s attempts at summit diplomacy have revived all the old German foreign policy reflexes which one had hoped would be a thing of the past. ip-quarterly.com/en/will-germ...

Of course not. Howard is still busy screwing those Trump phones together.

NEW: Israel may have emerged victorious from the recent conflict with Iran, but a dangerous stalemate persists in the power struggle between the four main players in the Middle East, @swp-berlin.org's Guido Steinberg writes. ip-quarterly.com/en/new-middl...

Where exactly is German foreign minister @aussenminister.diplo.de Johann Wadephul on German troops for a European military force to secure Ukraine? First it was a “no“, now the question is “open“. Not a good look. www.stern.de/politik/deut...

New: Our interview with @crisisgroup.org’s Ali Vaez on how the 12-day war has weakened the Iranian regime, limited its options, and increased its incentives to become a nuclear weapon state. ip-quarterly.com/en/iran-down...

In case you're wondering how Trump's broadside against India is going... Wang Yi arrives in Delhi today for talks with Jaishankar today, days before PM Modi's trip to China to attend the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation www.scmp.com/news/china/d...

Even in the annals of an erratic presidency, Trump's Alaska meeting stands out as a reversal of historic proportions. Trump abandoned his goal of an immediate cease-fire and bowed to Putin’s approach of seeking a broader deal requiring Ukraine to give up territory. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/16/u...

Putin repeats that he will stop the war against Ukraine if there will be an agreement ‘to eliminate all primary causes of the conflict’. Putin needs to remember that the only ‘primary cause’ for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is the authoritarian & aggressive Putin regime itself. 1/2 ⬇️

Unfortunately, they don’t follow up by arresting the internationally wanted war criminal which would be the proper thing to do.