My annual post that I'm logging off for Lent 👋 . See everyone at Easter, and I wish you a reflective and meaningful season 🙏

Mon bureau cet après-midi ! 🤗😊🇫🇷

Cette semaine à Paris: Le temps de reprendre son souffle, et de respirer

Snowflakes in Paris!!!!! ❄️

Bonne Saint-Valentin depuis la ville de l’amour ! ❣️

I was missing the “old country” and the next thing you know…

"Since 2025, the euro has appreciated 15 per cent against the US dollar. We are getting a stronger currency without the strategic dividends it should deliver: cheaper financing, deeper liquidity and greater financial stability..." www.ft.com/content/f0c9...

Shout out to inter-library loan for making it possible for me to finally locate a book I've been searching for since October that hasn't been printed since the mid-1960s. Shipped from Poland to Paris! 💃📚

In today's essay for Freiheit Macht Politik, I argue that Europe has more leverage now than it did during the Cold War –– *IF* it can muster strong, coordinated responses to intertwined national security and fiscal policy crises 🇩🇪🇪🇺 1/

Cette semaine à Paris : du Jardin des Tuileries, La Galerie Dior, Musée d’Orsay, et la Bibliothèque Nationale de France 🌷👗🖼️📚

For reasons unknown, I’ve spent much of the last week thinking about economic security … and drawing charts. More here: open.substack.com/pub/mostfavo...

And 🇫🇷 has a budget! www.lemonde.fr/politique/li...

It’s a Monday, and I’m behind on coding. BUT my language tutor said my homework is to buy a crêpe for la chandeleur, so here I am 😋

Bonne nuit à tous 🌕

And now I’m off this morning to my first archive day in Paris! It’s hard to say if a parliament or archive is my happy place more, but safe to say it’s been a fun work week!

My office for the evening! 🇫🇷🗳️🤗

This #GiornatadellaMemoria it is perhaps fitting now more than ever to share Primo Levi's «Se questo è un uomo»

We had the best start to a Monday possible: a mini @lse-ei.bsky.social reunion at the @sciencespo.bsky.social PolEconSoc seminar! 🇫🇷🇬🇧 Great to hear @slstutzmann.bsky.social present on knowledge economies and support for the Greens & @toonvano.bsky.social on mergers and support for the far right

Cette semaine à Paris : la Seine (encore), un parc, la messe à Notre-Dame avant l’aube, et Montmartre 💜

It was a very good first week 😊🇫🇷

It was great to kick off my first Friday at @sciencespo.bsky.social by seeing Diane Bolet present again, this time work on “Curbing Citizen Support for Violence Against Politicians!” 👏🏻 Thanks to everyone at CEVIPOF/CEE for being so welcoming this week!

Just a public shout-out to German state archives for being absolutely fantastic at helping researchers abroad. They're the best of the best to work with! 🙌

I have good news and bad news. Good news: The French are speaking to me in French! Bad news: The French are speaking to me in French!

Off on my 7th transatlantic move! ✈️🇫🇷

In 1946, the US and France negotiated over France's war debt, ultimately narrowing in on a key concession: movie tariffs. Read my latest piece for CWAR on how today’s tariffs are flipping the script on left-right preferences for trade restrictions 👇🎬🎞️🇫🇷 cwar-institute.org/stories-%26-...

Some reflections from me on January 6 in comparative and historical perspective (first time on substack) open.substack.com/pub/ziblatt4...

The year of European banks is starting off with a 💥 "Deutsche’s performance is also overshadowed by domestic rival Commerzbank, whose price-to-book ratio has rebounded...helped by a potential takeover offer from UniCredit." www.ft.com/content/8708...

A long and reflective essay by Dan Wang for this first Friday of 2026. A lot stuck out to me, but this most of all: 'Rather than “winning the AI race,” I prefer to say that the US and China need to “win the AI future.”' danwang.co - 2025 letter

Happy New Year! Wishing a fun, blessed, and healthy 2026 to everyone. 🎉🎇🥳 The FT lists European banking mergers as the 'wild card' to watch in 2026, and I will certainly be watching it too! www.ft.com/content/c283...

Some optimistic 🇺🇸🇪🇺 economic data for a change! Gros and Rotondi for IEP calculate that the effective US tariff rate on the EU has fallen to 6% while European imports to the US have risen to their annual average since July 👉 iepbu.substack.com/p/on-trumps-...

A lot stands out in Macron's op-ed in the FT, notably published during EUCO week and focused on China. Here's what stands out most: 1) labeling protection as an equal defining characteristic to the EU's economic agenda as competitiveness and innovation www.ft.com/content/c8fd...

And it is a moment of truth for both the think-tanker-in-chief in Paris and for the concept that Meloni is somehow a "good European".

Matthias Matthijs and Nathalie Tocci argue in their latest (must-read) piece that Europe was wrong to accommodate US demands throughout 2025. Yet, this outcome rested on catering to domestic politics 👇 www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...

An apt blog by Mareike Kleine and Lucas Schramm ahead of next week's European Council meeting. "Should leaders accommodate domestic politics in one member state for the sake of unity or defend the norm that makes collective decision-making possible?" blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2...

Well it looks like I'm working from the Library of Congress with the entire NATO delegation today 😲

Housing secured! And in a place I’m really excited about while staying in budget 😊. Thanks to all the friends who helped!!

Sunday hike by the Potomac ☀️🧣

Sinead Bovell charts a way for journalism and topic experts to be embedded in AI information seeking, potentially safeguarding democracy: open.substack.com/pub/sineadbo.... I still need to think through her suggestions, but this could create new opportunities for universities & think tanks

I had the most beautiful commute of my life, and then got to see Georgetown at its most winter-y ❄️

A very good Friday read: Foreign Aid with Chinese Characteristics by Alicia R. Chen www.foreignaffairs.com/china/foreig...

What a beautiful first snowfall in DC! Makes my Midwestern heart very happy 😊🌨️

I'm looking for a room in Paris from mid-January to mid-June. Budget is €800-€1000 charges included. Send any leads my way! 💜✨

Not-so-humble brag: My cousin's congressman just called to personally congratulate him on his acceptance to West Point!!! 🎉

And this now becomes even more complicated: a search and seizure warrant has been issued for billionaire investors tied to Monte dei Paschi di Siena for allegedly conspiring to control Generali through the acquisition of Mediobanca. #ItalianBanksWatch www.ft.com/content/77c7...

Polling data show anti-US sentiment is growing across Latin America • Many people may agree with US hard line on drugs, but feel uneasy about Trump's tariffs and constant U-turns • Success of some US goals, such as curbing China's global influence, will hinge on US ability to improve ties with LatAm

Footnote hunting question: Can anyone please share online access to Expansion and Coexistence: Soviet Foreign Policy, 1917-73 by A. Ulam and/or Stalin’s American Policy: From Entente to Detente to Cold War by W. Taubman with me? Or scans of the sections related to 1947-1950? 🙏

Trying to do this on a Sunday in Georgetown with my cousin’s pickup truck made this an Olympic sport 😅😭

There are three regional elections to watch today in 🇮🇹: Campania, Puglia (the seat of the last G7), and Veneto (the heart of Lega). Today is yet another temperature check on the Meloni government

The European Commission has started an infringement procedure against Italy today with a formal notice of violating the SSM, Capital Requirements Directive, and TFEU with the golden power rule over domestic banks #ItalianBanksWatch 🇪🇺🇮🇹 ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

La victoire ! I’m going to Paris 😊💕