From Greenland to Canada: a snapshot of how Trump has laid claim to different countries & territories beyond the US. 👉 How low trust is reshaping transatlantic relations: ow.ly/7W7550XbpcO

"We cannot change Putin's ideas, but we can change his calculations about war." Passivity is no longer an option for the EU, warns @sbeverts.bsky.social. This week, Europe must show it can act & shape its own future. ow.ly/eFOo50XJH76.

"European leaders must adjust to a new reality in which US interests don’t necessarily match theirs". @gspataf95.bsky.social speaks to the Washington Post as NATO allies worry Washington is charting its own course on the peace talks. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...

By @euiss.bsky.social director @sbeverts.bsky.social well worth a read for anyone interested in EU foreign policy:

Eoin is always worth reading. The security arrangements for a new Ireland are just one more thing many Republicans and nationalists don’t seem prepared for

Nicely provocative piece, and worth reflecting on. A United Ireland, for example, can’t expect to ignore British and other European - or US! - security concerns. That was a big reason for the 1800 Acts of Union in the first place…

This is a very good piece @bentonra.bsky.social - well worth reading for anyone interested in Irish foreign policy. Ireland is perhaps the European state that has benefitted most from transatlantic strategic harmony, what should Ireland do when there is an increasing transatlantic disharmony?

Fair-minded discussion by @tomcalver.bsky.social on the Brexit impact. I'm more worried about the trade data though - goods exports volumes declining since 2019 is a big problem, and finance and transport services have significantly lagged other advanced economies. www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...

At last week's EUCO summit, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever derailed EU plans to raid frozen Russian assets to help fund Ukraine. Privately, EU diplomats are asking: Did anyone running the meeting bother to speak to him beforehand? 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/eu-l...

Those who do learn from history are doomed to have people tell them they’re overreacting

The Dutch elections have once again been disappointingly myopic - the transatlantic fractures, European security, China, Ukraine: they barely feature. Despite this, I'd argue the momentum is for a more centrist coalition to win out, which will want to be far more active on the global stage again.

🗳️ #aras25 Count Results live, from as soon as each of the 43 constituencies start to report their results: docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

After another high-level military purge, Beijing is quietly scripting the next phase of its grand strategy. (Members Only) Listen here: warontherocks.com/ep...

Watching from afar, it is also a symptom in how much of the UK, London based media ignores parties not (yet) relevant for Westminster. UK polls hardly ever show the strength of the SNP or PC, let alone Northern Ireland's parties.

Ed Luce watching democracy die in the United States of America

Nationalism is a shibboleth. The challenges we face are daunting. But we are not going to overcome them by hunkering down behind of imaginary lines scrawled on a map by medieval warlords. Our problems are transnational, and the solutions are too.

Really well done explainer of the election system for the Irish Presidential elections using... smarties. Bonus points for showing why Irish election counting takes so long:

A testament to the state of affairs is that I am not sure whether this statement applies to the current UK or German debate, both of which now feature this element.

This is true. There were discussions about the likelihood of the UK curbing pre-existing EU nationals' rights especially on access to public services and benefits. I don't think they thought revoking of the right to remain was going to be an issue with UK immigration policy, but here we are.

In @nytopinion.nytimes.com “Russia’s recent aggression toward NATO shows that Russia’s war in Ukraine is about much more than Ukraine,” the editorial board writes.

'US President Donald Trump has said that now is not the best time to impose new sanctions against Russia, as it could complicate or even derail his planned meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin' www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/202... Putin-Trump: 2-0.

It is a shame this heavily Washington-influenced Politico hit job doesn't mention the *reason* Sanchez opposes the spending He's the only 🇪🇺leader calling out Trump's extortion for what it is, and calling for independent European defence Obviously the 🇺🇸military-industrial complex doesn't like that

Wow, même le Financial Times se prononce pour taxer les super riches en France. Et pointe aussi l’enjeu de leur pouvoir (oligarchie), au delà de leur fortune. Il y a des choses qui commencent à basculer.

I’ve been evicted from the Pentagon, a building I’ve covered for 18 years, Nancy A. Youssef writes. I’ll keep doing my job anyway. https://theatln.tc/hBoHf5y5

Via Euronews: NATO defence ministers meet to talk plans on tackling drone incursions www.euronews.com/my-europe/20...

🕊️ After Gaza, can Trump deliver peace in Ukraine? In her latest To the Point, @almutm.bsky.social argues that Trump’s “moment of peace” in Sharm El Sheikh offers lessons far beyond the Middle East. 🔗 www.epc.eu/publication/...

🚨🚨This is bad (and surprising) news: Recent report published today by @kiel.institute suggests that military aid to Ukraine has fallen dramatically in recent months. 🧵 kyivindependent.com/military-aid...

The 'Drone Wall' is dead, long live the 'European Drone Defence Initiative':

As Russia tests NATO air defenses, the alliance must give its top military commander the flexibility he needs. Good preview of today’s meeting of defense ministers in @politico.eu by @victorjack.bsky.social including my take on need for greater clarity in rules of engagement.

In 2010, an interviewer told Neil Kinnock that the Labour Party "never used to understand aspiration". Kinnock gave an absolutely brilliant answer that should be learned by heart by every Labour MP. (0.42 to 1.22) www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGhP...

When Jack Charlton encouraged lobbing high balls into the box, there were two strikers up front. Evan is alone, and we still expect him to be a mix of Niall Quinn and Robbie Keane. Like many things in Irish life, this is aimless, in fact careless. And will therefore fail miserably as a result. 🇮🇪

The story for his major EU initiatives is also not great: - Sorbonne speech/agenda (largely wiffed away) - Conference on the Future of Europe (went nowhere) - European Intervention Initiative (mostly dead?) - European Political Community (alive as diplomatic speed dating)

Why can’t Ireland play the ball into Evan Ferguson’s feet? Our whole game plan should revolve around that and him. See the last game v Armenia and how Evan finished that one pass to his feet. He is a world class finisher, 7 goals in 22 games in a poor Irish team. Imagine if we passed to him… 🇮🇪

NATO is facing its toughest test since the cold war. Secretary-general Mark Rutte talks to @shashj.bsky.social, outlining his plans for the alliance. Watch Inside Defence now

Hitler wrote dismissively that in his younger years he was 'a weak-kneed cosmopolitan.'

Whatever else one thinks of “House of Guinness” on Netflix…I liked it…the soundtrack is stomping: open.spotify.com/playlist/2eU...

Great piece by @stephenkb.bsky.social. The Brexit omerta/purity test hasn't convinced voters, anyway.

This is a good read

New - Europe’s 3-body problem: collapsing global order sparks hunt for new trajectory I got to write about one of my favourite Chinese sci-fi novels. Europe, realising it can’t fix systemic chaos, is instead trying to shift its own orbit.

Literature isn’t written it’s discovered

Most poetry is a complete waste of effort

1/4 I’d like to say a sincere Thank You to all of you who responded to the post below (here and on LinkedIn) It has meant the world to to me. I have not responded to some of you yet, but I will. In true Irish fashion, I’d also like to share a funny story (My mother had a great sense of humour)…

His Majesty King Charles III has announced that he will host German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Büdenbender for a State Visit from 3-5 December. It will be an incredible moment for 🇬🇧🇩🇪 relations and the first State Visit by a German President in 27 years.

I spent 3 weeks on a cargo ship in the Arctic, from Canada to Greenland. Our only company was blizzards, killer whales, thick fog and icebergs. Here is my story about how the West is lagging seriously behind Russia in the Arctic, and why it's so difficult to catch up www.wsj.com/world/inside...

And THIS is why Bluesky is great 👇

New drone defences to be fast-tracked in advance of Ireland’s EU presidency next year www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...

Has there been a more successful EU policy than enlargement?

"As important as the new bilateralism is, then, it is closely and crucially linked to broader relations between the UK and the EU as a whole" @jannikewachowiak.bsky.social & @anandmenon.bsky.social analyse warmer UK-German relations for @internationalepolitik.de ip-quarterly.com/en/new-chapt...

With Farage’s former colleague Nathan Gill guilty of taking money from Russia to promote its propaganda Sam looks at the wider connections between the radical right and Russia. (£/free trial), samf.substack.com/p/russia-and...

"But it is possible to negotiate with Russia. Just do it in two stages: Make a show of force first, and only then have dialogue." www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/o...