Also: @fbermingham.bsky.social highlights an important element in this article: "The stance is not unusual in Brussels, where Beijing is broadly seen as an enabler of Russia’s war. But some are wondering if Kallas’ all-consuming focus on Moscow is necessarily in the bloc’s long-term favour."

"Europe’s foreign policy disorder is increasingly evident in its approach to China. The EU has always had a series of competing approaches rather than a comprehensive strategy, but even those have given way in recent months to incoherence and anxiety over lost influence."

Noteworthy - kind of a "minilateralism plus". Ukraine has been granted an "enhanced partnership" to JEF but is not a member yet.

Still catching up with news and reading list, but this here is a particularly interesting piece by @florencegaub.bsky.social and @roderickp.bsky.social : warontherocks.com/2025/10/is-e...

We have just advertised a Full Prof position in the Political and Social Sciences department at the EUI (@eui-sps.bsky.social). Here are the details. Please spread the word, and get in touch if you have any questions. www.eui.eu/Documents/Se...

"For Brussels to retain its relevance to Tokyo, it must move from declarations—on security, economic resilience and technological standards—to delivery on tangible co-development projects and joint-procurement initiatives." ecfr.eu/article/paci...

Long overdue.

I’m less convinced - two strategic considerations might prevent Beijing from doing so: 1) really doesn’t love the risk of nuclear escalation in neighbourhood/ Korean Peninsula, might see restraint as helpful 2) good opportunity to strengthen profile as „responsible global power“

Some professional news: I have joined the Center for Security Studies at the ETH Zürich on Monday as Senior Researcher, Global Security. I'll be working on all things global order & Europe - and you'll get morning run shots from lake Zürich.

If true: this is not how you should treat your allies. www.politico.eu/article/us-a...

Good read by @tbenner.bsky.social. I don't agree with every line (I'm more on the "German foreign minister should have travelled" side). He points out a critical and too often ignored fact: short-term costs are high but long-term costs are higher. (1/2) www.thepioneer.de/originals/ot...

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Looks like something to add to the reading/ listening list. Maybe something to learn from for Europe?

Really enjoyed this read on @engelsbergideas.bsky.social: "what does China want from Europe? The reason why this is a difficult question to answer is that Beijing doesn’t necessarily have a clear answer itself." engelsbergideas.com/notebook/wha...

I’m (almost) back from vacation - and just as my Airbnb cat in Istanbul was looking for snacks, I’m looking for the publications and papers I’ve missed in the last three weeks! Pm me or share in comments. Thanks!

Very much second what @rudyakmarina.bsky.social writes here (and in the thread). I don't think it's a smart idea to cancel visits because of disagreements - for me, that's not a sign of strength but rather closes the doors for better understanding and smart engagement.

If I was looking for an internship in Paris, this is the one I'd absolutely apply for: (Disclaimer: I am not hiring for this role, just sharing. Please don't reach out with questions, I won't be helpful.)

Europe needs five mindset shifts for better China strategy - all of them in my new piece below: geopoliticaleurope.substack.com/p/5-mindset-...

Maybe something to add to our vocabulary: playing it Lecornu = pulling back, making everyone panic, causing a mess, and then coming back as if nothing had happened (Would nicely complement « to Merkel » = not doing anything meaningful and acting slowly, as used during her time in German)

My friend @gesineweber.bsky.social identifies a critical European skills shortage. open.substack.com/pub/geopolit...

AU REVOIR, PARIS! Yes, you read this correctly: today was my last day at @gmfus.bsky.social in Paris! After three weeks of vacation, I’ll be moving on to my next professional adventure… stay tuned!

I’ve wanted to write this piece for quite a while - and that’s why it’s a bit more op-ed style than other analyses. geopoliticaleurope.substack.com/p/europes-la...

Very cool piece on the importance of strategic foresight and forward-looking strategy by @bressansar.bsky.social for @gppi.bsky.social : gppi.net/2025/10/08/g...

My take: a European defence industry fully "made in Europe" is illusional, but Europe has to step up its efforts to strengthen its own industry - in order to reduce dependence on other actors.

Yours truly with a new paper on European defence industry in a post-transatlantic future: www.stiftung-genshagen.de/fileadmin/Da...

First time for a leader of Greenland to speak at European Parliament: www.europarl.europa.eu/news/de/pres...

It's the 8th of the month, so the new edition of my LinkedIn newsletter, PhD Positivity, is out - of course always with a matcha as cover image. This time: balancing confidence and criticism Check it out & share with PhD students or anyone who might benefit: www.linkedin.com/pulse/starti...

Conservative primacy, deep engagement, liberal internationalism

Two of Germany's brightest minds on all things Europe. Congratulations!

Also, as a disclaimer: I've been following the implications of France's foreign policy for Europe/ security policy, and French foreign policy, for over five years, but not domestic politics (although you can't escape it living in France...). So take this as my opinion/ thoughts:

This is the best concise, English-language summary of the situation in France I've found so far. @lemonde.fr has the details, I have a few thoughts. 🧵 In a nutshell: complicated and not good for Europe. www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decod...

Some good news to start the day, as a reminder how amazing science is: www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

So France had a prime minister, now it doesn’t anymore… guess the search starts again. www.lemonde.fr/politique/li...

If you understand German, this is a great podcast: why deep reading is so important and why AI summaries do *not* replace this skill (perhaps a no-brainer for many academics/ scholars): podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/d...

Please not just F35.

"An anti-coercion instrument adopted two years ago was supposed to be the gun on the table to deter economic bullying, but it has done no such thing. EU has been shaken down for its lunch money by browbeaters from all sides this year & shown that it does not have the pain threshold to punch back."

The SAFE instrument, whereby the EU level provides loans to member-states to ramp up defence, has been more of a success than I had anticipated. The uptake by member-states is huge. And, of course, profoundly driven by the threat perception of Russia (see Baltics!). Great chart from Daniel Kral.

"UvdL has become the face of EU surrender, of a union powerless in the face of ever-growing global threats. It is an ironic position to be in for someone who has been so obsessed with amassing power within the institution she controls" @davekeating.substack.com in: ip-quarterly.com/en/ursula-vo...

Another one for the reading list! 😍

Yep. Always good to see where EU was coming from...

European Political Community meets today in Copenhagen. As always: it's a talking shop on almost everything - this time "traditional and hybrid threats", economic security, migration. EU27 plus 22 other states, among them UK, participate. www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/...

In case you are not a subscriber yet: @nvondarza.bsky.social's Substack EU Analytics is just *so good*. Concise and still an analytical deep dive into EU votes and power games. Absolute recommendation: substack.com/home/post/p-...

I really like the angle of this piece by @anandmenon.bsky.social because it highlights the problem's of the EU's institutional design when it comes to security as compared to economics. But: I also think that Europeans have a unique chance now to also look for opportunities inside the EU.

"the EU’s approach of concluding Security and Defence Partnerships with key partners also makes a new contribution to the future of the European security order", writes @gesineweber.bsky.social for CSDS. Read csds.vub.be/publication/...

Good observation on a small windows of opportunity for EU politics. Two caveats though. First, in contrast 2027 is shaping up to be a decision year for European politics, with potentially France, Poland, Italy and Spain all going to the polls. Each could drive the rightward shift in EU politics.

Sounds like a compelling argument to me.

UNGA 2025 is over - and here are four lessons for Europe: 1) Leadership is possible, but lead on causes that matter not only to Europe 2) Time for (soft) balancing the US 3) All-in rivalry with China won't help 4) Do multilateralism differently geopoliticaleurope.substack.com/p/lessons-fo...

Another pretty (pretty annoying) example for gender bias in AI: when you ask AI to create an image of the UNGA room, the speaker on the screen is... a white man. And yes, women and/or people of colour speak at UNGA in reality - but that doesn't seem to be the world LLMs are taught.

Yes, it still exists... later this week, after the informal summit of heads of state or government in Copenhagen, the European Political Community meets again! But no agenda/ information on Commission website or Danish Council Presidency website yet.

Some good ways to wake up to: