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Reposted by Jeremy Cliffe

ECFR @ecfr.eu · 23h

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Jeremy Cliffe @jeremycliffe.bsky.social · 2d

Wonderful news and a glimpse of what might be possible on a larger scale.

Europe would be mad not to pull out all the stops to bring over the best of US-based academia as Trump II unfolds. The opportunity of the decade.

Florian Scheuer @florianscheuer.bsky.social · 2d

I am delighted to share that Nobel laureates Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee will join our Department of Economics @econ.uzh.ch at the University of Zurich on July 1, 2026, as Lemann Foundation Professors of Economics.

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Philip Oltermann @philipoltermann.bsky.social · 5d

Another "special operation" or a Marx Brothers-style farce in which competing thieves tried to outwit one another? I wrote a long read about the curious disappearance of rare Russian books from European libraries www.theguardian.com/books/2025/o...

The Pushkin job: unmasking the thieves behind an international rare books heist

The long read: Between 2022 and 2023, as many as 170 rare and valuable editions of Russian classics were stolen from libraries across Europe. Were the thieves merely low-level opportunists, or were bi...

www.theguardian.com

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 2d

It's not news that Europe is slow

But to read that - 35 articles in a state newspaper (public!) assessing China's chokepoints - 7 years before the policy discussion properly started here, is tragic

US & China are going for the jugular. EU sharpens its quill for another roadmap

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Jana Puglierin @jpuglierin.bsky.social · 2d

What I find most telling is that Trump said to Stubb: „Maybe you should throw 'em out of NATO frankly.“ He says YOU, not WE. And that is not a coincidence. Trumps talks about NATO as a third party all the time. www.reuters.com/business/aer...

www.reuters.com

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Ulrike Franke @rikefranke.bsky.social · 2d

And more drones, this time over Geilenkirchen, the NATO base where the Awacs surveillance aircraft are stationed.
Detected by a detection system (good), no countermeasures employed (less good). As it is often the case, unclear whether there really was a drone, and which kind.

www.spiegel.de

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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 3d

Breaking News: The Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Laszlo Krasznahorkai, the Hungarian novelist, for his “visionary oeuvre.”

Laszlo Krasznahorkai Is Awarded Nobel Prize in Literature

The award comes with prize money of almost $1.2 million.

nyti.ms

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Julien Barnes-Dacey @jbdacey.bsky.social · 9d

Following the announcement of Trump's Gaza plan this is an important piece to revisit by @muhammadshehada.bsky.social on question of Hamas disarmament @ecfr.eu @ecfrmena.bsky.social ecfr.eu/article/deco...

Decommission, not disarm: How Europe can help nudge Gaza toward peace

As Israel and Hamas edge toward a ceasefire, shifts are under way in both: Hamas is quietly opening up to decommissioning and Israel’s security elite is realising military victory is a myth.

ecfr.eu

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Jana Puglierin @jpuglierin.bsky.social · 9d

We at @ecfr.eu are very lucky to host @abarbashin.bsky.social as visiting fellow in Berlin. He has listened to Putin at Valdai for us, so that you don’t have to. You can find his take here ➡️ Enemy number one: What Putin’s foreign policy speech says about Europe: ecfr.eu/article/enem...

Enemy number one: What Putin’s foreign policy speech says about Europe

At this year’s Valdai club, Vladimir Putin gave his most anti-EU speech yet, citing his determination to see new anti-establishment politicians to come to power and improve Europe’s relations with…

ecfr.eu

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ECFR @ecfr.eu · 4d

The European far right does not need its voters to know who Charlie Kirk was to make use of him, write @pawelzerka.bsky.social @ecfrpower.bsky.social
https://bit.ly/46XO1L0

The imported martyr: Echoes of Charlie Kirk in Europe

By presenting Kirk as a martyr killed by “leftist hate”, conservative leaders across the Atlantic can reaffirm their core narrative: that they are victims, persecuted and silenced by liberal elites…

ecfr.eu

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Nicolai von Ondarza @nvondarza.bsky.social · 4d

According to @table.media, tensions between the EPP and S&D in the European Parliament have become so big that national leaders are starting to intervene, including an exchange on the 'incapacity to act' of the EP with @president.europarl.europa.eu, and Merz & Sanchez mediating Weber & Garcia Perez.

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Jana Kobzova @jkobzova.bsky.social · 6d

Still one of the best analyses of what #Russia’s recent local elections mean for the west, by @kominmo.bsky.social for @ecfr.eu

ECFR @ecfr.eu · 22d

The rising prominence of veterans of the war in Ukraine will widen Russia’s elite coalition pushing for continued confrontation with the West, writes Mikhail Komin @ecfrpower.bsky.social
https://bit.ly/41ZOv1o

From battlefield to ballot box: Why Russia is drafting war veterans into politics

The rising prominence of veterans of the war in Ukraine will widen Russia’s elite coalition pushing for continued confrontation with the West…

bit.ly

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Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 5d

Macron is considering bringing the Chinese into a discussion on global imbalances as part of France’s G7 presidency next year, @noahbarkin reports

www.gmfus.org/news/w...

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Jeremy Cliffe @jeremycliffe.bsky.social · 5d

It was certainly my starting point. What was the line that set you off?

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ECFR @ecfr.eu · 6d

Meloni aims to redefine Italy’s relationship with countries to its south by creating equal partnerships with partner states. This also involves enhancing the role of the private sector, write @kellyp90.bsky.social and @arturovarvelli.bsky.social @ecfrmena.bsky.social
https://bit.ly/42r0HbI

The turtle and the pilot fish: How the EU and Italy can help each other in the Mediterranean

Italy and the EU must work more closely together in the “Wider Mediterranean” on energy, migration and security. Here’s how they can do it.

bit.ly

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Jeremy Cliffe @jeremycliffe.bsky.social · 5d

But somehow, the scrappy Spanish winger is the one who scored the goals... ;)

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Jeremy Cliffe @jeremycliffe.bsky.social · 5d

Spain under Sánchez was a decisive player in NextGenEU. It led the way on Gaza/Israel (influencing other Europeans on Palestinian recognition, who in turn seem to have influenced Trump). On Ukraine, Spain obviously isn't a leader, but its financial aid (€571m) exceeds much-praised Italy's (€410m).

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Jeremy Cliffe @jeremycliffe.bsky.social · 5d

Then we're debating the meaning of "project"! In my book - and especially in today's world - getting a lot of things right and being in power long enough to make them happen clear that bar.

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Jeremy Cliffe @jeremycliffe.bsky.social · 5d

I just think this is grading Spain on a lesser scale. Can you *imagine* the global admiration if a French president or British prime minister had achieved what he has?!

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Jeremy Cliffe @jeremycliffe.bsky.social · 5d

Hi Diego! I agree with your analysis (Sánchez's opportunism and response to Vox are central to his premiership) but disagree with your premise (that those do not amount - along with major social reforms and a progressive foreign policy - to a coherent Spanish social-democratic "project").

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Jeremy Cliffe @jeremycliffe.bsky.social · 5d

There are obvious differences between France and Spain, but none quite obviates the comparison. One leader tried to bridge the political centre and the neoliberal-authoritarian right; another has (however imperfectly) bridged the political centre and the emancipatory left.

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Jeremy Cliffe @jeremycliffe.bsky.social · 5d

Sánchez came to power in 2018 as a dead man walking. He has only ever led wobbly minority coalitions. Yet he has built a strong left-leaning project rooted in its own achievements: public investment, secure work, social openness. The result is a remarkably resilient government and a booming economy.

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Jeremy Cliffe @jeremycliffe.bsky.social · 5d

Macron won near-total power in 2017 (presidency + legislative dominance). He gave grand, sweeping speeches - but sought his majorities to the right, while the horizons of his project became gradually smaller. Today's France is marked by social unrest, political instability and a troubled economy.

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Jeremy Cliffe @jeremycliffe.bsky.social · 5d

There's a fascinating case study to be done on the different strategies of Macron and Sánchez. Both emerged, against the odds, from centrist milieux in the mid-2010s to lead their countries since 2017/18. But their fates are totally different.

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Sacha de Wijs @sachadewijs.bsky.social · 6d

Must-read @ecfr.eu : Putin’s Valdai speech marks a shift. He brands Europe “enemy #1”, vows more military pressure, backs far-right parties & steps up info warfare — while praising Trump as a model.
Europe must reinforce defence and resilience !

ecfr.eu/article/enem...

Enemy number one: What Putin’s foreign policy speech says about Europe

At this year’s Valdai club, Vladimir Putin gave his most anti-EU speech yet, citing his determination to see new anti-establishment politicians to come to power and improve Europe’s relations with…

ecfr.eu

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