@benjaminpohlberlin.bsky.social
Foreign policy, climate crisis, Berlin & rants on random stuff. May contain sarcasm.
The @economist.com realigns politically with Nina Simone (the United Snakes of America) 👇
That’s some cover.
Everyone should mourn how an asset that is an investors’ haven is increasingly tainted by risks the whole world must now bear econ.st/3M4LgRF
February 8, 2026 at 8:41 PM
The @economist.com realigns politically with Nina Simone (the United Snakes of America) 👇
US opposes mentioning rule of law in the #UNSC:
" #Somalia circulated a draft presidential statement on the rule of law on 17 January. ... the draft was withdrawn on 22 January. It appears that the #US indicated that it was opposed to the text" 👇
www.securitycouncilreport.org/whatsinblue/...
" #Somalia circulated a draft presidential statement on the rule of law on 17 January. ... the draft was withdrawn on 22 January. It appears that the #US indicated that it was opposed to the text" 👇
www.securitycouncilreport.org/whatsinblue/...
Rule of Law: High-level Open Debate
www.securitycouncilreport.org
January 26, 2026 at 8:04 AM
US opposes mentioning rule of law in the #UNSC:
" #Somalia circulated a draft presidential statement on the rule of law on 17 January. ... the draft was withdrawn on 22 January. It appears that the #US indicated that it was opposed to the text" 👇
www.securitycouncilreport.org/whatsinblue/...
" #Somalia circulated a draft presidential statement on the rule of law on 17 January. ... the draft was withdrawn on 22 January. It appears that the #US indicated that it was opposed to the text" 👇
www.securitycouncilreport.org/whatsinblue/...
"Even before ICE cut its training schedule to just 47 days last year — a length, remember absurdly chosen to honor Donald Trump as the 47th president — ICE’s “1801” deportation officers were among the least educated and least trained federal law enforcement in the country" 👇
Curious why ICE and CBP agents are so brutal? Here's a useful explainer I wrote last week, before Saturday's outrageous murder, about how uniquely unsuited ICE and CBP are for this moment—and why they were so corruptible into Trump's own fascist secret police: www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/ice-101-ho...
"ICE 101" — How Trump changed ICE and CBP into a fascist secret police
ICE and CBP are fatally flawed products of the post-9/11 War on Terror — now Trump has weaponized those very flaws to occupy America.
www.doomsdayscenario.co
January 25, 2026 at 7:54 PM
"Even before ICE cut its training schedule to just 47 days last year — a length, remember absurdly chosen to honor Donald Trump as the 47th president — ICE’s “1801” deportation officers were among the least educated and least trained federal law enforcement in the country" 👇
Reposted
NEW | Wind and solar generated more power than fossil fuels in the EU for the FIRST time ever.
🌪️ and ☀️ made up a RECORD 30% of 🇪🇺 electricity, up from 20% just five years ago.
https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/european-electricity-review-2026/
🌪️ and ☀️ made up a RECORD 30% of 🇪🇺 electricity, up from 20% just five years ago.
https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/european-electricity-review-2026/
January 22, 2026 at 7:01 AM
NEW | Wind and solar generated more power than fossil fuels in the EU for the FIRST time ever.
🌪️ and ☀️ made up a RECORD 30% of 🇪🇺 electricity, up from 20% just five years ago.
https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/european-electricity-review-2026/
🌪️ and ☀️ made up a RECORD 30% of 🇪🇺 electricity, up from 20% just five years ago.
https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/european-electricity-review-2026/
Reposted
A milestone we didn't want to see - Russia has made one trillion euros on fossil fuel exports since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. All the more reason to shift away from dependence on dirty energy and to strengthen sanctions on Russia.
🇷🇺❗1 TRILLION EUROS❗
🚨 Russian fossil fuel revenues hit EUR 1TN - since 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine
CREA calls for:
🛢️ Shutting down shadow fleet & refining loophole
🌿 Diversifying from Russian gas
🇺🇦 Facilitating self-determined peace in Ukraine
www.youtube.com/shorts/3YO4C...
🚨 Russian fossil fuel revenues hit EUR 1TN - since 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine
CREA calls for:
🛢️ Shutting down shadow fleet & refining loophole
🌿 Diversifying from Russian gas
🇺🇦 Facilitating self-determined peace in Ukraine
www.youtube.com/shorts/3YO4C...
January 6, 2026 at 6:21 PM
A milestone we didn't want to see - Russia has made one trillion euros on fossil fuel exports since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. All the more reason to shift away from dependence on dirty energy and to strengthen sanctions on Russia.
"Trump’s express revisionism is more dangerous than his predecessor’s familiar hypocrisy. For all the double standards, the core tenets of the post-World War II legal order need U.S. buy-in": a peek at what spheres-of-influence politics entails across various fragile contexts 👇
NEW COMMENTARY | @crisisgroup.org’s 10 Conflicts to Watch in 2026
2025 was a bloody affair. 2026 promises little better. @comfortero.crisisgroup.org and Richard Atwood unpack the challenges that lie ahead this year. ⬇️
www.crisisgroup.org/global/10-co...
2025 was a bloody affair. 2026 promises little better. @comfortero.crisisgroup.org and Richard Atwood unpack the challenges that lie ahead this year. ⬇️
www.crisisgroup.org/global/10-co...
January 5, 2026 at 7:04 AM
"Trump’s express revisionism is more dangerous than his predecessor’s familiar hypocrisy. For all the double standards, the core tenets of the post-World War II legal order need U.S. buy-in": a peek at what spheres-of-influence politics entails across various fragile contexts 👇
"edited for length and clarity" 👇 & very well so, from the headline to the conclusion that what’s troubling "is not just that the President has used force in clear violation of domestic law and international law but that it’s clear he couldn’t care less about the fact that he’s breaking these rules"
January 4, 2026 at 7:24 PM
"edited for length and clarity" 👇 & very well so, from the headline to the conclusion that what’s troubling "is not just that the President has used force in clear violation of domestic law and international law but that it’s clear he couldn’t care less about the fact that he’s breaking these rules"
This piece by @attackerman.bsky.social on both past & contemporary censorship is very much worth your time, whether in 2025 or next year
As it happens, I have experience with high-level government demands to stop an explosive, accurate story from running, and I also have experience with 60 Minutes spiking a story I was involved in, so I have thoughts about the travesty at CBS. If you want some journalism anecdotes, here are a lot:
Watching Bari Weiss Murder Investigative Journalism at CBS
Notes from someone who's withstood White House demands to stop an explosive story—and who once even had a 60 Minutes piece spiked
www.forever-wars.com
December 31, 2025 at 6:02 PM
This piece by @attackerman.bsky.social on both past & contemporary censorship is very much worth your time, whether in 2025 or next year
"A lot of people who are worried about democracy in America want to relax the constraints on military subordination. [...] [but] the military can’t save us from the civilians we elect"
Very interesting points from @kschake.bsky.social on civ-mil relations 👇, and it comes w/ some silver lining...
Very interesting points from @kschake.bsky.social on civ-mil relations 👇, and it comes w/ some silver lining...
“I am a hopeful animal and in my most hopeful moments, I think the longer term consequence of the Trump presidency will be much more stringent restrictions on the executive power of the president of the United States.” @ldfreedman.bsky.social drew me out on civ-mil and US politics.
The State and the Soldier
How should the US military react to a "unprincipled principal"?
open.substack.com
December 27, 2025 at 12:11 PM
"A lot of people who are worried about democracy in America want to relax the constraints on military subordination. [...] [but] the military can’t save us from the civilians we elect"
Very interesting points from @kschake.bsky.social on civ-mil relations 👇, and it comes w/ some silver lining...
Very interesting points from @kschake.bsky.social on civ-mil relations 👇, and it comes w/ some silver lining...
"The empowerment of Smotrich, an energetic settler leader and a proponent of annexation, as both finance minister and de facto West Bank governor has allowed him to advance far-reaching institutional changes. ... To have any real [...] impact, foreign governments will have to be much bolder." 👇
NEW Q&A | Why Some Relief for Gaza, but None for the West Bank?
Israel has ramped up repression of Palestinians and settlement expansion in the West Bank. We explain the harm these measures have caused and how outside powers can help.
www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-...
Israel has ramped up repression of Palestinians and settlement expansion in the West Bank. We explain the harm these measures have caused and how outside powers can help.
www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-...
December 21, 2025 at 4:50 PM
"The empowerment of Smotrich, an energetic settler leader and a proponent of annexation, as both finance minister and de facto West Bank governor has allowed him to advance far-reaching institutional changes. ... To have any real [...] impact, foreign governments will have to be much bolder." 👇
On the weaponization of energy and information👇
"The EU and its Member States should counter Russian energy-related disinformation with a dedicated, coordinated approach. ...
Member States should break decisively with Russian fossil exports and communicate this shift through a positive narrative"
"The EU and its Member States should counter Russian energy-related disinformation with a dedicated, coordinated approach. ...
Member States should break decisively with Russian fossil exports and communicate this shift through a positive narrative"
Russia is waging a hybrid energy war on Europe and Ukraine, pairing physical strikes with #disinfo. @leodeago.bsky.social & @casparhobhouse.bsky.social explain how the EU can fight back. Read ➡️ ow.ly/WvY850XGLrX
December 15, 2025 at 7:56 AM
On the weaponization of energy and information👇
"The EU and its Member States should counter Russian energy-related disinformation with a dedicated, coordinated approach. ...
Member States should break decisively with Russian fossil exports and communicate this shift through a positive narrative"
"The EU and its Member States should counter Russian energy-related disinformation with a dedicated, coordinated approach. ...
Member States should break decisively with Russian fossil exports and communicate this shift through a positive narrative"
Since everyone is asking for "data-driven analysis", @data.ft.com went all in 😉 👇
November 7, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Since everyone is asking for "data-driven analysis", @data.ft.com went all in 😉 👇
"the preliminary damage and economic loss estimate for the hurricane is $48 to 52 billion" in #Jamaica
On a nominal GDP of some 20 billion.
www.accuweather.com/en/hurricane...
On a nominal GDP of some 20 billion.
www.accuweather.com/en/hurricane...
'Total devastation': Hurricane Melissa leaves trail of destruction, flooding in Jamaica
The most intense Atlantic hurricane of 2025 made landfall near New Hope, Jamaica, on Tuesday, followed by a second landfall in Cuba early on Wednesday as the monstrous storm sliced across the Caribbea...
www.accuweather.com
October 30, 2025 at 8:04 AM
"the preliminary damage and economic loss estimate for the hurricane is $48 to 52 billion" in #Jamaica
On a nominal GDP of some 20 billion.
www.accuweather.com/en/hurricane...
On a nominal GDP of some 20 billion.
www.accuweather.com/en/hurricane...
This is about long-term sea leve lrise, but "highly likely", "committed" & "more than 3m" are all grim news 👇
As per the summary: "Immediate and sustained climate change mitigation (decarbonization) offers the best hope of delaying this ice loss" &avoiding initiating sth similar in East Antarctica
As per the summary: "Immediate and sustained climate change mitigation (decarbonization) offers the best hope of delaying this ice loss" &avoiding initiating sth similar in East Antarctica
In summary, the outlook is grim. It is highly likely that Thwaites Glacier will eventually be lost, which will destabilise adjoining parts of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, increasing the committed long-term rise in global mean sea level by more than 3 m.
October 27, 2025 at 9:12 AM
This is about long-term sea leve lrise, but "highly likely", "committed" & "more than 3m" are all grim news 👇
As per the summary: "Immediate and sustained climate change mitigation (decarbonization) offers the best hope of delaying this ice loss" &avoiding initiating sth similar in East Antarctica
As per the summary: "Immediate and sustained climate change mitigation (decarbonization) offers the best hope of delaying this ice loss" &avoiding initiating sth similar in East Antarctica
Reposted
The Weathering Risk Peace Pillar session at #BCSC2025 is HAPPENING NOW.
Session info: berlin-climate-security-conference.de/en/weatherin...
📹 WATCH LIVE:
adelph.it/BCSC25Livestream
Session info: berlin-climate-security-conference.de/en/weatherin...
📹 WATCH LIVE:
adelph.it/BCSC25Livestream
Weathering Risk Peace Pillar
berlin-climate-security-conference.de
October 23, 2025 at 12:18 PM
The Weathering Risk Peace Pillar session at #BCSC2025 is HAPPENING NOW.
Session info: berlin-climate-security-conference.de/en/weatherin...
📹 WATCH LIVE:
adelph.it/BCSC25Livestream
Session info: berlin-climate-security-conference.de/en/weatherin...
📹 WATCH LIVE:
adelph.it/BCSC25Livestream
Opening the #BCSC2025 panel "Bridging the Gap: Innovative climate finance for fragile states", Almut Wieland-Karimi emphasizes that the countries least responsible for climate change are the most vulnerable & receive the least money.
We need to make finance fit the context, not the other way around
We need to make finance fit the context, not the other way around
October 23, 2025 at 8:16 AM
Opening the #BCSC2025 panel "Bridging the Gap: Innovative climate finance for fragile states", Almut Wieland-Karimi emphasizes that the countries least responsible for climate change are the most vulnerable & receive the least money.
We need to make finance fit the context, not the other way around
We need to make finance fit the context, not the other way around
Reposted
UP NEXT at #BCSC2025
Don’t miss our next plenary session - “Bridging the gap: Innovative climate finance for fragile states”, feat. speakers from @greenclimate.fund & more.
Session info - berlin-climate-security-conference.de/en/bridging-...
📹 WATCH LIVE:
adelph.it/BCSC25Livestream
Don’t miss our next plenary session - “Bridging the gap: Innovative climate finance for fragile states”, feat. speakers from @greenclimate.fund & more.
Session info - berlin-climate-security-conference.de/en/bridging-...
📹 WATCH LIVE:
adelph.it/BCSC25Livestream
October 23, 2025 at 7:46 AM
UP NEXT at #BCSC2025
Don’t miss our next plenary session - “Bridging the gap: Innovative climate finance for fragile states”, feat. speakers from @greenclimate.fund & more.
Session info - berlin-climate-security-conference.de/en/bridging-...
📹 WATCH LIVE:
adelph.it/BCSC25Livestream
Don’t miss our next plenary session - “Bridging the gap: Innovative climate finance for fragile states”, feat. speakers from @greenclimate.fund & more.
Session info - berlin-climate-security-conference.de/en/bridging-...
📹 WATCH LIVE:
adelph.it/BCSC25Livestream
German @diplo.de State Secretary von Geyr kicks off #BCSC2025, underlining that climate change negatively affects all three core German interests: security, freedom, and prosperity - meaning that the Climate, Peace and Security nexus will become more important & Germany will invest in addressing it
October 23, 2025 at 7:29 AM
Reposted
📣 Germany's close to reversing its opposition to mass surveillance & private message scanning, & backing the Chat Control bill. This could end private comms-& Signal-in the EU.
Time's short and they're counting on obscurity: please let German politicians know how horrifying their reversal would be.
Time's short and they're counting on obscurity: please let German politicians know how horrifying their reversal would be.
We are alarmed by reports that Germany is on the verge of a catastrophic about-face, reversing its longstanding and principled opposition to the EU’s Chat Control proposal which, if passed, could spell the end of the right to privacy in Europe. signal.org/blog/pdfs/ge...
signal.org
October 6, 2025 at 6:46 AM
📣 Germany's close to reversing its opposition to mass surveillance & private message scanning, & backing the Chat Control bill. This could end private comms-& Signal-in the EU.
Time's short and they're counting on obscurity: please let German politicians know how horrifying their reversal would be.
Time's short and they're counting on obscurity: please let German politicians know how horrifying their reversal would be.
Today, the annual #UNSC debate on #WPS takes place, against a backdrop of violence against children & women in armed conflicts surging. It quadrupled btw 2023-2024 compared w/ 2021-2022, with 80% of child deaths & 70% of women's deaths recorded in #Gaza alone 👇
www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...
www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...
UN data shows surge in civilian deaths in conflict globally, highlights pervasive discrimination
GENEVA - Civilian deaths in conflict surged 40% globally in 2024, according to new data released by the UN Human Rights Office. The findings also reveal widespread and compounding discrimination and ...
www.ohchr.org
October 6, 2025 at 5:57 AM
Today, the annual #UNSC debate on #WPS takes place, against a backdrop of violence against children & women in armed conflicts surging. It quadrupled btw 2023-2024 compared w/ 2021-2022, with 80% of child deaths & 70% of women's deaths recorded in #Gaza alone 👇
www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...
www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...
Reposted
Holy smoke. This is something else: www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o.... If you read anything today, read this. Just ordered the book.
‘I’m leaving,’ Trump said. ‘There’s no reason to be here any more’: inside the meeting that brought Nato to the brink
Former secretary general Jens Stoltenberg recalls the rollercoaster ride of dealing with Donald Trump – and how close the US president brought the alliance to the point of collapse
www.theguardian.com
October 5, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Holy smoke. This is something else: www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o.... If you read anything today, read this. Just ordered the book.
"to see these uprisings as South Asia’s Arab Spring is misleading. They are not clones of one another, nor do they herald a uniform democratic tide. Each is written in its own dialect ... What unites them is the collapse of patience with elites, what separates them is the path that follows collapse"
Is India next? Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal — three regimes toppled in three years. Not an “Arab Spring,” but a South Asian warning: protests can oust leaders, not build orders. Renewal, fragility, chaos — the region now lives between all three. #MyPiece scroll.in/article/1087...
South Asia’s ‘Arab Spring’ comparison is misleading but there is a lesson for India here
It is less about a shared regional revolution than about the impatience of citizens, especially young citizens, and the challenge of what comes after.
scroll.in
October 4, 2025 at 11:25 AM
"to see these uprisings as South Asia’s Arab Spring is misleading. They are not clones of one another, nor do they herald a uniform democratic tide. Each is written in its own dialect ... What unites them is the collapse of patience with elites, what separates them is the path that follows collapse"
An interesting synthesis of how geopolitics, the ecological crisis, technological change, demography and populism intersect & boost the need for cooperation even while they currently seem to make it harder 👇
dansmithsblog.com/2025/09/22/f...
dansmithsblog.com/2025/09/22/f...
Five global hinge points
Among those sayings that encapsulate political wisdom but are either inaccurate or apocryphal (such as the ancient Chinese curse, ‘May you live in interesting times’ that is neither Chinese nor anc…
dansmithsblog.com
September 25, 2025 at 6:42 AM
An interesting synthesis of how geopolitics, the ecological crisis, technological change, demography and populism intersect & boost the need for cooperation even while they currently seem to make it harder 👇
dansmithsblog.com/2025/09/22/f...
dansmithsblog.com/2025/09/22/f...
To be consistent w/ limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees, governments collectively need to produce less than half of the fossil fuels they are planning for 2030 (5 years from now) and then double down to halve production again by 2050, @unep.org, @sei.org, @climateanalytics.org & @iisd.org show 👇
"10 years after the Paris Agreement, governments plan to produce more than double the volume of fossil fuels in 2030 than would be consistent with limiting global warming to 1.5°C"
Stark "production gap" report from @unep.org today
www.sei.org/publications...
Stark "production gap" report from @unep.org today
www.sei.org/publications...
September 22, 2025 at 11:02 AM
To be consistent w/ limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees, governments collectively need to produce less than half of the fossil fuels they are planning for 2030 (5 years from now) and then double down to halve production again by 2050, @unep.org, @sei.org, @climateanalytics.org & @iisd.org show 👇