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Robert @robertl95.bsky.social · 5d

Truly beyond belief.

Mahmoud Abu Shahma, 14, also lives in a crowded tent near the beach. “No one has asked me to study,” he said. “If there was a school, I would go.” His parents cannot fill the void because they were both killed, leaving him among the many thousands of orphans created by the war.

Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · 5d

The horrific background to negotiations: an utterly devastated society, traumatized children, humanitarian catastrophe www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/w...

Ravaged by War: Trying to Survive Gaza’s Present, Hoping for a Future

www.nytimes.com

Robert @robertl95.bsky.social · 5d

What is Putin trying to achieve with the recent provocations?
Putin:
1: "aims to break the unity of NATO."
2: "wants to raise the cost to European countries that support Ukraine’s army."
3: "hates classical liberal democracies whose wealth and resilience show up his failures and his repression."

Stanislav Aseyev @stanislavaseyev.bsky.social · 6d

"Drones over Poland;

MiG fighters traversing Estonian airspace;

telecom cables damaged deep beneath the Baltic Sea;

airports paralysed by cyber-attacks and quadcopters;

mysterious explosions and assassinations;

bot swarms pumping out propaganda to disrupt elections":

Vladimir Putin is testing the West—and its unity

NATO must resist Russia’s efforts to corrode it from within

www.economist.com

Robert @robertl95.bsky.social · 6d

Seeing this being coined in different contexts. @schimmelpenninck.bsky.social did so in the Netherlands, and for obvious reasons, we see it in the US. No, they are not playing 4D chess; let's call it by its name.
www.theguardian.com/news/2025/oc...

A critique of pure stupidity: understanding Trump 2.0

If the first term of Donald Trump provoked anxiety over the fate of objective knowledge, the second has led to claims we live in a world-historical age of stupid, accelerated by big tech. But might th...

www.theguardian.com

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Robert @robertl95.bsky.social · 6d

We sometimes forget, but the US cannot do everything by itself, it needs NATO allies!

The US's "first ship, originally due in 2024, will not arrive before 2029 and will cost $1.9bn. Polaris, Finland’s newest icebreaker, was built in three years for €125m ($147m)."

www.economist.com/europe/2025/...

How bad is America’s icebreaker gap with Russia?

Finland has something special that America wants

www.economist.com

Robert @robertl95.bsky.social · 6d

In line with the book I am reading now, 'How Democracies Die':

"Every citizen has a role to play in helping democratic movements succeed. Opposition figures need courage to unify and lead. Judges, business executives, lawyers and journalists need courage to withstand intimidation."

Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 6d

This should be a book
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/o...

Opinion | This Is What Autocrats Dread

www.nytimes.com

Robert @robertl95.bsky.social · 6d

I might’ve missed other articles, but this is the first article I’ve read from Stoltenberg since he left his role as NATO Secretary General. Very interesting to read his views on the early years.
Wild to think how far things have come, how surreal today’s world would look from a 2016 perspective.

Sergey Radchenko @radchenko.bsky.social · 6d

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

Robert @robertl95.bsky.social · 7d

From dusty archives to modern AI algorithms, a historian (Jürgen Matthäus), with help from @bellingcat.com, identifies a Nazi in a notorious Holocaust photo.
"This is clearly not the silver bullet – this is one tool among many. The human factor remains key."
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

Historian uses AI to help identify Nazi in notorious Holocaust murder image

Jürgen Matthäus has for years been investigating the killer – and is confident he has finally solved the mystery

www.theguardian.com

Robert @robertl95.bsky.social · 10d

I love analogue photography, and seeing how large format cameras were made by hand until fairly recently is fascinating.
Gandolfi only stopped production in 2017, and second-hand cameras still fetch €1500.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4nf...

1974: Gandolfi Brothers Handmade Cameras | Industrial Grand Tour | Making of... | BBC Archive

YouTube video by BBC Archive

www.youtube.com

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Robert @robertl95.bsky.social · 15d

I too have cited the 2015 downing of a Russian jet by Turkey when discussing recent developments with friends. But as @alanderminna.bsky.social points out the situation in Turkey in '15 is almost impossible to compare to the Baltics in '25.
A good reminder that I’m far from an expert!

Minna Ålander 🌻 @alanderminna.bsky.social · 16d

Wrote a longer article on why the heated debate in Europe about whether and when to shoot down Russian jets that violate our air space misses the point. It may have to be done, but it’s not a silver bullet with an automatic de-escalation logic.

Europe Dispatch with @phillipspobrien.bsky.social

To Shoot or Not To Shoot Down Russian Jets

Some probably unpopular opinions in this week's Europe's Dispatch by Minna Ålander.

open.substack.com

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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · 17d

Negotiations have stalled. Trump keeps changing his policies. Ukrainians, backed by Europeans, are taking matters into their own hands, by targeting the Russian oil industry:
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Ukraine’s Plan to Starve the Russian War Machine

Negotiations have stalled. Trump keeps changing his policies. Ukrainians, backed by Europeans, are taking matters into their own hands.

www.theatlantic.com

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Agathe Demarais @agathedemarais.bsky.social · 17d

Just like hippopotamuses, Trump's policies are unpredictable, fast-changing and baffling - in my latest piece for @foreignpolicy.com I argue that to try and manage Trump, EU leaders can channel their inner naturalists and draw five lessons from wild hippo encounters

Europe’s Hippopotamus Strategy for Handling Trump

EU policymakers should channel their inner naturalists as they adapt to Trumponomics.

foreignpolicy.com

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Reposted by Robert

Steven Everts @sbeverts.bsky.social · 18d

European governments voting with their money. Only 8% of new German defence procurement planned to go to US companies. Wise move.

Germany’s €80B rearmament plan sidelines US weapons

A procurement plan obtained by POLITICO shows Berlin’s rearmament spree will overwhelmingly benefit European industry.

www.politico.eu

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Robert @robertl95.bsky.social · 26d

UK anti-migration rhetoric exacerbates this, particularly when viewed alongside US debates. Fewer students in the funnel = fewer apps later. Visa data shows pockets of growth, but mostly from universities pre-screening harder. I'd be happy to share more detailed insights if useful!

Robert @robertl95.bsky.social · 26d

I work in data at Studyportals (a study choice platform). Since 2023, we’ve seen a decline in international interest in UK universities. US uncertainty provided a boost, but most of that traffic has shifted toward the EU and more diverse destinations outside the Big 4 destinations (UK, US, AU, CA).

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Robert @robertl95.bsky.social · 27d

"In principle, Tusk’s government was committed to delivering quick, effective, and unimpeachably legal solutions to illiberalism. In practice however, it could often fulfill at best only two of these three conditions at once."

Such a great read!
www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/dem...

Democracy After Illiberalism: A Warning from Poland | Journal of Democracy

Restoring liberalism after illiberalism is no easy task: Leaders face hard choices between acting quickly and effectively while maintaining a commitment to democratic procedure. Worse…

www.journalofdemocracy.org

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Charlie Warzel @cwarzel.bsky.social · Sep 10

I wrote about what I think is a genuinely revealing document of elite depravity and impunity. It is shocking and sickening. But it's also a crucial moment. We're about to see what happens when conspiracy theorists actually get what they asked for but it turns out not to be what they want.

You Really Need to See Epstein’s Birthday Book for Yourself

This time, the conspiracy theorists were right.

www.theatlantic.com

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Robert @robertl95.bsky.social · Sep 10

We can’t stress this enough: the language used in reporting matters! The words chosen shape how people perceive events and actions.

Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · Sep 10

As often, Reuters minimizes and normalizes Ru aggression. Poland and NATO did war things, the Ru drone just peacefully exists.

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Robert @robertl95.bsky.social · Sep 10

Once again, it's essential to understand what people read and watch to understand why they act the way they do. A thorough analysis that sheds light on the broader picture through the Russians' peculiar focus on the past. Thanks @shekhovtsov.substack.com!
democratic-integrity.eu/anton-shekho...

Anton Shekhovtsov: Putin’s Genocidal Quest for Symbolic Immortality - Centre for Democratic Integrity

Putin’s Genocidal Quest for Symbolic Immortality Anton Shekhovtsov Director of the Centre for Democratic Integrity (Austria), visiting professor at the Department of International Relations at Central...

democratic-integrity.eu

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Robert @robertl95.bsky.social · Sep 8

I often forget how much the media bubbles we live in shape our perception. I don’t plan to immerse myself in outlets this far across the spectrum, but analyses like this are essential and a reminder of why a diverse media diet matters.

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

The MAGA Influencers Rehabilitating Hitler

A growing constituency on the right wants America to unlearn the lessons of World War II.

www.theatlantic.com

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Robert @robertl95.bsky.social · Sep 8

“What’s the point of writing another story about the war?” he asked. ... No matter how hard you try, the stories become repetitive. People start ignoring them, or reading them, as Susan Sontag once wrote, only to reassure themselves that they “are not accomplices to what caused the suffering.”

Reposted by Robert

Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · Sep 8

This is the best advice for the Democrats that I have read

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/07/o...

Opinion | Stop Acting Like This Is Normal

www.nytimes.com

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Robert @robertl95.bsky.social · Sep 3

"For a long time, the Russian invasion of Ukraine felt like an incomprehensible aberration, a bizarre interruption of life. It would end, and Kharkiv would once again be full of international students, .."
Few realise Ukraine was a major study destination before 2022. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/25/o...

Opinion | He Was a Star in Russia’s Media World. Now He’s a Corporal in Ukraine’s Army.

www.nytimes.com

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Robert @robertl95.bsky.social · Sep 3

Sadly, only available in Dutch.
Roy Kramer, a seasoned strategist of one of the then-largest parties, sets a clear vision on how to defeat populists in the current day and age! "Populists can only be defeated through a fight, polarisation, and simple language."

www.volkskrant.nl/politiek/ex-...

Ex-D66-spindoctor Roy Kramer: ‘Alleen met strijd, polarisatie en eenvoudige taal zijn populisten te verslaan’

Het politieke midden moet zich drastisch aanpassen om een populistische machtsovername in Nederland te voorkomen. Eenvoudigere taal, emotioneler, meer confrontaties. De ervaren ex-D66-spindoctor Roy K...

www.volkskrant.nl

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Robert @robertl95.bsky.social · Aug 26

"One of the perks military families are entitled to is that soldiers and their children get priority access to Russia’s competitive public universities.
Before this quota, they had no chance. They don’t get a good education [growing up] or a high enough level of knowledge."

Toomas Hendrik Ilves @ilvestoomas.bsky.social · Aug 26

www.telegraph.co.uk/business/202...

Russia’s new middle class can’t afford for Putin’s war to end

‘Deathonomics’ is transforming Russian society. Few would welcome peace

www.telegraph.co.uk

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Reposted by Robert

Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · Aug 25

Must read
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/25/o...

Opinion | He Was a Star in Russia’s Media World. Now He’s a Corporal in Ukraine’s Army.

www.nytimes.com

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