Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Gesine Weber @gesineweber.bsky.social · 1h

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...

Germany’s National Security Council Must Be Futures-Literate

Germany has finally established a national security council. To truly make German security policy strategic, the council must seriously consider foresight, and imagine possible future developments and...

gppi.net

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Gesine Weber @gesineweber.bsky.social · 1h

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.

Stiftung Genshagen @stiftunggenshagen.bsky.social · 1h

@gesineweber.bsky.social: „Eine europäische Verteidigungsindustrie vollständig „made in Europe“ ist […] illusorisch, aber die Europäer müssen ihre Anstrengungen zur Förderung ihrer eigenen Industrie verstärken, um […] ihre Abhängigkeit von anderen Akteuren zu verringern.“

👉 bit.ly/48SnGQQ

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Gesine Weber @gesineweber.bsky.social · 2h

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

www.stiftung-genshagen.de

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Gesine Weber @gesineweber.bsky.social · 3h

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

Premier of Greenland: The EU and Greenland need each other | Aktuelles | Europäisches Parlament

On Wednesday, Jens-Frederik Nielsen addressed MEPs in Strasbourg as the first leader of a Greenland government to speak at the European Parliament.

www.europarl.europa.eu

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Gesine Weber @gesineweber.bsky.social · 10h

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...

Starting your project: the balance between confidence and criticism

Welcome (back) to PhD Positivity - Research and Writing with Balance and Flow, your regular dose of positive energy for academic writing or side projects. As the first weeks of back-to-school season a...

www.linkedin.com

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Gesine Weber @gesineweber.bsky.social · 21h

Conservative primacy, deep engagement, liberal internationalism

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Gesine Weber @gesineweber.bsky.social · 21h

This is *so* bad - especially because it's widely known that one of the key weaknesses of AI is accuracy with sources?! Btw also fails the other way around: I asked it to format my own articles into APA 6th based on a hyperlink and just got it with totally different authors...

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Gesine Weber @gesineweber.bsky.social · 21h

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

Jacques Delors Centre @delorsberlin.bsky.social · 1d

We have two new Acting Co-Directors! Since October, Thu Nguyen (@onethuthree.bsky.social) & Nils Redeker (@nilsredeker.bsky.social) are leading the Jacques Delors Centre think tank, working closely with Mark Dawson, Co-Director of the research arm. Find out more 👉 www.delorscentre.eu/en/about/new...

Thu Nguyen and Nils Redeker take over the JDC think tank as Acting Co-Directors

The two former Deputy Directors succeed Johannes Lindner and join Mark Dawson in co-directing the Jacques Delors Centre as of October 2025.

www.delorscentre.eu

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Gesine Weber @gesineweber.bsky.social · 21h

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:

Gesine Weber @gesineweber.bsky.social · 21h

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...

What's next for France? Six questions to understand the consequences of Lecornu's resignation

The resignation of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu ushers in a new period of political instability, though the Constitution, the law and republican tradition provide for the country to continue to fu...

www.lemonde.fr

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Gesine Weber @gesineweber.bsky.social · 21h

5) What if Macron steps back? It won't get better.

More rumours in this direction, but I personally think it's (now still) unlikely (but might change). But whoever comes next - it's safe to say that the person will be less pro-European sovereignty, pro-NATO (yes, read this again). Not good.

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Gesine Weber @gesineweber.bsky.social · 21h

4) Inward-looking France is bad for EU

Like it or not, France has always been a "force de proposition", a country bringing in ideas, on the EU level, which often started necessary debates. Europe also works best with Franco-German engine. French initiatives & Franco-German leadership absent now.

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Gesine Weber @gesineweber.bsky.social · 21h

3) A major window of opportunity for Europe is shrinking.

Following normal calendars, France, UK & GER should not have had elections before 2027 - which could have been a momentum for more ambitious co-leadership, especially on security/ defence. This window is shrinking and might be gone.

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Gesine Weber @gesineweber.bsky.social · 21h

2) The domestic uncertainty harms France's credibility.

In theory, it could be France's moment now to shape European security and defence - also thanks to leadership in the past -, but domestic uncertainty raises questions about its trustworthiness. Inaction due to lack of trust = dangerous atm.

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Gesine Weber @gesineweber.bsky.social · 21h

1) Political paralysis is hard to navigate for partners.

Uncertainties about interlocutors and priorities, not really possible to have important conversations or take decisions/ get things moving. Also uncertain when/ if things will get better. Collective wait-and-see and running out of patience.

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Gesine Weber @gesineweber.bsky.social · 21h

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...

What's next for France? Six questions to understand the consequences of Lecornu's resignation

The resignation of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu ushers in a new period of political instability, though the Constitution, the law and republican tradition provide for the country to continue to fu...

www.lemonde.fr

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Gesine Weber @gesineweber.bsky.social · 1d

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

Nobel prize in medicine awarded to scientists for immune system research

Mary E Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi win for work on preventing immune system harming body

www.theguardian.com

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Gesine Weber @gesineweber.bsky.social · 2d

So France had a prime minister, now it doesn’t anymore… guess the search starts again.

www.lemonde.fr/politique/li...

EN DIRECT, gouvernement : Sébastien Lecornu a présenté sa démission à Emmanuel Macron, qui l’a acceptée

Le nouveau premier ministre a démissionné lundi matin, au lendemain de l’annonce des membres de son gouvernement. La nouvelle équipe annoncée hier soir était critiquée de toutes parts.

www.lemonde.fr

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Gesine Weber @gesineweber.bsky.social · 4d

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...

Lange Texte lesen und verstehen – Wofür brauchen wir das noch?

Podcast Episode · Das Wissen | SWR · 14/09/2025 · 30m

podcasts.apple.com

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Gesine Weber @gesineweber.bsky.social · 5d

Please not just F35.

Christian Odendahl @codendahl.bsky.social · 5d

FCAS vs. GCAP? Or just more F35s?

@tomnuttall.bsky.social has a closer look at this Franco-German fighter jet project. www.economist.com/europe/2025/...

Europe’s biggest military project could collapse

Industrial bickering is putting the Future Combat Air System at risk

www.economist.com

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Gesine Weber @gesineweber.bsky.social · 5d

This ultimately comes down to the EU's well-known dilemma: there are instruments which *could* be really effective, but the best instruments don't help you if you have no strategy for using them because you lack a definition of your interests and objectives.

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Gesine Weber @gesineweber.bsky.social · 5d

"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."

Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 5d

Europe hunts for chokepoints it can weaponise against China in age of economic warfare

My report on the search for leverage against coercion from Beijing and Washington.

The elephant in the room: would it take for Brussels to act?

Europe hunts for chokepoints it can weaponise in a new age of economic warfare

Bureaucrats look for leverage against coercion from Beijing and Washington but what would it take for Brussels to act?

www.scmp.com

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Reposted by Gesine Weber

Sander Tordoir @sandertordoir.bsky.social · 5d

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.

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Gesine Weber @gesineweber.bsky.social · 5d

"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...

Ursula von der Leyen: Queen in the Commission, Servant in the Council

A year into her second term, the European Commission’s notoriously controlling president is attracting criticism for neutering her college of commissioners while blindly following the EU’s 27 national...

ip-quarterly.com

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Gesine Weber @gesineweber.bsky.social · 6d

Another one for the reading list! 😍

Paul Poast @profpaulpoast.bsky.social · 6d

IR Book of the Week!

"War and Power" by @phillipspobrien.bsky.social. Book argues that the focus on what makes nations "Great Powers" has led to a skewed our understanding of the true sources of power, particularly in the context of war.

War and Power: Who Wins Wars—and Why

War and Power: Who Wins Wars—and Why - Kindle edition by O'Brien, Phillips Payson. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading War and Power: Who Wins Wars—and Why.

www.amazon.com

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Gesine Weber @gesineweber.bsky.social · 6d

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

Max Bergmann @maxbergmann.bsky.social · 6d

So much of the coverage of the EU is hyper-micro. It's all about the sausage making. So story out of Copenhagen European Council is "dithering," "all talk, no action," nothing fully agreed, etc. It's an effing meeting! Take a step back... they are moving on Eurobonds/frozen Russian assets. 1/

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