Ragnar Hjalmarsson

Just switch to watching women’s football 💪🏼

Welcome, American foreign policy scholars to the world of Russia experts in late 2021 and early 22, when so many people could not bring themselves to believe that a war would happen simply because it made no sense, there was no real threat, the President wasn't *that* crazy and didn't roll that way

Though not as fashion forward

Can the Church Evolve? | Fintan O’Toole The big question for Pope Leo XIV is whether he will complete Pope Francis’s mission to make the Catholic Church less tyrannical.

"What matters most in democracies...is not the pope’s teaching. It is his mode of leadership. Shorn of its temporal power and its ability to command obedience, the papacy is a display of manners. The pope acts out an idea of what good authority looks like."

eight leatherbound books all titled "FERNS" volumes 1 through 8

Everyone in the past was neurotypical, which is how we got things like this single-author, eight-volume encyclopedia of ferns

Iceland scientists want to drill a hole straight into a reservoir of molten magma about a mile underground. It could generate limitless energy. This will be the first time a group purposefully drills into a magma chamber, the pool of molten rock in the Earth's crust.

If Iceland succeeds in this and weaponises the magma, Iceland can become NATO’s security guarantor with an extended magma deterrence.

Tired: nuclear deterrence
Wired: magma fælingarmátt

Massive congratulations Maurits! And Antwerp, what a lovely place to live -wishing you and your family a good transition.

Another interesting observation from Rawls

A funeral for the word ‘leadership’

Meme

Giving US researchers a new home Amid growing pressure from the US government, Hertie School President Cornelia Woll co-authors op-ed arguing that German institutions have the opportunity to support world-class researchers.

Spiegel? www.hertie-school.org/en/news/deta...

In September 2023, I spent a week in Greenland on a study trip. I still remember the discussions with political representatives. They all spoke of their high regard for the US. And that is exactly what the Trump administration is now destroying. They had so much soft power there, all gone.

Blown away by this erudite book by @valentimvicente.bsky.social 🤯 An exceptional combination of theoretical sophistication and empirical breadth and depth.

His theory of normalization not just helps explain recent rise of far right but also warns for overestimating strength of democracy.

Kotti is always magic 💫

Normalized and monetized

Germany has swung to the right. What does that mean for the country – and Europe? Our panel responds Friedrich Merz’s CDU/CSU may have won the German election, but all eyes are on the far-right AfD after its huge gains, say Fatma Aydemir, Katja Hoyer and others

"...the anti-immigrant campaigns of both centrist parties...did not win over any far-right voters. Nor did they inspire their core voters. To do that, they will need their own ideas and priorities, which means looking beyond immigration (which was only the third most important issue for voters..."

and Iceland... : )

Google Egg Cyborg

Careful what you wish for! If every night were like this, the Earth would have stopped spinning—meaning no sunrise, total climate collapse, and, well… let’s just say ‘night eternal’ wouldn’t be as poetic as it sounds.

Out of ideas: The emptiest of slogans “More for you, better for Germany” and the German flag. #SPD is cooked.

Norms don't just "erode;" democracies don't just "slide."

It's conscious destruction and direction.

Actors have agency.

Which means: One can hold particular people accountable.

"Processes," not so much.

Meeting between the pro-Kurdish party MPs and Ocalan is over. Reportedly, Ocalan said that he may be prepared to call for the PKK to lay down arms. He has not done so yet but he said that he was “qualified and determined to make the necessary positive contribution to the new 1/5

paradigm that Mr. Bahceli and Mr. Erdogan have empowered.”Ocalan refers to Erdogan’s key ally Bahceli’s call on him to urge the PKK to end the group's decades-old insurgency.

Optimists think Turkey may be on the eve of a “Kurdish peace process.” 2/5

Reading between the lines of Ocalan’s statement suggests two problems ahead for the Erdogan-Bahceli coalition: 1. Ocalan talks about peace and brotherhood, just like Erdogan and Bahceli but unlike them he also talks about democracy, something the ruling coalition is not interested in.

The police (though not swat) tried in Iceland 2008 (after the financial crash), but the tree quickly transitioned to a bonfire, providing warmth for all.

#Syria: “It looks more like a managed transition than a revolution.” Years of analysis and Syrian-led proposals could shape what comes next—if HTS opens the door.

@verfassungsblog.de @meyer-resende.bsky.social @democracyreporting.bsky.social #transitionaljustice

Done, it followed me, then proceeded to chatting me up, which obv raised alarm

YouTube video by Yasir Qadhi The History and Beliefs of The Nusayri/Alawite Sect in Syria

Alawites: their history, beliefs, and role in Syria’s complex sectarian fabric. This thoughtful, comprehensive lecture by Dr. Yasir Qadhi not only deepens understanding but also highlights the immense task ahead for reconciliation.