Jeff Rathke

Bundeswehr meldet Rekordzuwachs bei neuen Soldaten Die Werbekampagnen scheinen erfolgreich zu sein: Die Bundeswehr verzeichnet einen deutlichen Anstieg ihrer Rekruten. Besonders Freiwillige zeigen verstärkt Interesse. Angesichts der Bedrohung durch Ru...

Die #Bundeswehr verbucht bei der Rekrutierung neuer Soldaten und ihrem sonstigem Personal wohl dank der Werbekampagnen und gestiegenem Interesse an der Armee erste Erfolge: Zum 21.07.25 leisteten rd. 183.100 Soldaten ihren Dienst & somit ca. 2.000 mehr als im Vorjahresmonat.
www.n-tv.de/25937902

Opinion | Why Trump’s Firing of the B.L.S. Commissioner Is So Damaging

@jasonfurman.bsky.social Jason Furman sums it up

www.nytimes.com/live/2025/08...

This is awful. Reliable economic data is a key strength of the US economy.

When Argentina and Greece faked economic data it contributed to major crises.

I don't think Trump will be able to fake the data given the procedures. But there is now a risk plus an awful appearance.

Papier hat viele gute Ideen gerade zur Wirtschaftssicherheit & Resilienz. Auch gut das Bekenntnis zu Handelsabkommen. Aber: „starke Regeln für Klimaschutz und Menschenrechte“ als Kern des Abkommens und Offenheit für globalen Süden. Das paßt nicht zusammen.

www.gruene-bundestag.de/fileadmin/da...

Further Modifying the Reciprocal Tariff Rates By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency

congratulations to Kosovo, which apparently is exempt from the new US tariffs, because they're not listed anywhere in the presidential action published this evening...

www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

Gaza-Krieg: Außenminister Wadephul reist nach Israel Angesichts des Hamas-Terrors agiere Israel im Gaza-Krieg unverhältnismäßig, kritisiert Außenminister Wadephul zu Beginn seiner zweitägigen Nahost-Reise.

Shimon Stein, erster Botschafter Israels in der Ära Merkel, im DLF:
Verbündete sollen Israels Regierung mit Druck vom selbstzerstörerischen Pfad abbringen, auch mit Sanktionen.
Wir dürfen nie vergessen: Auch dieses Israel gibt es, nicht nur das von Ron Prosor.

www.deutschlandfunk.de/interview-sh...

The US Will Be the Biggest Loser From Trade ‘Wins’ In due course, new duties will slow down innovation and depress US living standards. And that’s if the tariff wars stop now.

"In narrow economic terms, the claim that the US has emerged the winner from both sets of negotiations is simply false. Tariffs are taxes. Before long, American consumers will pay most if not all of the increase in costs."

www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...

Fact Sheet: The United States and European Union Reach Massive Trade Deal MAKING GLOBAL HISTORY: Yesterday, President Donald J. Trump announced a trade deal with the European Union (EU), fundamentally rebalancing the economic

Believe it or not, the EU-US trade deal just got messier.

The White House has published a fact-sheet about the agreement with claims that directly contradict the European Commission's version of events.

Let's take a closer look.

US confirming EU carve out on pharma and chips probes under 232. So EU tariffs stay at 15% as reported

Just so’s we’re all clear, almost 3/4 of everything we buy from Europe is now 15% more expensive.

From @espiers.bsky.social

1. Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel want everyone to think the so-called Steele Dossier was a major source for the 2017 intelligence assessment on Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. No, it wasn’t — an assessment of the “dossier” was included as an annex, which they haven’t released. Why?

Columbia’s leadership has managed to make the wrong decision at every single point here

Romania buys Spyder air-defense suites from Israel for over $2 billion The transaction will be the second largest defense deal in Israeli defense-industry history after the sale of the Arrow-3 to Germany for $3.5 billion.

The transaction will be the second largest defense deal in Israeli defense-industry history after the sale of the Arrow-3 to Germany for $3.5 billion.

Europeans lack of confidence in their ability to do industrial policy remains a sight to behold.

Fret the bloc can’t build rare earths?

The global market for them is €3.5 billion a year.

Germany could buy the whole global market for 10 years for the money it used to bailout gas firm Uniper.

Eröffnungsrede von Boris Pistorius bei der virtuellen UDCG Eröffnungsrede des Bundesministers der Verteidigung, Boris Pistorius bei der virtuellen UDCG

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👉 Die ersten von #Deutschland finanzierten Langstrecken-#Angriffsdrohnen aus ukrainischer Produktion werden in den "nächsten Tagen" an die ukrainische Armee geliefert.

www.bmvg.de/de/presse/er...

EU to ramp up retaliation plans as US tariff deal prospects dim The European Union is exploring a broader set of possible counter-measures against the United States as prospects for an acceptable trade agreement with Washington fade, according to EU diplomats.

* EU TO RAMP UP RETALIATION PLANS AS US TARIFF DEAL PROSPECTS DIM

@reuters.com
www.reuters.com/business/aut...

Donald Trump: May 13, 2025, Riyadh:

State Dept breaking new ground - visa revocation/restrictions on a foreign judge, “his allies on the court” and immediate family members b/c they’re prosecuting a coup attempt in Brazil.

Will it be used against other foreign officials — eg in France b/c of conviction of Le Pen?

Not really an overstatement to say that the test of a free society is whether or not comedians can make fun of the country's leader on TV without repurcussions.

One of the first things Vladimir Putin did on becoming president was take over NTV, the TV channel that hosted a satirical puppet show because he didn't like the Putin doll and how he was portrayed. He arrested NTV's owner and only released him when he signed the channel over. #Colbert

Is there a good write up of the new weapons/sec assistance Trump says he's providing to Ukraine?

From what I've read so far I have many questions:
-are donating via PDA or doing sales from stock?
-are we providing Patriot launchers/radars - or just interceptors?
-which offensive strike weapons?

Today in the indiscriminate and nihilistic destruction of American state capacity...

The extent to which Bluesky and Twitter are swamped by borderline deranged American culture war politics is deeply problematic in distorting the politics of other states with distinct constitutional orders.

Germany, UK, Brazil or France might break down, but they'll do so in their own way

Trump’s 50% Brazil tariff: Because nothing says "America First" like taxing your own citizens to defend someone else's coup.

Donald Trump on May 13, 2025 in Riyadh: "In recent years, far too many American presidents have been afflicted with the notion that it’s our job to look into the souls of foreign leaders and use US policy to dispense justice for their sins. "

I’m going to say this again

The president is taxing American consumers to try to do a favor for one of his political allies

UK and France vow to co-ordinate nuclear weapons for first time Announcement marks increase in co-operation between allies amid growing threat from Russia

»"There is no extreme threat to Europe that would not prompt a response by both nations,” the UK added. “As such, any adversary threatening the vital interests of Britain or France could be confronted by the strength of the nuclear forces of both nations.”«

I encourage everyone to read this letter.

Please then realize the president is imposing a tax on American consumers to leverage a foreign nation into making a domestic political decision that will help one of his political allies.

a man in a plaid shirt and tie is standing next to a boy in a green shirt . Alt: a man in a plaid shirt and tie is standing next to a boy in a green shirt .

Attention #Zeitenwende and #security nerds: My newest article on "German 'pacifism' and the Zeitenwende" is about to be published online in Defense & Security Analysis. In the article I try to assess to what extent the reorientation of German security policy after the