LOL… what are we going to do to retaliate… not buy European? We don’t buy European weapons!
This is all make believe… “the United States would likely review all existing blanket waivers and exceptions to the ‘Buy American’ laws provided.”
🧵Feels like shouting into the void, but it is essential to note that the Trump/Rubio gutting of the State Department and blowtorching of US diplomatic capacity and credibility is an accelerant to this spiraling war and will seriously undercut US/allied efforts to pick up the pieces after. 1/
The #Eurofile: Von der Leyen’s Foreign Policy Power Struggle
@maxbergmann.bsky.social + @donatienneruy.bsky.social discuss internal friction between the Commission President and EU member states. Mona Yacoubian outlines Europe's role in the war in Iran. Tune in below.
www.csis.org/podcasts/eur...
"Granted, being more predictable than America under Donald #Trump, less revanchist than Vladimir #Putin’s Russia or less autocratic than #Xi Jinping’s China is a low bar to clear." www.economist.com/europe/2026/...
Impeccable timing with these @financialtimes.com headlines on the same day highlighting the Trumpian US approach to its allies.
On the same day, the US is
- further easing sanctions on Russia
- starting probes to raise tariffs on EU, UK and Canada
“What I think is actually important for everybody to understand is that the US has been very clear that they want to divide Europe. They don’t like the European Union” @kajakallas.bsky.social told @financialtimes.com. “This is a very complicated relationship we are having"
as.ft.com/r/a418af29-b...
All week in Brussels with officials & analysts, the chatter has been about how little capacity the EU has to respond to the challenge China poses
Next week's leaders summit was supposed to be about competitiveness (& what to do about the China shock). Now it's dominated by Iran.
EU trade spox Olof Gill confirms they've been notified of Trump's new 301 probe on overcapacity
"The sources of such overcapacity are well identified, and they not lie in Europe. The EU is a market driven economy with open markets and transparent policies
2006 me could not have comprehended any of this
Since late 2025, the U.S. has seized ten sanctioned oil tankers tied to Russia, Venezuela, and Iran. CSIS experts Max Bergmann and Jose Macias III explain how this crackdown could impact Russia, which relies heavily on the "ghost fleet" to bring in revenue.
Watch: https://bit.ly/3Pgai1c
The EU should assume a larger role in “funding and organizing European troops—that is, serving as Europe’s Pentagon,” argues @maxbergmann.bsky.social. Empowering the EU in this way need not “spell the end of NATO or national militaries.”
Europe pays twice:
First directly through higher energy prices.
Second, through the lifeline this gives to Putin whose economy was on the ropes.
We may a third or fourth time if there are attacks on EU soil and migratory flows.
Not our war, but indeed also our problem.
Today, CSIS announces retired Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, the 19th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has been named our next CEO, succeeding John Hamre, who announced last year that he will retire after 26 years of transformational leadership.
Read more: bit.ly/4b383Ha
This is an excellent and worrying @foreignpolicy.com piece @arashreisi.bsky.social and @Arsham Reisinezhad.
It is not just up to Trump turn the war off. Iran has to also decide to end the war and release its grip on the strait.
foreignpolicy.com/2026/03/10/i...
Important new report on building European self-reliance and deterrence in cyber space. This is a critical area, demanding a more European approach.
Literally on the same morning Merkel got her prize:
The European Union made a “strategic mistake” in turning its back on nuclear energy, Ursula von der Leyen said in thinly-veiled criticism of Germany’s decision to close its reactors.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Take issue with her positions not the fact that she's taking them.
Lisbon is a messy compromise document that created a foreign policy mess. VDL actually has power and that is noticed globally and gives her credibility. It's good! When there's an institutional mess someone needs to fill it. And it's not like MS empower Kallas either!
The Lisbon Treaty is pathetic on foreign policy... it doesn't work!
France should go pound sand. What hypocrites. They say they want a stronger EU and then moan when they get one. Instead of whining about process, argue the substance. This is embarrassing and pathetic and will likely be ignored by VDL.
New -
Europe warned: weaponise EU market against China or face manufacturing collapse
My report on new research from @ruehlig & @Aligarciaherrer that says:
1. China's economy is not as strong as Europe fears
2. Europe has leverage, use it or lose it
🇸🇪 Video of seizing the Russian shadow fleet vessel Caffa.
Memorable story by @benjudah.bsky.social. The last sentence is for the ages foglioeuropeo.ilfoglio.it/en/the-truth...
The first of five German state elections this year takes place tomorrow in Baden-Württemberg (home of Daimler, Porsche, Bosch, SAP). Looks set to be photo finish between CDU and Greens - remarkable achievement by Greens' @oezdemir.de, whose party was 10+ points behind in autumn.
@maxbergmann.bsky.social and I spoke with Eric Ciaramella of @carnegieendowment.org for his thoughts on how Europe can best arm Ukraine as it continues to hold-off Russian forces. Eric argues for a pragmatic approach that focuses European efforts on where they can be most impactful.
"By announcing the first quantitative increase in France’s nuclear warhead count since 1992 and unveiling the doctrine of 'forward deterrence,' Paris is signaling a watershed moment in continental security," writes @erep.csis.org expert Astrid Chevreuil.
Read more: https://bit.ly/4laEAOI
How long will this war last? A clue in our story: "U.S. Central Command ... is asking the Pentagon to send more military intelligence officers to its headquarters in Tampa, Fla., to support operations against Iran for at least 100 days but likely through September." www.politico.com/news/2026/03...
TFW you want to save your family’s lives but also buy a Rolex
This comment says it all. Sanchez is the canary… European politics turning hard in an anti-Trump/American direction. Being a jerk to everyone may work for a bit but it makes everyone hate you
Interesting to me is the idea of supporting drone interceptor production.
As @maxbergmann.bsky.social pointed out, the EU's Ammunition production program (ASAP) was, after a slow start, highly successful. That idea came from Kallas when she was still Estonian PM.
