Abe Newman

This whole thread.

The MNC‐Coalition Paradox: Issue Salience, Foreign Firms and the General Data Protection Regulation While the EU takes on an increasingly global regulatory role, we have only a limited understanding of how or when foreign firms influence EU regulation. Multinational Corporations (MNCs) have many of....

11/US pressure backfired before. It looked like Silicon Valley lobbying would weaken EU privacy rules (GDPR) but then Snowden happened and privacy advocates gained the upper hand.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...

The battle over the EU’s Big Tech rules begins. Here are 5 fights to watch. The European Union’s digital competition rules, loathed by U.S. President Donald Trump, are being reviewed to see what’s working and what’s not.

10/US intervention comes at a key time for future of Europe's digital debate as key legislation up for review. European deregulatory forces had been pushing for loosening of rules. Given backlash to US pressure, however, this might not be as simple as it once looked.
www.politico.eu/article/batt...

The coming AI slowdow…

This one! But please see the whole thread:

"why doesn't Europe have its own Silicon Valley" increasingly looks like a question of existential import

Good thread

🧵:

Underground Empire: How America Weaponized the World Economy Underground Empire: How America Weaponized the World Economy [Farrell, Henry, Newman, Abraham] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Underground Empire: How America Weaponized the World Economy

9/ Again was is remarkable about EU/Macron is fear that dependence on these digital systems is not just economic but the threat of weaponization.
a.co/d/bl8Ukig

Essential @abenewman.bsky.social thread on an important - and hopefully catalytic - speech

bsky.app/profile/aben...

Read the whole thread, but Macron's right. Cynics will point to the economic argument ("Europe wants its own firms to dominate!") and they're not entirely wrong, but with the
@financialtimes.com's recent bit about social media use declining, it's an opportune time for Macron to press the case

Thread

The EU plans a new AI strategy to cut its reliance on US and Chinese technology Brussels is preparing to launch a new AI strategy aimed at strengthening Europe's digital independence and reducing its reliance on the US and China.

8/Looks increasingly like Macron is not a one off but the start of a cascade. EU announces AI plan to reduce tech dependence.
the-decoder.com/the-eu-plans...

"Europeans, let's wake up!" — Defend Democracy “We have been incredibly naive in entrusting our democratic space to social networks.” President Macron on the occasion of German Unity Day, 3 October 2025.

7/End result: Macron calls for a new enlightenment -- the end of dependence on US social media. Not because of economic argument (level playing fields) but because dependence threatens national security. Hate to say I told you so but @himself.bsky.social and I did.
defenddemocracy.eu/macron-democ...

«Enshittification» : la nouvelle doctrine de l'Empire américain | Le Grand Continent Le plan de l’administration Trump pour faire du reste du monde un vassal d’extrême droite — et les moyens pour le déjouer. Une pièce de doctrine signée Henry Farrell et Abraham Newman.

6/It is not just US government and the Valley that has shifted. Third parties -- the Bolsonaros/Farages of the world. They see that they can plead their case in DC and get pressure on their home governments. US coercion deployed to remake home information spaces.
legrandcontinent.eu/fr/2025/09/2...

The Brewing Transatlantic Tech War How Silicon Valley got entangled in geopolitics—and lost.

5/And much of Silicon Valley has become complicit. Cozying up to the US government. This might help the Valley at home but it further undermines its position globally. See Macron speech.
www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...

The Enshittification of American Power First Google and Facebook, then the world. Under Trump 2.0, US statecraft is starting to mimic the worst tendencies of Big Tech.

4/But hat process has now been coupled with US power. The US government uses dependencies to coerce states. At first, this seemed legitimate as targets were terrorism/nuclear proliferation. But increasingly, it is about free speech and democracy.
www.wired.com/story/enshit...

Enshittification by Cory Doctorow — a manifesto for fixing the internet The writer-activist argues that online platforms are getting worse, fast — and proposes radical regulation as the cure

3/Why the turn against Silicon Valley. First and foremost, the business model. As Cory Doctorow argues -- enshittification. They lure you in, get you hooked, and then feed on attention.
www.ft.com/content/5efa...

"Europeans, let's wake up!" — Defend Democracy “We have been incredibly naive in entrusting our democratic space to social networks.” President Macron on the occasion of German Unity Day, 3 October 2025.

2/"We have been incredibly naive in entrusting our democratic space to social networks that are controlled either by large American entrepreneurs or large Chinese companies, whose interests are not at all the survival or proper functioning of our democracies."
defenddemocracy.eu/macron-democ...

"Europeans, let's wake up!" — Defend Democracy “We have been incredibly naive in entrusting our democratic space to social networks.” President Macron on the occasion of German Unity Day, 3 October 2025.

1/Striking speech by Macron: The future of European democracy depends on taking back its digital information space. A remarkable turn from Silicon Valley as source of enlightenment to being a purveyor of slop. And the stakes aren't just ad revenue but the nation.
defenddemocracy.eu/macron-democ...

Ford CEO says $2 billion in tariff costs prevents more US investments Ford CEO Jim Farley says tariffs on imported parts are driving up costs on the company's cars.

Ford CEO on tariffs: “I mean, it's frustrating 'cause we're the most American auto company, and we export the most, and yet, we have this $2 billion headwind, which prevents me from investing even more in the US.”

finance.yahoo.com/news/ford-ce...

Impact of Trump tariffs is beginning to show in US consumer prices [FREE TO READ] Trade levies are starting to drive up costs for goods from cans of soup to car parts

Impact of Trump tariffs is beginning to show in US consumer prices - on.ft.com/3VMoz5Z

The Brewing Transatlantic Tech War How Silicon Valley got entangled in geopolitics—and lost.

X is symbolic of a very bad mistake that much of the US tech industry is making www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...

Channeling @abenewman.bsky.social and my recent piece en francais for @grandcontinent.bsky.social ? legrandcontinent.eu/fr/2025/09/2... (I'm joking but weirder things have happened to us)

I'm teaching a seminar on 'Economic Security' this semester. Here's the syllabus: tinyurl.com/bdd6e4jd. Let me know anything I should add ~

Features @sarahbauerled.bsky.social @dandrezner.bsky.social @mevers90.bsky.social @himself.bsky.social @abenewman.bsky.social @kazutosuzuki.bsky.social et al.

On 9/23, CGES Professor Emeritus Dr. Roger Chickering joined us for a discussion on The German Empire, 1871-1918. Arguing that the empire was plagued with domestic conflict, Dr. Chickering offers a new perspective on the German Empire’s development.

Full recap: cges.georgetown.edu/2025/09/29/b...

Top AfD politician makes surprise visit to White House Vice President JD Vance has spoken out against the far-right AfD’s political exclusion in Germany.

11/And here, AfD with surprise visit to the White House.
www.politico.eu/article/top-...

Germany’s right-wing shift: The AfD and the growing threat to Holocaust | The Jerusalem Post EUROPE AFFAIRS: The political climate in Germany is shifting as the AfD rises in power, raising concerns about the future of Holocaust memory and the country’s commitment to Shoah remembrance.

10/AfD and Holocaust denialism.
www.jpost.com/internationa...

The far-right German AfD says it has nothing against Jews. This book proves otherwise In 'Antisemitism and the AfD,' Stefan Dietl Lays Out Evidence Showing How Germany's Far-right Party Is Infested With Jew Haters. In an Interview With Haaretz, He Argues That Antisemitism Is 'Central t...

9/Israeli press on AfD and antisemitism.
www.haaretz.com/world-news/e...

With the surprise visit of AfD leadership to the White House, important to reup this thread:
www.politico.eu/article/top-...