Nicolas Veron

I am not a #Merkel fan (as many of you know), but the headlines following her interview with Partizan are complete nonsense.

She does not blame Poland or the Baltics at all.

House of South Carolina Judge Criticized by Trump Administration Set Ablaze Authorities are investigating a fire at the home of a South Carolina judge who had reportedly received death threats in what could be the latest incident of political violence across the country.

Over the weekend, Trump's deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller repeatedly attacked judges, calling them part of an "organized terrorist attack" on the US government....

On Saturday, the home of a judge who ruled against Trump, went up in flames

time.com/7323442/sout...

GDU Figure of the Week

After 2022 Ukraine often relied on electricity imports.

But this summer, Ukraine, once again became a structural exporter. And last month, Ukraine's exports even exceeded pre-invasion levels.

www.linkedin.com/posts/green-...
thx to R.Stubbe

Apple did something very similar to the people of Hong Kong in 2019, removing an app that allowed protesters to track police movements via crowdsourced information:

gizmodo.com/apple-sells-...

A memorable, sobering read.

Musée des Beaux Arts BY W. H. AUDEN About suffering they were never wrong, The Old Masters: how well they understood Its human position; how it takes place While someone else is eating or opening a window or just walking dully along How, when the aged are reverently, passionately waiting For the miraculous birth, there always must be Children who did not specially want it to happen, skating On a pond at the edge of the wood: They never forgot That even the dreadful martyrdom must run its course Anyhow in a corner, some untidy spot Where the dogs go on with their doggy life and the torturer's horse Scratches its innocent behind on a tree. In Brueghel's Icarus, for instance: how everything turns away Quite leisurely from the disaster; the ploughman may Have heard the splash, the forsaken cry, But for him it was not an important failure; the sun shone As it had to on the white legs disappearing into the green Water; and the expensive delicate ship that must have seen Something amazing, a boy falling out of the sky, Had somewhere to get to and sailed calmly on.

79. American citizen.

The AfD qualified for three mayoral run-offs in cities in North Rhine-Westphalia today, and lost all by big margins. The lesson is not that we have overdone the AfD's rise, but that we do perhaps sometimes underestimate the counter-mobilisation effects - including in east Germany, incidentally.

on.ft.com/42b1CwY Economists favour Christopher Waller to head Fed but doubt he will get the job

Ukraine's future in the European Union Europe is grappling with a new era of challenges, from building its own defense to pursuing tech independence. It's a good time to ask: What now, Europe? Introducing a new virtual series and podcast w...

ICYMI: We launched @veron.bsky.social's new event series & podcast What Now, Europe? with a forward-looking discussion on Ukraine & Europe with Oleksandra Azarkhina from the Economic Security Council of Ukraine.
Watch here or subscribe to listen wherever you get podcasts:

Now available in podcast format from your favorite platform!

Putin’s stage show goes on

The same FSO staffers keep playing “grateful citizens” year after year — sometimes factory workers, sometimes fishermen, sometimes “heroes of the war.”

At this point, it wouldn’t even be surprising if 5–6 second-rate actors had been swapping turns playing Putin himself

Wish people would stop saying Trump has done a U-turn on Ukraine. He does this every few weeks. Putin then makes a violent point of ignoring him. Trump's alleged change of heart is just a prelude to his next humiliation by Putin.

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Foreign aid given per capita

Please consider joining live tomorrow! My guest Oleksandra Azarkhina is among the best experts for a forward-looking discussion of Ukraine's prospects as a (potential) future member of the European Union.

Une autre histoire de la Russie par Boris Akounine

Extraordinary lecture (here translated into French) by the great Russian author Grigori Chkhartishvili, better known as Boris Akunin, who has dedicated over a decade of work to a reinterpretation of the Russian state as successor of Mongol / Golden Horde governance: www.telos-eu.com/fr/politique...

Oleksandra Azarkhina is a leading civil society activist and independent government adviser in Kyiv. I am proud and honored that she accepted to be the guest for the inaugural episode of this new series.

Ukraine's future in the European Union Europe is grappling with a new era of challenges, from building its own defense to pursuing tech independence. It's a good time to ask: What now, Europe? Introducing a new virtual series and podcast w...

Europe arguably matters more than ever for the world, and Ukraine is the most fateful issue for Europe at this juncture. So that's the theme of the inaugural session of our new Europe-focused events & podcast series at @piie.com. Consider joining us on Tuesday! www.piie.com/events/2025/...

NEW: @veron.bsky.social hosts virtual series & podcast What now, Europe? launching September 23—exploring Europe's future in a turbulent new era of economic, security, & governance challenges.
Register to participate live or subscribe wherever you get podcasts: www.piie.com/events/2025/...

Assuming this video is genuine, it deserves your time.

Watch the EU's flagship speech on one of four US tech platforms, three of which are actively trying torch the EU's digital regulations.

Oh and EBS.

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Qatar is designated as a “Non-NATO Major Ally” of the United States.

The Speaker of the House of Representative telling elected civil politicians to "yield" to military force.

A significant moment.

Ofc I am in favor of government transparency

But frankly they aren’t paid for that. Especially in wartime

How often do political leaders state the blindingly obvious?

U! S! A!

In the 80s I went to a lecture by a Bulgarian political philosopher. The whole lecture was delivered with his back to the audience writing incomprehensible symbols on the board. He said afterward that they’d developed this habit so the secret police watching would think they were doing maths.